Chapter 538: Ziu Patek

"Igna, why are you glaring at those men so intently?"

"To mark my territory," said he half-in-jest, "-Let's sit, Mr. and Mrs. Nao are coming."

Most of the guests were present. A priest of the Syhton Church arrived with a lamp and a book in hand. Multiple followers walked shy of his back; the scattered groups gathered to fill the hall. The parents stood at the front; the father's emotion remained stoic; the mother had to be comforted multiple times by family members. 

'The reality of killing someone,' thought he, '-is that the departed always leaves things unfinished. I kill without mercy, only after that, the guilt grips my heart, then again, an unknown sense of calm sweeps the pain away.'

Patek's entourage sat directly behind. Ziu pressed no issue in breathing down Igna's neck. The intimidation went on even as the priest prayed for the lost soul.

"Can't believe the lady died so early," said one of the countless faces in Patek's entourage.

"The young master sure was a little rough in the negotiations."

"Whatever, even if the death is ruled as murder, there's doubt the corrupt department's going to do anything." 

"Don't speak to freely," cautioned another member. 

Prayers exchanged; the parents stood at the casket's side. Last glances and exchange led into a speech. Gusts reaching 150 km/h rattled the windows violently. Mother nature and death weren't a good match. Thunder and lightning made smaller trips. At one point during the prayer, the lights cut to a subdued reflection of the grey clouds. For the most part, the funeral ended here for many people. Those willing to accompany the lady to her final resting place were free to do so. Many others who came on good-will alone returned after the prayer. The high-profile individuals left alongside the first batch, all except for Ziu Patek who's gaze thirsted over the melancholic Alicia. 

"Igna, you can leave if you want," said Alicia as the prayers concluded. The mass of people bottlenecked at the entrance of the hall. Politeness of the men to allow the ladies to go first halted the line further. 

"No," returned he, "-are they going to cremate her?"

"Yes, it's a tradition for the Syhton sect. And about leaving," she pulled closer to his chest, "-are you sure?"

"Yes," he patted her back, "-we're leaving together." 

"Alicia, would you like a ride to the crematorium in my car?" ambled Ziu gallantly, "-I'll spare the insult of riding in the bus at his company," the difference in body-size and the title of heir placed him above others, or so thought the young heir. In his mind, Igna was naught but a weak-pretty boy, plenty of which he had dealt with long ago. 

"I've said it before," he stood in to hide her from the overly rude heir, "-she's my partner. You need not embarrass yourself. Yearning for her will result in nothing more than regret."

"Don't give me that," refuted Ziu, "-I don't know anyone who'd dare refuse my advances. I've got money, power, and beauty. What do you have – I'm the complete package, girls drool to have a chance to play in my chambers. I've slept with so many starlets and idols it's funny thinking about how easy it was. The lower-class men who only thirst and dream of the stars in the spotlight can never experience what I have. If I fancy someone, I'll have her without question. Do you hear me?" he pointed strongly at Igna's chest. 

"The higher one is, the harder is the fall. I'm not going to bow," the cold stare sent shivers, "-so, Ziu, what will it be? Embarrassment or humiliation."

"How dare you speak to me in such a tone?" arms crossed, "-boy, I'm stronger than you'd ever imagine. Patek isn't the only thing going for me," muscles began to bulge through the suit, "-I've never lost a fight either." 

"Not planning to fight either," said he, "-the doorway's free for us to head out. Come on, there's no merit in wasting here debating."

"You running away?" chuckled Ziu.

"Think what you wish," returned he holding Alicia by the waist, "-I've won as far as is concerned." Rain crashed against the side of the mansion. 

"Éclair, bring the car."

"What's your name?" wondered Ziu stood at Igna's side. 

"Igna, why does it matter?"

"You're the first man who's dared defy me in such a way. Not that I feel anything remotely close to friendship, the prospect of fighting someone weak has me pitying your existence. We're worlds apart, you might hold her for today – still, like the one who's going to be cremated, partner or not, I'll have what I desire, and Alicia, I'll savor each of us in bed. The day will come where you'll beg me to sleep with; trust my word," another car pulled up, "-because, a whore can never be mended into a thing of praise, similar to broken glass." Red, low to the ground and fast looking, "-where's your ride?"

"Over there," he pointed, "-shall we go?" 

"Look at you," said Ziu, "-the exclusive model, what a surprise. I guess we're similar."

"I doubt it," the doors shut.

'Race me to the crematorium,' signaled the gutsy Ziu.

"Don't," said Alicia, "-he's toying with you."

"Oh don't worry," focused on the road," -a single mistake and it's death. Therefore," catching Celina's gaze, "-wear the seatbelt, this ride is going to get rough."

"Are you planning to get us killed?" complained Alicia.

"Trust me for once." 

A countdown, 3, 2, 1, and the cars roared to skid and accelerate. The local crematorium stood around a thirty-minute drive from the mansion. The roads were narrow and tight; the weather also didn't favor Igna's ride. Ziu's model, old as it seemed, was perfect for racing.

"Igna," materialized Éclair, "-follow my lead, I'll take over if the car seems to get out of control." 

"Can we win?"

"Should have thought of it before accepting the challenge. Still, there's a chance – the weather's our greatest ally."

