Winter's embrace [ Completed ] {EDITING}

Chapter five: What do I do?

What Emily said, only widened my eyes a lot more. 

She says, " Your brother is indirectly connected with the drug cartel here, did you know that?"

"What!?"

"The work he used to do which I mean would bring money was nothing but doing work for this, which I don't know he knew clearly or not."

"You gotta be kidding me, please say all this is wrong and this was a dream, please...plea- " and everything around me darkens. I wake up the next day or evening I don't even know in my home with atleast three people which I could understand and Emily beside me.

" What had happened to me?"

" You fainted and your temperature rose a lot , we promptly called the doctor and he said ,due to heavy pressure and  high stress you couldn't take it at all and fainted and then fever took over the grip of your body."

"Oh.." I say , still processing her words which I had heard about my brother and understanding my fragile condition too. My mind storms up right away with thoughts with questions like , will I be able to carry on the investigation like we are doing , I mean Sneha and I pretty much have thought to get in the depth of the mystery and the darkness it holds , but how do I do this if this type of things happens to me again and most importantly when no one is there with me in the house to take care of ? How will I manage ? It's suffocating to think about this even.

"Lavanya , what are you thinking so hard about?"

"Sorry, my head still hurts. My mind is also a mess, I am sorry."

"It is completely okay, you take rest , we can continue tomorrow."

"No,no... give me my phone once. Ib have call someone who can give us lead, how did I forget her!?"

"who is she?"

"Shriya Mehata, my brother's girl friend."

"OMGG! this is news, you missed it right, bringing your phone right away."

"Yeah, thank you."

She quickly fetches my phone for me and I  begin to use my own tracking app with the help of her phone number and try to locate her and I call her. The beeps of ringing informs me that, either she does not want to pick up the call or else she is not near the call. I inform Emily, "Looks like we have to trace this girl as early as possible and my tracking app is currently not working ,you all please find her out as fast as possible."

"You are absolutely right, no one should be left out of the suspect list."

"Yes."

Emily barks to her subordinates," Track this number and bring back with the details by today or by tomorrow morning."

"Thank you , Emily . You are helping me a lot, if your kid ever needs any help , I am always over here, I will be happy to help out."

"Sure, I will send her over here, not an issue , tomorrow?"

"Sure, she will be a great company to me."

"Okay, see you tomorrow , stay healthy and stay well."

"Yeah, will try to."

Just as they leave a call comes,  an unknown number pokes in. I just leave it as it is and then a message pops in saying, "Ignoring me? remember no matter what you do you won't be able to catch me and that is for sure."

My phone rings again , when I was just going to sleep for the day. This time it is, Shriya Mehata. I perk up in my bed, my will working against my body and mind. She says, " Hey, how are you?"to be honest , I had only spoke once or twice which I do not remember because my brother used to take my phone away because it is his girlfriend and I did not had the special priviledge given by my brother  to talk to her more. So, coming back to reality after being zoning out for a second, Ib speak,"Don't you know Shriya?"

"What do I need to know?"

"My brother is missing for goddamn 5 days straight and there is no sign of him here, did you get any news on him?"

She shrieks at first and says, "No, I mean he did not even bother to write a text since your aunt's birthday party and now you are saying he is missing . I can't put two and two together , what is even happening?"

"Where are you , now?"

"At my house."

"Come over, we have a lot in hand to discuss."

"Are you sure I should? I mean what will your parents think about me?"

"What will they say from their respective photos?"

"huh!"

"Yeah, they are no more and more precisely, the day our parents died and was found near the river that is the fateful day when my brother too went missing Shriya."This time I give into my emotions after the incident because I have not allowed myself to mourn as I needed to find my brother and the cause of their deaths too. I begin to cry a lot and say out," What do I do? Shriya for the first time in my life I feel so lost and their is no way out from this." 

 She consoles me saying, "Don't worry, I am with you in this and I am coming over by tomorrow morning."

"Thank you , Shriya."

"Do not say thank you Lav, we are in this together. I promise to be with you till the end."

"That's reassuring, I needed this personally."

After talking for a little bit more we end the call. I hope this really ends well and my brother comes back safe and sound. The moment I will find him that very minute I am going to smack his head and make him understand I am not a kid anymore and my words hold value sometimes much more than him. But, will I find him? the question still remains and I have no answer to it. Many other thoughts lull me to sleep.  In the middle of the night , I hear a noise, a strange one which makes my insides churn and get horrified.  I wake up tip-toeing to the kitchen to grab something useful in order to defend myself, strangely after grabbing it and turning on all the lights there in my house, I find no one but myself as usually. But, I now feel there is a presence of someone in my house someone , who is the harbinger of  nothing but death speaking straightforwardly. Once, I turn all the lights off and climb to my room to get to my bed , it feels that now if turn around someone might be at the back side of me but no one meets my eye as usually.

A message beeps in my phone shortly after, " Wanna know your brother's fate?"

OH.MY.GOD. Whatever , might have happened, I now for sure know that he is in their hands and they are taking their sweet time to torture him and making me mentally unstable through this new strategy of texts unlike the ones they had sent me earlier. It's annoying and terrifying at the same time. They have a grip on me I know but will never let them have the full on me that is the grip.

I type a reply in an instant almost, "Where is he ?"

They reply , " You don't have to know.As, he will be back soon but in a form that I think you won't be able to take it , so will you be able accept that?"

"Just tell me!"

"I don't care, just like you did not."

"What?"

"Remember,just try to remember if your memory is failing you."

"What the hell  are you talking about?"

"The thing, you did to me. Miller case."

I had completely forgotten about the Miller case and it was but a distant memory to me now. But, then it struck me with lightening,  he had killed a lot of people because his father who was innocent was killed in a terrific way by a human-trafficking group and he just became ferocious after that and he started doing murders after and after that. Probably, he is at the mid age of his life by now with no solace in his mind and his life ruined along with his family to be said the least.

Another text , popped up with a different number , " I am watching you , make a wrong move and you are going to suffer and you better know that you house is in surveillance of us continuously."

I reply begging , " Don't , just don't . I beg you please."

For the first time , someone I had investigated , is ready to attack me with full strength and is making me go on my knees.

I am helpless. FOR THE FIRST TIME.