Chapter 69: In the middle of nowhere


    ~ AFTER TWO DAYS~


    Amelia and James held hands as they sat in the living room with their other family rtives. It was


    the third day since the party and they were yet to find Alice.


    The cops had also been working very hard to get more information about her whereabouts, but it


    seemed like Alice wasn''t in bama at all.


    Amelia had refused to eat until she had found her baby. James and the others had tried talking to


    her but all to no avail. She refusedfort from everyone one, even her husband, James.


    "I am now more worried about Amelia than Alice. She looks so pale and thin. I don''t know what else


    to do or say to her that would make her rest or eat. She tried sleeping yesterday, but ended up


    crying again." James uttered with great sadness.


    Amelia kept her head on his shoulder and didn''t bother to react to what he had said. It was as if she


    didn''t hear him speak. The only thing she had in her head and could hear was Alice''s little chuckles


    and smile.


    "Amelia, can you please take it easy on yourself? We are all working very hard to find Alice. It is all


    over the inte and there''s a reward of a million dors for whoever finds her. People are also out


    looking for her." Penelope uttered.


    "Amelia, please don''t be too hard on yourself, okay? I''m begging you. We will find her, and I believe


    she will be in good health." Elena added.


    "I believe the person that did this didn''t just go through all that for fun. He or she must have a


    reason behind it, and I think that reason is money." Charles stated too.


    Before anyone could say any other things, Amelia let go of James and sprang to her feet. James


    immediately stood up after her and held her.


    "Where are you going?"


    "I need to use the restroom. You don''t have toe with me." She responded and headed to the


    stairs.


    Everybody watched her in worry and pity as she walked up the stairs. They wished they could find


    Alice that very minute and bring her to Amelia.


    "This is serious." Elena muttered, and James red at her and clenched his jaws.


    "How sure are we that you aren''t having fun right now, hun?" He answered to her, and Elena sprang


    to her feet too.


    "I have had enough of your usations, James! I won''t tolerate it any longer!" She smacked.


    "And what will you do? Abduct my wife too? If you can deceive everyone seated here, you can''t


    deceive me, okay? You are evil!"


    "Enough, both of you!!" Charles yelled.


    "I know you hate me, James. But I would never do that to Amelia. She is my sister! I love Alice as


    my own! Since she has been gone, I have always been here. If I was the one that took her, won''t I


    leave to see her or n for the next evil?! Are you even thinking at all?"


    "The evil one would say anything and everything to seem like an angel. I knew there was something


    off when you suddenly apologized to Amelia. You have never done that. Not even when you took


    advantage of me!"


    "Stop!!!..." Helen screamed and held her head. "Are you two reasonable at all? Are you thinking


    about Alice and Amelia? If you keep fighting everyday, we would never know who the real culprit is.


    So stop!" Helen cried.


    James gulped hard and sat down. He still had his death stare on Elena. He just couldn''t tell himself


    she was innocent.


    ***


    Amelia heard the arguments in the living room from the room she was in. She headed to the door


    and locked it. She walked to the bed and mmed into it.


    She picked her phone that was next to her pillow and switched it on. She hadn''t put it on for three


    days.


    Her phone came on, and messages started popping in. Messages from different social handles and


    different people.


    "How are you, Amelia?" "I heard your baby was abducted. What are you going to do?" "Don''t you


    suspect anyone?" "Amelia, this is the third day of reaching out, please reply to me once you have


    the chance."


    She ignored all of these messages and went to her photo album instead. She began to look at


    Alice''s pictures one after the other. As she stared at them, tears streamed down her eyes.


    "Where are you, my little child? Come back to mummy. Mummy misses you so very much" She


    mumbled in tears.


    As she kept scrolling through the pictures, her phone began to vibrate. It was a phone call. The


    number calling popped up on her screen, and it happened to be an unknown number.


    She wanted to ignore the call, but then she thought about it again. ''What if this person calling has


    found Alice?''


    She answered the phone and ced it on her ear.


    "Hello."


    "Hi. I believe this is Amelia. Are you alone?"


