I'm ecstatic to find the encouraging feedback! Thank you, guys!
Let me take the time to apologise about the delay. This chapter took a lot longer to develop. Again, I wanna thank my talented editor for helping me through it -huggles-
AMANA – I agree, show's getting boring. I've had it. I literally sit there waiting for JUST whump now. I don't care about anything else that happens in the show!
Reminder to another lovely flamer: you like, you review. Surely, I shouldn't have to justify this?
Disclaimer: Don't tempt me. At this point I'd steal it to save it.
Chapter 3
Three weeks later…
The wind pulled it from its home, plucked it from beneath the staple and carried it through, stringing it along in an almost graceful movement. It slowed and stilled, dipping close to the ground but never actually touching, its choreography almost lazy in its travel. Finally, it did one final, slowed spin before fluttering down, face-up, displaying an enlarged photo of one Evan Lawson, stark, black letters above him declaring 'MISSING'.
xXx
Elsewhere in a cloudy afternoon…
It wasn't like Hank's room had reached Charles Manson proportions.
But Hank's room had totally reached Charles Manson proportions.
The shades were drawn, cloaking the room in darkness, the only things on the walls were random words scrawled in Sharpie that never made it to paper, just scribbled hastily against the beige paintjob. "Evan", "Cell phone left behind", "Hospitals" and then something ridiculous that Jill couldn't even decipher, but it looked like it had something to do with Italian food and "Pepsi".
She couldn't help the look of horror that twisted itself onto her expression as she glanced at the gigantic map of New York that spanned an entire wall. There were random tacks in the obvious locations, like Brooklyn and The Hamptons, Long Island and even a few random smatterings of cities, like Buffalo and Albany…and a small area circled with the name Fulton, but that was crossed out, along with a few others. Jill figured they were a dead end. Colourful strings encircled these cities, a path going from Brooklyn to The Hamptons and then one in a red string spanning out to three different cities, ones foreign to her. Jill couldn't figure out why these cities were significant, only that there were random drawings and abbreviations scrawled across the key.
"Searched Plattsburgh - no sightings" is somewhere next to a white string and Jill's hand moved to her mouth to stifle the gasp.
She turned around and looked at the bed, where a pile of books and other maps were, all proclaiming on the glossy covers their expansive knowledge of the geography of New York. There was even a tall, thin book that spanned out and turned into a map of the United States. Adjacent to the bed was a nightstand, its surface covered in Red Bull cans and chip bags and a photo frame lying on its face. At further examination, Jill realised it was a candid shot of a young Hank and Evan, showing what looked like cake at one another's faces.
She realised suddenly why this photo of a smiling, happy pair of brothers was such an outcast in a room like this. It was too bright, too cheery, oozing of a time where there could be words like 'happy' and 'carefree'.
Carefully, she placed it back down, about to give in to her curiosity and investigate the closet but stopped, whirling around at a sudden noise.
"Hank?" she asked faintly. "What are you doing here?"
The doctor's mouth was set in a hard line, arms crossed and eyes blazing with just barely-contained anger. "Well, it's my room..."
"Right," Jill said slowly, exhaling a shaky breath. "Well...I was...you..." she dropped her hands, defeated. "Wanna get some lunch?"
Hank didn't say anything, just stood there silent for a few long moments. Finally, he uncrossed his arms, gestured in an almost sarcastic manner for her to go ahead.
Jill crossed the threshold of the bedroom, not missing the way Hank's eyes swept protectively over every article in the room before gently closing the door behind them.
xXx
Hank stared passively at the missing flyer of his brother, the enlarged photo of Evan plastered across the front. There lied his name, age, height, weight and defining characteristics, all laid out in black and white, a format so easy Hank found it almost juvenile that his brother can be summed up so simply.
The breeze around him was chilling but not enough to warrant a jacket and he simply just stared at the flyer stuck to a pole across their table, a copy of a hundred others he'd plastered around town. There was a whole row of them to his left, decorating the wall of a coffee shop and it wasn't like he needs this photo of his brother, this exact one – he saw his brother every day, plastered across storefronts and hanging up in grocery shops and peeking out from under stacks of newspapers at diners – but there was something about the way it landed so closely to him, so destined.
