Missing Link

by Varun Vashist

  "Will they tell Harrison?" she asked while looking towards the guards.

  "I don't think so. Their shift ends in one hour, "Jake responded while looking at the watch.

  Kiara removed the scarf as they crossed the factory completely. This was the first time that she was coming to this end of the town. Just like the entrance of the town, this part also had large tracts of land. There were few houses now and then, but for most of the parts it was land and nothing else.

  "Who owns the farms where we are going?"

  "It’s a government property. They were used earlier for storage of coal. Now, no one uses coal, so there is not much activity over there. There was a rail line dedicated to the farm. Once the factory came up, it was extended to transport the raw material up to the factory."

  Kiara nodded, "How far is it now?"

  Jake pointed at a signage at some distance, "That's our farm."

  Kiara's heart started pumping faster as the farm neared. She did not know the message, but she was sure it was the last one. She kept looking around for any signs of anyone, but there was not a single soul in the vicinity.

  Sunrays started filling the whole area as they walked towards the gate of the farm. Kiara noticed the rail line dividing the farm with warehouses on one side and a makeshift platform on the other. It looked as if no one had visited the farm for some time. Maybe Sarah was held captive in one of the warehouses. The thought sent a shiver down her back.

  "What are you thinking?" Jake brought her back from her thoughts.

  "Maybe they kept her in there," she said while pointing at the warehouses.

  Jake looked at them," Maybe. But, I don't think she is there now. From what number did you get the call?"

  "What?"

  "There is a phone booth outside the church," Jake said, pointing at the other side of the road." I suspect they called you from there."

  They rushed towards the phone booth. As Kiara pushed the door, she felt something restricting it from the other side. She pushed hard and heard a scraping sound. Her eyes opened wide as she saw what it was.

  "It's the copy of the same report," she said while walking out of the booth.

  "What?" Jake said and took it from her.

  He shuffled through the pages, but nothing else was there.

  "They are toying with us," he said and threw the report away. Kiara picked the report and dusted it.

  "There is something in this report that we are not able to understand. The people behind this are the ones who were going to gain the maximum out of this report," she said, realizing what it meant," We need to meet Chris immediately."

  "What?" he asked.

  "Remember, Chris told us that he had pledged the money for rehabilitation even if the report had acquitted him," she said," Sarah must be knowing the people who were going to do the implementation. When the takeover bid happened, the project went to backburner and so did all the money associated with it. We all know about the mismanagement of funds in such large projects. The people who were going to receive the funds had big plans about that. But, once the project was scrapped, they lost the money too."

  "That makes sense. Sarah must be in touch with these guys the whole time. She wanted to help them and that's why she was coming here,"

  "But, they got hands on the diary and planned the kidnapping,"

  "We better be going. You have Chris's number?" he said while taking the keys out of his pocket.

  Kiara fiddled with her mobile as Jake started the motorcycle. Her hands were trembling with excitement as she dialed Chris's number.

  "Hello," Chris said from the other end. Getting a call this early in the morning made him a bit nervous.

  "We may have found who is behind all of this?" Kiara beamed from the other end.

  "Who is that?" Chris asked in excitement.

  "We need some information from you to know that,"

  "What do you want to know?" Chris asked.

  "We need to meet you, right now,"

  "Ok. Come to the guest house. I am waiting."

  "We will be there in ten minutes," Kiara said and disconnected.

  "You know that by going inside, Harrison will officially know what we are up to," Jake said while driving.

  "I don’t care. Anyways, I am going to be kicked out of Kingston by tomorrow."

  Jake nodded, "But, we may need help from police to nab this guy."

  "Let's get the name first. We will decide who to involve once we know how big is the fish that we have caught," Kiara said as they entered the factory gate.

  "Are you carrying your ID?" he asked as they reached the main gate.

  "I am always prepared," Kiara said while flashing the ID.

  Chapter 14

  The security guard at the first gate looked at them with suspicion, but had to permit them as they had all the papers. The first gate was easier to cross. The second gate was the real challenge and they knew it.

  "Your record shows that you visit on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Any particular reason for visiting today?" he asked and looked at their attire.

  "Perry asked me to see the morning shift. I suppose the night shift is about to end. I hope I am not late?" Kiara said with honesty.

  "Yes… Yes… Even I had to wake up early. Did not even get a chance to comb my hair," Jake said while moving his fingers across his hair.

  "I can understand," the security guard said while handing over the ID, "Even I have to escort visitors sometimes. It's a pain in the ass. No offense to you."

  "None taken," Kiara replied back.

  "Thanks for understanding," Jake said and started driving. Kiara somehow stopped her laugh and gestured him to keep looking forward. It's only once they crossed the Admin block, they started laughing.

  "We are getting good at this,"

  "I haven't had a laugh like this in a long time," Kiara chuckled.

  As they reached the guest house, they saw Chris walking in the garden.

  "Oh.. No,"

  "What happened?" Jake asked while parking the motorcycle.

  "He is all dressed up and we are such a mess," she said while fiddling with her hair.

