CHAPTER 13 (A crazy little thing called, secrets)
I gave Carolina a week to think about it, I took her out the following Friday night. Thus far no shenanigans. I know whom is after me, is biding their time. Carolina accepted my proposal. We were married a month later, she moved into the house, I opened up a bank account for her, I paid for her studies, I bought her a small car, and I hired another receptionist. My wife will not be a slave, and she resigned from her night job. It was good to have her in the house. A week after our wedding I received a call, I told Miss Ame`lia to put the call through to my office.
“Having a nice honeymoon?” I didn’t recognise the voice. “What do you want from me?”
The voice answered. “I want you to die.” He cut the call. I stared at the receiver for a long time. I went home after a saw my last patient. Carolina and I have not consummated the marriage, I have no urge to do so, she is lovely, and I am washed up, and ugly. She greeted me fondly, and handed me an unmarked envelope. I went into my bedroom, and closed the door. The envelope contained a photo of Roberto hanging in his cell, on the back of it was written. “Die Breno Die.” I placed it in my draw and locked it, I sat on my bed for a long time. I have no idea where to start. I went down for supper. “I will never open your post.” I hugged Carolina. “I know, honestly, I do know. It was a long day, so don’t mind me. I am not in a bad mood, Carolina. Please dish up I am famished.”
I told her I wanted to close my practice for a while, and go back to Uber. She fully supported me. I went to bed, but the faces plagued me. Roberto’s face, it talked to me, his dead face, accused me. I got up early. Fed the dogs. And I ran. I pushed myself to near collapse. I felt my pulse. Throb-throb. I changed direction, and ran towards the river, I wanted to hear the sound, I stopped, before I reached the water. Another body, the body of a man. Naked, and cuts ran all over his body. I took the paper out of his mouth, there were other joggers heading my way, and I ran, I could out run anyone.
Once home I showered and dressed in my suit, my eye caught the envelope on my bed. “Mother fucker, not my home.” I checked on the dogs and Fuffy, before I opened the envelope, they were all sleeping in Carolina’s room. I went back to my bedroom and closed the door. I threw the content on to my bed, fear gripped every pore, I couldn’t breathe, I went to the bathroom and I puked. I washed my face and my mouth, then I picked up the photos one by one. The first one, was of Roberto, with his pants down, at the boathouse. The other, of me and Eloa in the park, with my shirt open, the most frightening, was the one of Liz, inside my car with her shirt off, a full frontal. I hyperventilated. My pulse was too fast, I got dizzy, and I passed out. When I came too, Carolina was knocking on my door, asking if I wanted tea. “Sorry dear, I dozed off, yes please.” She apologised for waking me.
I don’t know what to do. The boathouse? No one knows about the boathouse, it was a cash sale, no paper trail. My God, what am I going to do? I had to change, and shower, my clothes were sticking to my body. I brushed my teeth twice, and looked at the hideous face in the mirror. I had my tea, then wished Carolina all the best for her exams, and I went to the office. I informed Ame`lia, that I will be closing it for a while, she had to redirect my patients to an associate of mine. I made an appointment to see him. He took an oath, and if he broke it, I would fucking kill him.
Doctor Melo Costa, would see me immediately, we rescheduled my appointments, and I asked Ame`lia to put a notice on my door. I had to talk to someone. I gave Melo, a cryptic narration of my situation. He listened intently.
“Ian, that is blackmail in its most vile form, and this person, we assume it’s one person has entered your home?” I nodded. Melo dry washed his face. “Ian, how far do you want to take this? My irmão, is a private detective. He will never divulge any of this to the cops, Mick hates the cops, so talk to him, if you don’t like what he says, we can try another angle. No matter what you have, or haven’t done, you are not a felon, you are not in prison, that makes you a free man in my eyes, and what this person is doing to you, is the lowest form of emotional abuse, I have ever encountered. Call Mick, use my phone, he never has to know who you are, I will step out.” Melo dialled the number. Mick listened, he didn’t ask stupid questions. “Doctor, that’s lower than dog shit, give me a week, give me your address, work and home, we don’t have to meet, I want to break his fucking kneecaps. You won’t mind would you?” I instantly liked Mick. “I gave him the addresses, and I told him to pick up his payment from his brother, he protested. “Mick, you listened, that is more than I have had in a very long time, please watch out for my wife, she is busy with exams, and my dogs, Jesse and Jordo, and Fuffy, she is Persian. Just don’t allow this maniac to hurt them.” Mick assured me, the person will have a bullet in the head before they touched my family. I went and withdrew what I believed a respectable amount, Melo gave me an envelope. I wrote obrigado on it, and I left.
It felt like I had a Guardian Angel watching over us. I had supper, and played with the dogs in the back yard. Once the sun set, I brushed them, and miss Fuzzy boots, and I asked Carolina how the exam went, she was struggling with a question, for tomorrows exam, so I helped her study. She kissed me on my mouth, and she hugged me. “Ian, I know you are broken, but in my eyes, you are a beautiful man, I hope one day, if I earned it, you would love me.” She stood on tippy toes and kissed my scare.
