Saving Lucas

Chapter 36

Chapter 36

"You okay?" Ringo whispered to Anton. He was quiet since they left the motel, and Ringo can guess why. 

"I don't have to answer that, Ringo," Anton replied sourly. "You already know the answer."

Ringo just nodded. He did. This was hard for Anton. If he was the one in Anton's shoes, he doubted if he'd be able to compose himself just like what Anton was doing. 

Ringo sighed. If they were to do things all over again his way, he would've preferred telling Anton everything from the start. Sure, Anton would have been skeptical; after all, who wouldn't-- but they would surely figure things out in the end. There would have been zero violence, let alone deaths. Lucas would be alive, and so would anybody else. 

But that wasn't so simple.

Lucas made it clear that Anton be held firmly until they made contact with the lawyer, and telling Anton everything will surely scare him off. Ringo debated that with Lucas right from the get go, when they were still in Iloilo, in that tired, abandoned building. Lucas also made it clear that Bertha wasn't an option. Ringo didn't even want to know why. 

Involving Bertha will just complicate things even more, Lucas had said. After all these years, Bertha may already be far from the person they had known before. Ringo also doubted if Bertha truly loved his boss. Maybe she just went in it for the money right from the start. Nobody was sure. So bringing Anton to her would be a very bad idea. They planned on transferring Fernando and Lucas' funds to Anton--all of it, actually. It means zero percent for Bertha. So, add those two together, and you'll come up with the conclusion that bringing Anton to Bertha will surely create havoc. 

"She'll be here any minute now," the man with the purple suit said, limping down the stairs. His suit was so bright he'd double for Barney. Ringo winced at the sight of his face, so did Anton and Winter. The three of them stared at him longer than they were supposed to.

"You don't wanna know where I got these," the man said with a wide grin on his face. His teeth were crooked. Like someone went on a hammering spree at his jaws.

"Save it, BIlly," a woman's voice reverberated from the stairs. Footsteps echoed against the walls. Ringo turned his head to Anton, who was now starting to rise from his seat. So was Winter. 

A figure started to descend from the stairs. Ringo could see the woman in a black business suit and a perfectly fitting skirt. Her hair was brownish with a hint of copper. There were creases on the sides of her eyes now. But it was unmistakable. The woman still bore the smugness and confidence that awed Ringo a few years back. The sight of her still made him somewhat nervous. Bertha still had that effect on him. Only Bertha had that effect on people. 

"Bertha," Ringo said, nodding. His voice was wavering.

"Glad to see that you still recognize me after all these years," she replied. She slowly made her way to them, her chin held high the whole time. Winter looked at her a tad too long before looking at Anton. The resemblance was uncanny.

Bertha stopped a few good feet away from where they were standing.

For a few moments, nobody spoke. Ringo looked at Anton, then travelled his gaze back to Bertha. Ringo wasn't sure, but he could see a hint of teardrop threatening to escape from her eyes. 

"You must have went through a lot," she said, "for you to call me and ask for my help."

Ringo hesitated. Then: "I'm not sure what to do anymore, Bertha. To speak bluntly, I'm not even sure we can trust you and..."

"I have known for a long time, Ringo," she replied. The sudden change of subject threw them off. 

"What?" Ringo asked. "What are you talking about?" 

"That man being my son," he motioned for Anton. "I know. I've known for a long time."

Ringo and Winter stood dumbstruck. Anton stepped forward. he frowned.

"You what?" Anton asked.

"Somebody told me," was all she said.

"When?" 

"A few days after Fernando died."

Ringo calculated the time table. "If you already knew by then, why didn't--"

"...I try to find you?" she finished for him. She smiled. "Who said I didn't?"

Anton fumed. "Can you please stop with the cryptic bullshit and tell me what's going on?"

Bertha looked at him and inched forward. "Karl," she said. "You remember him, don't you?"

It was Ringo's turn to look confused. "Who?" he asked.

Anton and Winter looked at each other. 

"Wasn't he the man we saw on TV?" Winter asked.

Anton snapped his head toward Bertha. "Yes," he said, walking towards her. "He was the man we saw on TV. He was the man at the warehouse," he kept walking until he came face to face with Bertha, "and he was the man who was trying to kill us."

Ringo's eyes widened. He immediately pulled out his gun and aimed it at Bertha.

Billy responded quickly. He too, pulled his pistol and aimed it at Anton. 

"Hold your hots, Teddy Bear," Billy smiled. "One wrong move and he gets it," he said, motioning his head to Anton.

"Stop it! Both of you!" Bertha exclaimed. Billy looked at Ringo a bit longer, then lowered his gun.

"For crying out loud, Ringo, think!" Bertha said. 

Anton remained taut, so did Winter.

Ringo struggled for focus. The confusion in his face was too evident.

"Who do you think told Fernando about that bastard who threw my son away?" she asked.

Ringo frowned, then his face changed. He was starting to see it now.

"That's right," Bertha said. "It was Karl. It was Karl who told Fernando about that bastard throwing our son away," she continued. "Karl was that friend Fernando told you about."

Ringo looked at her. "How...?"

"How did I know?" she finished for him. "Simple. He told me."

"Karl told you?"

"Yes," she whispered. "After Fernando died, Karl called me. He told me everything," she said. "I couldn't believe it at first. But Karl sent me pictures of him," she motioned to Anton. "I didn't need to look too hard for proof after I saw the picture. The resemblance is too hard to ignore."

Winter looked confused. "But if Karl was trying to help us, why was he trying to kill us?" she asked.

Bertha snapped her head to Winter's direction. Her eyes narrowed. 

"You," she whispered with such hatred.

Winter lowered her head.

"You're the reason why all of this happened," she spat out, walking briskly toward Winter. "You and your whore of a mother!" she added, raising her hand to slap her. 

The sound of gunshot pierced the tension, followed by the sound of breaking glass. The gun was fired at the window for warning. 

All of them turned their heads toward the front door in unison. 

"Don't you dare talk to my daughter that way," Samantha said, lowering a smoking gun in her hand.