Chapter 30 – Sorry

“So can I get you anything?” Mrs. Aquitaine asked as she poured some gin into her green juice smoothie.

“No thank you, well Mrs. Aquitaine, we have some news for you that you might want to be sitting down for,” Caviliery noted. 

“Okay, just a second,” She was pulling out some leftover snacks from the memorial, from the day before. In times of distress, she retreated into the only thing that she knew best… being a good hostess. She started organizing the cookies in an aesthetically pleasing arrangement. “Would either of you like some cookies?” 

“Sure Mrs. Aquitaine,” Skoontz responded. He had not actually felt in the mood for snack but entertained the recently widowed women. 

As she laid the tray on the coffee table, Mrs. Aquitaine made herself comfortable on her mid-century modern sofa. “So what is it you had to tell me? Is it something to do with my late husband’s death?” 

“Not exactly, When was the last time you spoke to your nephew, Ellijah?” Caviliery inquired. 

“Well it’s been about a month or so. He’s like a feral cat, he comes around when he needs something,” she said with a bit of disdain. “Ever since his parents passed away, he hasn’t been quite the same.”

“We are sorry to inform you that we found his body,” Skoontz said as he took one of the cookies off the tray. “He was found in an alley in the slum part of the City.” 

“Wait what? What happened?” She was in mid sip and held the liquid in her mouth for a bit as she processed the information. With a big gulp, she swallowed her spiked drink and set the glass down. Her tone turned dismissive. “I can’t imagine him on that side of town, he knew better than that…”

This certainly was not Mrs. Aquitaine’s week. The constant emotional blows, accompanied with the “sorry”, rattled in her mind. It was the word she had heard the most in the last few days. She felt like the universe was giving her a sign. Death was surrounding itself around her and holding a tight grip. Soon after she started retreating even more into herself.  “Well if you have any more information, please let me know. Right now I have to take some time.”

“Understandable,” Caviliery remarked as not to pry too much. After all, this wasn’t an interrogation, but a mere conversation to inform the next of kin of the recent discovery. “We will see ourselves out.” 

She nodded and proceeded to stare off into the distance. Petrified by the fact that not only a few days ago her husband was alive and now this. Mrs. Aquitaine drew a huge breath of air before holding it in her lungs for as long as she could.

After the long drawl, she jolted her eyes as though she had just awoken from a long train of thought. If this truly was an attack on the Aquitaine’s it was time to rally. She quickly lifted herself from the sofa and searched for her phone to make a call. 

“Avery, darling, you need to get over here.” She said. “We have some things to discuss.”