ETERNITY (COMPLETE)

The Puppeteer

"Mr Panich, Derek is not at home." Wilson reported.
"Anything else?" Zee asked.
"Sir, his neighbours informed me that he had not been around for quite sometime."
"How about the security team? Does anybody know where he is?"
"Derek keeps to himself. None of us know where he is Sir."
"Keep digging. I need everything you can find on him Wilson."
"Understood Sir." Wilson hung up.
"Maya, please find me Derek's file."
"Give me 5 minutes Sir." Maya was working on her tablet.

    Zee paced in his jet plane while his assistant went searching for Derek Montgomery's file. He was fidgety and anxious. He called Sean Anderson because he knew something was really wrong.

"Yes Sir."
"Go to Father Jonathan's house. Check whether Saint is home. Do it now!"
"Will do. Will you call you back when we have the information." Sean replied.

Zee waited. He felt dread creeping in. How did Derek fit into all this? Why hurt Saint? He tried calling Saint's phone. It went straight into voicemail. Sean called Zee back.

"Yes."
"Sir, nobody is in the house."
"FUCK!"
"Find my husband!"
"We will Sir!"

Zee sat immediately on one of the sofas there. His legs felt weak. He quickly dialed Father Jonathan's number.

"Hello? Zee?" Father Jonathan answered.
"Father... is Saint with you?"
"What time is it... Saint? He's at home." The Old Man answered.
"He went missing... We checked your home and he's not there."
"What??!!"
"He could be in danger."
"Zee... call the police!"
"I will inform my team... I'm on my way back from Taiwan."
"Who would take my son away? That child has no enemies... he doesn't have anything!"
"I don't know either... I just hope he is fine."
"Zee... bring my son home."
"Yes Sir."Zee whispered.

Dead end. Where had Saint gone to? How about Derek? He had been working with Derek longer than he had known Saint. He was the head of security. Why target Saint? Zee could not understand anything. Could Derek be the one who stole the files? Why framed Saint? Why kidnapped him and nearly killed him? And now? What the hell is going on? Zee shook his head thinking of unknown possibilities of the situations.

"Mr Panich?"
"Yes?"
"Here's Derek's file." Maya said and she handed him her tablet.

    Zee read Derek Montgomery's file. 32 years old. From New Jersey. Joined the army right after he graduated high school. Retired from the army at 25. Started working at Panich Security when he was 27. Nothing out of the ordinary. Son of a businessman and housewife. Mother, Esther Montgomery passed away when he was 15. Father, Nigel Howard Montgomery died when Derek was serving in the army. No wife. No children. Never been married. Nothing in the file could explain about what was happening or anything out of the ordinary about the man.

"Saint... God... Where are you?"

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    Saint paid the cab driver using his credit card and got out of the cab. It was close to 5 in the morning. He was terrified. He looked at a dilapidated building in front of him and a shiver ran dow his spine. There was a rusty sign hanging lopsidedly on the building. Montgomery and Son. Marcy was inside the dark desolate building and he had to ensure that the child was safe. Why did the person kidnap an innocent child? Saint simply could not understand some people could do such atrocities. Saint calmed himself down before taking a step towards the building. He was trembling from his own apprehension and utter fear.

Then, Saint suddenly stopped at his track. If Marcy had gone missing, surely Father Jonathan would have reported to the police, Saint thought. Why didn't he think of that before leaving home? Saint stared at the domineering and dreadful looking building. He was alone and he knew something was really wrong. Marcy was 14 years old. If she had gone missing, the whole of New York would be searching for her by now. He quickly fished his phone from his jacket and turned on his cellphone. His hands trembled while holding the cellphone. He immediately called Zee.