Secrets of Lakefront House
CHAPTER 57. IS PAPA INVOLVED?

“And maybe we should ask Aunt Dewi to come here as a third party who will be a mediator if we both want some of the same things.”

"Yes, so one of us isn't trying to take advantage of the other." Perhaps Jilena should not have raised her eyebrows at the end of that statement.

“You mean me?” Sarah asked, her voice rising in anger. "If you're gonna like that, I'm out of here!" He handed the cuff box to the lilena as he passed by.

“Well, don't dong, brother. I just-"

Sarah was going down the stairs and out the door before Jilena finished her sentence.

“So many problems arise,” Jilena said to her aunt when she called her and told her a little about her quarrel with Sarah.

“You can't just say the first thing that pops into your head, baby. You always like to poke people, but you don't like that guy poking back."

“Hmm... aunt may be right.” Jilena rubbed the back of her hand against her neck, where she felt the tension rise. He sat on the edge of the bed, inhaling the nature-deep air and let out a long sigh, releasing some of his stress. "Does auntie mind acting as mediator as we sort through papa's stuff? ”

“I don't mind, Son. I've been doing it for years.”

Thas right. Even before their mother died, Aunt Goddess would step in to mediate a fight between the two of them.

"Now pull your ego back and apologize to your brother."

...*...

After further talks with Aunt Dewi, Jilena called her sister and— apologized as instructed by Dewi. Jilnea and Sarah agree to meet again when the three can be there. Jilena got out of bed and put the cuff box back into the jewelry box. As she put the tray into the top drawer, her gaze switched—to one box that had one missing letter link. Where are the other letters? He took it and put it on his palm. It is an abstract of A and E. Oh, myGod! It's exactly the same as the cufflink in the photo.

It was a button cuff of his father that was found in a grave near the lake. Jilena felt her stomach tighten, her mouth gaping. Suddenly he felt his stomach nauseous and he wanted to vomit. That's where he's seen it before—on his father's wrist. The phone rang in his pocket and he gasped at the sound. He took it out of his pocket and looked at the screen. That was Jonathan. Should I tell him what I just found? That means her father was involved in Mariana's death. But papa is dead right now, so he might as well — what could happen to him now?

"Hello?"

Jilena let Jonathan who first asked how he was and how the day — after that he told about the cufflink found along with the skeleton and he had the picture. What's more, he also has a lighters and it's his dad's.

"I won't even ask how you know about all that" Jonathan said. That was all he said, without anyone asking anything else.

"This could mean my papa is my killer—my papa, Jonathan." The thought of his father could have killed someone, making Jilena shiver he felt a chill piercing his spine. She's trembling.

“We don't know for sure, but yes, we should see it as a possibility. I'll come and we can talk about it more.”

"That's a good idea, but what about Vino?"

"No problem. I'll call my mom to come and watch her for a minute. Those cufflinks need to be proofed as soon as possible.”

Within fifteen minutes Jonathan knocked on his door After a brief conversation, he led him up the stairs to his father's bedroom. She reached out a jewelry box and she took the only cuff button with gloves and put it in the evidence bag.

"You'll find my fingerprints there" Jilena said.

"In the bathroom." Jilena raised her chin towards the bathtub.

“Or even an old watch may have sweat or skin cells on its back can also be tested.”

Sports watches in drawers. He went to the walk in closet and pulled something out of the top drawer for Jonathan.

"Like this?" Jonathan lifted the watch and put it in another bag of evidence.

"What about the other cufflinks in her jewelry box?"

"no need. This should be enough,” he said. “What do you think A and E stands for?”

"The only thing I can think of is Arsyanendra Enterprises" Jilena said.

"Maybe Mr. Arsyanendra made it and gave it to papa as a gift" Jilena said.

“If that's the case, there may be others who also have such an item out there,” Jonathan suspects.

"Mr Arsyanendra probably had a pair, and maybe even Noah as well" he said. “Or someone else in the company." reply Jilena with the same guess.

Jonathan took a small nod. “It could be Noah is the person who— accidentally dropped one of those objects on the grave when he moved Mariana's body, along with her comb.”

"Maybe," she agrees, though Jilena has never seen Noah wear a cuff button, except with a tuxedo the night she took him to prom.

"I'll take these things to the lab tomorrow morning."

"But Jonathan, if my papa's DNA matches the one found—"

His throat was choked and he couldn't even get the rest of the sentences out. He blinked his eyes, a single tear fell from his eyes. Could the guilt of what he had done be the important thing that changed him? Was that really what stood between him and his father for all these years? Not only her illegitimate baby, but also her role in Mariana's death?

For Jilena not only about the relationship between her and her strained father, but by not taking the time to be around her, except for a few times a year, how could she really know? Perhaps she was different from her mother and Sarah as well, but Jilena did not realize it because she was so caught up in the turmoil of her own emotions.

"Don't do that to yourself" Jonathan said in a calming tone. She had to calm the woman who looked sad, her arms were coiled around holding Jilena and she pulled Jilena into her arms.

Jilena rested her head on the man's chest, and Jonathan kissed her forehead softly.

“You don't think of anything weird. Maybe the cufflink they found wasn't his.”

Jonathan attempts to calm Jilena down, but as a detective he must also wonder if papa Jilena is also the killer.

"Maybe." He could only pray it was not true. Jonathan imagines the headline popping his eyes— Papa Jilena's name appears in the media as Mariana's killer. He closed his eyes and buried his bad thoughts deeply. She hugged her girl in silence and gently rubbed her back. After a while, he pulled back. "Look at me, what a crybaby."