Kenwyn

I stood near the jet while scrolling through my phone. I was facing the jet when I heard two people approaching. One of them said in a breaking voice that cracks often in just one sentence, "We're here to pick up Rex's bags." 

He sounded rather young and I didn't recognize their voice as one of the usual bellboys. I didn't turn around to look up and just pointed to where they were at my feet. I was busy looking through files on my phone my partner, Patrick Liam, had sent me. He was the one that drew my attention to this weird business setting up in towns in the US. I didn't think much of it cause I had my case to focus on. I wish I had paid more attention when he was working on it. He's counting on me to solve this one for him. Why else would he have filmed the video we watched earlier and sent it to me? It was the last thing he sent me along with a document then I never heard from him again.

I don't know all the details except for what is in his notes. He had traced that they were setting up in Matlot. How he knew that wasn't clear but at least I know it was him who wrote it. He was never one to make detailed notes. Someone named Ben Iron is written under the title of persons of interest. There is only one person I knew who went by that name but he was going out of business because of some government law against selling scrap iron. So how could he be involved in this? I felt a tap on my elbow and turned around as I looked up from my phone. My eyes dropped low to see a small boy with a similar dark complexion to mine but light brown eyes. His hair was dark and curly. He wore an orange T-shirt that had the print of the chain of islands with a blue compass. His off-green cargo pants were a little baggy but the T-shirt hid it. Why was a child in the back of the building near the landing area? I assumed his age was around eight years as he was rather small.

Then he looked up at me and said with a light voice in the slang of broken English that I hadn't heard in a while, "Why yuh let them thief yuh bags?"

That question was a little unexpected."They're not stealing my bags. That's their job to carry it inside. What are you doing in the back here?"

He completely ignored my question as he asked facing in the direction of where the two men who had just picked up Rex's bags. 

"Inside where? Dey running past the building." I looked in the direction the boy had begun pointing in and saw that he was right. They definitely weren't luggage custodians and they were passing through the side entrance that would lead to the front. I ran after them and saw one was dressed in three-quarter dark pants and a white T-shirt with a black stripe across it. The other guy had the same thing except he wore an all-black T-shirt. One of them had their hair in cornrows while the other was loosed out and had a comb sticking out in it. Both of them wore slippers on their feet and seemed to be in their early teens. They sure were fast and I yelled out after them to stop. When they saw that I was getting closer to them they pushed passed people indiscriminately. I had to be careful not to step on those they pushed to the floor so as not to cause them any further harm. That hindered me from getting closer to them.

 As I got to the front part outside where they pushed two people who were taking a picture just to get through. Those people were in my way now as they were sprawled out on the floor. I looked down carefully so as to not step on them. But that distraction was enough for them to get a lot of distance from me. The last thing I saw when I looked up was the guy with his hair in cornrows getting into a car. Then the car door closed and they drove off. All I could do now was watch but I had my phone out already so I took a picture of the license plate number. Maybe I can find a way to track down the owner of the car. Those boys had a driver and someone much more organized was responsible for this. But the first thing to worry about is how am I going to explain this to Rex.

Then I heard behind me quick steps come up and suddenly stop. What followed was soft gasps for air. I turned and saw the little boy who I had left behind now by my side. I felt rather silly that even though I'm a trained agent I fell victim to a common robbery. It was because I was distracted and let my guard down. If the kid didn't say anything I wouldn't have been alert to it. I am not one to repeat my mistakes.

"Yuh want to report it?"  The boy caught his breath and said to me. 

I knew that I had to but that was the least of my problems. For one thing they asked specifically for Rex bags and only took his. How did they know he was here and I was associated with him? 

"Hey, are you a guest here?" The boy looked up at me and his brown eyes showed a hint of confusion.

"I went to eat ice cream from the truck when I got home from school today. My mummy said that ah not supposed to anymore but I didn't listen. I heard the sound and ran outside and the boys was eating too so I thought it was OK. And then..... He trailed off his sentence and he put his hand on his forehead as if it hurt. That made me rethink what I had heard in the clip where an ice cream truck was heard before the people started behaving strangely. This had to be associated with the case my partner was working on.

 "Do you remember which ice cream flavor you got?" I decided to help him by asking.

 He shook his head to say no and he said between his sobs, "I want to go home. I want my mummy."

