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Jim quickly reassured me, “Don’t worry, boss. I know you’re concerned about Alex, but we’re doing everything we can to find him. I’m investigating all members of the team who were on Alex’s surveillance, and if anyone made a mistake, I’ll make sure they’re punished severely.” His conviction and determination instilled some hope in me, and I felt a sense of relief knowing that Jim and his team were taking Alex’s disappearance seriously.
The morning light was gradually filling the room as I turned to Jim and requested, “Also, ask Jack to come here.” Without a moment’s hesitation, he nodded his head, fished out his phone from his front pocket, and promptly called Jack to come over.
“Boss,” Jim said, “I successfully entered the building after trespassing the security without raising any suspicion.”
I listened attentively as he went on to explain, “We had some strong suspects about Mr. Joe’s rival business, Oliver, and it seems we were right. Before going to his office, I conducted proper research on him. He was a member of a dark mafia gang some years ago, and some conflicts arose inside the mafia, which led to the killing of many of their own people. Luckily, some of them survived, and Oliver was one of them. No one knows exactly what happened to that mafia gang and how some people, including Oliver, managed to survive. These are all just opinions, but it is something to consider.”
I nodded my head in agreement, taking in all the information that Jim had given me. It was clear that we were dealing with a dangerous person, and it was imperative that we tread carefully.
Jim revealed that Oliver had initially started an import-export business, but the source of his initial funding was still a mystery. However, his success in that venture allowed him to branch out and start several other businesses, one after the other. Now, he is one of the wealthiest individuals in the city. While it was previously unknown if Oliver had any past conflict with Mr. Joe, it became apparent that he was the mastermind behind the corporate espionage scheme that had caused so much trouble for Mr. Joe’s business.
With a hint of excitement in his voice, Jim further elucidated, “Boss, as you are aware, when we delved into the matter of that girl who had threatened Alex, we followed her persistently and discovered that she had some connection with Oliver, as we observed her frequenting a particular building each night. Upon investigation, we found out that the building belonged to Oliver. Fortunately, Mike, our ace hacker, was able to hack into her social media account without arousing any suspicion and retrieve some voice messages from her phone. In some of the messages, we heard the voice of a man instructing her to threaten Alex and also to entice someone else. We later recognized that voice as Oliver’s. This made it clear that Oliver was the true culprit, but we lacked evidence, and many questions remained unanswered, such as his motives, methods, and the whereabouts of the documents.”
“I decided to enter his office building last night, taking all necessary precautions to safely trespass the security without arousing suspicion,” Jim continued with a sense of pride in his voice.
I looked at him intently, and inquisitively asked, “I’m already aware of all of this. What happened after you entered the office building?”
Jim let out a heavy sigh as he recounted his experience to me. “Boss, I never visited Oliver’s office before, and last night I couldn’t help but notice how splendid his building is,” he said with a smile.
I arched an eyebrow and asked, “Did you go there just to admire the building?”
Jim’s face reddened a little, and he quickly replied, “No, Boss, I was just explaining. Initially, it was easy to get inside the building. Mike was in constant communication with me, providing me with some useful instructions to help me navigate through the building undetected. When I finally reached Oliver’s office, I was extra cautious, following Mike’s warning to remain alert.”
He continued, “Once inside, I carefully searched for any hidden lockers or basements, but everything appeared organized, with no evidence of anything suspicious. I came out of the office feeling extremely disappointed, as I was expecting to find valuable information, but to no avail.”
As I looked at Jim, I could sense his excitement bubbling over. “Boss,” he said, his eyes sparkling with anticipation, “I may not have found any valuable information, but I did find something that’s worth its weight in gold. Or should I say… diamond.”
I was taken aback. “Diamond? What are you talking about?” I asked, intrigued.
With a wide grin, Jim led me towards a small room at the end of the hallway.
As Jim opened the door, a shroud of darkness enshrouded the room. With a swift motion, Jim flicked the switch, illuminating the room, and revealing a girl sleeping on the bed. I was left speechless, fixated on her face. In awe, I asked Jim, “What? How did you find her?” Jim recounted his tale of disappointment when he failed to uncover any valuable information in Oliver’s office. However, his despair quickly turned to hope when he heard the sound of a woman sobbing. Following the sound, he discovered a girl tied to a chair, weeping and crying in her sleep. She was the one who had stolen files from Alex’s office and was behind his threats. Jim identified her and, in disbelief, carried her on his shoulders, making his way out of the building. With utmost caution, Mike entered the building to eliminate any traces left behind, suspecting that not all CCTV cameras had been destroyed.
As we stepped out of the room, the girl remained unconscious. Jim turned to me and spoke, “Boss, that girl is worth more than any diamond or gold. She was one of Oliver’s closest associates, and she may know a lot about his whereabouts and perhaps even Alex’s disappearance.”
I nodded in agreement, appreciating Jim’s insightful words. “Have you tried questioning her?” I inquired.
Jim shook his head and replied, “Not yet, boss. I’ve asked the doctor to examine her. She’s been badly tortured and cannot answer any questions at the moment.”
I acknowledged Jim’s report and was about to delve into our next course of action when my phone rang. The screen displayed Mia’s name, and I let out a brief sigh. It was now a little bit late in the morning.
Glancing at Jim, who comprehended the urgency of the incoming call, he left the room. Answering the phone, I heard Mia’s voice on the other end, “Hey, what’s up?” I could sense the anticipation in her tone as she spoke. I knew if Mia went to the office today, she would likely learn that her brother was missing. It was imperative to keep her out of situation for as long as possible, or until I could locate Alex. I responded, “Mia, I just dropped you off early this morning, and now you want to go to the office. No, you need to rest first. I’m not in the office, and Jack is with me. So, you don’t need to come in today. Take the day off and rest.”
However, Mia was persistent and expressed her desire to join me, “No, I want to be there with you. I can help too.” I had to convince her to stay away. “Mia, you can’t come here. Please stay at home. I’ll try to visit you in the evening.”
Suddenly, I could feel her frustration seeping through the phone, “I feel like you’re keeping me out of the loop in this case.”
I let out a deep sigh and tried to compose myself. “Mia, you have worked just as hard as I have on this case. It’s not that I’m keeping you away from anything, but there are some things I can’t explain right now. I promise to fill you in as soon as I can,” I explained. Just then, Jack appeared before me. “Yes, boss. You asked me to come here,” he said. I quickly ended my call with Mia and turned my attention to Jack. “Yes, Jack. I asked you here because I need you to leave the city,” I told him sternly. Jack looked surprised and immediately questioned, “What boss? Are you punishing me? What did I do wrong?”
With a stern expression on my face, I fixed my gaze on Jack and replied in a serious tone, “It’s not just one thing, Jack. You have done a lot of things wrong.” I could see the confusion etched on his face as he tried to comprehend my words. However, before he could respond, he quickly changed the subject, saying, “Boss, I have some important information about your best friend, Alex.”
I raised an eyebrow in surprise and felt a sense of urgency wash over me. “What? What do you know?” I asked eagerly, my curiosity piqued.
21
MIA
As I entered the room,I heard a voice of a girl sobbing while saying, “We don’t know where Alex is, I swear. It was my duty to enforce Alex to follow our orders and continuously threaten him, but he disappeared suddenly, and no one knew where he went. Oliver punished me for this.” I stood there breathless, and my heart sank as I thought, “What? Is Alex missing? And no one told me…Alex, my brother…” I felt a heavy weight in my chest as my senses stopped working on hearing this devastating news. As I looked at the girl’s face, I recognized her as the one we saw in the countryside, and Alex had mentioned that she was threatening him.
