Somewhere in a dark corner -
Little Kai finally opened his eyes. He blinked a couple of times trying to make sense of his surroundings. But all he could see was darkness. It was pitch black and then his head started throbbing at the back. His closed his eyes shut trying to contain himself but the pain was too much. The poor kid started whimpering. And then he realised the pain wasn't coming only from his head. His hands and legs were tied as well. And they were tied too hard. The ropes were cutting into his flesh and he could feel it was bleeding as well.
" Mommy! " He tried to cry out instinctively but his voice failed him. He was gagged. The cloth made his throat dry and soar and he started crying harder. He was in a nightmare too beyond his comprehension. One moment he was playing in his backyard and the next moment he was in here.
Suddenly, there was this gruff voice of a man nearby. "Shut the f*ck up, kid, or I'll kill you right here," the man growled, his voice dripping with menace. Kai's sobs turn into silent tears, his tiny body shaking even more.Like literal tremors rippled through his body.
Then, the sound of footsteps approached, and a woman's voice cuts through the darkness. "Calm down, will you? It's just a kid," she said but not in a good way.Her tone was dripping with sarcasm. "He ain't gonna hurt you!" She kind of giggled.
Kai's heart raced as he heard the woman's voice coming closer. "Hey, little guy," she said, touching his forehead.Her voice was softer but still laced with a mocking edge. "I'm gonna take that gag off, but you gotta promise not to scream, okay? Otherwise, my friend here won't be so nice."
Kai nodded, tears streaming down his cheeks. He felt her hands fumble with the gag, and then she forced his chin up, pulling the gag away. The pain in his mouth returned but the poor kid bit his own tongue,trying to stop himself from screaming out loud. He gasped for breath a couple of times, trying to hold back the sobs threatening to break free.The room was so dark that Kai couldn't see their faces, only the vague shapes of their bodies moving in the shadows. "Good boy," the woman said, patting his head roughly.Grabbing his hair, almost pulling his head back. "Now, let's see about getting you some food. But remember, one peep out of you, and it's game over."
Kai swallowed hard, his stomach growling despite his fear. The woman's presence was overwhelming, her mocking tone sending chills down his spine. He nodded again, too scared to do anything else.The man grunted. "Hurry up, then. We ain't got all night."
"Yeah, yeah," the woman replied, her tone dismissive. "Keep your pants on." She moved away, leaving Kai alone with the man. The darkness pressed in on him, the fear ...the pain....everything was almost too much to bear.
"Remember, little punk, " the man's voice snarled from the shadows, "one sound, and you're dead."
Kai squeezed his eyes shut, wishing for the nightmare to end, his tiny body shivering in the pitch-black room.
***
Back at Lea's place -
The police found no sign of break in. They were still trying to look for clue and interrogating everyone for more details. While and Phill joined the detectives. They wanted to take another look at the garage. But just like the police, they were disappointed as well. There was no clue, no signs of struggle, nothing.
But then the sharp eyes of one of the detectives followed through the backdoor of the garage. It lead to the backdoor of the kitchen and there was absolutely no surveillance camera in that area.
Phill followed after the detective as he went in through a window in the kitchen. It was right beside a big sink. He crouched down near the sink and Phill followed his lead. His mouth gaped open. There was a blood stained rod lying on the floor. His experienced eyes narrowed as he took it sniffing a little and then pulling it out in sight.
"Bag it and tag it," he ordered the other person, his voice was sharp and commanding. "We need this sent for sampling immediately. This could be the weapon used on the kid."
" Weapon used on the kid? " Phill gasped. The situation was far worse than it appeared.
His partner, nodded and carefully placed the rod into an evidence bag, sealing it with a swift, practiced motion. "Got it. I'll get this to the lab right away."
The detective stood up and turned to Phill. " I would need to talk to the staff again. " Phill nodded. He was on the verge of getting paranoid as well.
He gathered the staff. His eyes scanning their faces with a cold, assessing gaze. "Alright, listen up," he barked, his tone leaving no room for argument. "We're going to start questioning each one of you. There's no way an outsider got in without an admit card, which only you lot have. And there's no sign of a break-in." The staff was a mix of maids, housekeepers, and other domestic workers. All exchanged nervous glances. The detective pointed to one of the maids. "You. Step forward."
The maid, her face pale and hands trembling, stepped forward. "Y...yes, sir?"
"What's your name?" He demanded.
"Maria, sir," she stammered.
"Alright, Maria," he said, his tone icy. "Where were you when the boy went missing?"Maria swallowed hard. "I-I was in the kitchen, sir. Preparing dinner I guess. "
"Did you see anything unusual? Hear anything?" The detective pressed, his eyes boring into hers.
"N...no, sir. Everything seemed normal," Maria replied, her voice shaking.
The detective turned to his subordinate and yelled, "Start checking the logs for who accessed the house. I want a full list of who was where and when."
The subordinate nodded and began accessing the digital logs, scrolling through the entries with practiced efficiency."On it." He said.
The detective moved on to the next staff.He was a butler. "And you? What's your name and where were you?"
"James, sir. I was attending to the front door, as always," the butler replied, his voice steady but his eyes betraying a flicker of fear.
"Did anyone come in or out that shouldn't have?" He asked sharply.
"No, sir. Only the usual staff. No one suspicious," James answered in his firm tone.Harris nodded then looked back at the gathered staff. "Listen up, all of you. We will get to the bottom of this. If anyone here knows something, now is the time to speak up. If I find out any of you are hiding information, you will be facing serious consequences."
The room fell silent. Those were heavy words. The staff shifted uncomfortably, their fear was palpable.
"We're going to find this kid," the detective turned to them once more, "And when we do, whoever's responsible will pay.”