Lost in a Love Maze (completed)

6 | False Trail

Drake did not waste time the following day. He went to the address Sophia gave him. Jenny's house is in a middle class subdivision. Although there is a concrete fence that separates it from the outside, there is no security manning the guard house.

He saw the house number as his car cruised along the residential houses. Jenny's place had a wide gate, enough for two cars to enter in the currently empty space on the lawn which leads to a terrace. He continued driving and circled the area before parking near the gate where he could see the main door in the terrace. He was about to alight from his car when he saw a child around three years old bounding down the steps leading to the pathway.

With his passenger window half rolled down, Drake can hear Jenny call on the child, "Karen, wait for me. Some stranger might pick you up on the street."

"Don't worry Mama. I know how to fight the bad guys like this," then proceeded to show her some karate moves which she might have seen from watching youtube.

"That is not enough, my baby. Those guys will always be stronger than you so just stay beside me whenever we go out. So before we go, let's review what to do, okay? When a stranger approaches you, without me, what would you do?"

"I will shout out loud to get your attention. Am I correct, Mama?"

Drake could not believe what he was hearing. He was sure that all his resources said Jenny's status was single.

He saw them walking hand in hand with the little girl playfully skipping on the paved sidewalk. He followed them with his eyes as far as he could see and only trailed them by car when they seem to be getting far.

The two stopped on the open playground where the little girl ran straight on the swing. Drake thought back to what Sophia told him the night before. Was this what she meant when she said Jenny has extra baggage he might not want to be involved with?

So it turns out this haughty love of mine is a single mother, he sighed. Would he just turn away and leave all this fruitless chasing as a closed chapter of his book? He sighed again. He wondered briefly if Jenny could be looking for some good guy who can provide for her and her daughter.

Ha! He could just imagine what Nico had to say on this discovery of his. His friend would say it was good he found out before he fell further for her charms. He would definitely advise that the best way to handle this information is to walk away. As simple as that.

Yet, as Jenny boarded a taxi, he found himself tailing the vehicle until it arrived on a mall. He went straight to the open parking area at the back then went inside. His instinct told him they would head to a play area. He looked at the mall's directory map to locate where the play area and toy section were located and proceeded there.

When he got there, there was an open area with free rides for toddlers. They were nowhere to be seen so far. He walked along the noisy arcade, the mini booth selling sweets and inexpensive miniature toys until he saw from the glass partition of a play area the little girl seated behind a make-believe kitchen set, pretending to be cooking. There was no sign of Jenny inside. There were only a few kids and some adults in nanny uniform.

He approached the entrance and from there saw the play station's rules. He read that children three years old and above can be left here unattended by guardian but only for a maximum of one hour and for as long as there is a set of nappies, clothes and food that the kid may need while the guardian is away.

Could he wait for another hour? He looked through his phone's calendar to check for any office meeting he needed to be with. It was empty. No update yet from his assistant. Next, he looked through his emails. There were no correspondences needing replies with attachment.