Chapter 103

Derek's POV

After I left my grandfather's construction site, my mind became restless. Something was going on. Clara wouldn't just disappear like that. She loved her family. Everything was just far too crazy. As absurd as Katy sounds, maybe she had a point. Which meant I needed to investigate.

The thing about solving a case is that everyone is a suspect—especially the crazy ex-boyfriend. I'd met him before; he seemed too eager to get back at Clara so that I wouldn't put any of this past time.

After several threats, he confirmed that he had seen her earlier that morning. The creep followed her from her house without noticing and stopped her at a corner. He assured us that he didn't do anything to her. With the frightened look in his eyes, I might have believed him. It took everything in me not to punch him.

This was how we got to our next clue. Luke sent some guys to that street to ask if anyone had seen her. There weren't security cameras in the area. That's what led us to our next clue. Luke said he met an elderly homeless man on the street. He mentioned witnessing a kidnapping. He said he had reported it, but the police quickly dismissed him, considering his drunken state. It was a bit difficult getting information out of him, believing he couldn't even remember basic details like when it happened. I don't think he knew what year it was. After a couple more questions, his description of Clara was almost identical to Waylen's when he said he had seen her earlier. This helped confirm the obvious: Clara was kidnapped.

Since then, we've been using all the available footage to look for vehicles that match that description that could have entered that area. It's been a few hours, and we still haven't found anything useful. We are trying to look into other clues, but so far, we haven't had any progress.

This person who did this must have hated her. I wouldn't doubt it if the same person orchestrated the accident. Who would want her dead that desperately?

I was back at my house just outside the city; it had far more space, and I wouldn't get that much interference from work this way.

"You should give it some rest," Luke said.

I stopped in my tracks. I hadn't realised how long I'd been pacing around.

"You've been working all night, and you should give this a rest. The investigators will get back to us with something useful very soon. It might help if you have a clear head," Luke added.

"I don't know," I sighed. "I just feel like we are missing something... or someone," I answered. I looked at my watch to see that it was five a.m. I hadn't slept all night, which probably wasn't good for me either.

I sat down on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. How hard could it possibly be to find a van?

Luke sat down next to me. I dragged him into this. He probably hadn't slept much, either.

"The poor girl must have had a tough life, with everything that happened to her and growing up with a drunk stepfather. It must have been a blow when she learned Madison was her half-sister." Luke commented.

I nearly choked on air. "What now?" I asked, confused. I must have heard wrong, had Luke just thrown Madison's name into this conversation.

"You didn't know?" He asked. He looked genuinely surprised, as if I was just supposed to have randomly known this. I knew Leonardo was her uncle, but not about this. "It turns out they have the same father," he added.

"You are only telling me about this right now?" I questioned.

"I thought you knew. I stumbled into it when the detective handed me a file on Clara earlier. I thought you had already read it." He answered.

Suddenly, my eyes were opened. I finally knew the answer to the most important question. Who could hate her this much?

With Clara in the picture now, much money was at stake. I'm sure Madison wouldn't allow that. I wouldn't put anything past her, considering she once staged her kidnapping. She was certainly capable of this. Except she was out of the country, from what I knew.

That left one obvious suspect, her mother. I had never trusted her either. People like Madison don't just magically become that cruel; they are made to become it. With an equally cynical mother, I can picture how Madison became that way.

Suddenly, it made sense. It explained why she looked so strange and surprised when she saw us yesterday. It would explain the marks on her arm. Someone attacked her. Those bruises didn't seem like something that happened earlier that day. They looked much more recent. Maybe someone else was in that building.

"You are not thinking that..." Luke paused. His horrified expression matched mine. I could tell he thought the same thing.

I jumped off my seat to search for my car key.

"Do you think she would be capable of that?" Luke asked.

"It's 2023. Women are capable of anything," I answered."I'm pretty sure that is only supposed to be used when referring to something good." He answered.

I spotted my key on the opposite side of the room. I needed to get there quickly. Who knows what could have happened to her by now?

"You need to stop and think about things for a moment." Luke stopped me in my tracks.

"She could be in danger. Who knows what that psycho woman could have done to her?" I reasoned with him.

"Firstly, you need to admit that this is a little crazy. Secondly, if any of what you are saying is true, they may have relocated. They know it's compromised." Luke answered.

"We have to try. If we don't find her there, the police may find evidence." I answered.

I picked up my car key and walked to the front door.

"Maybe you shouldn't just rush into this. You have no idea what you'll walk into. You may put your life and hers in danger. It would help if you let it to the authorities. Besides, I'm sure the private investigators will call us very soon with something else much more solid." I answered.