As Nick neared the stream, he could see Urgof's bulky form resting on the rails of the bridge. Nick walked up, making a slight noise to warn Urgof of his approach. Urgof didn't turn around, but Nick knew that he had heard. Nick walked up to the railing and stood beside Urgof, his hands also perched on the railing.

His hands barely touched the tip of the railing when Urgof's voice rang out. "Are you angry, Nick?"

"No, just confused." Nick admitted. Though he didn't have the greatest relationship with Urgof, Nick did feel slightly more at ease in the presence of this man than with any other person.

"I have my reasons for putting you on this case." Urgof said, sneaking a sideways glance at Nick.

Nick remained silent, waiting for the ground-breaking reason that Urgof had to offer. Urgof continued when he realized that Nick was not going to supply him with any words. "What do you think of the Brooks?"

Nick's heart suddenly felt heavy. He didn't know why. He looked down as if admiring the water. "Surreal."

Urgof laughed, amused. "You don't think that their happiness is real?"

"No," Nick replied. "I believe that their happiness is real."

"You desire that happiness, don't you. You want it because you don't have it right now." Urgof pressed.

Nick felt a tear trickle down his face. This time, he didn't try to hold it back. "But it is beyond my grasp. Sometimes, you have to be content with what you have." Nick stopped and tried to look up at the stars, trying to calm himself. "But what I have is based on lies-my life, my family, my so-called job-all of them are pure lies."

Urgof remained silent, trying to collect his thoughts. "I'm sorry. I cannot fix the past. But Nick," Urgof's tone changed to one of compassion, "I can provide you with the truth."

Nick looked at Urgof to let Urgof know the extent of his melancholy. Urgof stepped back a little, shocked by the intensity of those eyes. They told him a history of pain. Urgof bit his lips, knowing that he must continue to accomplish what he had set out to do that night. Urgof sighed and continued. "Actually, Nick. I didn't send you out here to figure out what's going on. I already know who's the culprit behind all of these sinister actions against the Brooks."

Nick stared at Urgof without surprise, feeling that nothing could shock him anymore. Urgof started talking again. "Her name is Jane Carter."

Nick's blood stopped in his vessels at the sound of that name. For a moment, all was silent and time stopped still. He had never thought that a that name would ever cross his ears again. He felt the winds being knocked out of him as he struggled to maintain his composure. When he found his voice, it was very timid, like that of a little boy searching for his mother. "Mother." Nick's voice was barely audible against the whistling of the breezes sifting through the grass.

Nick stared at Urgof with a sudden indignation. "You sent me here to bring her to jail! You want me to indict my own mother to make this case all the more interesting, don't you?" Nick was gritting on his teeth to control his voice.

Urgof remained calm. "Nick. She may be your mother, but she has never once cared for you. Why do you think she put you up for adoption? Because she loved you? Is that why?" Urgof knew his words were harsh, but he had to bring Nick to reality.

"Then why me? Do you want me to make an enemy out of my own mother?" Nick replied.

"No. I mean, I don't have anything against her. I think she's actually throwing her life away. I mean she's beautiful and intelligent. She held the hearts of hundreds of men. I men, swarms of men would do anything to be with her. And you've got so much of her in you . . ." Urgof began, but Nick covered his ears like a child. Urgof had never seen him this shaken since his adopted father's death.

Nick shut his eyes tight. "I don't want to hear this. I don't care. I've never seen her before so I wouldn't know. And I don't want to know." When he realized that Urgof had become quiet, Nick let his arms sink to his sides.

Urgof was relentless. He continued. "And she has the same habits as you." Nick looked up, not able to mask his curiosity. Realizing that he got Nick's attention, Urgof continued. "She loves to scramble words in her spare time. Did you unscramble Woh's File, Inc.? That's the company that's under one of her admirer's ownership."

Nick nodded. "How's life? Yes. I unscrambled it."

"No," Urgof replied firmly. "That's not all of it. It's 'How's life, Nic?' Don't you see, that scrambled message was about you."

Nick felt his throat become dry. "No." He shook his head. "That's not possible. She doesn't know if I'm alive or dead."

"No. She thinks you're locked up. Nick, she knew about what happened six years ago with your adopted father. Believe it or not, she has kept track of you, until then." Urgof explained. "Think about when this company started. "It was during the time that your trial was the talk of the town. She knew!"

