23

“So, he randomly took a vacation after discovering what had happened. That is strange.” I said with a blank face.

“What is weird is that he doesn’t take vacations out of nowhere. He is always here and on time for his shifts. The last time he took a vacation was the day he got sick, which was two years ago, I think.”

When I heard that, my face lit up like stars. That little information got me thinking. I told Ryan to go up without me. I needed something from the cafe. Waving bye, I headed to the cafe for a bagel and iced coffee. While waiting for the order, someone tapped me on my shoulder. "Hey, Ells," Eunha said with a smile.

"What the?? Eunha, what are you doing here?"

“Came to visit someone. My cousin works here. He is a cartoonist on the floor level. I was going to wait in the lobby when I saw you. Why are you here?” she asked.

“I am a personal maintenance and coding tech for the upper level. I work with the CEO herself.”

“You are so lucky to get a job like this. Especially working with Ms. Waston herself. I can’t get a job after what happened at the theater. ” She said sadly.

Since the death of Henry, her dad decided to close the theater down until further notice. Everyone who worked there got laid off for the time being. Some of the people we know personally moved on. That was good to hear. I haven’t talked to the others since then. The cashier called out my name. I nodded to Eunha and went to work.

Since we are still under investigation for the top floor, we had to share space with Team B— which we are not too fond of. When arriving, the secretary mentioned that Kaylee was in her office. Good, I didn't want to meet Team B always; I heard stories about them. It was terrifying seeing so many detectives on the top floor. Luckily I didn’t have to walk so far in. I knock on Kaylee’s door.

“Come in,” she said. When I walked in, she was on the computer. Her eyes glanced up to look at me. "ELLIE! God, I missed you." She shouted while hugging me.

"I've only been gone for a day. You can't miss me that much," I hugged her back.

"Things have been hectic around here after what happened. I'm glad that you are doing well and resting up. I can use you around here since Brad is on vacation." She said,

I nodded. I told Kaylee what I had learned about him, how he was classified as a prime suspect in the case. Kaylee didn’t believe it at first, but she knew something was off about him since he worked here. “Isn’t it weird? Why go on vacation now?” Especially when you don’t usually do? Brad was spotted at the bar on the day of Bailey’s disappearance. He lied to the police about his identity. Has multiple jobs that connect to the case. Every time something pops up, he is here.” I explained.

Kaylee stared at me with amazement. Then she realized something; if he was involved in the case, it must be why he went on vacation. The boss got up and stood in the middle of the room. For her to say, he was using the vacation thing as a getaway was baffling. Maybe he knows that the police are onto him and wants time to escape before getting caught completely. Kaylee just hit it on the marker.

“Okay. Let’s step back a little to analyze the situation. Why would he have time to think about an escape? Shouldn’t he already have one in mind? He had plans to snatch up the girls beforehand, so why?” a lightbulb hit me.

A knock came at the door, and Kevin asked Kaylee if he could speak to Brad. Instead, I took him by the arm and gestured to them both to follow me. Confused, they agreed to go. We entered the ground floor maintenance room where he works. The workers were surprised at the sudden appearance. When I asked about Brad Fowler and if they had information on him. They looked at me like I was crazy.

“Brad has always been a by-himself kind of guy. He comes to work, we talk for a minute, and he goes off doing things.”

“So, why did he take a vacation? Did something happen?” I asked.

“Vacation? Brad was terminated from the company. You should know that since you are the boss Kaylee.”

“Terminated?? He got fired?? In the database, it said he is on vacation.” Kaylee questioned. The worker then explained that he got into it with one of the coworkers. They had to let him go after the threat he made. Plus, he has been doing weird things for months. Kaylee demanded to have his file pulled up. Without hesitation, he did what he was told.

When Brad’s file came up— everything was gone. All his contacts list, personal information, medical records, and experience has disappeared. How is that even possible?? Everyone in the room had their jaws dropped. What the hell is going on?

~ Brad ~

“Well, well, well… It seems like the mouse has been found, Minho. I knew this would happen eventually. Ellie has been a pain in my butt, snooping around as she did. Oh well, this will be fun.” I chuckled. I ordered Minho to erase everything that had my name on it. It is time for a new identity because leaving town will be troublesome. I can’t wait to play this new game of cat and mouse. Before I even go, I want my merchandise. I wasn’t going to leave with just them.

My slave did what he was told and hacked every system imaginable and deleted what was mine. I got up and walked to the corner of the room where two people were tied up. “My easiest catch. Now, you will act as bait, and Aria will be the icing on top once I have her.” I laughed as I patted John and Nate’s head. After that, I told Minho to get the night ready as we were going fishing.

~ Ellie ~

“Get the fuck out of here!! You're serious!!” I yelled. I was beyond furious at the moment. How could that have happened?

“We are dealing with someone better at computers than you, Ellie,” Kevin added. Kaylee then mentioned he was also a stalker as well. He follows and watches every target he has ever met. I left the room upset. All this time, I thought he was just an antisocial assistant. But he is much more than that.

“Every time we think we are ahead, we end up at a dead end.” I wiped my tears. Out of nowhere, Kevin immediately hugged me from behind. I can feel he was furious like I was. We need to do something before the time runs out.