The Capture

The Prologue

Incessant knocking stirred the Mentiroso family from their slumber early Sunday morning, Veronica, mother of three and owner of her own dental practice, rose first. Hastily she wrapper herself in her silk dressing gown, slipped her feet into her sheepskin slipper and hurried to answer the door.

At the door stood two detectives she had never seen before, which was unusual as she personally knew all of the high ranking officers in town. 

"Mrs Mentiroso?" The first officer inquired, he appeared to be younger than herself, who was in her early forties but could easily pass for thirty-five. If it weren't for the stern look on his face, she was sure he could pass as quite handsome.

"Yes that's me, is there a problem officer?" Her defensive side beginning to rise to the surface, she smothered it down with an elegant and naive-seeming smile.

"I'm detective Reaves and this is detective Burns" Explained the first officer. "Is your son Sebastian home? We need him to come down to the station with us to ask some questions"

Veronica Mentiroso prickled, losing the false smile she queried. "Questions about what, can I ask what this is about officers."

"I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to say." Replied the detective looking increasingly stern and uncomfortable, he clearly doesn't make house calls frequently.

"Johnathon, Sebastian, please come down here for a minute." She called into the house summoning her husband and youngest son.

"Veronica, what's all this about?" Questioned Mr Mentiroso as he approached the bottom of the curved mahogany staircase, Sebastian following closely behind with his sister and brother. Zachariah was the eldest at eighteen, Sebastian and Evelyn were both seventeen Evelyn only ten months younger than Sebastian. However, those ten months seemed like an eternity and had cemented Evelyn as the baby of the family.

"They need Sebastian to go down to the police station and answer some questions, but they won't tell me what it's about." She states walking to greet her husband at the bottom of the stair hunging him and leaning into his ear. Then she asks, speaking this time in a hushed voice  "do you want me to go call the Stevens."

His voice loud and unapologetic. "Yes, I'll go with him down to the station and you meet us down there." Mr Mentiroso responds, confirming his wife should call the family lawyer Mr Steven. 

Sebastian realising the seriousness of the situation draws his face down into an anxious frown, Zachariah and Felicity looking similarly confused and worried. Zachariah's scowl mimicking his fathers, both look concerned yet irked at the current situation.

"I'm coming too." Zachariah stated not leaving room for argument, already eager to protect his younger brother.

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Not longer after Sebastian sits across from detectives Reaves and Burns, who had just that moment sat down. His lawyer still yet to arrive and his father and brother out in the hallway.

"Sebastian, can I start by asking where you were last night?" Inquires Detective Burns, who is sporting furrowed eyebrows and middle age balding.

Growing suspicious at the line of questioning, Sebastian replies cautiously "I was with some friends until about midnight, when I then went to pick up my brother and sister up from a party. After that, I went straight home and to bed."

The detectives looked at one another, a silent conversation being held.

"Can I ask what this is about?" Sebastian queries hesitantly, his eyes furrowed, his posture hunched over and tense.

"Magdelena Stafford, she's been missing since yesterday, she never came home last night."

At the sound of her name, his breath caught and he froze in time. He had so many questions, but at this time his mouth couldn't form even one. Did they have any idea where she was? Had they checked the woods behind her house where she often went? Nothing bad could have happened to her, could it?

"We are currently searching the woods behind her house, but any information you have may help aid our search." Reaves pushed.

"I.. I saw her.." Before Sebastian could finish his lawyer Stevens bustled in, efficiently taking charge.

Little was said from this point on, per Stevens' request. Sebastian sat seemingly lost, his eyes still but brain firing a million miles an hour, trying but failing to put together the pieces with not even half the puzzle to work with.