Maria stared at her typewriter, unable to think of what to type for her recent case as it never came to a conclusion. A little boy of age ten to eleven years old seemed to have disappeared by unknown reasons. After a few minutes, Maria let out a soft sigh as she put the case as still pending. After finishing the last words, she leaned back in her leather chair and stared out the window. It was a cold winter's night. Snow was slowly falling, giving everything a slight heavenly touch and the fire from the gas lights lit up the walkways. In the distance, she could see the Clock Tower illuminated like a great beacon. Time seemed to stop as Maria was staring out the window however, that would soon come to an end.

Soft knocking on the door disturbed the peaceful silence. Maria stood up from her chair and walked over to the door. Opening the smooth wooden door, Maria was greeted by a young Irishman of the age of nineteen.
"Good evening Ms. Rodriguez." he said in a soft tone.
"Hola Seán. ¿Cómo está usted?" Maria replied.
"Ms. Rodriguez, I don't speak Spanish, you know this." He sighed.
"Lo siento, what I meant to say was "how are you?" She apologized.
"I am doing well, thank you for asking." He replied with a smile.

Maria let him into her office as she went back to her desk. He sat down at the chair on the opposite side of  the desk and watched as she filed away the new cases. Recently, more and more people have been reported missing as the weeks pass. No one has been able to solve any of these cases because there were no clues left behind to follow. Maria couldn't help but feel guilty about all the families that have to deal with their loved ones disappearing. It's like a heavy object weighing you down wherever you go. She let her thoughts consume her like shadows snuffing out a small flame. However, she was abruptly pulled from her thoughts when she felt a light tap on her shoulder. She turned around to come face to face with Seán.
"Ms. Rodriguez, are you feeling alright? You've been standing still for a few minutes now." He asked with concern in his voice.
"Lo siento, I was just thinking. I didn't mean to worry you." she smiled softly.

Maria and Seán had spent the last few moments talking about their home lives and what their hobbies were. That is until Maria looked at her clock and noticed that is was a quarter past ten.
"I'm sorry Seán but, I'll have to end our conversation here for tonight." She said as she got up from her chair.
"It's alright." He reassured as he left her office.

Maria began to clean off her desk and pack her things for the night. It had been a busy day although, she was grateful that she was able to talk to a friend before heading home. Once she finished cleaning everything up, she called a close friend of her's to pick her up. Locking the office door behind her, she began walking down the light grey walls of the hallway. There was little to no decor, only a few paintings and a lonely plant dotted here and there. Besides that, the rest of it was just other similar doors leading to bland offices. Once she made it to the first floor, she looked out the windows to see a thin layer of sleet on the roads. This concerned her a little as she wasn't so sure if the roads were safe to drive on.

She walked out of the entrance doors to only be met with the bitter cold weather. It felt like several needles were stinging her. She pulled her scarf closer to her face and walked to the parking lot. In the distance, she could see the car lights of a Black Rolls-Royce III and the silhouette of a middle aged man. She could only recognize him as her butler, Edgar Williams. He looked quite young for his age. The only sign that showed he was forty was his black hair with silver streaks in it. His black suit fitted his strong build exquisitely, like it was tailored specifically for him and only him. Maria became delighted by the his presence. This man had always felt like another father figure towards her. He had to take care of her because her parents passed away of cancer when she was only eight years old.
"Good evening ma'am, I hope work wasn't too harsh." He greeted with a soothing tone.
"Buenas noches Edgar. Unfortunately, work hours were quite stressful today." Maria replied with a sigh.

Edgar chuckled as he opened the car door for her. She quickly got in to save herself from the bitter cold. Edgar closed the door behind and went around to the driver's seat. Once he got in the car, he made sure that the heater was on and his mirrors were positioned correctly. He then began to drive out of the empty parking lot and onto the roads of London.