The next morning Michael left a third note on the counter before locking up. He drove back to his own apartment to freshen up. The best way to approach Victor was to visit as if nothing was wrong. He couldn't let Victor know he was suspicious.
He took a quick shower and shaved. He picked out a nice button-up and some casual slacks paired with comfortable brown wingtips. On his way to the hills, he stopped at a grocery store and picked out a bouquet of flowers.
Kat was his best approach. Michael was confident she was oblivious to anything her father may be hiding. Victor was an above average liar, but Kat could bring out the truth. If she'd seen Mimsy at their place, she'd tell.
As Michael pulled into the Fremont hills, his nerves began to heighten. If Victor was Harvey Sinclair, he'd think Michael was still in Alaska. If Victor was innocent, he would assume Michael was at his bachelor party and wouldn't be back for a few days. Either way, Michael's arrival would be a surprise.
He gripped the bouquet lightly as he climbed the hill and shuffled across the long driveway. The Bissetts could possibly see him approach from one of the various upstairs windows, but he doubted they would. Victor spent most of the time in his study, and Alessandra was almost always stretching in the living room.
He approached the doorway and pressed his body against the wall so he couldn't be seen through the side window. He knocked on the door with his left hand and quickly used his index to cover the peephole. There was no answer. He knocked a second time.
"Michael, my soon to be son!" Victor's voice fell down on Michael from an overhead speaker. "I see you found our new camera doorbell system! Come inside!"
Michael could hear the door unlock electronically. He pushed open the door and stepped inside. Not the best start. His blood was rushing as he stepped into the living room. Alessandra was standing on her yoga mat, two feet on the ground, reaching both arms towards the high rise ceiling. This was the first pose Michael had seen that he felt he could replicate.
She opened her eyes and smiled at Michael, showing both rows of perfectly straight bleached teeth. "You brought me flowairs?" She stepped off the mat to give Michael a hug.
"No these are for—"
"Thank you," she grabbed the bouquet and pulled them to her nose, "Zey are pairf," she pulled him in for a second hug.
The kitchen door opened, and Victor stepped into the room. He looked a mess with bloodshot eyes and uncombed hair. "Wasn't expecting you back for a few more days," Victor said, flashing Michael his own fake welcoming smile.
"We decided to come home early." Michael's voice was shaking. "I know about everything," he blurted out before he could think twice.
Victor shook his head, "It's always worse when you remember, but that's what a bachelor party's for right? Looks like you had a good time," he gestured towards Michael's sling.
"I fell on a rod," Michael said, scanning the room.
Victor let out a chuckle, "When I had my bachelor party, I woke up naked on a fishing boat. When I pulled off the tarp, me nor the fisherman knew how I got there. Funny thing, when we got back to land three days later, I asked him to be a groomsman. We still fish together once a year. He doesn't speak English, and I only speak English, so you might say there's a bit of a language barrier."
"You névair tuld me abut zat!" Alessandra let out a cackle, nearly falling over from hysterical laughter.
"Is Kat here?" Michael asked, ignoring Victor's story.
"She probably won't be back for an hour or so, she's at yoga," Victor stated casually. "Is your brother here?"
"No, he had to fly back to Boston. Business emergency," Michael began to back towards the hallway. "Look, I'll come back later when Kat's here."
"Wait," Victor nearly shouted, "You can stay and wait here. I'll cook something. Did you two have a good time?" He asked.
"Yes, it was good." Michael replied still stepping away, "Look I really should be—"
"Did you have some interesting conversations?" Victor asked, blatantly walking towards him.
Alessandra grabbed Michael on the shoulders, "You should stay." She said.
"Lots of interesting talks, it was fun," he shrugged off her hands.
"Anything shocking?" Victor circled behind him, blocking the hallway.
"What do you want me to say? That I know?" Michael raised his voice. Victor shot Alessandra a terrified glance, then shifted his focus back to Michael.
"Michael, why don't you join me in my office," Victor said calmly, glancing at his wife one last time for confirmation.
"We can talk right here," Michael said sternly.
