Chapter 82: My own little investigation began part 1
Later that day, I finally made it home.
The trip from Japan had drained whatever energy I had left, and by the time I stepped through the front door, all I wanted was a hot meal and several hours of uninterrupted sleep.
Luckily, Yuki was home.
"Hey, Yuki," I called as I dropped my bag near the staircase. "Could you ask the cook to come in and make me something? I haven’t eaten properly since the flight."
"Of course," she replied before disappearing toward the kitchen.
I made my way upstairs, pushed open my bedroom door, and collapsed onto the bed without bothering to change clothes.
The mattress sank beneath me.
For a few moments, I simply stared at the ceiling.
Japan.
Grandpa.
Felix.
Kuro.
The thoughts chased each other around my head like a storm that refused to settle.
Eventually my mind drifted back to my conversation with Ethan at Parallax.
Then to Kuro.
Then to the message.
see ....I’m his very good friend and even you can’t change that .
I frowned.
The words had bothered me at the time, but now that I was alone, something about them felt wrong.
Not the threat.
The timing.
I sat up slightly.
Kuro hadn’t just been threatening me.
He had been responding to something.
Something Ethan and I had said.
My eyebrows slowly knitted together.
No.
That couldn’t be right.
Could it?
I replayed the conversation in my head.
The elevator.
His promotion.
His comments about Ethan.
Then Ethan’s office.
The entire discussion had happened behind a closed door.
Just Ethan and me.
No one else was there.
Then why had Kuro’s message felt like a direct response to that conversation?
A cold feeling settled into my stomach.
I sat upright immediately.
Then grabbed my phone and called Frank.
He answered before the second ring.
"Hey, boss."
"Frank, I need to ask you something."
His tone immediately became serious.
"Go ahead."
"How difficult is it to listen to somebody else’s conversation without them knowing?"
There was a brief pause.
"Not very difficult if you’re using the right equipment."
I frowned.
"What kind of equipment?"
"Micro cameras would be the easiest option."
I blinked.
"Micro cameras? Aren’t those illegal in Harrington?"
"They are."
Years ago, Harrington had been flooded with hidden camera scandals. Videos had been leaked across V-Tube, private moments had become public entertainment, and the backlash had been severe enough for the mayor and local police department to push through legislation banning the devices completely.
"That law still exists," I said.
"It does," Frank replied. "But illegal doesn’t mean impossible. People still buy them online. Most get smuggled in through black-market channels."
I leaned back against the headboard.
"What about listening devices?"
"Possible, but unlikely."
"Why?"
"Because those are even harder to get."
His voice lowered.
"Most professional audio surveillance equipment is restricted nationwide. And only available for Military use & Law enforcement use. Getting one without connections is nearly impossible."
"So your money is on a camera."
"Absolutely."
I rubbed my temple.
It fits
Too well.
Kuro somehow knew things he shouldn’t know.
He always seemed one step ahead.
Almost as if he was sitting in the room whenever conversations happened.
The thought irritated me more than it frightened me.
I hated being watched.
More importantly, I hated not knowing how long it had been happening.
"Frank."
"Yeah, boss?"
"I need you to look into this."
"Done."
"I want one."
There was a pause.
"You want a micro camera?"
"I want to know exactly what I’m dealing with."
"Fair."
"And I need equipment that can detect one."
Frank whistled softly.
"That’s a little harder."
"I don’t care."
I stood and walked toward the window.
"I need something that can scan a room without attracting attention. Offices. Apartments. Anywhere."
"I’ll ask around."
"Discreetly."
"Always."
The corner of my mouth lifted slightly.
Frank could be reckless sometimes, but when it came to gathering information, there weren’t many people I trusted more.
Then his tone shifted.
"Seeing as you’re giving me assignments again..."
I already knew where this was going.
"...does this mean you’re back from your little vacation?"
"Yes, Frank. I’m back."
"Good."
His answer came immediately.
"Things have been boring."
I shook my head.
"I’ll talk to you later."
"Take care, boss."
The call ended.
I placed the phone on my nightstand and stared at it for several seconds.
There was no way Kuro could have known about that conversation otherwise.
No way.
Unless he had somehow been listening.
Or watching.
The realization settled heavily in my chest.
I lay back down and closed my eyes.
"God, I’m tired."
The last few days finally caught up with me.
Within minutes, sleep dragged me under.
The shrill ringing of my phone pulled me awake.
I groaned and reached blindly toward the nightstand.
The screen showed several missed calls.
Who keeps calling this much?
Still half asleep, I accepted the call and pressed the phone against my ear.
"Hello?"
"Raina."
The voice instantly woke me up.
I sat upright.
"Malcolm?"
"Yeah."
My expression darkened.
"What do you want?"
For a moment he didn’t answer.
When he finally spoke, his voice sounded strained.
Uneasy.
And that immediately caught my attention.
"I need your help."
I frowned.
"My help?"
"Yes."
The words came out quickly.
Too quickly.
Something was wrong.
"With what?"
Silence.
Then Malcolm spoke again.
And this time there was genuine fear in his voice.
"Rhonda is missing."
Every trace of sleep vanished instantly.
"What?"
Rhonda stein Malcolm’s wife .. the woman we spent a lot of time a while ago searching for....
" My mum called and said she can’t find her "
Though I told Malcolm to leave Harrington completely..I wasn’t so heartless as to deny him from contacting his family . I instructed frank to provide him a secure way for him to be able to communicate with his wife and his mother . Because I know how important family’s is. Now laying in here hearing that his wife was missing when I have absolutely nothing to do it , surprised me greatly .
"What do you mean she can’t find her?"
"I mean she’s gone."
His breathing sounded uneven.
"She never came home."
"When?"
"This morning."
Alarm bells started ringing in my head.
My voice slowed.
"How long have you been looking?"
A pause.
Then:
"Since noon."
I looked at the clock again.
Nearly ten at night.
My chest tightened.
Because Malcolm wasn’t the type to ask for help.
Not unless he’d already exhausted every other option.
And the fact he was calling me meant he was running out of them.
"Raina."
Something in his voice made me stop.
"What?"
Another pause.
Longer this time.
Then he said quietly:
"I think somebody took her."