Down Eldow's high and its winding road, both went head-to-head. Ziu smiled childishly to pull ahead on the straights. Acceleration-wise, he had Igna beat by a conquerable margin. Despite the heavy rain, Igna kept up the pace. The only chance at victory was the hardest curve leading into downtown. There, the roads would be smaller and easier to avoid being overtaken. 

"Igna, there's a massive turn ahead. If you don't break, we'll go straight off the cliff. "

"I know," said he slamming the pedal to tailgate Ziu. 

'What's he thinking?' the heart shot in anxiety, '-there's a dangerous curve ahead. Why is he so close, is he trying to kill me?' the pressure forced him to break into the inner-lane, '-not going to happen, idiot.' Smirking the passengers, '-why is he accelerating?' the eyes widened, '-it's too late to break…' 

"NOW!" screamed Éclair. The car slid into the turn millimeters away from the curb, the slippery road made it both easy and hard, easy to start and hard to control. Taking the turn at such a speed had Ziu scared for their deaths. No sound, nor major tremor, he turned the corner to see skid marks and Igna pelting down the straight. 

'How fast did he take that corner?' accelerating now didn't matter since Igna won. 

"We're here," the crematorium beside which laid a graveyard stood against the clouds in a relatively empty lot.

"ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE?" screamed Alicia beating him out the car, "-YOU FUCKING FANATIC!"

"Hey chill," escaping to the outside, "-we made it here safe and sound, didn't we?"

"THE FUCK YOU MEAN SAFE, LOOK AT CELINA." She held an empty stare, "-YOU TRAUMATIZED HER!" 

"Oh, come on," he sighed, the rain came as little freckles, '-good job Éclair.'

"Teamwork," said the spirit joyously. The other guests arrived a few minutes later, including Ziu who pulled behind Igna's car. 

"You're a scumbag," said he slamming the door, "-do you have no perception of fear?" he reached to almost grab the collar.

"Take one more step," glared Igna, "-I took the risk since I had a high percentage of success. The road surface was perfect for a heavy machine as mine."

"Are you dumb?" voiced he, "-imagine if the roads weren't optimal, the speed would have sent you flying." 

"Comes down to skill, doesn't it."

"Alicia," said he moving to the window side, "-are you going to stay with him?" the tone changed, "-come back with me, come on."

"No," voiced she, "-going on dates doesn't mean we're a couple. Forget me already, I don't like you!"

"Pest," he slammed the roof and left.

"You two have a history?" 

"Yeah," she exhaled, "-sorry I didn't tell you."

"I don't care really. My words about us being a thing were nothing more than a convenient lie to scare him away."

"I know. Shall we?"

The mystery of the death and the comments by the Patek's added a new layer to the overall story. A layer of involvement, the way Ziu spoke was of pride, he wanted to share information that would have otherwise been unavailable to the public, he's done things that could make many revere him as a god. And so, as the body burnt; the parents cried at the all-engulfing flames. 'He's responsible for killing Asuna Muld. Aceline was readied to confront them using the movie to showcase her death and those responsible. Much time has passed; the information relevant years ago won't be of much help here. Need to find a trustworthy investigator first; someone who hates the police and has a strong resolve to carry out justice without care of repercussion.' The motions of paying respect and heading home were carried automatically. Celina and Alicia slept on the way back. The subconscious returned them to the comfort of the apartment. Once inside, the duo ran into bed and slept. Whimpers and moans escaped the ajar door of Alicia's bedroom. 

'The death must have affected her more than she's letting onto,' thought he walking to the previously unused study. The room was changed into a recording studio, the guitars rested on the walls, a camera shot onto a stool and plain-beige backdrop. When sat, only the upper-half could be seen. A computer laid behind the camera, the work-station during the cyclonic weather. 

Multiple casefiles laid on the desktop. Nesse Williams' case oddly matched that of Mello Nao. 'There must be something I'm overlooking. The cause of death is suicide… wait, if there was a cover-up, surely the real report would have been burnt. XX96, corruption then is as bad as is today. The one who made the link to the mobsters…Engn Codd, the detective found dead after uncovering a hidden plot… I'm such an idiot,' facepalming, "-Éclair, is Odgar Codd still a member of the Lerado's family?"

"Yes, he's climbed the ranks and is very respected in the inner-circles of the family."

"Any chance I'll be able to meet him?"

"Sure, if it's orders from Pluton, then I'm sure he'll accept."

"Not orders, where is he right now?"

"Working on a case in Melmark. A double-murder involving a minister."

"Is he related to the police?"

"No, he's a private investigator. The information given to the police often leads to the conviction of the culprits."

"I see," he paused, "-how big is the agency?"

"It's around 4 members big. They're running out of money from the last report to Lerado. He asked for a loan to no avail, the family is in big trouble since Cimier's gotten more active lately." 

'Could it not have come at the worst time… guess I'll have to meet him someday. Éclair, write him a message anonymously using the God-Father's channel. Tell him someone's willing to grant a loan for the survival of the investigation agency.'

"Very sly, anonymous hailing from the God-father, there's no way he'll be able to refuse the offer then." 

"Yes," smiled he, "-anyway, let's record some clips – I ought to get popular."

"Camera's on, have fun." 

"Thank you."