housekeeper

27. The rescue

(Dave)

Three days have dragged by—three long, exhausting days without a trace of Karen, Kevin, or my beloved Vanessa. The ache of missing her is unbearable. I'm slumped in my office chair, surrounded by Tony and a few others. My eyes are red and swollen from sleepless nights and constant worry. Tony is glued to his phone, coordinating with his team on the ground. Papers and data are strewn everywhere as we comb through every lead. Several properties under my cousin's name have been thoroughly investigated, but there's no sign of them. I haven't eaten or slept properly in days. My desk is a chaotic mess of papers, and I rub my hands over my face, trying to clear my blurred vision.

The door to my office flies open, and a furious Stephanie storms in, with a worried Arthur trailing behind her. "You bastard, why didn't you notify me? My best friend is missing, and I had to find out through Facebook? Explain!" she shouts, tears streaming down her face. She points an accusing finger at me, demanding an answer.

With a broken voice, I manage to say, "I... I... had forgotten. Sorry, I..."

Arthur steps in, gently taking Stephanie's cheeks in his hands. "Sweetheart, my friend is looking for her. He forgot, but not on purpose. I'm sure he'll do everything possible to find Vanessa." Stephanie looks into Arthur's eyes, and her shoulders slump. "Good, but I want to help. I can't go home knowing that my friend is somewhere alone and scared."

"I know, and I'm staying with you to find her."

They both look at me, waiting for my approval. I nod.

"I don't know if there's much left to find. Those papers have already been gone through. Perhaps you could go through them again to make sure nothing has been overlooked," I suggest, meeting Stephanie's eyes.

"Good," she replies, sitting down and quickly opening the first file.

Time rushes by. I glance out the window at the darkening landscape. "Almost day four," I whisper, sighing. Arthur looks at me and says, "We'll find her. I promise you."

"Have you looked at this house yet?" Stephanie asks.

"What house?"

Stephanie flips through the papers until she stops and reads aloud: "New Street, 487. Purchased on November 12, 2020. It was first registered in the name of Nadine Banners and sold to Bianchi Industries."

I leap from my chair and snatch the paper from Stephanie's hands.

Startled, she asks, "Is this something that hasn't been looked at yet?"

"Yes... No, that's a house in my late aunt's name. Kevin's mother! And now it's in the hands of the Bianchi family. That's no coincidence." My heart races. "Oh, Stephanie, this may be the place we've been looking for. Tony, call your men immediately. We're going over there."

Tony is already on the phone with one of his men. He hangs up and stands in front of me before I reach the door. He pushes against my chest, and I snap, "Make room!"

"Whoa, whoa, Dave. No hasty decisions. First, my men go and watch. Then we act. We must not create suspicion."

I stare at my friend, breathing heavily, until I calm down. "We'll wait, but I'm going with you. I want to teach that bastard of a cousin a lesson."

"Good, good. You can come along, but you get a bulletproof vest."

"Fine... Okay, I won't argue about that. I want my fiancé back as soon as possible. Preferably, unscathed."

Tony's phone starts ringing, and the tension in the room immediately rises. He puts the call on speaker, and everyone holds their breath. My heart pounds in my chest, and I feel a chill run down my spine. The silence is deafening, only the sound of the phone filling the room.