Twin Deception(6)

She wanted to say something, anything that would make this better for Luke. Something that would take away his uncertainty and give him back the brother whom he loved more than his own life. Sadi longed to do something, but no actions, no words could bring solace or peace until Connor was found.

Sadi could only dare to hope that he was alive. She had no idea what Luke's future would hold if he were forced to go through life knowing that he had survived the blast and his brother had not.

The next few days at the hospital were full of doctors and nurses checking in on Luke. They ran tests. Sometimes he was taken from the room but always returned a short while later. Sadi found that she was reluctant to let Luke out of her sight. The thought of him leaving and not coming back set off a thousand panicked alarms inside her skull.

The worst part was when the cops came to question Luke. There had been at least six different members of the police service in Luke’s room over the last three days. They seemed to ask him all the same questions. Did he know who would want to hurt him or his brother? Did he have any enemies? (Wasn’t that the same question?) What had he been doing the morning of and leading up to the bombing? Where was he when he heard the blast? What happened after?

Luke did his best to answer the questions but Sadi could see how worn out he was and how awful the experience had been for him. She could see the muscles in his jaw clench every time a new cop or a different detective entered the room.

She could see the vein stand out on the top of his forehead, near his hairline. She was surprised that she noticed that, as she had never seemed to before. Luke was exhausted after the questioning. He only ever asked one question of his own. Had they found Connor?

Four days after the bombing, Luke’s lawyer entered the room. He carried an immaculate black briefcase with him. Dressed all in black, shoes shined and gleaming, black trench coat barely clearing the white tiled floor, he looked like the harbinger of death.

Sadi looked at Edward Greeson’s face and instinctively knew who he was. He could have been there on the company’s behalf but Sadi knew that he wasn’t. He wouldn’t have bothered Luke with those details until he was well and out of the hospital. No, this was much, much worse.

Edward Greeson cleared his throat. The man was in his fifties and probably smoked a pack a day. The sound was like glass in a blender.

Sadi flinched. She crossed the room and went to stand beside Luke. She placed a steadying hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her, his smoky blue eyes meeting her own dark ones. She could see the puzzled look on his face. Oh god, Luke had no idea what Greeson was here to tell him. Sadi pressed her hand a little harder onto Luke’s shoulder.

“Mr. Pearson, I wanted to be the one to tell you, as I’ve known you for years. Your brother Connor… it seems he hasn’t been found.”

“What do you mean he hasn’t been found? Surely they would have had to find… something.” Luke all but exploded out of the bed. His voice held the shrill tone of panic, of rage, of the horrible impotence of being able to do nothing at all. Buried underneath it all was the horrible twinge of guilt. Guilt at being the one who had survived.

“I’m sorry Mr. Pearson, that is all I know. The body of your brother has not been found. Yet… I was advised that sometimes there is nothing left… that the blast obliterates everything.” Greeson cleared his throat again. He looked distinctly uncomfortable, standing there, briefcase in hand facing the young man who had just lost everything.

“If they haven’t found a body then there’s still hope,” Luke whispered. “Neither of us were in my office that day. We had a meeting across the building, a couple floors below the blast. Connor was running late and he hadn’t made it yet. We were waiting for him when everything… when everything fell apart.”

Greeson nodded. Sadi could tell that he didn’t want to give Luke false hope. She thought Greeson knew that Connor was dead, even if he didn’t come out and say the exact words.

“Even so Mr. Pearson, there is the matter of the business to take care of. Given the extreme circumstances, I think it best we take care of it right away before yourself, or your company, is left vulnerable.”

The man’s tone infuriated Sadi. She could tell that Luke was just a paycheck to him, and that this visit was nothing more than the thousand dollars an hour he could charge for his services. The man probably took pleasure in the fact that since Connor was missing and probably assumed dead, that Luke was going to need a whole pile of those services in question.

“I’m going to get a drink,” Sadi said. She thought if she stayed in the room another minute she was going to be sick. “Are you sure you’re up to doing this now?” Sadi asked, bending down to look Luke in the face. “I could take you with me.”