Chapter 39 LOOSE ENDS
We worked all night searching for any trace of Ravyn Vale and possibly Mia, but it felt like we were chasing a ghost. After he was spotted near Lennox Lux Suites, there was nothing—no footprint, no shadow, no hint of where he vanished. It was as if he dissolved into thin air.
“This is hopeless. It's like we're chasing a ghost,” Jacob ranted, throwing his head back in frustration.
“Tell me about it. How can he be here one minute and gone the next? Maybe we should have thought this through before taking this case from the head officer—goodies or not,” Anna added, her lips pushed forward like a pouting child.
“I can barely keep my eyes open. I think I’m going to take twenty,” Linda said, peeking her head out from behind her desk. Then her gaze landed on me. “But Nancy, why aren’t you saying anything?”
“Well, technically because none of you are thinking what I’m thinking,” I replied, waiting for their curiosity to draw them in. When their eyes settled on me, I finally voiced the thought that had been running through my mind all night.
“I think Ravyn Vale might have gotten help from someone… someone high enough to hide him without leaving a single trace.” I replayed the last video of him seen near Lennox Lux in Brentmere.
If we were going to get ahead of Ravyn Vale, we needed the CCTV footage from the front of the hotel—and Mr. Lennox was the only person capable of making that happen.
“Wait—are you saying Ravyn Vale met someone who helped erase all his traces in Brentmere?” Linda asked, pushing herself up and moving to my desk. She pulled a chair beside me while Anna and Jacob peeked over from their seats, their faces twisted in confusion.
“Yes. Remember the party I told you about?” Linda nodded, already tense. “It wasn’t a party for ordinary people. I’m sure Ravyn Vale met someone there. I need to meet with Mr. Lennox,” I whispered to Linda, our eyes locked in understanding.
“Anna, Jacob, you both can take a break while Linda and I go through a few more files that came in late,” I said, hoping they’d agree and give us privacy.
“Okay, I could really use a coffee,” Anna sighed with relief. She had obviously been waiting for the break.
“Me too—I want coffee,” Jacob added immediately, raising his hand like a child asking for candy. They headed toward the door.
“Should we grab you guys a cup?” Anna asked.
“No, we’re good,” I replied quickly, before Linda could speak. Anna nodded and closed the door behind them.
“You do know I needed that coffee to wake up,” Linda muttered, giving me a sharp side-eye.
“We have bigger things to focus on. We’ll get coffee later. I need to meet Mr. Lennox, and I want you to come with me,” I said, standing so fast my chair creaked. I grabbed a few files, my phone, and Linda’s car keys—yet she still hadn’t moved.
“Linda, we need to go. Now.”
“Nancy… don’t tell me you haven’t seen the news from yesterday,” she said, giving me a look I couldn’t read.
“What news? Look, whatever it is, we can talk about it on the way,” I said impatiently. But Linda didn’t budge. Instead, she grabbed her phone and began scrolling through something before handing it over to me.
As soon as I read the news headline, my body instantly weakened. Mr. Lennox wasn’t in town. That was the message Linda had been trying to pass to me.
“It seems Mr. Lennox is handing over their head-branch hotel in Brookleigh to his mum. The news has been everywhere since yesterday—of course you’re one of the few people who somehow didn’t know about it,” Linda added, rolling her eyes dramatically.
I let out a long, exhausted sigh as I walked back to my seat. We had no other lead except the CCTV footage, and now even that hope had slipped away, leaving us stranded with nothing but unanswered questions.
“I can’t believe this,” I muttered under my breath.
“Our best option now is to drop him a text and hope he sees it. I’m sure you have his personal contact, right?” Linda asked, though her tone already hinted she suspected I didn’t. Her gaze sharpened, and I deliberately avoided it, my frustration tightening in my chest.
“Wait—hold on. Don’t tell me you don’t have his personal contact even after making a deal with him?” Linda blurted out, staring at me like I’d grown a second head.
“I didn’t see any reason to. I was more focused on the benefits of the deal, not his number,” I said, the defeat in my voice heavier than I intended.
“Oh boy… then I guess we’ll have to send messages directly to his business line. Hopefully we won’t get threatened again like the last time,” Linda said, pure sarcasm dripping from every word as she reminded me of how humiliated I was when I reached out about Renna’s existence five years ago.
“I’m still pissed about that, so please don’t bring it up—no matter what the conversation should be,” I snapped lightly, irritation bubbling as I grabbed my jacket and headed for the door.
“Where are you going?” she called after me just as I pulled it open.
“To see the head officer… before going home,” I replied without looking back.
Jaxon’s POV
“Are you even understanding a single thing I’m saying? You need to rest, for crying out loud,” Troy groaned, frustration pouring out of him like he was one second away from ripping his own hair out.
“I’m fine, Troy. You worry too much,” I said, brushing him off even though my body still ached in places I refused to acknowledge. “I just want us to wrap everything up and be in Hollowmere before sunset. I want to be gone, Troy. And I promise—I’ll do exactly what you said once we’re there. Okay?” I fastened my wristwatch and slipped into my suit jacket, moving even though every movement felt heavier than usual.
“Fine. It’s not like you ever listen to me anyway,” Troy muttered, voice dripping with defeat.
“Let’s go meet the board members before seeing my father. Book us a mid-afternoon flight, and also make a reservation for Alba. He’s coming with us,” I added while grabbing my suitcase and car keys, refusing to acknowledge the stunned look on Troy’s face.
“You’re taking Alba with us?” he asked, practically sprinting after me. But just as I opened the door, any further argument died on his tongue.
Alba was standing there—ears perked, attention sharp. The moment his eyes landed on me, they softened, and he practically lit up.
“Yes, he’s coming with us,” I said before crouching down. I intended to pat his head, but Alba didn’t even give me the chance—he launched forward, pushing into my arms with the same unfiltered joy he always greeted me with. His paws pressed onto my shoulders as he licked my face eagerly, tail wagging like it had a mind of its own.
“It’s okay, buddy. I missed you too,” I murmured, fingers running through his thick white fur. I pressed a small kiss to his head before pulling back just enough to look at him. “How would you like to come to Hollowmere with me?”
Of course he couldn’t answer—but the spark in his eyes was enough.
Behind me, Troy exhaled—long, loud, dramatic. Alba and Troy didn’t exactly get along. Because first: Troy wasn’t a dog person. And secondly: Alba absolutely knew it. Whenever the two of them were together, Alba somehow made things ten times harder for him.
Around me, Alba was gentle, obedient—almost unbelievably so. Around Troy? Chaos. Pure chaos.
“You’ll be spending the next few hours with Troy since he needs to get you cleaned and maybe groomed a little,” I told Alba. He responded with an excited pant, almost like he understood the words but not the torture he was about to put Troy through.
When I stood, Troy’s face was already twisted in annoyance, and I couldn’t help the amused smile tugging at my lips.
“At least one of you is happy about it,” I chuckled.
Alba trotted to Troy and sat right in front of him, panting loudly while staring at him like he was waiting for orders Troy didn’t want to give.
“Just leave him with me. I mean, how hard can it be to get one annoying dog to the vet?” Troy grumbled under his breath.
“Just get him to the vet. It’s not like I asked you to groom him yourself. I’ll see you at the office in two,” I said, finally leaving Troy and Alba to negotiate their fragile truce.
But as I settled into my car and started driving toward the office, everything began to sink in—slowly, heavily.
I was about to let go of one place my mother loved the most.And for the first time in a long while, a wave of guilt hit me so deeply I felt it in my bones.It felt like I was betraying her memory. Like I was letting her down.
And God… it hurt more than I wanted to admit.