Broken Pocket Watch Part 1

07/20 Wednesday

Ren entered the room without saying anything and sat down. Little Mirea ran to him and hugged his leg when she saw him. Ren calmly pried the child off of him.
"Mirea, could you play upstairs? I need to talk to your mother." His voice cracked, but his tone was firm.

The little girl didn’t know what to do and looked at her mother. When Kaede nodded, Mirea began gathering her toys. During this time, Ren sat silently.
“What happened? Is it something important?” Kaede asked.

Ren gestured toward Mirea. Kaede understood and helped her carry her toys upstairs, then closed the childproof gate installed to prevent her from falling down the stairs. Kaede knew children were curious and took care to ensure Mirea wouldn’t hear things she wasn’t supposed to.

When Kaede returned, Ren was staring at her so intensely that she felt fear within her.

Ren didn’t know how to start. He hadn’t thought this through enough. He was aware that directly asking would seem strange and that it would be offensive if he were wrong, but he didn’t care.
“Kaede, where were you four days ago?” he asked.

“Where was I?” Kaede thought for a moment. “I was home. Oh, wasn’t that the day you came over for tea? I was home all day, even before you arrived.”

“Can you prove you didn’t leave the house before I came?”

Kaede laughed. “What’s with these questions all of a sudden? I don’t understand your point, Ren.”

Ren’s expression didn’t change. “Answer me. Can you prove it?”

“You seem tense. How about I make us some relaxing tea? We can talk while we drink it, okay?” She began to get up, but Ren shouted,
“Sit down. Don’t even think about getting up!”

Kaede started trembling. Ren thought he might have overreacted.
“I don’t need to relax. Answer the question! Can you prove it?”

Kaede thought carefully, her voice quiet and perhaps fearful as she answered, “I don’t have cameras in my house, and as you know, there aren’t any on the streets either. There’s no need for them around here.”

Ren already knew this. Kaede thought some more. “Oh, I think I felt a bit unwell that day, so I had Medi perform a health scan. The scan’s data and timestamp should still be available.”

“Can I see the data and time?”

Kaede called Medi. It displayed the data, which was indeed Kaede’s. The results were normal, including her blood type and bone scans. There was no doubt it was hers. Ren checked the timestamp: 1:10 PM. The time of the murder was only seven minutes apart. The route would have taken about 15 minutes even at the fastest run.

Ren turned to Medi. “On June 16th, the day of the scan, was Kaede home all day?”

Medi responded, “Yes, Kaede stayed home the entire day on June 16th.”

Ren was relieved, burying his face in his hands. Kaede didn’t judge him; instead, she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
“Chillax, bring us some tea,” she commanded. Then, turning to Ren, she asked, “Are you okay? Will you tell me what’s going on?”

Ren nodded but asked for water first. After drinking it, he felt ashamed for accusing an innocent person.
“I... I’m sorry, Kaede. I haven’t been myself lately. I can’t think straight.”

Kaede waited silently for Ren to gather himself.

While sipping his tea, Ren finally spoke. “Evelyn is dead.”

Kaede’s eyes widened. “Really?” she asked in disbelief.

“My condolences, Ren. I didn’t know her, but I can’t even imagine your pain.”

Ren said nothing. Kaede pressed, “But what does that have to do with me?”

Ren downed the rest of his tea as if seeking brief comfort. “Evelyn... she died from a blunt force trauma to the head. So I thought...”

Kaede’s voice was filled with disappointment. “Really, Ren? You thought I killed her? I can’t believe you.”

Ren lowered his head, unable to find an excuse.

Kaede began crying. “You’re such an ungrateful man, Ren!” she shouted, her reaction unexpectedly harsh.

“I created that clone for you. I killed him... so you could live. If you’re standing here accusing me right now, it’s thanks to me!”

“I know. I know. Please forgive me. I... I wasn’t in my right mind. I thought there might be a pattern.” His voice trembled. “I don’t know what to do in situations like this, Kaede.”

Kaede wiped her tears and sat next to Ren, kneeling on the couch to hug him. Her voice was gentle. “Cry, Ren. You haven’t cried, have you? Don’t hold it in. Just cry.”

Ren’s eyes welled up, but he gently pushed her away. “Thank you, but I have neither the right nor the time for that. I need to find the killer.”

Kaede’s expression fell. Wanting to help, she asked, “Who could it be, Ren? You didn’t make it obvious, did you? Why are you still using the name Ren anyway?”

Ren scratched his hair roughly. “I don’t know. I gave everyone my alias, but when Evelyn asked... I didn’t want to lie to her.”

“That’s still a lie,” Kaede said calmly. “Your name is Rudolf, after all.”

Ren shook his head. “Believe me, I have no idea who that person is.”

He didn’t feel well. As he stood to leave and rest at home, he nearly collapsed.

Kaede caught him. “Are you okay?”

“I... don’t feel so good.”

Medi approached Ren upon seeing this. As his vision darkened, he noticed a small inscription on Medi’s screen: 07/19. But by then, it was too late.

 

When Ren opened his eyes, a bright white light was shining overhead. The scene felt familiar. If he could recall the name, he would have said, “Morgan?”

At that moment, as his vision gradually returned, he felt a warm touch on his face.

“Oh, I’ve waited for you for so many years. You can’t even imagine how long I’ve searched for you, my love.” It was Kaede’s voice. Ren’s mouth was taped shut, and he tried to make a sound, but only meaningless noises came out. He struggled to free himself from where he was bound.

Kaede rested her head against the man’s chest. “You’ve finally come back to me, my darling! I missed you so much!”

Ren looked around. The room was filled with tools that seemed vaguely familiar to him, and his head was connected to several wires that led somewhere. 

Then his gaze fell on a glass enclosure. Inside a soundproof, square tank, a man was banging on the glass, seemingly shouting. That man was Ren.