Hank's so soaked into his thoughts he almost forgot he wasn't alone. Not that it made much of a difference. Lunches have been very quiet between him and Jill…and everyone else. What would he talk about anyway? What was the use?
Besides, his brother was always the conversation starter.
"So, I'll be leaving soon," Jill attempted to make a start, fidgeting with the cup of coffee in her hands.
Hank's train of thought scattered, looking up from the cup of coffee in his hands. "Hm?"
"To...Africa."
The doctor's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I thought...you were going to Uruguay?"
"I was. But I was offered an even bigger role," Jill almost smiled, but didn't. Leaving when Hank was right in the middle of this crisis didn't feel right. It felt almost unfair to be riding on such a wave of success while Hank got knocked down by the force. Jill was gliding through the waves, calmly, steadily, manoeuvring with grace. And Hank was just...drowning. Jill didn't want to leave him out there without something to keep afloat, a life-jacket of sort. But where would she begin to find one?
Hank nodded slowly. "Good for you." He wasn't sure how to react. He really was happy for her, but with everything else going on, he couldn't bring himself to find this happiness right now, couldn't seem to visibly muster up any sort of emotions even relating to joy. He tried his best to smile, but it was like his face has frozen into a grimace.
They fell back into the grips of the previous silence.
Once Hank's short-lived lunch was over, he waved a goodbye to Jill and continued with his own investigation.
After the first week of Evan going missing, the case was declared cold, lowering its priority. Hank, needless to say, became furious. The police had given up, just like that; even though he was reassured they'd still be working on it. Detective Damien Helms was assigned to the case just after two days, specialising in this particular area. He tracked down the last witness who had been in contact with Evan, a small time shop owner who sold a few boxes of Fruity Puffs to Evan before he disappeared into the night. The shop owner even had a security tape of that night. Despite the fact that it was the last time anyone had seen the young Lawson man, nothing suspicious or out of the ordinary showed up in the footage.
Helms searched for clues surrounding the area of the shop until he could recite every ounce of concrete surrounding the vicinity. And it still didn't change the fact that there were no clues left behind, that the victim had disappeared without a trace.
After which Hank decided to take matters into his own hands, he couldn't just stand by and wait for a miracle. Divya and Jill helped by covering his patients, even Paige took a role as HankMed's Office Manager, and Hank turned up for the emergencies (though keeping his focus always inclined more towards finding his brother than anything else). But that doesn't mean business fell to the wayside; there were still sick people, the world didn't stop turning for one missing man (although it could for one distraught doctor). In fact, one of the only things keeping him engaged in the business at all was the fact that he didn't want Evan returning to a financially failing business...again. And he will return, that much Hank was certain of.
It was only a matter of time.
xXx
Detective Helms yawned as he passed through a parade of police officers, forensics and medics. It was five thirty in the morning when he received the phone call about a car that had been found at the bottom of a river by a teenage couple skinny dipping (although so early in the morning when the water was below zero degrees was beyond the detective). Helms asked his partner to run the licence plate soon after, to only then confirm his assumption about the owner of that car.
It's six AM when Hank's phone shook him awake. Hank lifted his head and peeled off a piece of paper stuck to his cheek. He then remembered falling asleep on the kitchen counter again after another night of searching through a pile of information he had been collecting. Hank pulled out his phone from underneath the mess.
"Hello?" he answered groggily, wiping the fatigue from his face.
"Hank?"
Henry recalled the voice. "Detective Helms?"
"I'm sorry to wake you, but this is going to interest you."
Oh God. This was it, the phone call he'd been dreading. Evan was dead. He was sure of it by the sound of the detective's voice.
Hank's heart began to race. He closed his eyes and opened them again, sighing heavily to try and calm his pounding heart. "What happened?"
xXx
"The teens found the car at approximately ten past five in the morning," Helms explained to Hank as they watched a large piece of machinery pull the heavy vehicle above the quiet waters, so far only a small portion of the ceiling surfacing. "And it was confirmed that this minivan is registered to an Evan R. Lawson."
