CHAPTER THREE:A LIST OF SUSPECTS
1547 Words
CHAPTER THREE : A LIST OF SUSPECTS
RAFAEL'S POV
…..
I gasped terrified, sweat dripping all over my body like I had been the one fighting for air .
The room is dark, dim cool lights glowing from the city through my floor to ceiling windows , i folded myself into my sheets , sweat dripping all over me , and uneven heartbeat caused from fear ,
I could hardly separate the dream from reality
All I kept thinking of is my brother
His hands tied together, his gloomy eyes locked with mine as he struggled as he inhaled dark, drying water. He did not refrain. He called out . The water had filled his lungs, stealing every sound, every glide for help.
I was just standing there.
Close enough to see him.
Close enough to watch the panic give way to exhaustion.
Close enough to witness the moment his movements slowed.
Then stopped.
"No."
I said whimpering
I lingered quickly , planting my feet on the freezing mare floor. My breath was short and uneven as I stared into the pitch black room hoping the images would just go away.
It was just another dream
I shifted from foot to foot crossing the room wandering rounding towards my large window looking over the city with blinding lights and sounds of silence and little noises , the silence felt more heavy .
I reached into my pocket for my phone , I keep staring at my brother's contact , knowing that i have done this for the hundredth time ,
My thumb hovered over the call button even though I already knew the outcome, my call went straight to voice mail , again.
These recurring dreams are just my instincts telling me that every second away from my brother is a second closer to danger .
My twin and I shared everything, even the same face, but we had very different lives. I had enemies everywhere. Rival families watched every move, waiting for a moment to strike , waiting for a mistake worthy enough for the cause. Men have spent years plotting against me. I would be worried if they didn't, that fear and power is exactly what I want but not my brother.
My brother hadn't.
He stayed away from my business whenever he could. He wasn't naive ,he knew exactly what I did ,but he refused to let my wars become his. He wasn't making threats on conference tables or attacking people and having gunfights , he wasn't even one to bring a knife to a gunfight , while I was one to negotiate peace with a fully loaded bullet. He preferred to make legitimate businesses, quiet environments , and a life free from the blood of others , which is why I am so confused , none of this makes any sense .
If someone had taken him... they hadn't done it because of him.
They had done it because of me.
…
“ The next day “
“In the office “
I picked up the phone.
"I need our private investigator."
There was no hesitation on the other end.
"I'll have him here within the hour."
"No," I replied. "Not within the hour. Now."
The call ended.
I spent the next forty minutes building a file thick enough to pass for a legal case. Every photograph, every business report, every security log, every name that had ever crossed mine under hostile circumstances was spread across my desk.
When the investigator finally entered my office, he paused for only a second before taking in the mountain of paperwork.
"Wow you have your hands full “
"I am running out of time "
I slid a folder toward him.
"My brother has been missing for a year now “
He opened the file, silently reading the first page.
"Tell me all I need to know."
There isn't much to tell , he is peaceful and has no enemies.
He looked up.
"Everyone has enemies."
I shook my head.
"No. I do."
The room fell silent.
My brother has no involvement in my affairs . He barely attends meetings. He doesn't make negotiations or promises he can't keep ,and he certainly doesn't take silly revenge or make people go away . He built everything for himself at his own pace"
"So why would someone take him?" The investigator inquired
"Probably because they wanted to get to me."
As disturbing as it words sound
"My rivals wouldn't dare attack me directly, they would reduce drastically before even getting near me but with my brother , he is the one person that I would give it all up for just to protect.
I handed a sheet of paper
I have started a list
Names of every possible suspect
Heads of rival organizations.
Former allies who had become enemies.
Traitors who'd survived my judgment.
Businessmen I'd ruined.
Men whose empires had crumbled because I refused to back down.
Each name carried a history. Each history carried a motive.
"I want every single one investigated," I said. "Where they've been. Who they've spoken to. Every transaction, every interaction, every convention but legal and illegal , call recordings , everything. If one of them moves , I want to know why."
"And what If no one is guilty
I met his eyes with hesitation.
"Then the list continues"
He closed the file.
"This will take time
"I don't have a choice ."
I also did my own research
"I asked for my brother."
From my own personal investigation I have been told that my brother was last seen on his way to Mexico .
"I will make sure I find him
I held his gaze before breaking the silence
"You'd better."
Because if my enemies had laid a hand on my brother to send me a message...
They had just declared a war they would never live long enough to regret.without a word from my brother, hope had started to feel dangerously close to denial.
A week passed with nothing but dead ends.
The investigator arrived at my office carrying the folder. He didn't look like he lost , but he definitely didn't win either
"He dropped an even larger file on my desk , we have gone through everyone on the list ," he said. I stayed at the file for a while then I opened it.
Every name was accompanied by pages of information ,financial records, business dealings, travel histories, family connections. One by one, each possibility had been examined.
Most of them had nothing in common.
And they all had motive
But there was one man with more motive .
He slid a picture to me
I immediately recognized him
It is Leonardo De Luca, my rival ,he has crossed paths with my brother several times."
"What do we know?"
Well almost nothing, I suggest we go to Mexico as fast as possible , the hotel where your brother checked in has been spotted .
"We should leave tonight."
….
The flight felt endless.
We didn't speak much . I spent my journey thinking all about my brother , silly moments I didn't know I would miss and the sad thing is with time apart, we don't even have many recent memories. I kept wondering if my brother may have said something important but nothing came to mind.
We landed and exhaustion had filled me up but I couldn't stop .
We stayed in a hotel near the city before continuing our search the next day .
The first few hours produced nothing.
Then we found the hotel records.
My brother's name.
My pulse quickened as I read the entry.
But the relief lasted only seconds.
There was no record of him checking out.
I looked up.
“ what do you mean “
It means there is no record of how he left , the investigator replied .
The room suddenly felt smaller.
Every possibility that crossed my mind was worse than the last.
We searched for days.
The hotel staff remembered very little.
Security footage had already been overwritten.
No witnesses.
No luggage.
No trace.
It was just like my brother completely vanished
Eventually, we returned home.
The flight back was more silent than the first.
I left thinking I would have answers.
But now I am returning with even more questions.
For a while I stayed in my office, pondering and covering the walls with evidence,pictures, timestamps.
I stood in the center of the room, staring at everything .
There is still something I am missing and it seems to be the crucial key .
I looked back to my list and I realised I need to see them in one room.
An idea slowly took shape.
Not an interrogation.
Not an accusation.
A gathering.
A memorial for my brother
No one would think the invitation is sketchy and it would just be celebrating the life of a man who had disappeared without a trace.
They would pay their respects .
They would talk.
They would watch one another.
And while they believed they were attending to remember my brother…
I would be watching every glance, every hesitation, every whispered conversation.
Someone in that room knew what had happened.
I intended to find out who.
- Writer