    "Yes. Who is this please?"


    "I am with Alice as I speak…"


    "What?! Where are you? Who are you? I''ming over right away!"


    "Can you calm down and listen to me first? Alice is fine. But, something can go wrong if you don''t


    do as I say." The caller threatened. Amelia''s eyes popped wide open and she nodded.


    "I''m calm."


    "I believe you are alone. Now, I want you to leave the house right now without anyone elseing


    with you. If I find out you told anyone or the cops, Alice would be dead before you know it. I have


    eyes everywhere."


    "Yes, sir. I''lle alone and won''t tell anybody. But I don''t know where I''m going."


    "I''ll send you the address. I repeat, if you tell this to anyone, Alice is gone. And your husband,


    James, sitting in the living room as we speak will be the next victim."


    Amelia sprang to her feet and ran to the window. She looked outside carefully to check if she could


    see the person calling her.


    "How do you know where James is?"


    "I told you I have my eyes everywhere around you. I''ll be expecting you in the next five hours. You


    are not here by then, say goodbye to your daughter. I must say, her wristband is so cute."


    "Her…" the caller hung up before she couldplete her statement. "... Wristband? Oh My… She


    is truly with him! My baby is with him."


    She grabbed her handbag, opened the drawer and pulled out two bundles of nearly packed dor


    notes. She threw them in her bag, and also picked her car keys.


    She rushed out of the room and cleaned her eyes. She adjusted her face with a fake smile and


    walked down the stairs. Immediately James saw her approaching, he hurried to her.


    "Hey… where are you going?"


    "I''m going to the mall to get some groceries and wine. I want to prepare lunch. I''m starving."


    "Really?" James answered, narrowing his gaze in both surprise and suspicion.


    "Amelia, you don''t have to go out to get that. I can help you with that, and help you prepare the


    lunch too. I don''t think you are in the right state of mind to go out, talkless of drive." Elena added,


    moving to her too.


    "That is true." James asserted, and Elena looked at him. ''This is the first time he is agreeing with


    me over anything.'' She thought to herself.


    "You all don''t have to worry about me. I''ve been indoors for three days. I want to step out. I need


    fresh air."


    "Well, I''m happy you want to step out. It is a very good idea. I''ll drive you to the mall."


    "No! I want to be alone, okay? Just please let me go. I''m beginning to feel weary again."


    James swallowed hard and turned to look at their parents that just stood and watched them. "Let


    her go, James. Isn''t this what we prayed for?" Penelope asked.


    "But…"


    "I''ll call you, okay? I know you are worried. I''ll call you if anything happens. I''ll leave now." Amelia


    turned and began to walk away.


    James clenched his fists and looked at Charles. "Don''t you think I should go with her? At least


    follow behind her quietly."


    "Just let her be for now, James. We have been watching her for days now. I believe she is feeling


    weird already. Nothing will happen to her." Penelope added.


    James and the others reluctantly nodded and sat, waiting for Amelia to return.


    Amelia checked her phone for the address that the caller sent, it was a ce far from bama and


    its environs. She wasn''t sure which country it was, and she didn''t care.


    She switched off her phone afterwards to avoid disturbance from anyone, and she hit the hallway


    without looking back.


    ***


    After six hours of driving at 180 kilometer per hour, she got closer to the intended destination. She


    drove down a lonely, narrow tarred road, withrge trees on each side of the road. She was neither


    scared nor worried about it.


    All she wanted was to see her baby.


    A few minutester, she pulled up in front of a bungalow in the middle of nowhere. She stared at the


    building from inside the car and switched off the engine.


    She switched on her phone and called the same strange number that had called her.


    "I am here."


    This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    "Step out of the car." Hemanded. Amelia disconnected her seatbelt and opened the door. She


    picked her bag and hung it on her shoulder.


    "I''m out." She responded, with her eyes fixed on the white ancient-looking door. The door opened


    and the man stepped out with his phone ced on his ear.


    "Hi, Amelia." He uttered with a wide smile, and Amelia''s phone fell off her hand in awe.


    "Fred?!!"