I miss you still. Some days it feels like a long time has passed, and some days it feels like yesterday. I miss you more now that I live in the valley, but I also feel closer to you. Lots of contradictions.
Was it like this when you were here? There was a murder in the valley. Everyone said nothing like it has ever happened before. We figured out who did it, and that’s taken care of, but it made everything feel different. People are mad at me for leaving instead of helping solve the mystery. I was just scared.
I’m back now, but I don’t even know if I want to be here anymore. Just when it was starting to feel like home too.
I’m just tired of feeling like I don’t know what’s going on I guess. Just once I wanna have something that’s mine, you know? I’ve never had something that I was good at, and it felt like this could be that thing, and people might like me here, but that’s all gone now.
Everyone always tells me stories about your farm, how you had every crop anyone in town could want, and that they were always the best. They say you would be proud of me for starting it again, and for a while I thought maybe you could be. Me and Lizzie were figuring out some crops, and I thought maybe we might be able to sell some to the general store. People would be eating crops from our farm!
They all died when we left. We got a couple things going again, but it feels like starting over again.
I’m sorry I haven’t figured it out yet. This letter doesn’t even make sense. I hope I can figure it out soon, and that I can still make you proud.
how did art feel about all of this? well, he was innocent, so how could he possibly feel nervous? it was just an interview, maybe people would be able to figure something out based on what he had to say. he didn’t know how they would, but what harm could come from it? so he slunk into the mayor’s manor with a big ol’ grin on his face and settled down for the recording.
“where were you on the night of tuesday, october 6?”
“i got dinner at the saloon, with kiran. then i went home to the farm. i try not to go too crazy during the week, focus on the farm,” art explained, though it was really neither here nor there. he just really wanted this farming thing to work out. it was the hardest he’d ever worked at anything.
“can anyone confirm your whereabouts?”
“yeah, kiran was at the saloon with me. then lizzie and i spent the rest of the night at home. she went to sleep, and i watched a little tv before i went to sleep too, still pretty early. we wake up pretty early to work on the farm.”
“did you see anyone when you were walking home from the saloon? and did you see mr. haq at the saloon?”
“no, the town was all quiet when i walked home. i think i did see ismail, but we didn’t talk. we weren’t really friends or anything.”
“what was the nature of your relationship with mr. haq?”
“we didn’t really have one? i just saw him around town. i asked him out once, but he said no,” art admitted bashfully. he probably should have been more worried about the implications of a rejection, but he was more embarrassed than anything.
“when was this?” lewis looked at art over his glasses, causing him to shift in his seat. again, more embarrassed than anything. he hadn’t told anyone this story before, and now it was coming up during a death interrogation?
“uh, a while ago. not too long after i moved to the valley. i saw him at the saloon, and i thought he was cute, even though he was wearing a suit. i didn’t realize he was like that yet, so.”
“like what?” lewis asked. art didn’t like the look on his face. like he was trying to figure him out.
“uh, you know. kind of grumpy.”
“i see. how often did you interact with him after that?”
“i mean, not that often. i would say hi if i saw him at the saloon, or at joja mart, which is mostly where i shopped, but we weren’t buddies. we didn’t hang out or anything. or even talk at all really.”
“when did you last see him?”
“uh, the night at the saloon. but we didn’t talk that night. we weren’t near each other. i saw him from across the room.”
“did anything seem out of the ordinary either in town or in your interactions with mr. haq prior to tuesday, october 6?”
“i mean, other than the protest thing? that was pretty out of the ordinary. but it seemed like everything was going back to normal after that. i liked how everyone came together,” art thought he might finally get a taste of the valley not torn by strife after that. he hoped this death thing was just a horrible accident, and things could return to normal soon.
“very well then. do you know anyone else who might have information pertaining to mr. haq’s death?”
“no. i don’t really know who he was friends with, and everyone i talked to doesn’t either. we all just hope it was an accident.”
“you’ve talked to people?”
“i mean, just like with my friends. we thought it was sad.”
“which friends did you discuss with?”
“kiran and lizzie. we all farm together,” art explained. plus they were the two he’d seen that night. what could he say? they were a little family.
“do you have any other insights or information about the case that you wish to share?”
“uh, no. i just hope we figure out it was all a big accident!”