Two days later Mick called me. “I left a closed envelope with Melo, doctor, I can’t identify the man. I know it’s a man, size, shape, and his foot prints. He follows you when you jog, he just can’t keep up, damn son, you can run. Then he waits for you at home, and follows you to the office. He knows I am on to him, he covered his face. I took a few photos, but in each, his face is covered by a hat or a hoodie. The first pic I took was two nights ago, he was sitting in a tree, watching you and Carolina study. I was about to take the photo, he looked at me, and showed me his middle finger. I tell you doc, this guy is a cop.” I thanked Mick, and went to Melo. He handed me the envelope, I showed him the photos. “Mick thinks it’s a cop.”
“How would a cop, know about your past, sorry, Ian you don’t need to answer.”
“My best friend growing up, was detective Roberto Oliveira.” Melo nodded.
“Ian, you don’t need to answer my next question, I am not here to judge, I am here to help you. Are you alone?” Melo pointed to his head.
“Yeah, when Ian turned seventeen, I pushed him out, there was never a Breno, yet this guy has referred to me by that name. It’s been me all this time.”
What is your name? Again, you don’t need to answer.”
“Alejo. Ian was handsome, Breno, well me, I used to be handsome, since I well, since the shooting, and that incident with Carlos, I have aged, I have become ugly, I didn’t marry Carolina for an ego boost, I felt sorry for her. We don’t share a bedroom, I am too afraid I might inadvertently hurt her. I have never hurt anyone without a reason, they might not be justifiable, but I had a reason, she is innocent in every way, I will never defile my wife.”
I left another envelope for Mick, I know he is a blood hound he will not drop this until he found the PERP. I sold the boathouse, a cash sale, to an elderly couple. They were leaving Bonito, for good, two birds. I didn’t run this morning, so I took an afternoon run. I stumbled upon another body. Melo, was at my side, he is the polar opposite of Melo. Slightly overweight, but what a fantastic man. He huffed. “Merda, but you can run, grab the paper, I will deal with this. Have you noticed, no news on these deaths?” We jogged away as we spoke. “The reason be, they are already dead, he is taking them from the morgue, then returning the bodies. What does this one say?”
“Caroline Eduardo, I lived with her family after …”
“I got it, go home, I see your office is closed. I will call you, if you are comfortable, may I meet with you and Melo at three, I do have something positive to tell you.” I agreed. I went home showered, fed my rat-pack, and headed over to Melo’s office, I had resubmitted my Uber documentation, I will start in the morning, they were happy to have me back.
“Alejo, sit, I think you need a drink, for what I am about to tell you.” Melo locked the office door, and poured us each a drink.
“Melo. Irmão. I love you, but if this ever gets out, I will beat you to a pulp.” Melo showed Mick his middle finger. I like the rapport between the brothers.
“Alejo, you have a twin brother, the records were sealed, well I can get into any crack, no, that sounds disgusting, yet I can.” We laughed. Melo shook his head. This twin lives in Alvorada. You two look identical, he doesn’t have a scar on his face. Take a look.” I stared at the photo, then handed it to Melo. He raised an eyebrow. “Okay, his name is Breno, yeah that threw me, so I delved deeper. Breno was adopted the day Alanzia gave birth, she nor Carlos, could afford to raise two children, he was adopted by Ana Oliveira, she hid him away, he grew up in the same road as you, he was difficult, at the age of seven, Ana sent him to Child services, she couldn’t handle his violent tendencies. He kind of disappeared into the system. I think your twin, excuse me, has fucked you over. I think, and believe me, I will prove this. Killed in your name. I do believe you killed Mama, the bitch deserved it, and that was the birth of Alejo, now remember you share identical DNA. Those lapses in memory, I think he either spiked your drinks, or injected you in your sleep, as he did the other night, I believe, he is out for revenge. You had a profession, a house, a wife, nice cars, and from the little I know, he lived on the houseboat you sold, so he will be extra pissed at you. I have a really good friend, who is watching Carolina and your babies, calma amigo. You said, you cannot recall killing Marisa, that you can’t remember what you did after your drink with Roberto. Well that drink must have been spiked, because a pizza delivery guy, swears he saw you asleep in your car, opposite your house. So you didn’t kill Marisa.”
“Melo, who am I?”
I think a victim, I know Alejo birthed to protect you, and he stayed.”
“Then why did I hear Ian in my head, when I run, I can hear him, he tells me to listen to my pulse, and songs, they make me black out, and I believed Breno, the Breno inside me killed to protect me, then after Roberto, I heard no voices. It was just me in here, as I always believed.”
Mick took a recorder out of his pocket. “I found this in your old house. I was taped under the bed, yeah I broke in. Listen.” He played it, the voice sounded like mine. “Run Ian run.” It repeated over and over.
“With the drugs he gave you, and this in your ear, you would believe that Ian was talking to you, he used a method of brainwashing. And it worked. Only the real killer would know the names, and the locations of the murders.”
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