  "Don't worry. He is pining for Sarah. Won't notice you," Jake said and winked.

  "Very funny," Kiara said and pushed the gate.

  Chris turned around hearing the sound. He rushed towards them. Kiara noticed there was no one around.

  "You sent everyone on a leave, Mr. Cooper?" she asked while looking around.

  "Who did it?" Chris ignored Kiara's question.

  "That you have to tell us," Jake replied.

  "What?" Chris looked at them.

  "Mr. Cooper, how was this project going to be implemented?" Kiara asked.

  "I don't understand," he said, unable to make any sense out of her question.

  "I mean, who was going to do the ground work? To whom you were going to disburse the money," she explained.

  "We suspect that the failure of the project led them to kidnap Sarah, for the money you did not give them," Jake added further.

  Chris's face turned pale," We never planned that far."

  "What?" both said in unison and then looked at each other with surprise.

  "Well, there was never a plan for any rehabilitation," he sat down on the bench.

  "But, you said that you were going to sanction the money no matter what," Kiara asked.

  "This whole project was mere eyewash. We had a crisis. Our shares were tanking. To divert everyone's attention we made this plan," he said with moist eyes." Yes, we were going to do some activities, but by ourselves; like some environmental drives. We could have planted some trees, may have donated to some charity. That's it. It was never planned to be implemented."

  "Do you realize what you have done?" Kiara almost yelled at him.

  Jake pressed her shoulder. She started walking around trying to control her anger. The more she thought about it, the angrier she felt. She walked back to him. Jake tried to stop her, but she pushed him away.

&
nbsp; "Did you get out yesterday night?" she asked, looking into his eyes.

  "What?" Chris asked.

  "I am asking did you go for a walk yesterday night."

  "No,"

  "Why? Did the smoke burn your eyes?" she asked with anger.

  Chris had nothing to say. Jake again tried stopping her in vain.

  "How much capacity do you run your plant at night? You know when was the last time these people were able to see the stars under the smoke from your chimneys?" she was not in a mood to forgive.

  Chris got up, "Ok, I get it. I know I screwed up big time."

  "Plant some trees. Donate to a charity. My foot," Kiara said and kicked the bench, hurting herself in the process.

  Jake came near her, "Calm down. He said he is sorry."

  Kiara took a deep breath, "They want the money sanctioned for this project to be released. Only then they will release her. But, we even don't know who they are? They don't get the money by tomorrow, they may even kill her."

  "What? They can't do that?" Chris said.

  "What choice do they have? Sarah knows them. Once they release her, she will tell the police. If they have money with them, they can go underground. They may leave the country. God knows," Kiara said with frustration. "Without money, they are not going to release her; not at least alive"

  She sat down on the bench pressing her foot against it.

  "We have to find them. She can't pay for my sins," Chris urged Jake.

  "What exactly happened that night?" Kiara asked.

  Jake and Chris turned towards her, "What?" Chris asked.

  "The night Sarah left you," she asked. "Was Richard there?"

  "Yes, he was. In fact the party was in his and Thomas's honor," Chris said.

  "How was his behavior?" she asked, "A guy can't party normally with someone whom he is going to blackmail. He must have given some hint."

  "He was with my father the whole time," Chris said, "My father had called the media and they were answering the questions."

  "Where was Sarah?" she asked.

  "She was with me initially," Chris said with some hesitation.

  "Initially?" she asked with suspicion.

  "I… I was going to propose to her. I forgot the ring inside. I went to get it," he paused for a moment.

  "What are you hiding?" she probed him further.

  "It was the only time she was alone and, we suspect, she got hands on my diary during that time," he said in a frail voice.

  Kiara nodded her head and got up, "One last question. Why would someone keep a diary with all his secrets in a digital age?"

  Chris took a deep breath, "My mother died when I was eight. My father always worked very hard. He was never around. My mother meant everything to me. When she was on her deathbed, I asked her who will help me once she was gone. She told me to write whatever I wanted to ask her. She promised me that she will read it and come in my dreams to help me. I guess, the diary in a way substitutes for my need to have someone who doesn't judge me and keeps all of my secrets."

  Kiara did not know what to say, but to apologize," Mr. Cooper. Forgive me for whatever I said to you. It was in the heat of the moment,"

  "No, you are perfectly right. It is my mistake entirely," he said with tear drops rolling down his face.

  Jake patted on his shoulder, "Mr. Cooper. Don't worry. We will do what we can."

  Chris fell down on the bench and held his head in his palms. Kiara looked at Jake. They knew it was best to leave him fighting his inner demons. He knew he had done something wrong and the guilt was enough of a punishment for him.

  Jake and Kiara did not utter a word till they reached the main gate. All their efforts had come to naught. Jake had already given up, but Kiara's mind was running. She could not lose it after coming so close. However, there was not much that she could have done.

  Also, they had thought that they had fooled the guard while going in. However, he had already informed Harrison about them. Oblivious to this, Jake and Kiara were still thinking about their next steps. But, they didn't know who was waiting for them.

  As they reached near the station, they saw Harrison standing with his arms crossed. His eyes were burning with anger.

