All Chapters of The Last Joke: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

Donald put on that familiar innocent expression and hid behind Claire. "Aw, don't give me that look, man. The hide-and-seek game was already over. She got tired, so I took her back to the kindergarten."I kicked the soaked bag toward him. "Did you?" I pointed at it, my voice shaking with rage. "The GPS led me right to the bag on the riverbed, and you're telling me you took her back?"Something glinted in his eyes, and he shrugged. "Maybe it fell in when she was playing by the river. It's just a bag. Don't overreact just because it's lost."That made me snap. I rushed forward. My hand found his hair, and I yanked him right out of bed before slamming him right into the ground. "Where did you take her? That part of the river has rapids. She's only four years old!"Before my fist could even land, Claire lunged at me and dug her nails deeply into my arm before she pulled my flesh off."Are you mad, Jonathan? Let him go!" She shoved me off like her life depended on it, then she held Don

The police were speaking to me, something about rapid currents and undercurrents, and how Tina was swept away right after she fell in. The cameras had not captured how she entered the water. For now, they could only treat it as an accident.I did not hear them clearly. My head was hanging low as I carefully wiped the mud off Tina's face with my sleeve. Every wipe dirtied more of my sleeve, then when it was fully dirtied, I switched to the other one. "It's alright, Tina. Daddy's here."Something lodged deep in my throat. My voice would not stop shaking. "I'll take you home. I'll warm you up. You love sit by the fireplace, don't you? I'll make roast marshmallows for you."She did not move, and my world stopped moving as well. It would never move again.After the evidence was collected, the officers told me Tina would have to be taken to the funeral home while the investigation continued. I refused to let my daughter go. "No, not the cold room." I shook my head. "She's terrified of th

I held a funeral for Tina the next day. The sky was overcast, and a drizzle fell upon this city. My parents arrived in the afternoon. My mother tried to say something when she saw me. However, she swallowed all her words as she came over and held my arm.Her hand was freezing cold, and her nails were digging into my flesh. When I turned, I saw that her eyes were puffy. She must've cried before she came. "Where's Claire?"I couldn't answer. I had texted her that morning, telling her about the funeral. She never replied.My father followed my mother closely, their luggage in tow. His hair had turned white overnight.The memorial hall was starkly decorated. The staff member placed the urn and Tina's portrait in the center table. That photo of her was taken last fall. Tina was picking up fallen leaves under the tree. I called her name, and she turned back, smiling at me.My mother's legs buckled the moment she saw that photo. My father was setting up crosses and candles for Tina. He d

It was Tina's watch. Claire had seen me wear it around Tina's wrist before she left home. If Tina really was hidden, the cop wouldn't have shown up bearing an evidence bag holding this watch.Claire couldn't believe that absurd possibility that was forming in her head. "Jonathan…" Her voice began to tremble. She jabbed a finger at the cops as she stepped back, her face white. "What are you doing? Hiring extras just to force an apology out of me?"Her eyes were boring a hole through me. She was praying that I would look at her and laugh for pulling off an absurd prank. She wanted me to tell her it was a joke."Say something! Where did you find these extras? Tell them to stop this! This isn't funny anymore!"The lead detective frowned, his eyes flickering with scorn. He took out his badge. "We're with the city's police department! We're detectives, and this is not a joke!"Claire yanked her hand back as if it burned. Her legs buckled, and she nearly fell to the ground.Donald was p