Noah's Quest - 7. The shot heard around the world

The door slammed shut, and Jack was on the ground in a pooling slick of blood.

Shaking violently, I pulled out my phone and called the one person who could handle a crisis of this magnitude: Grandma. The moment she heard my cracking, unstable voice, she abruptly stepped out of her meeting and teleported directly to my side. She took in the gruesome scene in a single glance, and a second later, Nick materialized next to her.

“Where’s Grandpa?” Nick asked, his eyes scanning the trailer.

“Not here,” I choked out, hyperventilating.

“I’m on it, Mom,” Nick replied. Then, with a sharp crack, he was gone.

“Come sit, honey,” Grandma said gently, guiding me toward a chair by my elbow.

Uncle Matt appeared next, instantly kneeling in front of me. “Slow breaths, Noah. In through the nose, out through the mouth.” He placed his hands over mine, but I couldn't stop shaking.

“Are you going to call the police?” I whispered.

“No,” Grandma said firmly. “First, I need to know where the gun you used is.”

“I didn’t do it,” my voice betrayed me, cracking completely. “I didn’t do it.”

I broke down right there, collapsing forward against Grandma. She just held me tightly while I bawled into her shoulder.

“Grandpa is coming, sweetie,” she cooed, rubbing my back.

The sound of squealing tires echoed from the dirt lot outside. The trailer door flew open, and Grandpa and Jose strode in, immediately surveying the carnage.

“Noah, are you okay?” Grandpa asked, his face tight with raw concern.

I nodded my head yes, but I could feel Grandma shaking her head no against me.

Jose walked closer to Jack’s body, his expression grim. “I knew something was off.”

Grandpa marched over and kicked the corpse's foot. “Bastard,” he muttered, spitting on him.

“Nathaniel!” Grandma hissed.

“Jose, we need to get the hoses and call the others,” Grandpa instructed, ignoring her reprimand.

Suddenly, a loud, familiar roar echoed from outside. I recognized that engine anywhere. The door banged open, and Uncle Ted and Chase strode into the trailer.

Chase locked eyes with me and immediately ran over. Grandma relinquished her spot, and Chase pulled me fiercely into his chest.

“Nick said there was a major problem and that Ted and I had to get here ASAP,” Chase croaked, his voice tight with terror. “I thought the worst on the drive over.”

“We still don’t know all the details,” Grandma sighed.

“I didn’t shoot him,” I mumbled into Chase's shirt.

“Then how did it happen, babe?” Chase asked gently, running a hand up and down my spine.

I recounted my entire day, naturally leaving out our morning romp in the shower. I explained Little B’s text messages, culminating in his cryptic warning. Then, I told them about arriving back at the office, spotting the pristine BMW with the Annapolis dealer bracket, and assuming it belonged to one of my uncles.

I described finding Jack sitting completely naked at the conference table, and how he told me he always gets what he wants. I told them how I started backing away, how he lunged at me, and how the door flew open just as a shot rang out.

“So you didn’t actually see who did it?” Uncle Matt asked, studying my face.

“I think he already explicitly stated that, Matt,” Chase snapped, his annoyance flashing.

“Well, it’s not like a ghost could do it,” I muttered.

The entire room fell dead silent at my comment.

“Well...” Grandma said, her voice trailing off ominously.

Before I could process that, a heavy diesel engine rumbled outside. Grandpa’s friends, Marty and Kevin, walked into the trailer carrying heavy-duty plastic tarps.

“Dang, Noah,” Marty said, whistling low as he took in the scene. “Right through the heart and you're to blame.”

“He didn’t do it,” Uncle Matt said, looking around the room with narrow eyes. “But I’ll get to the bottom of it.” With a faint pop, Matt vanished.

“Nick called us,” Kevin said, disgust written all over his face as he looked at the dead governor.

“Obviously, some people never change,” Marty added, shaking his head. “All that power and money, and the guy still has a tiny dick.”

The sheer absurdity of the comment broke the tension, getting everyone in the room to laugh—including me.

“Nate, you’re going to need a new office trailer,” Marty told Grandpa. “I can get one dropped here tomorrow from a guy. No questions asked.”

“What are you guys going to do with... him?” I asked.

“Some questions are better left unasked and unanswered, kiddo,” Marty replied with a wink.

“We’ve got this handled,” Grandpa assured me.

Grandma turned to Chase. “Chase, you drive Noah home. Ted, you know what to do.”

“Are you coming by the house?” Ted asked her.

“Yes. I need to make sure there is absolutely no digital or physical footprint showing the Governor was ever here.”

I looked out the window as Chase led me out. The shiny BMW was already gone.

“Don’t worry, Noah,” Chase whispered, pulling me close against his side. “I’ve got you.”

