The Story of Samo: Chapter Three, Part Two
As she followed Kia down the street and into an alley, Kiara did not think about where they were going or why. If he thought he knew what was going on, then she’d follow. If it turned out he was wrong, at least it would get her mind off of the guardhouse door where Samo was stubbornly refusing to appear. Kia led her down a back alley and to a locked door. He stopped and turned to her with a forefinger to his smiling lips. He said, “He knows we’re here, but we need to be quiet.”
She answered, “Who? Whose house is this?”
Kia turned the handle of the door and pushed it gently. Stepping in, he motioned for her to follow. Once they were inside, Kiara looked around, letting her eyes adjust to the dim light. Soon, she realized they were in a very nice house, not a mansion, but no rat sewer or garage room, either. She followed Kia up a set of stairs, her stomach turning somersaults as they climbed. She said, “Are you sure the owner knows we’re coming?”
“He told me to come, and to be quiet about it.” He turned a corner and whispered, “Professor Lasci? We’re here.”
“Lasci?” Kiara’s voice rose in volume, although she was whispering while she said it. “This is Lasci’s house?”
He turned and nodded at her before turning a corner into a room, where he stopped. When she joined him, she saw Professor Lasci sitting at a desk that was covered in papers staring at them. Lasci motioned for them to enter and said, “Come in.” Kiara gave a skeptical glare as she entered and sat across the desk from him. He smiled grimly as he said, “I can understand if you’re a little nervous here.”
“What do you want?” She gripped the arms of her chair as Kia slid into the one next to her. She stared at him with her eyes half-lidded, trying to seem menacing. For such a petite young woman, that was immensely difficult.
Professor Lasci nodded and said, “Right. Let’s get down to business. I want to explain why Officer Tarat arrested your friend. I asked the police to take him in.”
“What?” Kiara screamed as she pushed herself up. She would have jumped over the desk and throttled him had Kia not grabbed her around the waist. “I’ll kill you, you little weasel!”
“Wait, wait!” Lasci stood and backed away. The panicked look in his eyes betrayed him as he said, “I can explain. It was for his own protection!”
Kiara backed away and pushed Kia back. She looked at him and said, “Did you know about this?”
He nodded. “He asked me to come here so he could explain,” he said.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Um, sis,” Kia said. “That’s kind of what I’m doing right now.”
With his back to the wall, Lasci said, “There’s more to this than I know, regarding Gianan’s murder, and I’m certain that I know more than you. I think Samo knows more, as well. If he is as intelligent as I think he is, he won’t tell anyone what he knows.”
Kiara said, “Then why did you call us here? Are they going to let him out?”
He nodded. “I want to tell you what I can. I feel I need to tell you what I can.” He motioned for them to sit and said, “As much as I dislike your friend, I don’t want to see him suffer the same fate as Gianan. Gianan was my friend.”
She sighed and took her seat again. She said, “All right, then. Explain.”
Tales of the Inventor's War 