Survival

Chapter 53 Response

Edward stood next to Nate and wiped the sleep out of his eyes. The rest of the people lined up in cafeteria drew into focus. They were as oblivious as he was as they exchanged whispers and looked around the room. He searched for Olivia to make sure she was alright. He hadn't seen her since last night, and if this alarm was some kind of emergency, he needed to know that she wasn't hurt.

An Indian kid around Nate's daughter's age looked around the room, his eyes continuously landing on the guards and the exits. His curious eyes lacked the panic instilled in the rest of the room. Before Edward could ask what was going on, Olivia came by with her lips pulled back as tightly as her hair.

"Olivia, what's-"

"Please be patient, Mr. Drest. We need to complete our counts and make sure all residents are accounted for." She wouldn't even look him in the eye.

"Officer Fendson, is something wrong?" Nate asked.

"I can't discuss that at the moment. Once I call your name, you may sit."

She called through the names on the two departments' rosters and everyone was present. Another officer whistled and Olivia's attention was diverted before Edward could get another word out of her. At least she was alive. He plopped down beside Nate. The father played with something in his pocket.

"Did you see Mischa come into the hall?"

"No, but wouldn't you two have come together?"

"She stayed over at her friend April's last night to work on an assignment for their department. What if something happened to them?"

"I'm sure she's okay, Nate. This will all blow over soon."

One of the departments, likely the construction one, was escorted out of the cafeteria with a group of officers including Williams. They remained quiet and followed in a single file line. Another officer came to take Nate and the Indian boy to a separate location.

Half an hour later, Edward was called into a small room with no windows, not even facing out into the hall. The walls had been painted a dark colour and just one light was mounted in the ceiling over the metal table. An old-school interrogation room. He hoped Olivia would be the one to come in. The two of them could have a lot of fun in here. The thought was short lived as he remembered her serious face and impersonal nature. The pleasant Olivia he'd glimpsed the past few days was gone.

A stern older woman with graying hair walked into the room with her chin pointed high. She looked down at Edward with narrowed eyes before she sat across from him at the table.

"What is your relation to Mischa Hues?"

"Oh, Nate's daughter? Nothing much, she joins us at meals sometimes, and I've had a few conversations with her. Is she alright?"

"She is missing, Mr. Drest."

That couldn't be right. Would someone have kidnapped her? "Have you told Nate? Can we help find her?"

She tapped her long nails against her coffee cup. "Mr. Hues is being questioned as we speak. Have you provided Ms. Hues with any information related to the security-related projects you are working on or have worked on in the past?"

"No, she's a teenage girl. Why would she care?"

"Has Mr. Hues allowed her any special privileges or visits to your workplace?"

"She visits her dad from time to time." But didn't all kids do that, especially with home and work overlapping for closely?

She pulled out a tablet and typed in a few notes before hitting send. She flipped through a few other screens. "Are you in contact with Quinton Bishop, April Rodriguez, or Amelia Fairbrook?"