The Other Brother (26 page)

Chapter 4 8

chile Dana and Gabriel's mother kept a vigil at Nicole's bedside and spoke to the hospital's security staff, Gabriel and his father drove to Nicole's town house in Buckhead. Gabriel had an awful feeling about Nicole's boyfriend and he wanted to verify his suspicions with his own eyes before they involved the police.

He and his father exchanged barely ten words during the drive. Avoiding Gabriel's gaze, Pops fidgeted with Nicole's house key, which Mom, fortunately, had kept in her purse.

Gabriel figured that Pops was ashamed. But he said nothing to alleviate his father's humiliation; he wanted to let him stew in it for a while, and perhaps then he'd grasp the severity of what he'd done, the damage to the family he'd allowed to occur, and how close they had come to a complete meltdown.

It went without saying that Gabriel's birthday party, scheduled to take place that evening at the 755 Club, was going to be canceled.

Gabriel parked in front of the town house. Pops tried to insert the key in the door lock but his hands trembled so badly he couldn't drive the key into the slot. Gabriel nudged his father aside, slid the key into the lock, and turned it. He began to open the door.

A rank stench seeped through the crack. Gabriel's stomach churned and he covered his mouth with his hand.

"Oh, Jesus," Pops said. He pressed a handkerchief to his lips.

Gabriel pushed open the door all the way.

Allen lay sprawled in the hallway. His skin had begun to turn blue. His eyes stared blindly at the ceiling. Dried blood outlined a gash in his neck like a grotesque collar, and more blood had congealed around his body like spilled crimson paint.

Isaiah. He hadn't even bothered to hide the guy's body.

Pops stumbled away from Gabriel's side, bent double, and vomited.

Biting his knuckle to stem his own gag reflex, Gabriel stepped inside. He was careful not to touch anything and risk contaminating the crime scene, knowledge he'd gleaned from shows like CSl.

Nothing on a television forensics crime show, however, would adequately explain how Isaiah was able to do the things he did. Mixing up Nicole's mind like a blended drink. Making Gabriel see illusions of snakes....

Gabriel detected movement across the living room, in a mirror.

He carefully navigated his way around the corpse. He moved closer to the glass.

On previous occasions he'd gained a vision of a blurry, shadowy figure in the mirror, a phantom of indeterminate identity and origin.

Finally the mystery was unveiled. It was clearly reflected back to him, as vivid as the living room behind him.

He was looking at Isaiah.

Isaiah had escaped the hospital by the most conventional of means: he caught a taxi in front of the main entrance. He gave the driver, a guy from some Caribbean nation who played reggae on the car radio, the address to his father's house.

Thirty minutes later he was in his Chevy Chevelle, speeding away. He'd left his luggage inside the house. Although he'd made copies of the house keys, he didn't have time to go inside. When the cops were after you, every second of freedom was crucial.

Besides, he already had the most important things to ensure his survival: his own mind-and his loaded Glock.

He would return to the house some other time.

He drove at the speed limit on 1-285, heading north. He wasn't sure yet where he was going to go. The only thing he knew for sure was that he needed to get away from ATL for a few days, maybe longer, and let the heat cool off.

As he barreled down the highway, he glanced in the rearview mirror-and saw something that nearly made him lose control of the car.

Gabriel was reflected in the mirror, and he was staring at him.

Gabriel focused so intently on the phenomena in the mirror that he had temporarily forgotten he was in the presence of a dead man, steeped in the putrid smell of death.

Gabriel had a clear look at Isaiah, as though a psychic mirror were positioned in front of Isaiah and Gabriel's eyes were embedded in the glass itself. A lucid, frontal view.

Isaiah was in his car. Driving. Sweat drenched Isaiah's brow and he wiped the back of his hand across his face.

Then Isaiah's gaze flicked upward, checking a rearview mirror.

Isaiah's eyes widened with surprise.

He sees me, Gabriel realized. Just like I'm seeing him, he's seeing me, too.

