Business No More

Chapter 23 - Sam's Point of View

The two guards stand by our side as I lift the gun up.

"The window," Daniel whispers.

I turn my head to see its open. I peak through the side and it looks clear.

Leaning against the concrete wall, I push myself up as I hook my leg into the window and push myself in.

I scan the kitchen quickly before I indicate for the others to join in.

I keep my gun up as I side step against the wall into the living room, everything is scattered everywhere. Food and alcohol, all over the floor. Glass shattered. Someone has been in here before.

My phone rings and I quickly answer it in hopes that no one else hears the ringtone.

"Hey," Violet answers.

"Hey," I reply.

"Get out of that house now and come home immediately," she says. "There is something important I have found out."

I look at Daniel and he nods. As we walk over to the window, I notice blood stains on the floor. I turn and jump out the window and get in the car.

"We should've checked the place," Daniel says.

I nod. "Yes but Violet knows something and I imagine it's crucial."

When we get home, we practically burst through the door.

"What is it Violet?" I say when I see her standing by the door.

She grabs my hand and pulls me into the living room as Daniel follows.

"Arnold Anderson," she says before clearing her throat. "Arnold Anderson is your brother."

I look at her in shock. "What are you saying? That's impossible."

Daniel stares at her. "Let her finish."

She hands me a folder. I grab it and scan it. It's got pictures of Max or what I think is Max except they're taken in the house we had just visited, the one that belonged to the so called Arnold Anderson.

"What is this?"

"These are photos of Arnold Anderson. The guy who we saw die...Max's twin."

I shake my head. "How do you know?"

"When we got married, your parents told me that Max was a twin. Except that during birth only Max survived and Arnold didn't," she says. "But if you come to think of it, it makes sense. I think the doctor's lied because I got Roger to check the hospital records and that day that Max was born, a baby went missing from the hospital."

"I don't get it," I say.

"Guess which baby went missing," Violet says. "Max's twin and because the hospital could get in a big lawsuit because of it, they lied to your parents and said Arnold died."

"Why wouldn't our parents tell us?" I ask.

"They didn't want to hurt you guys," she replies.

Daniel breathes in. "So if Arnold is dead then where is Max?"

She shakes her head. "I don't know. Whoever has Bianca has Max I assume."

"Why do you think that?" I ask.

"Because I think Bianca hasn't been kidnapped for the first time."

"You've got to be more clear," Daniel says.

"We hadn't spoken in months at one period and the other day when I saw her, she had a massive bruise across her stomach like someone had assaulted her."

"That doesn't prove anything," Daniel says.

"Except that it does," Violet says. "When she was talking about Asher, she accidentally called him Max once or twice. Now I didn't think it mattered at that time but I think it does now. I'm not saying Asher is Max because there is a Max and there is an Asher. The thing I think is that Bianca is in love with Max or dating him or God knows what. Asher is Max's friend."

"How did you get that?" I ask.

"When she mentioned Asher, she said that a friend of his was missing and that Asher wanted to find him. Keep in mind she accidentally called her boyfriend Max once or twice which tells me they're different people. Her boyfriend is Max and the guy helping her get him is Asher or so I think. So I called Asher and i recorded his voice."

She holds out her phone and plays the recording.

Daniel's mouth falls wide open. "The voice is familiar."

I remember saying the exact thing. I've definitely heard that voice. "And your point is?"

She holds up an old fashion tape recorder. It's green and silver. The one that belonged to Max.

"Remember when we started dating and Max wanted to tell me about his friends and he played this voice recording of him and his friends at a party. If you listen carefully his friends voice is identical to Asher's which is why you've heard it before."

Both Daniel and I freeze as she plays the tape recorder and we realise the voice matches Asher's.

"I think Bianca has escaped from the place she was kidnapped and tried saving Max with Asher's help. She came here to tell us but it was too late because they got to her again," she says. "And I think it's Arnold Anderson's people who did this. They want revenge cause we killed him."