It’s a fairly obvious conclusion that Lukas was kidnapped by his family. I mean, who else would even be looking for him? The problem is, I have no idea where they would have taken him. The only address I know is his house, and that’s not going to help me now. My eyes land on his phone. Maybe I can find something useful in there? He seems organised enough to have relatives’ addresses saved, or maybe the maps app will show a frequent location tied to one of his family members. Except… crap. He has a password. Of course, he has a password, everyone has a password these days. And thanks to his fancy phone, it’s paired with face ID, which is useless to me right now. The screen taunts me with a four digit code prompt. I try a few random numbers, hoping to luck out, but predictably, it gets me nowhere. What numbers would he use? His birthday seems like a reasonable guess. I pull out my laptop, log into the work computer system, and pull up Lukas’s employee information. It feels a little intrusive, but desperate times call for desperate measures. I enter his birthday into the phone. Nope. No luck. Frustrated, I open his company accounts to see if he’s used any recognisable patterns in his passwords. Maybe something will give me a clue. My hopes plummet when I see that his accounts still use the randomised passwords sent during setup, long strings of numbers and letters, completely devoid of personal meaning. No help there. What is wrong with him, who doesn’t even change their passwords? I groan and slam the laptop closed a little harder than I mean to. Leaning back on his bed, I stare at the ceiling, trying to think. I could call Eli. If I explained that Lukas was kidnapped, he could probably pull some strings and get me addresses for his family members. But would that draw unnecessary attention? Lukas has been adamant about keeping this investigation off the radar, and involving Eli might blow that plan apart. It’s a backup plan, sure, but not one I want to use unless I absolutely have to.
The room is quiet except for Roxy, who is pacing anxiously by the door, letting out soft whines every so often. She’s as worried as I am. I sit up and rub my temples, feeling the weight of frustration press down harder. There has to be another way to figure this out.
“Think, Clare. Come on, think.” I grumble to myself. Roxy perks up at my voice and jumps onto the bed, pawing at my knee and whining with urgency. I sigh, rubbing her head.
“I know, sweetheart. I’m trying to figure out where he is. But I don’t really know all that much about him. All I really know is that he likes boring clothes and… And you.” I pause mid thought, a spark of realisation lighting up in my brain. It couldn’t be that simple… Could it? I grab his phone and type in 7699, Roxy’s name in numbers, and hold my breath. The screen unlocks instantly. I laugh in elation, relief flooding me. Of course his passcode was Roxy’s name. She’s his best friend, after all. Roxy tilts her head as if she’s waiting for a thank you for inspiring the guess.
“Good girl.” I say, giving her a quick pat before diving into Lukas’s phone. My joy sobers quickly as I focus on the task at hand. First, I check his contacts. Most of them seem to be work related, and while there are entries for ‘Mum’ and ‘Dad,’ they’re just phone numbers, no addresses or other useful information. He doesn’t even have photos for their contacts! Frowning, I scroll further and notice something that makes me pause. I’m not saved in his contacts. There’s no Clare or Mead listed. Curious, and maybe a little annoyed, I open his text messages. Maybe I can find something useful there. His thread with his mother confirms what I suspected, their texts are infrequent. The most recent one is about dinner plans for later in the week, which was probably the dinner that spiraled into this mess. Then, another conversation catches my attention. The contact is labeled ‘Princess.’ My stomach twists. Does Lukas have a girlfriend? I scowl at the thought. If he has a girlfriend, I’m going to be furious. Not because I want him or anything… But because he shouldn’t talk to me the way he does if he’s in a relationship. My irritation flares as I tap on the chat, only for my frustration to melt into confusion. The messages are familiar… It’s my texts. The chat is with me, but he’s labeled the contact Princess and set the photo as a picture of my cat. My jaw drops. Did he name the conversation after Princess? I can’t decide if that’s adorable or mildly insulting. Either way, I don’t have time to stew on it. Answers can wait until later. Right now, I need to focus. I close his texts and look through his apps. It’s a mix of puzzle games, Sudoku, and number games mostly which makes a weird amount of sense. Of course he likes math games. Then, an unfamiliar app catches my eye. I tap it, and it opens into an interface connected to his car.
“Oh, fancy.” I mutter, reluctantly impressed. My car isn’t nearly this high tech. Exploring the app further, I find a log of his recent locations. The car is currently marked as being at work. The trip before that? It’s logged too. That must be his parents’ place. Right? My heart leaps. This could be the lead I need. It’s not a guarantee, but it’s the best place to start.
I text myself the address from Lukas’s phone and tuck it into my handbag. My gaze shifts to Roxy, who’s still pacing around, clearly as agitated as I feel. I can’t leave her here. When was the last time she ate? Or went outside? Lukas would be crushed if anything happened to her while he’s missing. Determined, I open the closet and find the neatly stacked bag of dog food he bought for her. As soon as I pull it out, her ears perk up, and she trots over. I pour some food into her bowl, and she immediately starts eating, much faster than my cat does, that’s for sure. My heart clenches, how long has she been waiting? I have no idea if Lukas gave her dinner before he was taken. I also don’t know how much she usually eats, so I estimate, feeling guilty that I can’t ask Lukas. While Roxy scoffs her meal, I grab my phone and pull up the address I texted myself. It’s not far, and my place isn’t too far out of the way either. A plan forms in my mind. I’ll drop Roxy off at my house first. Bringing her to Lukas’s family’s place seems like a terrible idea. The last thing I need is to risk her getting hurt or caught up in whatever mess he’s been dragged into. At least at home, Princess can keep her company. With the decision made, I sling the dog food bag under one arm, just in case we don’t end up back here tonight or, heaven forbid, I don’t find Lukas today. The I call Roxy to follow me. I’m not sure if she will follow my direction like she does with Lukas, but she must know I’m trying to help because she follows at my heels. The moment we step outside, she bolts for the nearest patch of grass to relieve herself. Poor thing must have been holding it for hours. Once she’s done, I hurry to my car, and she jumps in eagerly. As I start driving, I can’t help but speed a little, I’m feeling horribly nervous. I don’t even play music while I drive. I really need to find Lukas, before something awful happens, if it hasn’t already. Nope, I refuse to even consider that. When we reach my house, I lead Roxy inside and set down another bowl of food for her, even though she just ate. She looks so sad, her big eyes following my every move, and I figure a little extra food might distract her from my leaving.
“Stay here, okay? Princess will keep you company.” I murmur, scratching behind her ears. But when I head for the door, she whines and paws at me, her nails scraping against the floor. The sound follows me all the way out, and as I lock the door behind me, her soft whimpers tug at my heart.
“I’ll find him.” I promise her. But I think the reassurance is as much for me as it is for her. I really hope I’m going to the right place.