Fragments of truth the c.., p.25
Fragments Of Truth (The Chasing Shadows Series Book 3), page 25
Theo blew out a long breath next to Finn as he squeezed his eyes shut. Finn put his arm around Theo, trying to ground him.
“Before we hear from Michelle Argento’s mother, Jodie. I want to take a moment to address the current sentiment that’s occurred with the recent scrutiny our town has received. To do that, I’d like to welcome Finn Lawson to the stage. Please give him a warm welcome,” Mayor Diaz said.
Finn sucked in a breath and walked up the steps, averting his gaze from the crowd like they had suddenly turned into a swarm of paparazzi and journalists waiting for him to bare his soul and turn it into tabloid or podcast fodder. The audience applauded, and some cheers sprinkled throughout the applause. Likely from Ryan and Camila.
He kept his head low until he stood in front of the podium. He sucked in a breath and finally looked toward the crowd.
A sea of faces stared back at him, all of them blurring together into people he vaguely recognized. Some were his neighbors. Some were his teachers. Some were his classmates. Some unfamiliar faces. Probably concerned parents or other citizens who had only heard about Finn.
He cleared his throat as he scanned the crowd. Ryan and Camila stood next to each other, looking at Finn with beaming smiles, trying to show their support for him.
“Hi,” Finn said, making the microphone reverberate feedback throughout the crowd. He winced, clearing his throat. He couldn’t believe he started off with, “Hi.”
“I, uh—I’m not sure what to say now that I’m up here and can talk to you all…”
He was stalling. He needed to say what needed to be said. No more running from the sea monsters under his bed.
Finn looked at the podium, trying to muster confidence without having to look into the audience. “When I first came to Cape May… I knew it was going to become my favorite place. A town of wonder and where endless possibilities could happen, where magic really exists in the tides and in the sea salt.”
He looked back up into the crowd. “I know it’s somewhere that’s really special. It still is to me, even after everything that’s happened…”
Finn pursed his lips and inhaled. “I just wanted to say… that I know a lot of you hate me or have this perception of me in your head. That I may have caused this firestorm of public scrutiny, and that I destroyed the sanctity of this town. You’re all allowed to believe that, truly. I—I just wanted to say that I never wanted any of this to happen. The truth is… I was just a kid, wanting to learn more about the ocean, to have my best friend love me back, and just to… belong,” Finn said, turning to Theo and Jada. Theo’s eyes softened, and he nodded at Finn.
Finn’s lip trembled. “I never wanted to lose my mom, my dad, or anyone else. I didn’t want any of this to happen. All I want is for us to move forward as a town. This place was my home for a year, and I still want it to be, if you will let me. I know I can decide where I want to live and what I want to do, but if there’s one thing I learned from the past few years, it’s that connection is integral to our happiness. I can’t move forward if you can’t move forward. You can’t move forward if I can’t. If I can find a way to move forward with what’s happened, I’d like for you to take a shot in the dark and do it with me. I know it won’t be easy, but it’ll be worth it. Believe me, I want it to be worth it.”
Finn sighed as he scanned the crowd, trying to find inspiration from the faces, but he wasn’t getting any. He wasn’t sure what they were all thinking. They were silent, and Finn wasn’t sure what to do with that silence.
“I… I think if we try together, we can make this place feel magical again. We’ve all experienced so much loss and grief, and we need each other right now. I may not know all of you, but I know you care about this town. I do, too. I want it to be better for all of us. I hope we can make that happen together. For all of you and for all of those who aren’t with us anymore.”
“Uh… Thank you,” Finn finished, putting his hands on the podium. He’d written a speech, but he didn’t think he remembered or said anything that he’d originally written. All he wanted was to make sure he wasn’t trying to victimize himself or make it seem like they had to make it up to him. He knew that wouldn’t work.
The crowd erupted into cheers and applause. Finn’s eyes widened as the crowd’s smiles landed on him, and their claps reverberated through his chest, echoing into his thrumming heart like it had been brought back to life merely by the applause.
They didn’t hate him anymore. He wasn’t public enemy number one. He was a boy who wanted to make a difference in the world and had been lost along the way.
They were welcoming him with open arms and letting him make Cape May into his true home, one he could always come back to.
Finn’s chin wobbled as he waved to the crowd. “Thank you.”
He didn’t know if his mom was watching over him.
He didn’t know if anyone was.
What he did know was that he would have made his mom proud with his speech. She wouldn’t see a killer. She would see a resilient man.
Guilt washed off him like sand in sea water. The applause was like thunder in a stormy sky, flashes of cameras like lightning.
A storm was coming. One he wasn’t ready for. He wouldn’t board up the windows or duck and cover. He was going to run into headfirst and let it wash him clean.
45
THEO
Theo enveloped Finn in a hug as Finn stepped off the podium.
“You—you did it. They—they forgive us,” Theo mumbled into Finn’s neck. Finn nodded, sniffling.
Mayor Diaz’s voice echoed off her microphone. “I’d now like to welcome Theo Moore to the stage.”
Finn shooed Theo away, pushing him to the steps. “Go. Go.”