"We could, but it'd make more sense if I showed you. It's on my computer. Please."
Michael stood still. This was where it'd turn physical. He'd laid it all out there way too soon. He looked at Victor, then to Alessandra's stare. She'd somehow been in on it also.
"Just come to my office, I'll explain everything."
Michael eyed the door, he could make a straight line and try to outrun the couple. Then a second thought came, Mimsy was still out there, or possibly somewhere in this house. Maybe they'd held her as leverage for whatever they wanted.
He slowly made his way towards Victor's study keeping his eyes on the shifty man each step of the way. He gave one last look at Alessandra, who returned a gaze that was either of pity or sorrow.
"Please take a seat." Victor pushed the door, closed behind them. Michael didn't dare turn his back to him.
"You first," Michael replied, scanning the room for any signs of weapons.
Victor meandered behind his desk and sat into his plush leather chair. He picked up a pen from the office and swirled it between his fingers. "Michael, I don't know where to begin." The pen slipped from his grasp, fell to the floor, and rolled to a bookshelf behind Michael, "Could you please pick that up for me?"
Michael nearly laughed. Could this man be more obvious?
"Oh, ok, well, I don't know where to begin." Victor started, "I hired a man to do some things for me."
Michael sat on the edge of his seat, gripping the armrests. "Not all of them were legal. I'm afraid if anyone was to find out, I'd be put away for a long time." He met Michael's gaze, "You don't seem surprised?"
"I'm not," Michael replied.
"You only know what Ender told you, so how do you know about this?" Victor stared at him.
"I pieced it together when the man you hired approached me." Michael stood to his feet.
"He contacted you?" Victor's question sounded sincere, but Michael had heard enough lies.
"Don't act like you didn't know." Michael's voice was rising, "They got him, and now they're coming for you!" Michael grabbed the back of the chair, unsure whether he'd need it for self-defense.
Instead of standing, Victor slouched into his chair. "He wasn't supposed to talk to you. I haven't heard from him in weeks."
"Stop, I'm done. I know. I'm out. If I were you, I'd leave. Try to hide, don't reach out to me—"
"Please, you are being unreasonable, we can work this out." Now Victor rose to his feet.
"Could you give me an honest answer?" Michael asked.
"I just wanted us to be business partners. You’re going to be nothing without me." Victor's voice was sharp and biting, causing Michael to lose his thought for a moment. He'd never seen this side of the man before. The act was up.
"Do you know where Mimsy is?" Michael asked trying to stay calm.
"What?" Victor tried to recollect himself, "Mimsy?"
Michael lost his composure. He picked up the chair and slammed it to the ground. "Yes or no!” he shouted.
The door to the study opened, and Alessandra poked her head inside. "Ai made soup," She smiled.
"I have no idea where Mimsy is," Victor answered, looking concerned, "Is she missing? What does this have anything—"
"That's it. I'm done. That's all I needed. Don't reach out to me. You're going to be caught, and when there's a trial, I'm going to beg to be a witness."
“Michael, 'e was tryeng to--" Alessandra interjected.
"We’ll never financially recover from this!!" Victor begged as Michael pushed the door open, blowing past Alessandra.
As he hustled to the front entrance, he could hear the woman wailing in the hallway. He slammed the door and jogged across the yard. Once in his car, he let out a yell slamming his fists into the steering wheel over and over. His shoulder screamed with pain every time he connected, but he didn't care.
Suddenly Victor appeared at the top of the hill waving his arms like a madman trying to get him to stop. Michael jammed the key into the ignition and peeled off the curb, nearly knocking over a trash can as he spun the car around and gunned it down the hill.
Unbelievable. Four years Michael had known the man. Four years and it'd all been a lie. It wasn't Victor that had taken Mimsy, it was The Company, but it was Victor's fault. He was the man that brought him into this.
Michael sped to the freeway with no particular destination in mind. He had no way of contacting The Company. No method of reaching out. But he swore to himself, if they ever called again, if he ever saw anyone in The Company again, he'd march them straight to Victor’s door.