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I gazed at Ethan, my eyes searching for an explanation for this sudden intrusion. His countenance was one of bewilderment and confusion, mirroring my own. With an air of urgency, he hastened towards the bedroom, presumably to attend to the urgent message that awaited him on the device.
As he reached for the instrument, I couldn’t help but wonder about the source and nature of the communication. Ethan had always been a meticulous planner, and his team, a well-oiled machine that ran like clockwork. Thus, I deduced that the message was either a prompt or urgent one that required his immediate attention.
In that moment, I was filled with a sense of anticipation, curious to know the details of the message.
19
ETHAN
As I perusedJim’s message, I focused on the most crucial information. “Boss, our suspect was right. We are now more than sure that he is the person behind the corporate espionage case and threats to Alex,” he had written. The words sent a bolt of excitement coursing through my veins. Finally, our long-drawn-out case was coming to an end, and we had a strong lead. If we could capture the culprit, we could also retrieve Alex’s files, I thought to myself.
As I scrutinized Jim’s message, a question lingered in my mind: why had he used the specialized device designated for exchanging messages exclusively amongst our investigative team? This device was intended for use only in situations where we didn’t have access to our mobiles. “Could it be that Jim is in a location where he has no access to any other form of communication?” I pondered.
As I stood there, clutching the special communication device that only our investigation team members possessed, Mia approached me. She knew the importance of any message that came through it, and recognized that this one was likely from Jim. “It seems you got some important information,” she said, her tone professional but curious. I turned to her, taking hold of her arms and looking deeply into her eyes. “Yes, Mia, it is. We are finally close to solving our case. Alex’s issue will also be resolved,” I replied, my voice brimming with excitement. Her eyes widened in amazement as she asked, “Really?” I sealed our victory with a kiss, confirming, “Yes, we have done it.” She leaned into my embrace, laughing with excitement, but I quickly added a word of caution. “But we need to be careful. We must not disclose this information. We don’t want to arouse suspicion until we can arrest the culprit,” I said, holding her tightly.
As Mia stood beside me, I received an unexpected call from Jim. Without delay, I picked up the phone and asked, “Hello, Jim. Where are you?” Although Jim’s phone call was unexpected at this late hour, I knew he was on a mission to gain access to Oliver’s office. None of his team members who were working with him were sleeping tonight. His call indicated that he had successfully gained entry into Oliver’s office and wanted to share something.
Jim’s reply left me surprised. “Boss, I managed to infiltrate their office as a janitor and found some crucial information. However, their IT system is so advanced that I couldn’t use my mobile. I had to use the special device to send you the message,” he said.
Curious to learn more, I inquired, “Great work, Jim. What information did you gather?”
Jim responded, “Boss, I need to meet you in person to share the whole story. Where are you? I know it is late but, may I come to your apartment to share some important information?”
At that moment, I felt a twinge of uncertainty. I didn’t want to raise any suspicions by letting Jim know that Mia was with me.
With Jim on the line, I had to quickly come up with an excuse for why I couldn’t meet with him in person. I scanned the room, relieved to find that Mia was nowhere in sight – probably in the dressing room. I responded, “I’m sorry, Jim, but I’m out of the city at the moment. I won’t be back until tomorrow morning.”
Jim’s tone turned serious as he replied, “Oh, in all this tension, we completely forgot about Alex. You’re behind Alex.”
My eyes widened in surprise at this unexpected revelation. “Behind Alex? What do you mean? What happened to Alex?” I asked urgently, grateful that Mia wasn’t present to witness my distress.
As I listened to Jim’s voice on the other end of the line, my heart sank. “Boss, you don’t know about Alex,” he said, his tone completely surprised. “He disappeared this morning. Nobody knows where he is. Jack knows this, and I thought he told you so that you could work on it.” I was speechless, utterly taken aback by this shocking revelation. How could this happen? We were so close to catching the culprit, and now Alex was missing. My mind raced with possibilities, but one thing was clear: the only ones who could have done this were the perpetrators themselves. The thought of what they might have done to Alex and his business sent shivers down my spine.
With a sense of frustration and anger, I spoke sternly into the phone, “Jim, I was with you this evening, and you failed to inform me about Alex’s disappearance. How could this happen?” Jim responded with hesitation, “Boss, I swear to you that I just found out an hour ago.” Exhaling a deep breath, I continued, “What about our team members who were supposed to be keeping tabs on Alex for his safety? Where are they?” Jim explained, “Our first team followed him until he entered his residence last night, then the next team took positions around his apartment. They stayed there until morning and were then replaced by the day shift team, but Alex hadn’t come out of his apartment. He was in his main residence last night.” The gravity of the situation weighed heavily on me as I wondered what could have happened to Alex.
