Luna immediately picked up her phone and called Asher.
“Hello, I want you to try your best to retrieve that footage as fast as possible,” she said frantically as she dropped the call.
Luna picked up the paper that had caught her attention earlier and pinned it to a board. She also started pinning related objects to the board, including the photograph of the girl who got kidnapped as well as photographs of the scene where the kidnapping happened. She picked up a marker and started making connections and markings on the board. Suddenly, Luna's phone rang, and she quickly picked up the call as she placed one of her fingers in the front pocket of her trousers.
“I've retrieved the footage,” Asher said the moment the call connected.
“That's great. I'll be there right away,” Luna said, her face lightening up a bit as she dropped the call and left the office.
She immediately made her way to the computer department and located Asher.
“Asher, I think I found something very unusual which might be our starting point to solving this case, but first, I need the footage of the exact time the girl appeared there.” Luna said.
Asher immediately swung into action, typing away on his keyboard.
“Here it is,” Asher suddenly stopped and said.
Luna carefully watched, as if confirming something, as the girl in the footage was walking toward the bus only for her to suddenly turn and walk toward an area where the camera couldn't cover. Luna replayed the footage repeatedly for a while before she finally muttered something which was audible enough for Asher to hear.
“Why did she suddenly stop walking toward the bus? Taking the bus was her only route home. Before I get the answer to that, I need to confirm something from her parents.” As Luna muttered this, she quickly picked up her phone and dialed Sophia's number. It rang for a while before the call connected.
“Hello,” Sophia said on the other end of the call.
“Sophia, have you been able to invite the girl's parents?” Luna asked.
“Yes, they should be at the station in an hour,” Sophia said.
“Alright then,” Luna said as she dropped the call.
Luna went back to her office and sat tiredly in her chair as she gently massaged her temples, awaiting the arrival of the girl's parents.
Forty-five minutes later, the girl's parents arrived at the station and went to the reception. As soon as Luna heard about the arrival of the girl's parents, she stood up and went to the reception. After exchanging pleasantries with them, she took them to her office and also called Sophia to join them.
On getting to her office, she immediately started to question them.
“I'm really sorry for the inconvenience caused, sir and ma'am, but if you don't mind, I'd like to ask you some questions,” Luna said after they had all sat down.
“No problem. Go on,” Mr. Alexander, the girl's father, said.
“Thank you, sir. I want to know more about your daughter's schedule and lifestyle. What time does she get home every day after school? Does she stop at anyone's house?” Luna asked.
“Errr, my daughter closes from school at 4:00 p.m. and she gets home mostly between 4:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.,” Mrs. Alexander said with a sad look.
“Okay, has she ever come home late or has something unusual ever happened that has to do with her coming home late?” Luna further inquired as Sophia typed what Mr. and Mrs. Alexander said.
“No, except during extra lessons or minor issues, nothing major has ever stopped her from coming home at the appropriate time,” Mr. Alexander said confidently.
“Alright, that will be all for now. Thanks for your cooperation. We'll ensure we get your daughter back to you safe and sound and bring the criminal to justice,” Luna said, reassuring them.
“Thank you, ma'am. We'll wait for your good news,” Mr. Alexander said as he stood up and shook hands with Luna.
Mr. and Mrs. Alexander walked out of Luna's office as Sophia saw them out.
Luna sat down in her chair and fell into deep thought as she ruminated deeply on the just-concluded interrogation. Sophia came back to the office and gently tapped Luna's table. Luna jerked back to reality and immediately called for a meeting with her subordinates.
“According to the information I gathered from the victim's parents and the footage that Asher retrieved for me, there are only two ways by which that girl was kidnapped, either she was lured into changing her route or she was controlled,” Luna said calmly.
“Controlled?” Lyra asked, puzzled.
“Yes, controlled,” Luna affirmed, nodding her head.
“Take a look at this clip from the footage,” Luna said as she played a scene of the footage on the projector.
“The girl closed from school at 4:00 p.m. At exactly 4:17 p.m., she was at the bus stop where she got kidnapped. Take a look at this—look closely at her and the sudden changes in her action. As she was approaching the bus, she stopped in her tracks, made a U-turn, and started walking toward that path where we could no longer track her whereabouts since there are no cameras there,” Luna explained.
“But she might have had her reasons for changing her route,” Sophia said.
“Yes, but according to the statement provided by her parents, she's not someone who would irrationally go somewhere else without informing anyone. Besides, what could be the cause of such an abrupt change? I know I don't sound credible, but what would make her suddenly decide to walk a path where she had no friend, family, or classmate? It simply doesn't make sense,” Luna said, spreading her arms to indicate her bewilderment.
“But we still can't conclude, because of all these, that she was controlled. That theory seriously lacks solid ground and evidence,” Sam said.
“I know, but I think we should trust my instincts on this,” Luna said as she bent forward, placing her hands to rest on the central table.
Having said this, they all went silent as they ruminated and thought seriously about the whole scenario. A phone call on Luna's phone broke the silence that dominated the room. Luna picked up the call. As the person on the other end of the call said something, Luna's face suddenly turned pale, a frightening frown creeping upon her face as she slowly and emotionlessly dropped her phone.
“It has happened again,” Luna said with a complicated facial expression.
ns216.73.216.130da2
and then Add to home screen.