“I will go after talking to the doctor. They’re all sleeping right now. I can’t scare them so early in the morning,” said Lucas gently comforting her. Cara nodded in understanding and looked at him expectantly, her eyes searching his face.
“Promise me that you’ll go and check on them, Lucas,” she pleaded, her tired body sagging into the pillow, while her eyes were hooked onto Lucas’s as she waited for his word.
“I will, Cara and I’ll update you soon. Now close your eyes and rest till the doctor arrives. If all goes well, he might release you. Then we will be able to go and see your family together,” said Lucas. Cara’s eyes widened with hope.
“That would be wonderful but why isn’t Marcus opening his eyes? I can’t leave him here and go Lucas,” she said clearly in a dilemma.
“We’ll see about that. Nicholas and mom are here with me in LA. They’ll be here any minute so you can come with me to check up on your family,” said Lucas. Cara smiled at him with relief.
“Thank you, Lucas,” she said, finally closing her eyes.
It was 6:30 in the morning and Lucas waited eagerly for Dr. James to arrive. Nicholas and his mom walked inside looking worried. “Has Mark gained consciousness yet?” asked his mom. Lucas shook his head and updated her about Marcus’s condition. One of the officers on duty outside the ICU rushed forward towards them.
“Mr. Donnelly, our senior officer Tim Berkeley is on the phone. He wants to have a word with you,” said the officer to Lucas, handing him the mobile phone. Lucas frowned and took the phone from him, wondering what news was awaiting him at the other end.
“Hello, Lucas Donnelly here. Tell me, Officer,” said Lucas.
“Good morning, Mr. Donnelly! I’m afraid that the news I’m about to convey isn’t so good. Last night, at around 1 o’clock, Frederick and his men had broken into Rohesia’s house, despite the tight security all around. He and his men attacked Mr. Smithfield and his wife, injuring them. With them unconscious, he easily abducted the children away with him. I just received the information a few minutes back,” said the officer apologetically. Lucas’s jaws dropped with horror and he sat on a chair nearby to combat the panic rising inside him. How would he explain it to Cara?
“But how can it be possible, officer? With such tight security and your team of officers guarding the place, how did he manage to abduct the children?” asked a clueless Lucas.
“He used a lethal sleeping gas spray, Mr. Donnelly. The effects were so high that they woke up just fifteen minutes back and informed me. Frederick and his men damaged the CCTV cameras placed all around the property but thankfully one of the officers had captured a photograph of the car used before he lost consciousness. He just forwarded it to me and I’ve sent it to the traffic control department of West LA. The bureau has the statistics of all cars moving in and out of Malibu and Paradise Cove Beach. We will nab Fredrick as soon as we get information on him,” said the officer.
“What if he harms the children?” asked Lucas, more concerned about rescuing the children before Cara woke up. He felt as if he had failed her. If only he knew! He would have gone to her house at 4 o’clock in the morning and alerted the police right away. Maybe Frederick wouldn’t have gone far then!
“I’m just praying that he doesn’t. He has a criminal mind and now he’s desperate since he has been cornered in every way. I’ll keep you updated as soon as I get some leads on the case. Be alert to any threat calls. He might call on Rohesia’s mobile phone,” said the officer. After he disconnected the call, a grave Lucas informed the others about the latest developments on the case.
“I think we should check Cara’s phone,” suggested his mom. Lucas spoke to the nurse in charge.
“Rohesia was unconscious when she arrived here, Mr. Donnelly. She didn’t have her mobile phone with her.” Lucas was now lost. If the phone wasn’t with her, then where was her mobile phone? They didn’t have much time to ponder over it as Dr. James arrived and they rushed to talk to him.