Henry tried to delay the inevitable question, but it overcame him in the end. "And…the, uh…was Evan…?" he trailed off.
"There was no sign of a body inside," Helms said bluntly.
The cool air sent chills to Hank's spine. He wasn't sure whether to be relieved or concerned. Maybe he was both; relieved his brother hadn't drowned (or so he hoped) and concerned because he was still missing.
"That's...that's good," Hank said faintly, settling for relief.
Helms tried to hide his concern. "It could be good or bad. Fact is we don't know what went down here."
Damn it. He had been pushing down the doubt that was trying to edge its way through the cracks. The last thing Hank needed was more of it weaving its way through.
"But, clearly, Evan wasn't in that car," Hank argued. "So…he probably escaped."
"Which begs the question, why is his car at the bottom of a river in the first place?" he asked, more so to himself as he scratched his jaw in thought.
Hank didn't reply, silently processing the question in his mind. His focus turned when the minivan was fully pulled out from the fairly polluted waters. When the car was carefully placed onto the forest grounds, Hank and Helms darted towards it.
"Oh my God..." Henry's heart skipped a beat. The car was a wreck. Windows were shattered, the front was completely smashed, the doors were dented. His lips parted, wanting to say something but couldn't find the courage to produce. Just what had happened to Evan?
xXx
By Helms' theory, based on the information he just collected, Evan had gotten into an accident. He lost control of the steering wheel and let it slid towards the waters. But it still didn't explain the victim's absence.
"Maybe he got up and left?" Hank replied after hearing the detective's conclusion.
"And where would he have gone? By the looks of this vehicle the impact must've taken a toll on Evan," Helms challenged.
Hank widened his eyes in frustration. "I don't know, maybe a hospital?" He almost added a condescending duh.
"We've already checked every hospital in Long Island and New York. That includes all the closest hospitals he could've reached given the account of injuries he most likely sustained during the accident."
"Then where the hell is he?!" Hank yelled, grabbing the attention of everyone else within the vicinity. This was all too much. He didn't ask for this. He didn't ask to play detective for his little brother. Hank never even put effort into playing a game of Cops and Robbers Evan used to always drag him into.
Only this time, it wasn't a game.
Helms pulled Hank to a quieter area. "Okay, take a deep breath."
Hank blinked back the emotions fighting their way through and sighed. The detective was right, this wasn't the time to lose it, Evan was counting on him. He looked back at Helms for the next step.
"My team and I will put our utmost effort into figuring out what took place that night and finding your brother. Just like how you put your utmost effort into diagnosing my sister. I promise you, Hank, I'll do my best."
Hank tried to smile in gratitude, but fell short at a question dangerous ringing through his mind, 'What if that wasn't enough?'
"Detective!" a police officer called out amongst the crowd. Helms and Hank turn towards the voice. "You might want to come take a look at this."
They both followed the officer through the trees until they landed on a particularly tree marred with scratches. Hank and Helms surveyed the area and concluded equally that this was where the car incident took place. Helms replayed a version of that night in his head, flashes of the accident encompassing his mind, unbeknownst that Hank was doing the same thing.
Their eyes continued to circle the vicinity, immediately taking notice of glass pieces scattered across the ground.
They both could see it now…Evan skidding down the road, forcing the vehicle to bend downwards…he lost control of the car, instantly garnering speed…before he could register what was happening, he hit a tree in his path, a brutal impact to the car and the driver.
An echo of questions resonated through everyone's mind – how did the car get into the river? More importantly, where was the victim?
Hank suddenly froze, his thoughts halting in their path to answers at a very familiar sight. Despite over the years, countering this sight more times than he could count, this was the first time it caught him by absolute fear; because he was pretty sure that the smudge of blood trailing along the forest floor belonged to his brother.
TBC
The questions are rising and so are the stakes. Fear not, all will be answered eventually.
Stay tuned!