A sense of wonder, cool as water, rippled down his back.

Isaiah's eyes hardened to gray points. He spat out a stream of words. But Gabriel could not hear him, and he was unable to read Isaiah's lips.

Isaiah flipped Gabriel a middle finger.

"Fuck you, too!" Gabriel shouted.

Isaiah pointed at Gabriel with his index finger. He shouted something else.

"I can't hear you, idiot," Gabriel said, and indicated his ears.

Isaiah spoke more slowly, and Gabriel suddenly comprehended the movement of his lips: This ain't over little brother.

Isaiah raised a handgun to the mirror and pointed it toward Gabriel.

Bang, Isaiah said.

Gabriel turned away from the glass. Pops leaned against the doorway, clearly making an effort to avoid the corpse. His face was haggard and he dabbed at his lips with his handkerchief.

"You were talking to someone over there," Pops said. "Who?"

Gabriel ignored the question. "Isaiah did this, Pops. He'll be back"

"How ... how do you know?"

Gabriel glanced at the mirror. Isaiah's face had vanished.

"Gut feeling," Gabriel said.

Part Three

FATHER'S DAY

It doesn't matter who my father was; it matters who I remember he was.

-Anne Sexton

Chapter 49

he following week, life returned to normal for the Reids ... - as normal as possible, considering the threat that had almost dismantled their family.

Nicole's health improved. She gradually regained her mental faculties, and, by midweek, her physician released her from the hospital and said she should be able to return to her ordinary activities within a week or so.

But Nicole's emotional wounds, exacerbated by Allen's grisly murder, were slow to fade, and when she slept (with the aid of drugs), she usually had nightmares.

The Atlanta Police Department issued an all-points bulletin for Isaiah Battle, seeking to charge him in the murder of Allen Tyson and the attempted murder of T.L. Reid. Forensic tests confirmed that the knife Isaiah had hurled at T.L. Reid was the same weapon he'd used to kill Allen. He was considered armed and extremely dangerous. Isaiah's former prison mug shot was plastered in the newspapers and on television, along with a list of his previous feloniesand the account of his miraculous life-after-death escape from the Chicago morgue, which officials were quick to downplay as a simple medical misdiagnosis. Allowing the public to believe that Isaiah had somehow cheated death would only incite the city into a panic.

Everyone was on the lookout for Isaiah. It comforted the Reid family to know that the authorities were working hard on their behalf, but the police department's eagerness to apprehend Isaiah had an unexpected downside: mistaking Gabriel for Isaiah, the cops approached him three times within the space of a few days. In one instance they had Gabriel handcuffed and pinned against his car before they bothered to check his driver's license.

Gabriel decided that until the situation cooled down, or Isaiah was found, he would spend most of his time at home. He telecommuted for work, and Dana brought him groceries and other items. It was a necessary measure, but he hated it. He felt as though he were under house arrest.

Even though Isaiah had disappeared, he was still making Gabriel's life miserable.

On Friday afternoon, almost a week after the incident at the hospital, Pops visited Gabriel.

"Sorry to drop in unannounced," Pops said. "I was on the way home from the office and wanted to see how you were doing."

"Been working hard all day," Gabriel said. "I was about to get a beer. Want one?"

"That would hit the spot" Pops removed his suit jacket and hung it on the coat hanger in the foyer. "It's been a long day-hell, a long week"

"Tell me about it." Gabriel grabbed two Heinekens out of the refrigerator. He popped off the caps and handed a beer to his father.

He watched Pops take a long sip.

Other than brief discussions related to company business, Gabriel had not had a conversation with Pops all week. He sensed that Pops was still embarrassed, especially with the media attention. The media had depicted Pops as a sentimental fool for so quickly welcoming Isaiah into the family. If there was one thing Pops had always sought to avoid during his years as a high-profile entrepreneur, it was waving his dirty laundry in front of the public eye. Gabriel was certain Pops worried that his portrayal in the news as a man who lacked the good sense to run his household properly might damage his hard-earned reputation as a shrewd businessman.