However, Lucas dreaded facing Cara and decided to leave before she woke up. He would drop by at the police station and then at Cara’s house later. That way he could avoid her queries. He instructed his mom and Nicholas not to inform her about her siblings before they had proper proof of their whereabouts. In a few minutes, he arrived at the police station and to his dismay, the place was teeming with the paparazzi as well as reporters. He pushed his way inside while people went crazy seeing him. He was the owner, and CEO of Donnelly Technology Corp., known for its innovative home as well as industrial products. As such he was a celebrity and the products his company manufactured were a household name in the whole country. People gasped and murmured his name amongst themselves as they hadn’t expected such a big shot celebrity to be here, walking into the police station. The reporters flocked over to him while the cops kept them at bay.
Lucas walked into the police station and met Tim Berkeley right away. They were on their way out and could hardly talk to him. “Why don’t you come along with us, Mr. Donnelly? We’ve got a lead on the case and we’re on our way to arrest Frederick and rescue the children as soon as possible. We can discuss the details on the way,” said the officer.
Lucas climbed into the police car as they sped towards their destination. “So where are we heading to?” he asked the officer curiously.
“We just received a call from the Oakland Police Traffic Division that a car of the same number plate has been sighted in the vicinity of 25th street. I think Frederick must have taken the children there,” said the officer.
“I just hope the children are safe.” That was all he could hope for as his heart constricted with panic. Oakland was almost a five-hour drive away and officer Berkeley got updates from the Oakland Police Department regularly. They had raided the entire area but hadn’t been able to locate Frederick and the children yet.
After disconnecting a call, Officer Berkeley turned toward Lucas. “The children might have been taken to Prudent Studio nearby on 27th street. It’s an abandoned recording studio where the police have found fresh food leftovers and water bottles. They also found hair accessories that could belong to Rohesia’s sister. It is just an assumption since I have to call her aunt, Margaret Smithfield to confirm,” said the officer.
“In that case, we can ask for the pictures from the police and forward them to Mrs. Smithfield for confirmation,” suggested Lucas.
It was soon confirmed that the hair accessories indeed belonged to Vera which meant that they were actually taken to the deserted studio for refreshments. “Thank God, he hasn’t harmed them yet,” said Lucas, releasing a breath he was holding.
“I have a feeling that the children might be leaving clues for us about their whereabouts. We have to check more minutely.” Lucas nodded when a phone call from Nicholas alerted him. Did Cara wake up? Was she asking him for details? He didn’t want to talk to her yet but he couldn’t ignore Nicholas’s call too.
“Yes, Nick, tell me,” he said gravely.
“Bro, Mark has gained consciousness but he’s drowsy and in pain. Dr. James said that he’s out of danger. The police were here at the hospital to see Cara. They found her mobile phone at the club when they went back to check today. There have been three missed calls from Frederick since morning. The officers and I are escorting Cara to the police station. She needs to receive the call the next time to know what Frederick has to say. The police will monitor the phone call,” informed Nicholas.
“How did Cara take the news?” asked Lucas worriedly.
“She was hysterical, bro but when she heard that you’re accompanying the police to help find them, she called down considerably. So what’s the update?” asked Nicholas. Lucas informed him about the latest developments in the case.
“Inform me if Frederick calls,” he told Nicholas before disconnecting the call.
They reached the Oakland Police station and immediately met officer Grant Smithton, who was in charge of the investigation. He informed them that the car had been abandoned at 25th street but the traffic surveillance cameras at the intersection of 27th street had caught a white Ford Expedition picking up Frederick and the children from the abandoned recording studio two hours ago. They were monitoring the car and a team had already started chasing the car as it sped down I-580 w/San Francisco.
“We’ll catch him this time. The traffic control department is on high alert along the route to Seattle,” said officer Berkeley as they headed the same way.
Lucas and a team of cops sat in the car on high alert as they entered I-580. Suddenly Lucas’s phone buzzed with an incoming call from an unknown number. He immediately accepted the call, crossing his fingers and hoping that it wasn’t a threat call.
“Lucas, it’s me, Cara. Please ask the police to stop chasing Frederick. He just threatened me. He will shoot the children if I don’t get the police off his trail,” sobbed Cara.