The boy now began to cry and I didn't know what to do or say. As I kneeled to maybe comfort the boy in some way I heard Rex behind me ask, "What's wrong with the kid?"

I turned around and stood up and saw him eating a snowcone, and his shirt was stained with it."He's lost and wants his mom," That was my abrupt reply as I was flustered by the boys crying. It was so loud and I'm sure other people were staring.

"Well, where is his mom?"  Rex asked while looking around as if he expected to see the mom show up.

"I don't know, I haven't had to chance to ask as yet since he is crying. But I do believe that his misplacement is directly involved with the situation that brought us here." Rex gave me a vacant stare for a couple of seconds as he sipped his snowcone. It was almost as if he had to think about what I was talking about for a while.

I couldn't concentrate on explaining any longer as the boy continued to sob loudly and I had to find a way to calm him down. How was I going to do that was the question that remained.

Then I saw Rex nodd as everything seemed to connect and kneeled to face the boy and say, "Hey buddy, it's ok. We'll help you find your, mom. But to do that I'm going need to you to help me ok. Can you do that for me?" The boy's sobs lessened at hearing that and then he nodded yes to Rex's question.

Rex then put his hand on his shoulder and said, "Alright great now first what's your name?" 

The boy looking up at him squinted through tear-stained eyes before he said, "Matthias Ramalise." 

"Ok Matthias, I'm Rex and how old are you?" Rex continued but Matthias stayed silent for a while as he continued to squint as if trying to remember was a painful process. 

"Seven.... I think," he answered as he relaxed.

Then Rex took his hand off the boy's shoulder and pulled out his phone from his back pocket. "Seven huh, that's a fun age. Do you enjoy riding a bike or a team sport?"

Matthias thought about it and he put his hand against his forehead again and shrugged his shoulders. Rex and I both glanced at each other since we both knew that something had happened to him involving a head injury. I think he asked that to see if it would ease the tension of Matthias' headache as it was an easy question.

Rex tried one last time though we already expected him not to have the answer. The boy looked tired as he rubbed his head. "So do you know your mom's or dad's phone number?" Rex asked.

His eyes fell and his shoulders dropped as he said, "It hard to remember now."

Matthias was clearly now more upset and he started sobbing again but Rex replied with a smile, "Hey it's alright, you remembered plenty enough. We can still get you back to your mom. In the meantime, would you like a snow cone? Just in there, you will see the monkey and the lady. Tell them Rex sent you and they'll give you one."

Rex pointed Matthias into the hotel and he went in leaving Rex and me to talk. I was relieved he had managed to help Matthais settle down. It would have been more of a challenge for me alone. I probably would have just let him cry it out inside cause he was bound to stop sometime. But that's not the mentality to have; Rex has more experience than me so I have to learn his tactics in dealing with stuff like this.

"I can give his name and description to the front desk and let them get in touch with the authorities if there is a missing child similar to him," I said as the boy was out of sight.

"That's a good idea but what do we do with him in the meantime? It's already late and the message might not get around till tomorrow,"  Rex responded.

I signed because the answer should be obvious"You have to keep him, like I said he is the first lead we have in this case."

"How does he being a missing child link to weird happenings we saw on the clip?" It was now or never that I had to tell him about what led me to discover the boy. 

"Because the people who stole your luggage, ate at the same ice cream truck he did and ended up here except he didn't remain a threat," I answered as  I turned to walk into the hotel. I still managed to hear Rex choke on the snowcone he was sipping. Admitting a mistake again in front of him isn't easy. It seems like whenever we work together brings out the worst agent in me but he's the best at what he does. I would accept nothing less to help me find Patrick.

I heard his footsteps come closer to me as I opened the door to go in he said, "You mean they took all of it? Like all the clothes also." 

I nodded expecting him to freak out but instead, I got an interesting response that seemed to be excited. "You know what this means, do you? I don't have to wear those stuffy rags."

His response is always different from what I anticipate and sometimes I wonder if he takes me or anything else he does seriously.  "Then what do you plan on wearing 'cause they went with all of your bags?"

"Oh yeah, that could be a problem," He stopped walking behind me and I heard him mutter.

I respect him as a partner but sometimes I don't think he thinks things all the way through. But strangely enough, I was glad he didn't seem to want a further explanation on how I managed to lose the bags. If that had happened to my old partner I wouldn't have gotten him to stop questioning and lecturing me.