The next morning, he went out again when he entered a huge industry of machines and workers.

"Excuse me, mister",he pattered his shoulder when the guy turned his gaze towards him.

"Yes?"

"Manager? Are you the manager?"

"Yes, that's me, tell me what happen?"

John took a deep breath before speaking as the sound of the machine was loud in the air.

"I am a journalist. I'm writing an article on the dying mill industry and the abandoned ones that are still functioning. The mill owner, Mr Harry Lodge? I want to talk to him. Where is he?",he asked.

"Oh, he isn't here yet"

"Huh?"

"He isn't here yet!",he screamed louder.

"Okay okay I see. Where is his office?"

"First floor"

"Huh?"

"First floor!"

"Okay, but where is the first floor?"

                                 •••

John was inside the owner's office searching for some information in the files. He couldn't find anything concrete but he kept searching in the other documents when a man came behind him. John turned his back as he could feel his presence when he faced the owner, Harry Lodge.

                                  •••

"Father Martin, we have a warrant. We are going to search Brown's house. Will you come?",Sandra asked as she faced Martin.

"Um..I don't know I.."

Sandra quickly turned her back and tiptoed downstairs with the other officers leaving Martin all stunned.

                                •••

"Did you ever felt that your father could do such a thing?",Sandra asked to Liza while standing with her crossed arms.

"He loved Ronnie a lot.. I just can't believe this..why would he do such a thing?",replied the mother in confusion while sitting on the bed.

"Honestly, I've never came up with such strangest cases like this during my whole career"

"But are you sure he's the one? Because I just don't get it. Since I returned, everyone pointed that he has been missing the moment you came here",asked the father of Ronnie who were back in the last few days.

"Just a minute",Sandra said and left both the parents in their room as she noticed Martin staring at her.

"So you decided to come?"

"You left me with no choice, Sandra"

"I doubted that"

"Mr Mike?",she called out for the Father and the latter came.

"Yes?"

"What is your opinion about Mr James?"

"Honestly, I don't know much about him but all I know is that he worked somewhere in the Gulf. He didn't attend our wedding either. But yes, he did come when Liza was pregnant. By then, I was already posted in the North-East and I would only come during the holidays. There was not much interaction",he explained.

Sandra stared at Martin when the father continued:

"When Liza told me that he will stay with us, I thought it was okay since I hardly stay here and if someone stays with Liza during my absence, it will be good for her"

Sandra shook her head in agreement.

"There is one thing, though, we didn't get along on certain issues..."

"So is this your house?",asked Sandra as she looked around her.

"Yes, it's a family house"

"So where did Liza and James stayed before your wedding?"

"They had a small house in Barrackpur"

                                   •••

They were inside the house of Barrackpur when they searched with their torches which illuminated the lights.

"Wait...did you check here?",Sandra said to an officer as they searched inside the drawer while Martin examined the place. The other members of the team were taking pictures incase if they missed any spot.

"Sandra?",a stunned Martin called out.

"Yeah?"

"Look at this.."

He illuminated his torch on the wall where there were marks of a huge frame.

"Same wall. Same marks"

"So, that's where the picture of the little boy was taken?",asked a confused Sandra.

They both stared at each other.

                                  •••

"So, you mean to say that someone from the Land Measurement Division was involved in the kidnapping?",the bearded-man said as John was seated on the chair.

"Because the people in your office knew that I was buying a land and the amount of money I had. The police forcused on every aspect but left this one out..",John explained to Harry Lodge.

He was walking away from the cabin when the man said:

"Didn't you suspect Lucas?"

John turned his back to Harry Lodge:

"Lucas?"

"He was thrown out for fradulance and mishandling of money",the man explained.

John blinked in confusion.

                                   •••

"Sir, Mr James brown also worked in a government office. Back then he had a steady income. Then one day, he quit",Sandra explained to the commissioner as they tiptoed the stairs.

"So he never got pension or retirement benefits. Before his wife's death, she transferred her village property in the name of her daughter",she continued.

"Oh, I see", replied the commissioner.

"The same property which his son-in-law, Liza's husband, wanted to sell because he couldn't maintain the place. If he had sold the house, then James would have been left with nothing. He would have been dependent on his son-in-law and they don't get along, sir",Sandra explained as she walked with the commissioner. The latter listened carefully.

"So, according to me, this kidnapping was James's retirement plan"

"So what about the media?",the commissioner asked.

"Sir, we have matched the DNA with the cigarette butt we found outside the PCO. We already made a prime suspect. But, I suggest that we shouldn't tell the media till we find Ronnie"

The man shook his head in agreement.

"We are also looking for James's car"

"Okay, Sandra, find it as soon as you can because I don't think I can hold back the media for long. Understand?"

"Yes, sir", Sandra agreed.

                                •••

She entered the office when she came towards Martin.

"So what the Commissioner said?",asked Martin.

"He has asked me to find Ronnie as soon as possible. But he is also in a hurry to inform the press about James's arrest", Sandra replied and was about to walk past Martin when she noticed him shaking his head in confusion.

"What?",she stared.

"What's bothering you? You have seen all the evidence, why don't you just accept it?",Sandra annoyingly went towards her table when she sat and stared at Martin.

"You answered his ransom call. Wouldn't he have recognized your voice? But he kept talking to you as Liza. Why?" Martin said as he sat infront of Sandra.

"Maybe because I sound like Liza over the phone? Or maybe the line wasn't clear?"

"Bad connection..every time?",he replied in suspicion.

"That's your argument",he pointed his finger at Sandra. They both stared at each other when Sandra drastically left from her seat and entered the interrogation room where James was sleeping on the table. She knocked the table when James looked at her.

"Where is Ronnie?",she firmly asked.

"I told you, I don't know. I didn't kidnap him",defended James.

Sandra turned her back and gathered some air. She was losing her patience when she turned towards James again:

"You know your daughter has a heart problem. Right? Do you want to give her more stress?? The poor woman must be suffering every moment. The longer her child stays away from her, the more she will suffer. What kind of father are you? Your own daughter is suffering and you...",she blamed.

"Where is Ronnie James!?",she shouted.

"I told you, I didn't kidnap him. Please believe me. Why will i--",he stopped as he watched Sandra stormed out of the room. He bent his head down and sobbed.
 
                                  •••

John walked through the entrance of Lucas's house as told by Harry Lodge. He walked up the stairs quietly while looking around himself. The door of the house was locked. He peeked through the window when his eyes catched frames of army cadets inside the house. It was already dark outside and it seemed that the house was empty. He looked around his surroundings when he found a vehicle covered with a large cloth. He tiptoed down the stairs and removed the cloth when to his surprise it was a black van.

                                 •••

He walked on the stairs and took out the keys to open his door. John came behind him when he called him out: "Lucas?"

The man jumped and gasped as he screamed when he pushed John and ran downstairs. John backed himself up and followed him into the place of old tools and stuffs. John stopped running as he saw Lucas scurried away. The old man pressed the main switch and turned off the lights. Lucas confusedly looked around himself as he was lost in the dark and trudged quietly when out of the blue he felt something hard hit his head. He collapsed on the ground as John jumped on him.