Chapter 49

“Mr. Reyes, in all my years on the force, I’ve handled more cases than I can count. From a professional standpoint, I’m worried Mrs. Reyes might be in trouble.” Officer Robert felt it was his responsibility to caution Chase.

However, Chase wasn’t receptive. At the mention of trouble, he interrupted Robert, saying, “Officer Robert, we’ve had our beef, so why are you so eager to believe something’s wrong with my wife? Must you keep making such grim predictions?”

“Mr. Reyes, I think you’ve misunderstood. I’m just concerned about Mrs. Reyes, that’s all.”

Chase gave him a chilly look. “Officer Robert, didn’t your son once have a thing for my wife? If you’re holding a grudge because he didn’t get his way, then you’re really not doing that badge of yours any justice. You keep saying something’s happened to her. Have you found any unidentified bodies lately?”

Robert’s expression shifted slightly. “No, Mr. Reyes. I’m just trying to help, but it’s your choice whether to listen or not.” With that, Robert turned and left. The other officers grumbled on his behalf, “Captain, why bother talking to someone who doesn’t appreciate it?”

Robert shrugged it off. “It’s nothing. It’s just that my son used to be quite infatuated with her. If something did happen, I’d worry about how he’d take it.”

The “brat” was his son, Anthony, who had once pursued me relentlessly in college, even threatening self-harm to win a date. That’s how I met Robert. Later, Robert must have intervened somehow because Anthony transferred schools before graduating, and we lost touch. Robert mentioned this briefly before discussing a missing person case they were working on.

I followed Chase to his car, watching him climb in, looking exhausted. He rubbed his temples and instructed his assistant coolly, “I don’t care how you do it. Find Amanda within three days. Also, get to the bottom of what’s going on in Cloudville.”

“Right away, Mr. Reyes.”

“Hold on,” Chase suddenly said, his voice uncertain. “Also, check if there have been any incidents involving women in the city.”

“Got it, Mr. Reyes. But please don’t worry too much. Someone like your wife wouldn’t just vanish.”

“Yeah.”

Ever since Chase returned to the office, he’d been out of sorts. Even when the senior team reported a slight dip in quarterly profits—a situation usually resulting in a sharp reprimand—Chase simply said, with a dazed look, “You all did well. Let’s aim higher next quarter.” Everyone was baffled.

“Alright, meeting adjourned,” Chase quickly said, exiting the room and loosening his tie. He saw his assistant by his desk and asked immediately, “Got any news?”

“Yes, the person renting that place in Cloudville wasn’t Mrs. Reyes. It was a young girl named Sophie Kennedy. Here’s her picture.” The photo was placed before Chase. The girl resembled Amanda slightly from the side, and coincidentally, shared the surname Kennedy, causing the mix-up.

Finally, with proof in hand, Chase sighed in relief. “Where’s Amanda?”

The assistant shook his head. “I’ve had the team check all travel records for the period. Apart from an unboarded flight, she hasn’t booked any tickets.”

“So, she never left. She’s still in town?” Chase scoffed. “Just as I thought. She’s pulling a stunt to get everyone’s attention! Amanda, you’ve really let me down.”

Chapter 50