Page 247 of Seasons of Love
"Fred, is there any way at all I could see just a picture of his face? The thought that he's out there in some house having to do god knows what is crushing me. I can't wait weeks. I need to see he's okay."
Fred took a deep sigh and then looked at his watch. "Okay, but you have to promise to do what I say."
I nodded.
My anxiety spiked as we drove to Fred's office. The prospect of seeing my brother was exciting, but I was also afraid of my reaction to it.
We parked in an allocated space by the front entrance.
The building that housed Fred's unit was not what I expected. It looked like a regular office building. In fact, it looked like they shared facilities with accountants, lawyers, and even a marketing company.
"We have to be discreet because of what we do. It's better to blend in with the rest. As far as everyone knows, we're an IT company specializing in web security. I need you to stay in the car and wait for me here."
I did as I was told, and fifteen minutes later, Fred left the building and got back in the car, driving us away immediately. He didn't stop until we were a few blocks away.
He took a laptop out of a case and turned it on. A few minutes later, once he'd gone through a lengthy logging in process, I saw the screen fill up with the images of a house.
The house where my brother lived, goodness knew for how long. The gardens looked very well kept. Anyone looking at the footage would be shocked to know what went on inside.
"Is that a live feed?" I asked.
"Yes, we've got the gardens that surround the property covered. Some of the cameras have been able to catch images of the inside through the windows, but when the sun shifts, the reflection makes it difficult."
Fred showed me the angle from each of the cameras. I didn't see anyone until we got to the last one. The camera was pointed at the back of the house where there was a large set of stairs from the top floor leading down to the lawn. Halfway down the stairs, I saw a figure sat down with his elbows on his knees and his head resting on his hands.
"Is that him?" I wasn't sure why I asked, because I knew it was. Even though I hadn't seen my brother in eight years, I knew it was him.
I may as well have been punched in the gut or have had my heart ripped out for how painful it was to see him through the screen and not be able to touch him.
"Look up," I whispered. Fred's arms came around my shoulders, and I leaned in to take the comfort he was offering.
After a few minutes, I saw a kid come down the stairs and sit next to Afonso. He wasn't older than fourteen or fifteen.
When my brother looked up at the kid, my heart stopped. Fred had been right; he looked exactly like me, but he also looked a lot younger than his twenty-one years.
"Can you zoom in?" I asked.
Fred nodded, and within seconds, I had a closer view. Afonso said something I couldn't decipher to the kid and then hugged him before the kid left him again. He looked ahead, and it was like we were staring into each other's eyes.
"Does he know about the cameras?"
"No," Fred said. "They were placed a few days ago. Like I said, the place doesn't have any security, so it was easy to jump the surrounding wall in the dark of night and place the cameras."
I took a guess that it hadn't been as easy as Fred made it out to be.
Fred's eyes were glued to the screen. I could swear there were unshed tears trying to escape.
"He's a victim, too, Fred. We need to rescue him."
"Yes, we do."
When Vítor arrived home that night, I couldn't contain my excitement. He hadn't even closed the front door when I blurted out, "I saw him. He's alive. Oh my god, I saw him. He's so grown up. And Fred was right; he looks just like me but without the glasses."
"Baby, breathe." He put his hands on my face and gave me a kiss that nearly made me forget what I was talking about. "What happened?" he asked.
"I saw my brother. Fred showed me the surveillance cameras on his laptop."
I couldn't ever thank Fred enough for keeping me so involved. Even with the center being part of the post-rescue efforts, I knew he didn't have to share as much as he did. It was risky for everyone, but Fred knew just how much I needed this. He'd been right there with me for all the times when information had led to a dead end and the subsequent disappointment. After today, I was exhausted but also felt lighter than I remember feeling in a long time.
