Chapter 194
Chapter 194
Third-Person POV
Police cars raced down the streets of Riverstone, sirens wailing as they surrounded a city bus. Inside, passengers looked up in alarm as flashing blue and red lights illuminated their faces.
The driver hit the brakes and pulled over to the curb. Only five passengers were on board: an elderly couple in the front, a mother and daughter in the middle, and a young man with a black sports bag sitting alone in the back. The young man kept his head down, clearly nervous, while the others craned their necks to see what was happening.
Aaron jumped onto the bus, his sharp eyes scanning each face, searching for Emily Grey. She wasn't there.
The driver unbuckled his seatbelt and approached. "Officer, is there a problem?"
Aaron showed him Emily's photo. "Have you seen this woman?"
The driver stared at the picture for a few seconds. "No, I haven't." Then he hesitated. "But I drive hundreds of people every day, hard to remember everyone..."
Aaron turned to the other passengers, but they all shook their heads.
"The tracking signal shows she's on this bus," Aaron said to Dennis Ortiz, frustration evident in his voice. "How the hell is she not here? Is the system fucked up?"
Dennis frowned, thinking. "She probably left her phone on the bus to throw us off, buy herself some time to escape."
Dennis began searching the seats but found nothing. The passengers grew uneasy, glancing at each other nervously.
The young man in the back started fidgeting, his hand repeatedly touching his black bag, eyes darting around.
Dennis noticed his suspicious behavior and walked over to him. After observing for a few seconds, he went straight to the point: "Sir, I need to see what's in your bag."
The young man looked up sharply. "This is my personal property. You need a warrant!"
Aaron stepped closer, his expression hardening. "If we need to take you to the station to get that warrant, things are going to get a lot more complicated. You sure that's the route you want to take?"
Under pressure, the young man finally unzipped his bag. A familiar phone lay inside.
"I didn't steal it," he stammered. "I found it on a park bench. I was planning to turn it in to lost and found."
The phone was on silent mode, its screen showing numerous missed calls.
"The phone was still on," the young man continued defensively. "If I wanted to keep it, I would've turned it off or reset it first."
Dennis gave him a knowing look, and the man's face turned bright red.
Aaron grabbed the phone, anger flashing across his face. "Someone tipped her off. She knew we were coming." He spoke into his radio, announcing roadblocks throughout the city.
The Riverstone Police Department blazed with lights, all officers working overtime. The usually quiet office now buzzed with activity as officers answered phones, reviewed surveillance footage, and analyzed leads.
---
Thomas's POV
After learning about everything, Daisy stormed into Michael's office where Daniel and I were already waiting. Her eyes moved between the three of us before settling on me.
"Thomas, what the hell is going on? They're saying Emily's a suspect? That can't be true!" Her voice shook.
I glanced around awkwardly, unsure what to say.
"You all knew about this? Why didn't anyone tell me?" Her voice was laced with hurt and anger.
"We didn't want you to worry—" Daniel tried to explain.
"Or you thought I couldn't help?" Daisy shot back coldly. "Or maybe you thought I'd leak information?"
Daniel squirmed uncomfortably. "We couldn't involve everyone. Someone needed to stay behind to relay messages..."
"Look, this is an emergency. We shouldn't be fighting among ourselves! Emily might have been kidnapped," I said.
Michael walked into the office just then. Despite his usual blank expression, I could see the tension in his shoulders.
"Any findings?" I asked eagerly.
Michael shook his head. "Nothing." His answer was short and calm—his typical response under pressure.
I immediately started analyzing. "It's probably Nathan Evans's accomplice. They used Sophia's phone number to lure Emily out, then kidnapped her."
Daniel's face clouded with worry. "What if she's already dead?"
Daisy sharply cut in. "If they wanted to kill her, why not just have Ruby do it? Why this elaborate scheme?"
Her question made us all pause. She was right—if someone wanted to harm Emily, why go to such lengths?
I noticed Michael's gaze growing distant, like he'd remembered something important.
Michael turned to me, his voice regaining its usual coolness. "Check all properties owned by Megan Weber and Simon Wallace."
"Track Simon's and Megan's phone locations," Michael said to Daniel.
A few minutes later, Daniel had the results.
"Simon Wallace's address is in Sunflower Villa District, and his phone location shows he's there. Megan Weber's address is at Valley Garden Apartments, Building 8, and her phone is there too."
"That's just where their phones are," Michael said. "Not necessarily where they are."
"I've got an idea," I suggested. "Let's test if they're home by sending food delivery. Order some coffee, see if anyone answers."
Daisy gave me a sarcastic look. "Aren't you the clever one."
I defended my strategy. "If we show up directly, we might tip them off."
"What if Emily's being held in one of their places right now?" Daisy asked anxiously.
"They're smart criminals," I explained. "They'd keep Emily somewhere we'd never think to look."
"Even the smartest people slip up," Michael said.
---
Our plan hit a snag. Simon's residence was in an upscale neighborhood with tight security. The delivery person couldn't get in and had to contact management, who confirmed no one answered the door.
Megan's residence yielded the same result—no response to the delivery.
"She could be suffering abuse right now," I couldn't help voicing my darkest fears, imagining the worst scenarios.
Daisy cut me off sharply: "Can you stop catastrophizing? You're not helping!"
I noticed Michael had grown quiet. He stood by the window, staring into the distance. I knew he was thinking about where Emily might be and why someone had orchestrated all this.
"Do you think they'll kill her?" I asked softly.
Michael shook his head. "My gut says no."
"Why not?"
"It doesn't fit their pattern," Michael explained. "I think they want to manipulate her psychologically."
He mentioned Caitlin's psychological control over Megan, speculating that Simon might have been a victim too. "Caitlin might have groomed both Megan and Simon to be criminals."
"What about Emily? Why target her?"
Michael's eyes grew complex. "Emily's a victim too, but she might not know it yet."