What Lies Beneath Page #13

The undiscovered truth of Nicholas Anderson

• Fiction

								

It was heartbreaking for her to leave her children in this manner, but she made a solemn vow to herself that she would return to them safely with their healthy sister. She handed Andy over to her son Leo and took her little girl from her mother. Then, she turned to face her sons and said, "Your father will pick you up in the morning, and Belle and I will see you all at home. Please be good to your grandmother, and know that I love you, my darlings." She gave each of them a kiss on the forehead.

At that moment, the Collins boys genuinely believed her words as they watched her leave. They were unaware that this would be their final farewell and that instead of their father picking them up in the morning, a police officer would arrive to deliver the devastating news of their sister and mother's passing.

This would be the last moment their family was whole, for not long after the loss of the two most important women in their lives, four years later, their father would pass away due to a heart attack, leaving them to face tragedy once again.

These events left them emotionally devastated, causing them to retreat from society and find comfort in the strength of their brotherly bond.

Now, twelve years later, they all stand at the threshold of their home, facing the grand staircase, yet none of them make a move to ascend the stairs or go anywhere else. At the party, they all avoided the topic, but there was no denying that the girl was their Annabelle, though she was not meant to be alive. Their father and Leo had seen her body.

"She's dying, right? You saw her." Rick was the first to break the deafening silence. 

"Is it impossible?" Zack whispered, as if he were too afraid to voice his question aloud.

Approaching and gently placing his hand on Leo's shoulder, he caused him to turn around and face his younger brothers. "It can't be," Ray uttered, seeking some form of clarification.

Nevertheless, he did not possess the information they were seeking, or to be more precise, he had no information whatsoever. As he recalls about the day he had to identify her body, unlike their mother, who had her wedding ring for identification, Annabelle had nothing but the fact that she was in their mother's arms. However, there is now a little girl who bears a striking resemblance to her, one whom no one can deny is Andy's twin.

"I will call Officer Dave," he says politely. "You all go and wash up."

They all understood that questioning him would not yield any answer, and they all needed time to reflect on the situation. Therefore, they quietly complied with his instructions. Leo observed as all of his brothers, except for one, ascended the stairs.

"She lo looked like me, b but," Andy said, tearing up for the first time since he had seen her. He let his emotions out. Without thinking, Leo wrapped his arms around his brother, which caused the boy to cry even harder as his shoulders shook.

Leo assures his brother, "I will resolve this matter," as he embraces him more tightly.

***************

That evening, while all the boys were asleep in their respective rooms, Leo had a meeting with Officer Dave, a long-time friend of their late father who had become like an uncle to them over the years. Officer Dave was also one of the people who had assisted Leo in obtaining custody rights over his younger brothers.

They were currently seated in Leo's home office, each holding a glass of Scotch in their hands.

"As much as I enjoy our time together, indulging in fine liquor," Dave stated, holding up his glass, "I must ask what is the urgent matter that necessitates my hasty arrival here at midnight."

"I would like to learn more about the accidents that my mother and sister were involved in," Leo said as he sat up straight and put down his glass. "I am interested in knowing how the case was handled, who was involved, and if anyone survived," he said, looking directly at Dave with a serious expression on his face.

Sensing the heaviness in the room, Dave also places his glass down before rubbing his forehead as if that will help him remember things more clearly. "I don't understand why you're asking about this now, but I can tell you what I know," he says, bending over and placing his elbows on his knees and collapsing his hands. "I wasn't one of the officers on call that night; it wasn't my case, and due to my close relationship with the victims, I couldn't take up the case. However, as a favor to your father, I followed it up and also read the files on it."

"Can you please tell me anything you know about the accident?" Leo asked desperately.

"Of course, I'll do my best to help. As you may recall, there was a heavy downpour that night. The cause of the accident is still unclear, as there were several factors that could have contributed, such as the rain, slippery roads, darkness, and the narrowness of the road. Additionally, the toxicology report revealed that the driver of the other car had taken a significant amount of antidepressants. Considering all these factors, the authorities concluded that it was an accident. Road safety officials had advised against driving during the storm, but some people believe that the driver of the other car may have been at fault. However, since both drivers passed away, it is pointless to assign blame. Therefore, the case was closed," Dave explained respectfully.

"Regarding the survivors, there was only one, a two-year-old girl. She was found on the side of the hill and is believed to have fallen out of the man's car as it was going down the hill. This is because the windows of his car were down and he did not have a child safety seat. Fortunately, she only suffered moderate injuries, including head trauma. The reason they believe she was the man's daughter is because the other driver, your mother, was holding a little two-year-old girl when they found her."

"Hence, they presumed that she was our sister," Leo exclaimed.

Dave sat up straight, slightly startled by Leo's outburst, but he quickly regained his composure. "Due to the fire from the explosion, the bodies of the man, woman, and one of the little girls were left unrecognizable. Therefore, the family was called to identify them. Your father and you had to examine your mother's and sister's bodies. As for the man, his brother was called in to identify his body, and he ended up taking custody of his niece. Since he was the immediate family member who responded and did not doubt the girl's identity, he took her in less than a week, as the case was closed and the girl needed a family."
"This implies that no one verified if the other girl was not our sister," Leo insisted.

"Well, it's not common for people to adopt a child they are not familiar with. So..." Dave paused as he recalled a crucial detail. "One of the officers who spoke with the brother mentioned that the man stated he was not close to the brother and that they had grown apart."

								Rate this book:0.0 / 0 votes