Chapter 127 How Dare He
After hanging up the phone, Frederick's face had turned as dark and cold as the bitter wind outside.
Alex had been missing for two hours.
On Friday morning, he had a speaking class and a craft class.
The craft teacher's daughter was getting married at Christmas. She had asked Frederick for leave a week ago, saying she needed to go home to prepare for her daughter's wedding. Frederick had agreed.
The speaking class ended at ten. After the teacher left, Alex sat at his desk and started preparing materials on his own.
Bianca, who usually took care of him, went to prepare snacks.
The kitchen was making a cake. Thinking that Alex could have the first bite of sweet cake after class, which would double his happiness in this cold winter, Bianca waited a bit longer in the kitchen.
When she came back, Alex was no longer in the room.
At first, she thought maybe he had run off to play somewhere. But Bianca searched every corner of the study and couldn't find him.
By the time the old butler called people to search the entire old mansion from top to bottom, more than an hour had already passed.
Apart from Elizabeth and Alex, everyone else in the old mansion were servants who had worked for the Windsor family for over ten years—completely trustworthy.
The nearest surveillance camera was only at the alley entrance.
Frederick checked the surveillance. Alex had run out the front gate of the old mansion at ten-thirty.
In other words, Bianca had barely left when he put on his clothes and ran out the door.
In the footage, Alex didn't even hesitate about which way to go. He turned left out the front door, ran out of the alley, and headed straight to the bus stop not far from the alley entrance with a clear destination in mind, then grabbed onto an old lady's shopping basket and got on the bus.
"The bus company is checking the surveillance from inside the bus. They said they'll call me back the moment they find out where Alex went."
When Mike came back to report after making the call, he saw Frederick holding a piece of drawing paper.
The paper was covered with curvy lines.
Frederick stared at the paper in silence for a long time.
Last Sunday evening, when he came to see Alex, this was the paper Alex had been holding.
And the drawing papers around him all had similar patterns.
With his mind full of "where did he go" and "how dare he," Frederick turned and walked to the bed, pulling out a tablet from under Alex's pillow.
Opening the browser, the search history was clear as day.
He had looked up a route map—starting point was the alley entrance, destination was the amusement park.
He had also searched for the route from the amusement park to Empire University.
Although Frederick didn't know why Alex would go to the amusement park first before going to Empire University, before the bus company sent back specific information, this was the only lead he could grasp.
"Mike, to the amusement park!"
Striding out hurriedly, Frederick called Rebecca. "Becca, go back to your dorm first. I'll come get you after I find Alex."
Anxious as an ant on a hot pan, looking at the vast whiteness outside, just thinking about Alex being out there alone made Rebecca's heart race with panic.
Hearing Frederick's words, she breathed a little easier. "Alex has been found?"
However, the answer was disappointing. "Not yet."
Learning that Alex's destination might be the amusement park, Rebecca headed outside while saying, "Frederick, let's meet at the amusement park."
Empire University wasn't far from the amusement park.
It was much closer for Rebecca to get there than for Frederick to come from the old mansion.
If Alex was really at the amusement park, then every second counted right now—they couldn't waste a single moment.
Frederick nodded. "Okay."
Rushing out of Star Apartments, Rebecca ran all the way to the entrance, hailed a taxi, and headed straight for the amusement park.
She didn't forget to message Frederick along the way. [Last time at the amusement park, he loved playing on the frog hopper most. The frog hopper is closer to the west gate. I'll start searching from the west gate, you go to the east gate, have others search from the south and north gates, and we'll meet at the carousel.]
[Okay.]
On a regular Friday, the amusement park wasn't crowded—mostly elderly people from nearby bringing young children who hadn't started kindergarten yet to play and run around.
But tonight was Christmas Eve.
The amusement park had started promoting Christmas activities a month ago.
Outside the main gate stood a Christmas tree over ten meters tall, hung with gift boxes of all sizes.
Colorful ribbons, lights, and character statues were everywhere throughout the park.
Some young people came specifically to check it out, as well as children getting an early start on the Christmas season.
At a glance, it was packed with people everywhere.