But what had brought Pops to Gabriel's home? His father was a man of purpose; he didn't believe in idle chatter. He would have visited Gabriel only for a good reason.

Pops leaned against the kitchen counter. "How've you been holding up?"

"I've been picking up the pieces. It's been a headache. It's going to take months to clean up my credit."

"I'm glad you'd saved enough to buy a car. I always taught you that if you saved your money, one day it would save you"

"You were right," Gabriel said.

While waiting on the insurance payment for his totaled SUV, Gabriel had dipped into his investment funds the only accounts Isaiah hadn't plundered-and purchased a new vehicle. A used one, actually: a Nissan Xterra. It was a big step down from the fully loaded Lincoln Navigator he'd used to drive, but he didn't care. He was past the days of trying to impress people.

"Can I see the new ride?" Pops asked.

"Come on"

Gabriel led his father into the garage. The silver Xterra gleamed, thanks to a recent wash and wax.

Pops ran his fingers across the hood. "Looks good."

"Thanks" Gabriel opened the driver's-side door and slid behind the steering wheel. "It's the first car I've ever bought on my own, you know."

"It is, isn't it?" Pops said. Hands on his knees, he studied the dashboard. "I would've bought you a new car, if you'd asked. You know that"

"I know, Pops, and I appreciate it. But I had to do this on my own"

Grunting, Pops straightened. He sipped his beer.

"How's Dana?" Pops asked.

"She's fine. She's coming over later this evening for dinner."

"Good, good. Anything else going on?"

Climbing out of the jeep, Gabriel shrugged. "Just taking it day by day."

"I hear ya" Pops took another sip of beer.

Why wouldn't his father get to the point? It was odd to see Pops so unsure of himself. In retrospect, however, Gabriel had learned a lot about his father recently-and most of it wasn't flattering.

"I haven't seen or heard from Isaiah, if that's what you're wondering," Gabriel said. "I think he'll pop up again, but I don't know when or where. In the meantime I'm staying alert."

"No more gut feelings about it?"

"Nothing I haven't already told you"

Gabriel was being truthful. Not only had he not seen or heard from Isaiah, he had not experienced another incident of viewing his brother in a mirror. He hadn't had any unusual dreams. He hadn't seen any illusory snakes. His telekinetic ability, too, had deserted him. He was once again just ordinary Gabriel Reid like Peter Parker stripped of his SpiderMan talents.

"I think it's time for me to get to the point." Pops drained his beer and tossed the bottle in a recycling bin against the wall. Leaning against the jeep, he dug his hands deep in his pockets and bowed his head, gazing at a spot on the concrete floor. "I owe you an apology, Gabriel. I was wrong for how I treated you. I'm sorry."

Gabriel's lips parted, but he didn't speak. He was stunned.

Silence hung between them, thick as smoke.

Pops wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, as though he could erase the memory of the words that had passed his lips.

Gabriel waited for his father to continue. But Pops only raised his head and looked at Gabriel questioningly, and Gabriel realized that Pops was finished. It had taken a lot for Pops to humble himself enough to offer three contrite sentences. He wasn't going to say anything else.

Gabriel would have to be happy with that.

"Okay," Gabriel said. "Let's put this behind us then"

Pops offered his hand and they exchanged a firm shake. Then Pops started toward the door and Gabriel followed him inside the house.

As he viewed his father from behind, he noticed the slump in his father's shoulders and the slight forward incline in his stance, as though Pops were walking against a strong wind. Stress, Gabriel thought, had weakened his father. He was beginning to look frail. Before Isaiah had arrived, his father had seemed, to him, like the most powerful, commanding presence on Earth. But he was only a man. He wasn't invincible, and time and circumstance were wearing him down.

It was such a sad realization that Gabriel blinked away a tear.

