Brandon and Caroline entered Forever Night looking more awkward than Mike did. Brandon sat in the booth next to his step-brother, and Caroline seated herself next to Gert. She ended up borrowing Brandon's jacket. Funny.
Together these four (three) sat, and the conversation started out quite mundane. Brandon made up some story about Kyle having pulled some stuff at the insurance company where he and Caroline worked. Brandon told Mike it was about Gert being killed, and it had been a scam.
"Brandon, how long have you been my brother?" asked Mike.
"Since you were 7 and I was 9, Mike, why?" Brandon's eyes began to shift.
"Since I have known you, in one way or another, you have murdered and killed everything I have ever loved. I stopped letting myself do it. I gave up. I have been so lonely and angry and bitter for so long I wonder if this is not normal and all the world is nuts. Brandon. Oh, Brandon, when I was 7 I thought you were god. God, Brandon." Mike took his forefinger and wiped a solitary tear from his cheek. "I know I must be one of the victims next on the list; one of the stumbling blocks to your perfect plan. Guess what? I don't even care. I've made your job easy, son."
Brandon slid a fat envelope at Mike. He picked it up, looked inside, and ripped the whole packet in two. Caroline whimpered in pain. "You paid me to stall her for a steam roller you paid to run her over. You killed me and you killed her. Rot in hell." His tears fell freely now. His eyes were empty, and Gert's spirit knew with certainty that Mike wanted to die.