Nick clamped his ears again, the tears falling again. "So what? So she has a message making a sarcastic remark at my situation six years ago. Why do you tell me this? Why didn't you just go up to Daniel Brooks and tell him everything? Why do you even need me? And why send me to do this case when two days later, you tell me all these things anyways?" Nick cried indignantly.

"Because there's you're the only one who can resolve this. You're the link between Jane Carter and Daniel Brooks. You see, Nick. Jane and Daniel had a child."

Urgof didn't need to say anymore. Nick already knew where the conversation was heading and his heart began to pound as the reality drew nearer.

Urgof pressed on. "I do not know how it happened. Daniel admitted to spending one night with her. That was before they broke up, before Daniel found his true soul mate with his current wife. The problem was, Daniel never knew he had a son out of wedlock. And it was only coincidence that I found out about Jane's child.

But I think that Daniel's breaking up with Jane had gotten her angry. She hated Daniel. And she hated anything that belonged to Daniel."

"Including me," Nick completed Urgof's thoughts. "I was unwanted." Nick's tears had dried as he slowly absorbed every word and every thought that came from Urgof. He did not doubt Urgof's words. He knew they were the truth.

"But why tell me now?" Nick asked. "Why not two days sooner?"

"Would you have accepted this case had I told you two days ago?" Urgof asked.

Nick remained silent.

"Do you accept this case now? For the Brooks sake?" Urgof knew what Nick's reply would be, but he had to hear it coming out of Nick's own mouth.

"I would be damned if I don't, right?" Nick answered. "The Brooks are good people."

"You're a Brooks, too," Urgof said gently, laying a hand on Nick's shoulder.

"No!" Nick replied immediately. "I don't consider myself to be. I'm on my own. After this case is settled, we're through. I don't care about my past anymore. I don't care if I can ooze out a little pity from anyone. I don't need their pity. I have myself." Nick tried to convince himself. And he did. Then he looked at Urgof. "You think that I can resolve this for them?"

Urgof looked at Nick. He had never seen Nick lacking such confidence before. "I believe you can, Nick. Use your judgment. Just know that Daniel Brooks is a good man. I've known him all my life. As much as love Jane, I can't help but feel that it's Daniel that's being wronged. Nick, the case is not over. We have discovered who this culprit is, but we haven't done anything about it. Surely, you can resolve this for Jane's sake, for the Brooks' sake, and for your own well-being too."

Nick looked back down at the stream again, trying to find the moon's reflection in the stream. "You actually believe that by revealing to them that I'm their son that the situation will get better?" Nick challenged.

Urgof stepped back, surprised by Nick's sudden change of tone. It seemed colder than ever, making Urgof flinch. "I couldn't think why not. It's how you reveal your identity that's important."

Nick brushed off Urgof's statement. "And by telling everyone that I'm Daniel Brooks' nephew from the start, it will make it that easier for me to reveal my true identity to them? Nice one, Urgof." Nick's voice was so harsh and indifferent that Urgof began to wonder whether this whole ordeal was getting on the right track.

"Nick. . . " Urgof began, but found his voice failing. Nick was absolutely right.

Nick looked at his hands as if they were that intriguing. "I don't think it's necessary for anyone to know about who I am. It doesn't really matter. What matters is that if you do something bad, you have to be punished. If Jane Carter is behind all of this, then she must be held liable for anything that she does. I will consider this a continuation of the case. From what I know, Jane Carter is only half the trouble. She has a whole network going, and I'm not going to spare any one of them. I'm going to bring every one of them out into the light, even Jane. Who cares if I'm damned for convicting my own mother of a felony, right?" Nick asked without caring about the answer. In a way, he already knew that whatever the outcome of the case, he would never come out unscathed. In a sense, he had already felt his heart being stabbed a hundred times by fate's cruel hand. His life had not been spared. In the end, he would leave the government with only skin and flesh. His soul had been slowly dying all these years. All he will have by the time he leaves would be an empty body.

The two men stared in silence once again at the stream. Nick thought he heard the night calling out to him, beckoning him to another world, one which offered anything but such irony in his life. But he knew that it was not his time. When he felt that there was no reason to live, maybe . . . Nick shoved those ideas out of his mind. Slowly, he picked his strong frame from the bridge and headed back to the house. He had had enough revelations for a day. He needed some rest. He could feel the wound on his arm being slightly torn from when he climbed out the window. He cursed himself for being so negligent. He didn't even bother to gaze back at Urgof. All he knew was to head back to the mansion, back to the place which he predicted would be the beginning of what he already felt to be a tragedy.

>>>>>