Pops draped his suit jacket across his shoulder. "I wanted to tell you, we've had a change of plans for Father's Day. I know it's been our tradition to go to the cabin and go fishing. But I don't think I have the energy for that this year."

"I understand. It wouldn't be a good idea for us to go away on a trip anyway, what with everything that's happened"

"That, too," Pops said. "So we're going to have a family dinner at the house on Sunday. Four o'clock sharp"

"We'll be there"

Pops opened the door. Gabriel stopped his father with a hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks, Pops," he said. "For you to say what you said, it means a lot to me"

Pops smiled tightly, clasped Gabriel's hand, and then walked outside.

Pops wasn't an emotionally expressive man, but he was Gabriel's father-and Gabriel loved him all the same.

Later that night, lying beside Dana in bed after making love, Gabriel turned to her and said, "You know, Pops apologized to me today."

"He did?" Dana propped her head on her elbow, regarded him with amazement. "What brought that on, I wonder?"

"I think it's been eating him up inside. He knew he was wrong. He wanted to do the right thing."

"You think that's it?" Dana said.

"What else would it be?"

"I don't know. But you've told me before that your dad never apologizes. Why this time?"

"Nothing this serious has ever happened to our family," Gabriel said. "It stands to reason that the old way of doing things, not apologizing or whatever, has to change. At any rate, I'm happy with it."

"That's all that matters then," she said. She laid her head on the pillow and traced her fingers across his bare chest.

"You think there's another reason why he apologized?"

"It doesn't matter what I think, Gabe. He's your father, and if you're happy with his apology, that's good enough for me.

"I still want to know what you think."

"Honestly?"

"Yeah," he said. "Honestly."

"I think your dad has a lot of secrets," she said. "Sure, I think he was apologizing partly for the disaster with Isaiah, but I also think he might've been apologizing out of guilt for what he's still keeping hidden from you."

Gabriel thought about the secret his mother had almost revealed to him at the hospital. But that didn't involve Pops, did it? It was something Mom had concealed from him and had nothing to do with his father.

Right?

He asked Dana, "What else do you think he's kept hidden from me?"

"If I had any idea, I'd tell you. But I don't know. Call it a gut feeling."

That brought a chuckle out of him.

"If you'd said that two weeks ago, I would've been insulted," he said. "But if I've learned anything after all this, it's that my father isn't perfect. He's human, he makes mistakes, and he's got skeletons in the closet just like anyone else. For all I know, you could be right. Am I going to press him about it? No. He apologized and I think he was sincere. I'm going to leave it at that"

"Wow." Dana ran her finger along his cheek. "You don't sound like the Gabriel I met three years ago."

"The Gabriel you met three years ago was a boy."

She moved on top of him. She looked down at him and smiled.

"I love you," she said. She'd told him those three words plenty of times recently, evidence that he was not the only one who had grown.

"Love you, too" He kissed her.

They made love again.

Gabriel awoke from a nightmare. He swam to consciousness, shuddering. Cold sweat filmed his face and chest.

"You okay?" Dana asked sleepily.

"Yeah, it was only a dream"

But the nightmare had been incredibly vivid. In it he'd been standing in front of the bathroom mirror, but he didn't see himself reflected; he saw Isaiah. Isaiah shouted at him, "This ain't done yet, motherfucker," and leaped through the mirror, glass shattering as if it were some kind of supernatural window. And then Isaiah grabbed Gabriel by the throat and flung him into the garden tub, which was full of hissing water moccasins....

Gabriel shook his head, clearing the horrifying images from his thoughts. His bladder was full. He didn't want to use the bathroom, didn't want to look into that mirror. But he had no choice.

He rose out of the bed and shuffled to the bathroom. At the threshold, he paused. He gazed at the mirror. The glass was dappled with silvery moonlight. A shadowy figure regarded him.

Trembling, he flicked on the light switch.

Isaiah was not in the mirror. He was looking only at himself, his eyes red and anxious.

"See?" he told himself. "Only a dream "

But a chill gripped him, and it was slow to let go.