Chapter 161: The Real Case (1/2)

”Are you kidding me?” I hissed, running my hand through my hair.

Nash shook his head stiffly. ”No, they can't find her. They came out right after they read the message but they couldn't see her anywhere,” he said. There was no calmness in his voice. I peered deeply into his eyes and saw that he was being truthful.

Which meant, Evie really was missing.

I pulled out my cellphone and checked through my messages before calling.

Nothing. It didn't even go to her voice mail. I waited as the phone beeped until it cut off, no monotonous voice telling me that the user was busy or out of range. The call just didn't connect.

I looked around the room helplessly and found all the analysts staring at me. They peered out of their little cubicles and only then did I understand that I had been chanting under my breath this whole time.

”Sebastian, let's go. Let's try to find her, okay?” he said softly. He placed his hand on my shoulder and I shrugged it off.

I turned to look at the people in the room. ”Who can track the last location of a phone?” I asked. ”I am not asking for Find my Phone sort of location, I am asking for where the nearest tower was and what happened to her number.”

There was silence. My heart dropped. ”Who knows?” I yelled.

From the corner of my eyes, I could see someone raise their hand. I turned to them quickly.

”Take her number,” I prompted quickly, hovering over him and looking at his computer screen. I heard footsteps approach me followed by a sigh.

”Sebastian, they are checking the location where she was and the footage from the car to see where she went. Don't worry, we will find her. Maybe she followed the man to the actual place,” Nash assured in a soothing voice.

”Don't try to influence me. Those tricks don't work on me,” I growled.

Nash blinked and stepped back. ”I am just…” his phone rang. He picked it up and pulled it to his ears without haste. And I knew it was about Evie.

”What did they say?” I asked frantically.

”They found her phone smashed. It was a few meters from the police car she rode in. It's an old neighborhood so there were no cameras on the streets either.”

”And the black box in the car?” I asked. There was still hope.

”Showed an older-looking man walking up and then nothing. They are bringing the files over to analyze right now.”

I looked at my watch and frowned. ”We need to find her by the end of the night. If it is the perpetrator…” I didn't even want to think about it.

”Stop!” Nash gritted out through his teeth. ”You still need to solve your case,” he emphasized.

I looked at him suspiciously. ”I can find her sitting here,” I bit out.

I went back to the original analyst and saw him hyperventilating. ”What's wrong with you?” I asked.

”Uh… they kidnapped an officer?” he whispered. He looked thoroughly scared.

”You're safe inside the station.” What else could I say? Should I tell him that the guy could be in the same room and we wouldn't have a clue? ”And someone else took Evie. It's not that guy,” I grunted.

And then the notion seeped into my bones.

The timing… it was strange.

It was not unusual for so many cases to be thrown at us at the same time. But when the accomplice was involved, coincidences should have been sparse.

He told Evie that they would meet soon.

Evie started a kidnapping case and found the solution easily… as she should. She went to apprehend the criminal without Nash… the first time it had happened and she disappeared.

On the other hand, Nash was called in to help me. He knew nothing about the case but he was the one who had been called first.

What was more important? Saving a kidnapped child or look at an abandoned bag? The priorities were wrong in this case.

And they knew that I would be called when BTS was involved. Like they wanted me preoccupied. But they also wanted me distracted by the pressure.

Why?

Which was the real case and how was it all connected?

I looked toward the analyst.

”Get the geographical location quickly. I'll look at the footage when it arrives,” I whispered. I sprinted to Nash's office, him hot on my heels.

”Don't you think it's strange?” I asked as I threw the door open.

I opened Evie's computer and clicked on the link to the website. The live-stream was still on, but something was strange.

I dragged the cursor over the previous minutes and finally understood what was happening.

”Evie was right to keep looking,” I whispered.

”What are you talking about?” Nash claimed, his voice raised.