Chapter 533
Before the investigators could return with any updates on Davina, Camilla received a panicked phone call at noon.
“Boss, something terrible has happened!” Bonnie sobbed hysterically. “Jasper and Elaine are missing! I… I’ve already called the police, I p>
A deafening roar erupted in Camilla’s ears.
Bonnie was stammering, completely paralyzed by fear. Camilla’s own hands trembled violently, but she forced herself to project a calm authority. “Don’t panic. Send me your location and wait right there. I’m on my way. We’ll figure this out when I arrive p>
Camilla knew Jasper always spent his weekends playing with Elaine. She had originally planned to take Jasper to Valdoria to visit Tanner today, but since her father’s secret was out and he was returning to Cabinda anyway, she had canceled the trip. She never expected this to happen.
Camilla instantly deduced that Elaine had been caught in the crossfire. The woman at the hospital was undoubtedly Davina. Harboring malicious intent, she had remained completely off the grid, not daring to contact her family, which explained why Camilla’s investigators hadn’t found any trace of her.
When Camilla arrived at the police precinct, Bonnie was sitting in the lobby, looking utterly shattered. Her eyes were red and swollen, and her expression was vacant. “Boss, this is all my fault. If I hadn’t gone to the restroom, Jasper and Elaine wouldn’t have p>
Her voice shattered when she mentioned her daughter’s name. Elaine was her only child. Bonnie had nearly lost her once because of Davina’s negligence as a nanny, which had landed Elaine in the ICU for months. Now that Elaine was finally healthy and vibrant like a normal child, Bonnie had lost her again. Her husband and mother-in-law were currently scouring the city, but Bonnie couldn’t fathom the nightmare of never finding her little girl.
“Take a deep breath and tell me exactly what happened,” Camilla said softly. She held onto Bonnie’s arm to steady her, desperate to hide her own shaking hands.
“We were having lunch at the mall,” Bonnie choked out. “The kids were behaving perfectly. I just stepped away to use the restroom for a minute, and when I came back, they were gone. I searched every inch of the mall and begged them to check the security cameras. The footage shows them following a little girl in a hat out the front doors. It was the lunchtime rush, the crowds were insane… Boss, I recorded the footage on my phone. Look p>
In the grainy video, Jasper and Elaine were standing near the mall entrance, chatting happily. A scruffy-looking little girl approached them and said something. The girl wore an oversized hoodie that swallowed half her face, making it impossible to identify her. But Camilla zeroed in on Jasper’s furrowed brow. The kids exchanged words for about two minutes before Jasper and Elaine willingly followed the mysterious girl. The exterior cameras captured them vanishing behind a passing van on the busy street.
“We suspect they were taken in that van, but the cameras didn’t catch the license plate,” Bonnie wept. “The officers are tracking it now. Boss, I’m so sorry. I didn’t think human traffickers were this brazen. What do we do? What if… what if p>
Bonnie couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence. Camilla replayed the video on a loop. Staring at the familiar silhouette of the little girl and the brief glimpse of her chin, a chilling certainty settled in Camilla’s heart.
“They aren’t human traffickers,” Camilla declared, her voice turning to ice. “It’s Davina, and that girl is her daughter, Daisy. They came specifically for me. Let’s go to Greenwood Village. Her in-laws will definitely have a lead p>
If Davina had kidnapped the children and needed a place to hide, she would inevitably retreat to familiar territory. The fact that she was using Daisy meant she had retrieved her from the Green family. She had been back to the village, and she might still be there.
Having a clear direction snapped Bonnie out of her hysteria. She grabbed her purse, ready to follow Camilla to the ends of the earth.
“Wait a moment,” a male voice called out.
Camilla turned to see Officer Newell, the seasoned detective who frequently worked under Mahoney. “I’m taking over this case. I’ll go with you,” he stated.
Camilla had only been operating on a hunch and wasn’t sure if the police would escort her based on a guess. Having a detective on board was the best possible outcome.
The arrival of a police cruiser in Greenwood Village instantly drew a crowd of gossiping locals. They didn’t have to ask for directions; they easily located the Green household. A small crowd had already gathered outside their courtyard.
Before they even walked through the gate, they could hear Ines shrieking from inside. “That wretched woman! That shameless slut! My son barely died before she ran off with another man, and now she has the nerve to come back and steal my granddaughter p>
“And that little brat, Daisy! We fed her and housed her for half a year, gave her everything she wanted, and she repays us by running off with her heartless mother! Oh, the tragedy of the Green family p>
Davina had previously changed her daughter’s last name to Blair when she left, but upon returning to her in-laws, they had reverted it back to Daisy Green.
Odom sat at a wooden table, fiercely knocking his smoking pipe against the surface. “What good is crying going to do?! Figure out how to get her back! She’s the only bloodline we have left. We’re counting on her to grow up, marry a man who will join our family, and carry on the Green name! Our lineage can’t end with us p>
It was a calculated, selfish grief. The grandparents hadn’t taken Daisy back out of love; they viewed her as a vessel to secure their future and preserve their family name.
“You’re full of hot air!” Ines spat. “Where am I supposed to find her? That curse of a woman struck it rich and vanished! How are we supposed to track her down p>
As the elderly couple screamed at each other, a neighbor finally intervened. “Odom, Ines, your kid is missing. Arguing won’t help. Call the cops p>
“The cops! Yes, call the police! We’ll make her give Daisy back!” Ines slapped her thigh, suddenly energized.
Just then, a voice from the crowd shouted, “The police are here p>
Stepping out of the cruiser, Camilla listened to the chaotic shouting. Her suspicions were confirmed: Davina had taken Daisy and used her to lure Jasper away.