Chapter 140 Out Jody and Lusy

Chapter 140 Out Jody and Lusy
"Who was released, Evan?" Rose asked, her voice trembling as she stared intently at the paper in her husband's hand.
Evan crumpled the paper inside his fist until it creaked. His eyes shifted quickly toward Dylan before turning back to Rose.
"Jody," Evan answered curtly, his tone cold. "Jody was released from prison this week."
Sonya set her fork down hard against her plate. "Jody? Your ex-fiancé, Rose?"
Rose took a step back, her face instantly draining of color. "That's impossible. Didn't he still have two years left on his sentence?"
"He got early release," Dylan cut in quickly, rising from his chair. "We need to tighten security around this house right now."
"Alan, go inside with Aunt Sonya right now," Evan commanded firmly.
Seeing the tense expressions on his parents' faces, young Alan obeyed without argument. He took the hand of Sonya, who was holding her baby, and let her lead him toward the living room.
"Where is Emily?" Rose asked suddenly. Her eyes scanned wildly around the dining table, which now held only half-eaten plates.
"She was playing on the back lawn with Alan just a moment ago," Madam Miska said, appearing from the side doorway with a panicked expression.
Rose immediately ran toward the backyard. "Emily! Emily!"
Evan and Dylan followed right behind her. The backyard, filled with colorful balloons and party streamers, felt eerily quiet. The afternoon breeze merely stirred the leftover decorations.
"Emily! It's Mommy, sweetie!" Rose called out again, her voice turning raspy with rising panic.
Madam Miska walked quickly along the hedge line at the far end of the garden. Her eyes suddenly locked onto a spot on the ground. She bent down and picked up a pink stuffed rabbit that was soiled with dirt.
"Mrs. Rose," Madam Miska called out, her hand shaking as she held up the toy. "The back gate is open."
Rose ran over to Madam Miska, snatched the stuffed rabbit, and clutched it tightly against her chest. "The gate was locked from the inside this morning! Who opened it?!"
Evan inspected the iron gate's hinges, which swung wide open toward the path outside the property. "Someone broke it from the outside."
"Evan, our daughter! Someone took Emily!" Rose shrieked hysterically. Tears spilled over instantly, her body trembling so violently that Evan had to catch her by both shoulders to keep her from collapsing.
"Stay calm, Rose. Stay calm," Evan whispered, pulling his wife into his arms, even as his own jaw tightened against the rage burning inside him. "Dylan, check the security cameras now!"
"I'm on it! Heading to the security room!" Dylan shouted, sprinting into the house.
Evan guided Rose, who was still sobbing, down to the CCTV monitoring room in the basement. Madam Miska followed behind, holding the hand of a frightened Alan in the hallway.
Inside the control room lined with monitor screens, Dylan was already frantically rewinding the footage from the last fifteen minutes.
"Look at monitor three," Dylan said, pointing to the corner of the back garden.
On the black-and-white screen, a tall figure in a hooded black jacket crept through the broken back gate. The person moved swiftly between the ornamental trees, snatched Emily from behind before the child could scream, and carried her away along the outer path.
"Zoom in on the car at the end of the road!" Evan commanded sharply.
Dylan hit the controls. The screen displayed a black sedan parked at the edge of the main road outside the complex. The hooded figure got into the back seat, and the car sped away, leaving the area behind.
"The license plate was intentionally removed," Dylan said, freezing the video playback.
Rose covered her mouth with both hands, her sobs breaking out harder. "It's Jody! Evan, it has to be Jody who took Emily! He wants revenge on me!"
Evan turned to pull Rose into a tight embrace, stroking her back as it heaved with ragged breaths. "I will find Emily. I promise you, Rose."
Evan gently released his hold on her, pulling his cell phone from his jacket pocket. He dialed a speed-dial number.
"Block every exit out of the city," Evan said directly into the phone, skipping any greeting. "Deploy every security team to search every checkpoint. Look for a black sedan without plates."
Dylan patted Evan's shoulder. "I already have my men tracking Jody's whereabouts since he was released from the correctional facility."
"Good. We don't have much time," Evan replied coldly.
Suddenly, the phone on the control desk rang loudly. The sharp ring cut through the tension in the room. Every eye turned to the screen of Evan's phone, which displayed an unknown number.
Rose held her breath, gripping the sleeve of Evan's shirt tightly. "What if it's him..."
Evan tapped the green button and switched the phone to speaker mode. "Speak."
Silence lingered for a moment on the other end of the line before the sound of heavy breathing echoed clearly through the control room.
"If you want your da
ughter alive, come alone. No police."