  "We are so busted," Jake said while parking the motorcycle. Kiara knew the moment had come that she had dreaded since yesterday.

  "So, that's why he is here?" Harrison roared, "I wondered why a trip to Kingston in such a haste."

  Jake and Kiara had nothing to say. He walked towards Kiara.

  "Get your stuff packed. You are going back today. I have dropped a message to Carlson. You will get an official message anytime," he said and turned towards Jake, "And you… you have disappointed me big time. You are not going to escape this too. I am going to make you suffer for undermining my authority."

  "We were only helping," Kiara retorted.

  "With what? You think you are smarter than all the officers working on this case," he roared, "And, have you found any signs of her or even her captors?"

  "No, sir. We did not make any headway. They have not contacted anyone, including Chris," Kiara conceded immediately surprising Jake.

  "I know that. I know everything about this case. By now they must have buried her anywhere between here and Portland," he said, "You even know with how much difficulty we had to stop a mob out here. Even if a single person in the town comes to know that he is here, they are going to bring down the whole factory. You know how many locals are inside the factory at any given time. We will never come to know what happened to the Cooper scion."

  Kiara looked at him with surprise.

  "What happened?" Harrison asked.

  "Nothing, Sir," Kiara said and looked down, her face still having the signs of surprise.

  "Go away and do not show your face here again," he said to Kiara and turned towards Jake, "And you. I don't want to see your face also. I am putting you on the night patrol for a month."

  "What?" Jake said in angst.

  "Don't test my patience," Harrison said and pointed towards the gate.

  Jake and Kiara looked at each other as Harrison went inside.

  "What now?" Jake asked.

  "Let's get out of here first,"

  "What? Are you still thinking about the case?"

  "I am here till evening. I am not going to give up now. Start the damn motorcycle,"

  Jake did not know what to do. He was cursing himself for what had happened.

  "Why did you lie to him?" Jake asked as they crossed the lake.

  "Because, I am not done with this case, yet," she said, though the confidence was not there.

  "What are you planning?" He did not want the night patrol to increase by another month.

  "Nothing. Let's have a sandwich first. I am famished," she said while pointing at Elmo's café.

  It was almost eight thirty and slowly the town had started to see some movement. People were assembling for their rides. Buses were ready to leave for the factory. Most of the shops were already open. Though, for Jake and Kiara, the day was not going the usual way.

  "We had a good run," Jake said as he pushed the door.

  Kiara smiled back, "I am really sorry. I dragged you into this."

  Jake shook his head, "It was all for a right cause."

  They were the only customers. Kiara looked around while settling down, but could not find Margaret. She wanted to say goodbye to her. Though, she always refrained from befriending anyone; Margaret had forced herself into her life. Besides, she always reminded Kiara of her mother. She smiled at the thought of it.

  "What happened?" Jake asked.

  "Nothing," Kiara answered.

  "What can I do for you today?" a young waitress interrupted them.

  "I will have my usual and a special Elmo double cheese sandwich for the lady," Jake said with a smile.

  Kiara returned the smile and looked at the waitress, "Where is Margaret?"

  "She has taken a day off. It's her son's birthday,"

  "He
works in the factory, right?"

  "No, he works in the hospital," she replied and left.

  Kiara was taken by surprise. She closed her eyes and started doing some calculations. Jake was looking around and as he turned towards Kiara, he saw a bright smile covering her face.

  "What happened? You look really cheerful,"

  "It makes perfect sense now," she said, throwing Jake into further surprise.

  "What are you saying?"

  "I know who the kidnapper is," she said and got up.

  "Can you tell me what's on your mind?" Jake asked.

  "Need a final confirmation. Come, let's go to the hospital," she said and headed for the counter, "We will need the sandwich to go." She said and shuffled for money.

  "What's happening?" Jake asked. He knew Kiara had thought something that was ultimately going to make his life worse.

  "Let's get out of here first. I promise, I will tell you everything," she said, adding to his frustration.

  Jake nodded and took money out of the wallet.

  "It's on me," Kiara said while taking the packet from the waitress.

  "I had met Margaret a day after Sarah's kidnap," Kiara said as they stepped out, "She told me that her son told her how nice Sarah was and everyone whom she had met was praying for her. I assumed he was working with the factory as that is the place where Sarah must have gone. But, I was wrong; Sarah met the doctors in the hospital too. Maybe she discussed with them about the plans that they had proposed in the report."

  "Are you saying… the doctor?" Jake asked with widened eyes.

  "No… It's the human rights office," she said, "They are the one who fund the hospital. All the corporate funding comes to them first and then they distribute it further."

  "And, they assumed Cooper Chemicals were also going to fund them,"

  "Exactly. And I believe Sarah did not go to the hospital directly," Kiara added further, "She must have contacted the human rights office first who would have taken her there and may be to the other places where the funding was going to help as per the report."

  Jake turned the ignition on, "Let's go to the hospital then."

  All the frustration and helplessness that they felt a few minutes back had all but gone. As they drove, they forgot about whatever Harrison had told them or what was going to happen to them the next day.