Theo paused. Even after the applause that Finn received, he still didn’t think the crowd would appreciate whatever he had to say as much. Finn was valedictorian and was decently liked during his time at Cape May High.
Theo had years of trouble and unrest to undo, and he didn’t think that one speech was going to do much. Try as he did, the town never wanted to change their mind on who he was and what he represented. He hated the thought of trying to undo his bad reputation. It was like notes taken straight out of his parent’s rulebook. It was giving in to them. But he didn’t have any other choice.
Applause reverberated through the crowd as Theo walked onto the stage. He kept his eyes on Mayor Diaz, who beamed at him and gave him a single supportive nod as he stepped before the podium.
He cleared his throat and looked into the crowd. He wasn’t going to introduce himself or say hello. He was just going to say what needed to be said.
His thesis statement.
“All I’ve wanted was to keep the people of this town protected.”
Whispers and mumbles echoed across the crowd. Snide comments and giggles. He was used to it from them.
Some things never changed.
“After I thought I lost Brandon, all I tried to do was make up for what I did. I noticed how much the loss rocked our town and how it destroyed my family and me. I didn’t want that to happen to anyone else on my watch. Being a lifeguard felt like the only option for me. I just wanted to help. Even if everyone hated me and said I let my brother drown. I was hellbent on proving you all wrong.”
Theo paused. He couldn’t let too much anger resonate. He didn’t want to send them the wrong message, even if he was still terribly resentful. How could he not be? The whole town turned its back on him. He tried for years to make friends. To be a perfect person, only for them to lock him out and throw away the rust-encrusted key. He didn’t have anything to prove to them, but up on the stage, standing in front of them, he still felt like he had to prove himself.
“Eventually, I stopped trying to care so much about what you all thought of me. I tried and failed to change your minds, so I let it happen. I thought—maybe my actions as a lifeguard would speak louder than my words. Little did I know that my brother was still alive… and he wanted to take everything from me.”
The crowd murmured as people continued whispering to each other. Theo couldn’t tell what they were thinking or feeling, but he knew that where he was going was maybe too far.
“Now you know what the truth is. Maybe you’ve read the pages of Brandon’s diary; maybe you haven’t. But now you know. I didn’t do all of the things you accused me of. Did I have some moments where I was not the best? Of course. I’m not proud of everything I’ve done. I’ve acted on survival instincts. I’ve hurt the people I love. But in the end, all I did was try to make up for everything, and I was trying to win a losing battle.”
They kept murmuring. Maybe he was saying too much. Finn and Jada were the only people he bared his soul to, and now he was doing it in front of all the people who used to hate him. He clenched his fists. His anger simmered, threatening to boil over completely. He couldn’t let that happen.
“As much as I want to be angry… I can’t.”
The whispering stopped.
“I can’t live in resentment for the rest of my life for how this town treated me. Like Finn said, we have to move forward together. If we’re all living in the past, we won’t be able to move to the future. I’ve felt as if there’s a demon inside me that I have to exorcise. It’s been feeding on me, sucking my verve for life out of me, making me cynical and pessimistic. And after all I’ve seen… it’s hard to beat it out of me.”
Theo puffed out a long breath. He braced himself on the podium like it was a buoy in turbulent water. How could he separate himself from his brother? His brother followed him around like a phantom, stuck to him like a barnacle. How could he convey that he and Brandon were not one and the same?
“My brother did terrible things. He lied, cheated, and manipulated all of you. You were right to be upset with him. I hate that my brother caused so much grief and destruction. But I don’t want his actions to reflect how I define myself or how you see me. I am not the actions of Brandon Moore.”
His gaze flickered to his parents, who stood in the front row, their faces unreadable.
How ill his statements must make them.
How disappointed they would be with him. It didn’t matter.
Unlike his brother, he would express his true self.
“By blood, I am a Moore. I look like him. I talk like him. Sometimes… I act like him. But I am not him. I am Theo Moore. I am my own individual, and I hope that in the future, you can learn more about me and let my actions speak for me, as I’ve been trying to do for so long. I still want to protect this town. I wish I could have done so from all it’s been through in the past few years, and I will make it a priority that I will carry out.”
It was obvious that he wasn’t Brandon.
Brandon was dead.
But, like he had done himself, staring into that lone mirror in his apartment in New York, he could see Brandon’s vicious eyes boring back into his own. Clearly, the citizens of Cape May molded both of their personalities and reputations together.
Brandon’s legacy lived on through him, and Theo had to course correct. He had to make sure they could separate him from his brother after they hadn’t been able to for so many years.
“My point is… we’ve lost many people. Last time, we were divided. Maybe this time, we can all come together to make this town better. There’s one thing I know, and it’s that this town can make wishes come true. Maybe I’m just a dreamer, but I have this idea that we can overcome the loss and grief together. I—I just miss being part of this community. I know I may not be welcomed back with open arms, but… I’d love to try. If you’ll have me,” Theo said, his voice low, unable to look anyone in the audience in the eye.
He sucked in a breath and looked directly into the crowd, his eyes scanning their faces. He recognized almost everyone.
