"I've come to realise I know little about what is going on inside my brother's head."

☆

She hangs up the phone for what felt like the umpteenth time. Her mind is going from one decision to another. Yes, she should call the police. She must. It was the right thing to do. But then the doubt set in. Was she really putting her brother in greater danger by calling them? Who were these people the gunman was running from?

She looks at her phone once again. Her finger hovering over redial, when it jumps from her hand at the sudden ringing of the doorbell. Only two hours had passed and already it seemed someone was on the trail. Remi now wondered who exactly was standing on her doorstep.

She heads to the blinds and tries to peer through the small gap without disturbing the slats. She sees a black vehicle parked outside. It didn't look like an undercover police car. Her heart begins to pound within her chest as her eyes dare to look to the left of the bay window. She sees the figure of a female. Tall, slim, well dressed and looking straight at Remi as if she knew she was there.

Remi instantly pulls back, still questioning whether she should open the door to a person who she now believed was not the police, but didn't seem all that threatening either from first glance.

KNOCK KNOCK.

The tapping on the door, just a reminder that this person was evidently going nowhere and was getting impatient. Remi heads into the hallway, scanning for some kind of weapon to defend herself if needed, only managing to locate a blue stiletto with a 1 inch heel on the shoe rack by the door. She crouches down and picks it up, hiding it behind her back as she stands, takes a step forwards. She puts on the chain and slowly turns the lock on her door.

It opens a crack. Enough for Remi to see the woman in her entirety. Her long black jacket covered what looked like a very expensive pinstripe business suit with the woman's feet wearing heels much bigger and pointier than the single shoe Remi was holding behind her back. "Dr Remi Tennet?" The lady on the doorstep asks as she graces Remi with a pleasant smile.

"Who wants to know?" Remi can feel the grip on her shoe tighten as she keeps the door still, just opening a crack.

"My name is Chanelle Matheson. May I come in?" She cranks it up a notch as she puts her warmest smile forward, but Remi doesn't budge.

"That tells me nothing. How do you know who I am? Why are you here? Who do you represent? Are you a police? I didn't call the police... maybe I should.." the ramblings which were falling from her mouth soon came to an abrupt end, when a small card is presented to her. Remi reaches and snatches the card from the woman, leaving her thumb and finger temporarily in place, holding thin air, before she retracts it.

"As you can see, I'm not the police, I'm simply a business woman looking for my little brother. The trail has brought me here."

Remi takes in the information on the small card.

MD: MS CHANELLE MATHESON

MATHESON REAL ESTATE AND PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT.

And below, showed media links to the business.

Remi glances back up at the lady, who seems to be unnervingly calm, considering her brother was missing with a firearm, compared to her fraught state. "Can we talk inside?" Chanelle asks as she assumes a yes, when her eyes look at the chain across the open doorway, as if she were waiting for it to be removed.

"Do you have a gun?" Remi is quick to ask. She had already made the mistake of letting an armed man into her house. She wasn't going to make that mistake again.

"I have a sharp fountain pen. Does that count? It's probably as dangerous as that shoe you are holding behind your back." Chanelle smiles and makes Remi feel foolish for asking.

"How did you?..."

Chanelle nods to the small slither of a mirror in the hallway through the gap.. "The art of reflection." She says with a flick of her eyebrow.

"Your brother had a gun."

"My brother is not me. Please, let me in. Help me find him." She is quick to reply, her tone more authoritative this time. It causes Remi to act as she finally makes the decision to unhook the chain. It falls against the frame as the door is pulled open, allowing the visitor inside.

"Why is my brother caught up in your family mess?" Remi questions, still feeling guarded as she holds on tightly to that shoe behind her back.

"I've come to realise I know little about what is going on inside my brother's head. Carlos was always such a good, obedient boy, this is out of character."

"You speak of him like he is a dog." Remi remarks. "Maybe he has turned."

Chanelle takes a step closer to Remi. It makes Remi straighten up a fraction to make eye contact with the woman in heels towering over her. She looks down at Remi. Her face is difficult to read. It fills Remi with intrigue as to what the other really wanted from her and if she should even let this stranger in. Chanelle raises her hand, slow and steady. The simple action causes Remi to tense up as she finds her eyes closing tight, expecting some kind of assault, but instead feels the weight of something resting upon her shoulder. She opens her eyes once again to see Chanelle smiling at her. A warm comforting smile, which accompanied with the hand resting on her shoulder, made Remi feel a sudden sense of calm.

"We both want our brothers back where they belong." She says in a smooth as silk voice. "You help me, I'll help you. What do you say?"

Remi looks into the eyes of the other female. Her brown, almost black eyes seemed to convey a hypnotic quality. A sense of power, leadership and above all, drive. Maybe this was the only option Remi had if she wanted to see her brother again. She swallows hard, as in her mind, she finally makes the decision. "My car. They took my car."