Chương 11: I will stop you!
In the evening, Clark returned home with a heavy heart.
"The dealer gets 12.5 percent."
"The feed bill exceeded budget again this month."
Martha and Jonathan were calculating the recent expenses, but from their tone, things didn't seem optimistic.
Martha operated the calculator while saying, "Add in the 8.2 percent for the mortgage, and then... the repair costs for the harvester."
After tallying up all the family expenses, Martha looked helplessly at Jonathan.
"This month's situation is worse than last month's."
On the other side, Eric was flipping through the newspaper and said without looking up, "The total is fifty-four thousand, five hundred and one dollars and thirty-eight cents."
After calculating the bills for his parents, Eric looked up and asked Jonathan, "Is it really bad?"
"Worse than expected. Looks like we need a loan."
Jonathan was making coffee and explained to Eric.
"Hey, Dad, Mom, Eric."
Clark, who had been standing at the door listening, composed himself and greeted everyone.
"Hey, Clark."
Jonathan casually put the coffee on the table and greeted his eldest son.
"Dad, are we getting a loan?"
Clark put down his backpack and asked worriedly.
"Looks that way."
"But the interest on the loan will..."
Clark didn't think it was a good idea.
"Maybe I can help."
He felt responsible for helping his parents out of their difficulties. "I could skip high school, go straight into professional sports, become a spokesperson, and make a lot of money..."
Before Clark could finish, he saw his parents and Eric giving him a strange look, so he immediately stopped.
"Okay, I was just trying to make you laugh."
Clark looked a bit dejected.
"Clark, your father and I would love to see your face on a cereal box, but we want you to finish your education first."
Martha thought her eldest son's idea was risky.
"Eric too, you both have helped a lot. The work you two did on the farm last quarter was worth seven or eight adults."
Martha glanced at Eric as she spoke, praising them while warning them against dropping out.
As dinner was nearing its end, Clark gave Eric a peculiar look and asked:
"Eric, did you hear about the football team?"
"What happened?"
Eric looked up and pretended to be clueless.
The news of Dan Brown's murder had spread throughout the school, and Eric naturally knew what Clark was referring to.
"Coach Watt's team?"
Martha, who was stirring the fruit salad, showed interest upon hearing Clark mention the football team.
"Jonathan was also one of Coach Watt's students, wasn't he? A tailback, if I remember right. Jonathan?"
"Uh-huh, number 32 tailback, but those aren't fond memories."
Jonathan clearly didn't want to reminisce about his football days. He sipped his warmed milk and asked Clark, "So, what happened to Coach Watt's team?"
"A member named Dan Brown was found dead yesterday."
Clark glanced at Eric, as if trying to read something from his brother's expression.
But to his disappointment, Eric continued eating his dinner, seemingly uninterested in what he was saying.
"Oh, that's really sad news."
Martha put down the fruit salad in shock. "Have the police found any clues or caught the killer?"
"Not yet, but I heard that Dan Brown's body had high-temperature burn marks... electrocution, or burned by some high heat source? I got the details from Chloe."
Clark shared what he heard from his best friend.
The heavy topic cast a shadow over the Kent family's dinner. After expressing condolences for Dan Brown, Martha quickly shifted the conversation back to farm issues.
After dinner, Eric returned to his room.
"Knock, knock!"
Before he could sit down, there was a knock on his door.
"Eric, it's me."
Clark's voice came from outside.
"You rarely come into my room, Clark."
Eric opened the door to let Clark in.
"When was the last time? Let me think... it was when you accidentally damaged the school's sports equipment, didn't have the money to pay for it, and didn't want Mom and Dad to know, so you came to me for help."
Eric pulled a chair from his desk and sat facing Clark. "Did you break even more expensive equipment this time?"
"It's not about borrowing money. It's about Dan Brown."
Clark's expression was serious as he stared at Eric. "Was his death related to you?"
"Why do you ask that?"
Eric raised an eyebrow.
"You had a conflict with Dan Brown at school, and you never got along with the football team."
"Is that all you have to go on? Clark, that's not much of a reason."
"And..."
Clark's expression changed slightly. After hesitating for a few seconds, he continued, "Is it because Whitney and the others chose me as the scarecrow, and you..."
"Clark."
Eric cut him off. "You seem to think I'm the type who seeks revenge from behind, but sorry to disappoint you. Most of the time, I'm too lazy to take action. I'd rather wait for them to destroy themselves."
"Destroy themselves?"
Clark shook his head. "I don't think Dan Brown's death was a suicide."
"Well, now I'm seriously doubting how you see me."
Eric sighed, deliberately showing a disappointed look. "Clark, it seems you think I'm someone who would destroy a person's body at any moment."
"…"
Clark frowned at his brother's accusation. "In fact, Eric, it's you who's been hiding things from me."
"Hiding things?"
"Yes. You never explain where you get all that money. You never tell me why you go to Metropolis late at night. And you never explain why you come back smelling of blood!"
Clark's tone grew agitated, but he suppressed his anger. "Gangs, robbery, gunfire... I've been wondering what you've been doing in Metropolis, and if those words are associated with you. I won't tell Mom and Dad, just like I didn't mention you have a stash of money that could solve our financial crisis instantly. I'll stay silent, but it doesn't mean I won't think about it."
"You never treated me as your brother, Eric!"
"You have extraordinary talent, and I'm just ordinary. But—I know how to do the right thing! And I can't be sure if you will do the wrong thing."
Clark's voice was filled with anger and accusation.
"We do need to talk more, Clark."
Eric didn't expect Clark to have such a deep-seated grudge against him.
However, he couldn't be bothered to explain and said directly, "But you have more important things to do. Tomorrow is the homecoming dance, one of the most important gatherings for the football team. If I were the killer, I'd definitely take the opportunity to wipe them all out."
"I'll stop you!"
Clark's tone grew more resolute.
It seemed he had decided Eric was the culprit.
"Mm-hmm, I'm looking forward to it."
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