For most of his teenage years, he’d witnessed furrowed eyebrows, sneers, and grimaces thrown in his direction whenever he dared to make eye contact.
Now, no one made such a face.
There was no anger. There was no resentment.
Their faces were lined with sympathy and softness like his words had finally made a home in their heads.
He’d gone so long trying to get people to listen to him. Words falling on deaf, discriminatory ears.
They started clapping. At first, it was a couple sprinkled over the crowd. He’d ended his speech awkwardly, not sure if he wanted to say anything else. Then it grew, with more people joining in.
Then it was everyone. Thundering applause.
A rush of electricity jolted through him like he’d been struck by lightning.
He’d gone so long denying that he needed the approval of the town.
They didn’t know him. They didn’t care to listen to him. They talked shit about him and left him to his own devices.
He’d forced himself to think that he could only function on his own and that he didn’t need to care what they thought. He’d found his home within himself, and it was where he became comfortable.
But in reality, he needed them, and they needed him. Theo knew their opinion was fickle.
As vehement as they could be about their beliefs, they changed like the tides, and maybe someday Theo would have to fend for himself again. But today, that would not be the case.
High tide had brought a riptide of forgiveness and new beginnings. Maybe it would ebb and flow, but it would still come back in time.
Like most things in life, the high would be temporary, but some constants in his life he knew.
People needed him, and he needed them.
He wasn’t a shipwrecked boat in the middle of the sea.
He was the lighthouse that guided ships to the shore.
He was the red flare in the sky.
He was the lifejacket to keep them afloat.
Tears stung his eyes as he looked at the crowd, and he choked back his tears, feeling the rush pulse through his veins, feeling like their faces would be permanently etched into his mind.
He wasn’t his brother’s actions.
He wasn’t defined by what others said he was.
He wasn’t a product of the Moore name.
The horrors and dangers of his past didn’t define him.
He was Theo Moore.
He was a protector of the weak and helpless.
And for the first time in what felt like millennia, he felt at home within himself.
46
FINN
The air in Cape May felt as light as bubbling sea foam in the weeks following the town-wide ceremony. A content quietness had fallen over the town. The kind of serenity that hung in the air just after an earsplitting thunderstorm.
The city council had already begun its construction on Theo’s commemorative bench on the boardwalk on Beach Avenue.
Theo had spent the past week training lifeguards-in-training at the beach.
An infectious radiance emanated from him, like he had been set ablaze by the summer sun since that ceremony. His smile shimmered, and his eyes gleamed like sapphires when he came back from training. The seemingly permanent tan he lost in New York returned after only a couple of days spent by the ocean. After long, sun-drenched days, he would return home to Finn and lift him up in the air out of sheer joy.
He’d even started being in talks to join the Cape May Fire Department when he came of age. Theo still had his mind set on the FDNY, but he liked to weigh his options.
It was a return to form. It was a long time coming for him.
Jada was working with Cape May’s newspaper alongside Camila, to try to highlight the impact of true crime on media and real-life events. Finn expected petulant outcries against Camila’s involvement since she was the one who catapulted the town into nationwide scrutiny, but she was met with unwavering support. Even Detective Montgomery, who oversaw the investigation of Theo’s murder, was open to collaborating with Jada. Maybe someday, they would be colleagues.
As the days grew longer, Finn vaulted from house to house. From the Moore’s house, to the Freeman’s house, to his mom’s house.
The estate lawyer provided him with the keys per his request, and when he finally entered, comfort and belonging washed over him like it had been waiting for him to return.
Even if she wasn’t with him anymore, his mother’s embrace followed him around the house.
Finn knew that he still had to finish his schooling, but now he knew he had an actual home to return to over the summer and that his mom would always be waiting for him in spirit whenever he came back.
With both of his parents having lived in Cape May, Finn still had so much history and answers left to learn. He had a whole side of his family living around the area.
Half of his family tree missing its branches.
He had to plant roots and let it grow.
The summer sun beat on Finn’s neck, making beads of sweat pour down the back of his shirt, but he embraced it. He’d felt cold ever since he left the town last summer, and he welcomed the heat that came with the summer solstice.
“Cape May used to be a common shore for pirates to drop an anchor hundreds of years ago. There’s an urban legend that says there’s hidden treasure somewhere hidden around here,” Theo said, talking to Finn animatedly as they walked down one of the main roads overlooking the harbor.
Finn chuckled. “We should get Jada and a metal detector. I’m sure we’ll be able to find that treasure within a day at most.”
Theo put his hand on his heart in playful offense. “And let her have it all to herself? No chance.”
Finn laughed. Seagulls cried and flew over their heads. A bell tinkled, and Finn turned his head to the building beside them. It was one of Cape May’s antique shops.
Finn felt a hook had lodged itself into his skin, and, like a fish being pulled by a fishing line, he felt drawn to the antique shop.
Ever since arriving back in the town, his head swam with curiosity about the town’s history. Cape May had such a rich history, and Finn knew that the pull he felt only told him that there was more for him to discover.