During the drive home, I kept staring out the window, watching Ted’s truck in the rearview mirror. Before anyone asks—yes, Ted can teleport. But since he was leaving his civilian job at the Pentagon, he didn't want to randomly vanish on government cameras. Not everyone there knows what our family can do.

“You’re going to be okay,” Chase said, reaching over to squeeze my hand.

When we pulled into the driveway, I noticed Chase’s Mustang was parked out front next to Uncle Brody’s Yukon. Chase parked in the garage and cut the engine. The second he unlocked the doors, the interior garage door flew open. Little B shot out like a rocket and leaped straight into my arms, nearly sending me stumbling backward onto the concrete.

“Noah!” he cried, wrapping his arms tightly around my neck.

Uncle Brody and Asher appeared in the doorway, their faces pale.

“I’m okay, Little B,” I murmured, but the kid just cried harder.

“I tried to warn you,” he sobbed into my shoulder.

“I got your message, buddy. So I knew something was wrong. Thank you.”

I carried Little B inside, holding him close while he continued to sniffle. Sitting in the living room, I recounted the entire horror story to Uncle Brody and Asher. I watched waves of pure, unadulterated rage cross Brody's face.

“I knew that bastard was no fucking good—especially after what he did to Kevin,” Uncle Brody growled.

The entire room froze.

“What did he do to Kevin?” I asked, a whole new set of alarm bells ringing in my head.

Before Brody could answer, every single cell phone in the room chirped simultaneously. The noise was deafening.

BREAKING NEWS: Maryland Governor reported missing; police state this is a rapidly developing story.

“I hope they work fast,” I muttered.

“Who works fast?” Chase asked, looking confused.

“Grandpa’s friends.”

Another loud emergency alert shattered the silence. Damn these phones.

NEWS ALERT: A massive fire has broken out at the old Lakeforest Mall construction site. Multiple explosions have been heard, though none are officially confirmed.

Uncle Matt walked into the room and let out a dark smirk. “I guess that answers your question.”

A moment later, Grandma appeared in the center of the room. She was no longer wearing her high-powered business attire; she had shifted into comfy sweats.

“Grandpa is going to be busy at the job site for quite a while dealing with that fire,” she announced calmly. “How about we just order some pizza?”

Right on cue, my stomach let out a loud, traitorous growl. Grandma laughed. “Looks like someone is hungry.”

While Grandma went into the kitchen to order the food, Ted flipped on the living room TV. Every local network had wall-to-wall coverage of the construction site. Apparently, a natural gas line had "ruptured," beautifully feeding the raging inferno.

“Can we roast marshmallows?” Little B asked, looking up at me innocently.

“I’d have to go outside and get the fire pit ready, bud.”

“We could just go visit Grandpa,” Little B suggested with total sincerity. “He didn’t start the fire.”

Uncle Matt groaned loudly, while Grandma burst out laughing.

“It’s an old Billy Joel song, Noah,” Grandma smiled, walking over to pat Little B on the head. “Your cousin lives on YouTube.”

“No, my grandson just has excellent taste,” Grandma countered, turning her gaze to Chase and giving him a blatant wink. “Well, they both do.”

Chase instantly turned several shades of deep crimson, looking like he desperately wished the sofa cushions would swallow him whole. Heck, I’d swallow him.

The pizza arrived, and to keep my mind off the blood and the explosions, Grandma suggested a movie night. We decided on a murder mystery theme. We started with the classic Clue. I absolutely love that movie—everything from the singing telegram lady getting shot to Wadsworth and Miss Scarlet arguing over the remaining bullets.

Next up was Uncle Matt’s choice, Knives Out, purely because he has a massive crush on Chris Evans in a cable-knit sweater.

We were all settling into the couch, the tension finally draining from the room, when a heavy shadow fell across the hallway.

The entire room let out an audible, terrified gasp as the figure stepped fully into the living room light.

It was Uncle Nathan.

ok, so I lied about no explosions.
Chase thought the worst when he heard something was wrong.
This is going to be a pivot for Noah on a few things, but first, he needs to figure out what his Uncle Nathan wants.
So... to recap:
1. Jack is dead 
2. Jack has done this before 
3. 80's song's are tonights music choice.
4. Où dans le monde se trouve Carmen Sandiego ? And what does she have to do with this? Absolutely nothing.
5. I highly recommend both movies mentioned if you haven't seen them. Knives Out has unrelated sequels.
6. Why is the first part of #4 in French? 
7. Why is Nathan back?
8. Who shot Jack?
9. Contrary to popular folklore, Jack will remain dead. 
 
All this and more won't be answered.
Just kidding.
Thanks for reading.
Comments and reactions are always welcome.