Zack’s hands gripped onto the steering wheel, thinking of the best way to navigate through the desperate situation. He had never felt this anxious in his life. His mind was apprehensive of the foreboding result if he didn’t find her in time.
Arriving at the city took an hour due to his fast acceleration. The road was scarce of cars, with only a few passing here and there.
His first clue to start the search was the production studio. He passed through the location with his eyes pinned on his surroundings in case of sighting any Rolls-Royce.
Unfortunately, there was none. He kept driving further in hope to find her, going round the city with his eyes darting around his surroundings.
With no luck in his two-hour search, he dialed Bryan’s number to inquire about the police progress.
“Have they found her yet?” He asked, expecting a positive response, but instead, it was the opposite.
“Sir, it will be hard to find her without some sort of hint,” Bryan responded nervously because he knew how his boss would react.
“IT HAS BEEN AN HOUR, AND YOU STILL HAVEN’T FOUND HER!” His booming voice made them shrink from the other end. He had expected them to secure footage or something to trace her well, but Bryan was telling him there was no clue, meaning they hadn’t begun the search?
“WHAT ARE THE POLICE WAITING FOR BEFORE THEY FIND MY WIFE?” Anger was evident in his voice, and his hand mistakenly slipped from the wheel in a clockwise motion, causing the car to squeal to the corner of the road. He quickly stepped on his brake to stop the car from crashing into a light pole.
Bryan overheard the squeaking sound, sending him into a state of fright. “Sir, is everything alright, sir?” He kept calling out to him, but there was no reply from Zack as he had dropped his phone unintentionally due to the sudden halt.
After the car stopped, he unclasped his seatbelt and got out of the car. His anger hadn’t settled; it was mixed with anxiety. He heaved a heavy sigh to calm himself down.
“Sir, sir…” Bryan was still trying to reach him.
After he had succeeded in calming his nerves a bit, his ear picked up the sound of Bryan’s voice from the loudspeaker on his phone. He got back into the car to answer him.
“Sir, what happened, I heard…”
“Finding my wife is more important so hang up and find her,” he snapped.
“Sir… we will find her,” Bryan assured, despite knowing it wouldn’t be an easy task. “They’ve started investigating.”
“Tell the chief to call me immediately.” He commanded and tossed his phone to the other seat.
He was about to start the car again when his phone rang. Seeing the Chief was the caller, he answered immediately.
“Sir, I have mobilized a special unit to find her. Be rest assured she will be found. But can you perhaps tell me how you knew she was kidnapped; it might be helpful,” Chief Rudolf said in a gentle tone, knowing that saying the wrong word would just fan the flames.
Zack then narrated the phone call experience, without missing any detail.
“Hmm. The ‘BUD’ part seems like a very important clue. Let me inform the detective; we will get back to you if we piece it together.”
“Please help me find her as soon as possible.” His heart wouldn’t rest until she was found, and he wanted the tormenting emotion in his heart to subside.
“We will, sir. We will do everything we can.” Assurance was the best he could give during the search to mollify him.
The call disconnected, and Zack continued with his search. He drove back to the edge of the city, driving around in circles until his gas gauge notified him of its impending depletion.
The car came to an abrupt end in a dark alley. He tried to start the car again, but the gas had totally run out. Only when he glanced at the gas gauge did he realize.
“Shit.” He cursed, pummeling the steering wheel in frustration. How much longer did he have to wait to see his wife again, safe and sound.
He burst out of the car and kicked the tyre out of frustration.
Normally, he would have called Bryan or Louis, Ivy’s former driver, to bring him another car. Bryan would be busy with the detectives while Louis was a long distance away. He decided to find her on foot, as he had been driving for hours with no luck. Maybe if he changed his strategy, there might be a different result.
The poorly lit confined space wasn’t actually a safe place, especially at this hour. After walking a great distance, he dialed Bryan’s number for an update.
“Have the police gotten any clues to find her?”
From the other end, Bryan’s sigh could be heard. “The police are doing their best, we are already in the city, they are in the process of checking the surveillance footage…”
Zack felt the police were too slow with the investigation. It had been three hours since the phone call revealing her kidnap.
“Did you find any Rolls-Royce parked along the road? It might be hers.”
“No, I didn’t, sir,” Bryan replied.
Zack was silent, with the phone still placed on his ear. Bryan sensed his anxiousness and offered his words of comfort. “We will surely find her…”
“How long will it take?” He cut him off. “She might be in danger all alone. We don’t know the kidnapper’s intention yet. What if he doesn’t want ransom? The worst could happen.”
Bryan understood he was deeply troubled, a very rare side of his boss. He reflected on his words. What he said might be a scary truth. Since the three hours after the kidnap, there was no call from them requesting a ransom.
“What if they want something else?”
“Sir, you will get through this, she will be safe.” Though he wasn’t sure of his own words, he could only hope for her safety.
“I’ll call you back later, sir.”
Zack shoved his phone into his pocket and continued walking. The chill breeze was seeping into his skin through his thin vest. He hadn’t forgotten to wear his suit due to the discovery of Ivy’s kidnap, desperate to find her in time.
As he slowly departed from the alley, there was a clear view of the derelict building in ruins. He decided to take his chances and see if there was anyone inside.
He was only a few meters away before he felt a hand on his shoulder.