As Mia emerged from the dressing room, I could see her gaze fixate on my troubled expression. “Jim, where are you right now? I will attempt to arrive at the outskirts’ residence early in the morning.” I spoke into the phone. Jim responded promptly, “Yes, boss. I’m en route and will arrive there in an hour.” I acknowledged his response with a terse “Fine,” and ended the call.
Concealing the fact that Alex had gone missing was imperative. I couldn’t bear to break the news to Mia, knowing how emotional she would become upon learning about her brother’s disappearance. She swiftly approached me and inquired, “What happened?”
I scanned the room quickly, trying to keep my composure. “Nothing special,” I said, trying to appear nonchalant. However, Mia seemed to pick up on my tension, and her eyes bore into mine. “You’re looking so tense,” she observed. I took a deep breath before responding. “Yes, Jim found an issue in the case that requires urgent attention. I have to go there immediately, but I’ll drop you off at your flat first,” I explained, hoping to deflect her curiosity.
Mia pressed further. “Issue? What kind of issue?” she asked. I hesitated, not wanting to reveal too much. “Jim didn’t explain it clearly, but I have to go there right now,” I said, making my way to the dressing area. My mind raced with thoughts of Alex’s disappearance and the potential danger he could be in. I needed to stay focused and find him as quickly as possible.
As I emerged from the dressing room, I found Mia sitting on the couch with a worried expression on her face. “I have a feeling that something is wrong,” she said, her eyes fixed on me. I could feel my face turning red, making it difficult to conceal the truth from her. Nevertheless, I attempted to appear nonchalant and managed a smile. “There’s nothing to worry about,” I replied. “Jim probably has something interesting to discuss with me.” Mia got up from the couch and looked me straight in the eye. “I want to come with you,” she said determinedly.
I was taken aback by her request. “That’s not possible,” I said firmly. “What would you do with me? And how would you explain to everyone why you were with me early in the morning ”. Mia looked embarrassed, and I immediately felt guilty for speaking so harshly. I placed my hands on her face and tried to reassure her. “Don’t worry,” I said softly. “I’ll drop you off and you must get some rest. Call me before you go to the office tomorrow.” Mia nodded in agreement, and I let out a deep sigh before heading towards the door.
As I drove towards Mia’s flat, I casually inquired, “Did you happen to speak with Alex today?” Mia gazed out the window and replied, “Yes, he came to visit me yesterday evening.” I was taken aback by this revelation. How could Jim’s team have missed the fact that Alex had visited his sister before disappearing? I concealed my emotions and continued to gaze out the window. “Ah, that’s great. You two must have had a wonderful time,” I said.
Mia’s reply, however, was unexpected. “Yup, we enjoyed it a lot. Alex was going out of the city due to some business deals. He was facing an issue with his important business deal. You know, he was so worried about his important documents which were stolen but…” She trailed off, letting out a sigh of relief. “Now, we will catch that culprit soon, and Alex’s issue will be solved,” she concluded.
I was surprised by Mia’s revelation and immediately asked her, “Where was he going? Did he tell you?” Mia looked at me with a hint of confusion, “No, but why are you asking? Is there anything wrong?” I assured her that everything was okay, but the truth was that I was growing increasingly worried about Alex’s safety. He had been receiving threats, and it wasn’t safe for him to travel out of the city. Mia seemed to share my concern, “Yes, I was also concerned, but Alex assured me that he is safe.” As we pulled up to her flat, I let out a sigh of relief. It was evident that there was more to the situation than met the eye, and I needed to speak to Jim as soon as possible. “Take care, Mia. “ I said before driving off, my mind filled with troubling thoughts. I pondered on Alex’s sudden disappearance and the strange events leading up to it. Mia informed me that Alex had told her he was leaving the city, yet he was nowhere to be found in the morning. A sense of unease crept up on me as I considered the possibilities. Could Alex have left on his own accord? But why would he do so? These thoughts swirled around in my head as I made my way towards my destination.
20
ETHAN
Upon entering the room,I noticed Jim dozing off on the couch. Without hesitation, I shook his shoulder to wake him up, and as he stirred, I took a seat in front of him. “I’m sorry, boss,” Jim said, rubbing his eyes. “I couldn’t sleep all night.” I furrowed my brows and quipped, “It seems like you and your team have started to make a habit of sleeping all day and night.”
