Chapter 2 : She is missing!!

The morning light, filtered through the grime-coated windows of the police station, cast an unsettling pallor on Detective Noah's worn desk. Papers overflowed, each one a silent scream, a desperate plea from a parent who had lost their child. The air crackled with a silent tension, a tangible manifestation of the fear that gripped the city. Two years. Two years of missing children, a silent epidemic that had eroded the very fabric of their once-secure community.

"God knows how many kids are kidnapped," Noah muttered, a weary sigh escaping his lips. His hands, usually steady and sure, trembled slightly as he picked up another file, the faded photograph of a grinning child staring back at him. He was the best detective in the city, a man who had cracked countless cases, solved riddles that had confounded even the most seasoned investigators. But this – this riddle of the missing children – it was a puzzle that seemed to taunt him, a labyrinth of unanswered questions.

A sharp rap on the door startled him. "Come in," he barked, his voice raspy with exhaustion.

The door creaked open, revealing Roy, his ever-present assistant, a man of few words and unwavering loyalty. Roy was a study in contrasts, his slender frame a stark counterpoint to the imposing presence of the detective. His face, usually stoic, was etched with a concerned frown.

"Boss, there's someone here who wants to see you. Shall I let them in?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"Let them in," Noah responded, bracing himself for yet another harrowing report.

The door swung open, revealing a familiar face, yet tinged with an unfamiliar despair. Mr. Tomas Anderson, the city's most powerful man, the CEO of a global empire, stood there, his usual aura of confidence replaced by a raw, unfiltered vulnerability. Beside him stood his wife, her elegant demeanor shattered, her eyes red-rimmed and puffy from a night of weeping.

"Welcome, Mr. Anderson," Noah said, his voice devoid of its usual sharp edge, his surprise evident. "How can I help you?"

Tomas, the man whose name was synonymous with success, whose every word was met with respect, now stood before Noah, his posture slumped, his face pale. "My daughter… She's missing," he said, his voice strained, a tremor running through his words.

The words hung in the air, heavy and suffocating, like a physical weight crushing Noah's chest. "Excuse me? Did you say your daughter is missing? Anna?" he asked, his voice laced with disbelief.

Tomas nodded, his eyes filled with a mix of anger, guilt, and a pain so raw it threatened to consume him.

Noah sat back in his chair, his hands instinctively reaching for his forehead, the weight of the news pressing down on him. Tomas and Noah were not just colleagues, they were friends, connected by a shared understanding of the city's underbelly. He knew Tomas' story, knew about his wife, their beautiful daughter Anna, the apple of their eyes.

"When did you last see her?" Noah asked, reaching for a file, his mind already racing, trying to make sense of this impossible situation. The daughter of the city's most powerful man, kidnapped? It defied logic, it defied reason.

Tomas' wife, a woman whose strength was a legend in the city's social circles, crumbled as she spoke. "We last saw her when she was going to that party last night. We tried to stop her, but she insisted on going."

"What time was that?" Noah pressed, his pen hovering over the blank sheet of paper, desperate to begin the process of piecing together the fragments of this tragedy.

"It was… I think around 8:00 pm," Tomas said, his voice tight with a suppressed rage.

"And what time does she usually come back?" Noah asked, his focus unwavering, his mind already sketching a timeline, a map of Anna's last known movements.

"She usually comes back around midnight," Tomas' wife replied, her voice thick with worry.

"Do you have a picture of her? With you now?" Noah asked, his gaze meeting Tomas' eyes.

Tomas reached into his pocket, his hand trembling slightly as he pulled out his wallet. He opened it, revealing a worn photograph of a beautiful young woman with bright eyes and a smile that could light up a room. He stared at the picture for a long moment, his heart aching with a longing so profound it was almost unbearable. Then, he handed it to Noah.

The image was simple, a snapshot of innocence, but in Noah's eyes, it held a thousand stories, a thousand unspoken hopes and dreams. He placed the picture on his desk, next to the other files, a silent testament to the lives that had been shattered by this unseen predator.

"We will do our best to help you," he said, his voice quiet, a promise whispered in the face of an unimaginable nightmare.

Tomas hesitated, his mind grappling with the enormity of the situation. "I want all the media to help. I want them to share her picture, to tell everyone. If anyone sees her, I want them to contact you."

"Sure," Noah replied, his gaze fixed on the photograph, a silent vow forming in his mind. He would find her. He would find them all.

Within an hour, the city was ablaze with news. CNN, BBC, every media outlet in the world had picked up the story, their screens dominated by Anna's smiling face, a beacon of hope in a city shrouded in fear. Every street corner, every bus stop, every building was plastered with missing posters, the stark words "MISSING!! IF YOU SAW THIS GIRL ANYWHERE PLEASE CONTACT THIS NUMBER XXX_XXX_XXX" a stark reminder of the city's collective vulnerability.

The city that had once been a haven of prosperity and progress was now a tapestry of fear and uncertainty. The whispers on the streets were like a persistent undercurrent, a constant reminder of the unseen danger that lurked in their midst. Anna, the daughter of the most powerful man, had become a symbol of hope, a fragile thread of light in a world that had grown dark.

The reward for any information leading to Anna's safe return – a staggering $100,000 – was a testament to the desperation of her parents, a desperate plea for help, a desperate hope that someone, somewhere, had seen her, had heard her cry for help.

The city, once bustling with life, had become a giant search party, a collective effort to bring Anna home. But as the sun began to set, casting long shadows across the city, a sense of dread began to creep in. The longer Anna was missing, the more desperate the situation became.

The police station, a beacon of order and justice, now felt like a crucible of fear. The weight of each missing child case pressed down on Noah, a relentless tide of despair that threatened to drown him. He knew he had to find Anna, not just for her parents, but for the city, for the children who were missing, for the hope that still flickered in the hearts of those who had lost their own. He had to find them all.