An Agent Named Nicolas Flint

Case One Part 1

" I don't know what we are going to find that the cops can't. I don't know anything about tracking. I feel as if you're wasting your money." I said as we walked.

"The police are not focusing their efforts on this trail. The fact we are out here looking means something. Effort is never wasted."

I wanted to argue but stayed silent. He was paying me a lot for a simple hike. We arrived where Jenna was seen last and I took a sip of my water. I offered Nicolas some but he refused. We both stopped to look around hoping we would find something. It was only a few minutes from the start of the trail and one would assume this place was safe. But something happened to that little girl. I looked along the edge and the bushes trying to see if anything was disturbed or any obvious drag marks. But Jenna was small. A grown adult could just pick her up and run off with her. The lack of broken twigs and flattened bushes meant nothing. I still felt the entire trip was useless when something caught my eye.

Tied to a tree, two steps off the trail was something catching the light. I walked over to it and found it was a piece of candy with a foil wrapping hanging from a branch with some fishing line. It was low enough for a child to reach it. My blood turned cold wondering how the hell the cops missed this. Unless they didn't. If Jenna saw this, she might have taken the candy and the person who lured her away could have come overnight to set up the trap again. But why set it in the same spot risking the police seeing it?

"I think I have something." I called over to Nicolas. He quickly walked over to me but neither of us touched the hanging candy.

"Do you see any more?" He asked and I didn't even consider looking for another piece.

I scanned the trees and in a few seconds saw another twinkle of foil moving in a breeze. Nicolas pulled out a set of gloves so he could carefully look over the piece we already found. It was just a bright pink colored wrapping with no name brand printed on it. Was it home made? He left it where it was and nodded to where I spotted the next piece.

"We should follow the trail." He said and I shook my head.

"Shouldn't we call the cops?" I offered.

"Not just yet. I doubt they are going to take two pieces of candy hanging from trees seriously. Unless we find something solid to take their focus from Jenna's father, they won't pay us any attention."

"Shouldn't the police follow up every lead? Come on. This is weird, it's something!" I commented sounding frustrated.

The agent paused thinking about something. With his blank slate of a face, it was hard to tell if the gears were turning in his head or not. Finally, he decided on giving me some information he held back.

"The local police had a vendetta against Jenna's father. He was able to walk off a charge of drunk driving. The woman he nearly killed is related to the chief of police. The drunk driving was the reason why Jenna's parents split up. Beforehand, he made threats and broke down their front door in a drunken rage. Everyone was convinced it was only a matter of time before he snapped and killed his family. The police had plenty of reasons to think he harmed his daughter but I fear this case is more personal. The chief may only care about making that man's life a living hell instead of finding Jenna. It is a possible they are not searching the woods in fear they find something that proves the father is not at fault."

"But that's-" I started not believing what I was hearing. "They're risking a little girl's life over something like that?!"

"I believe the chief does not care about his career let alone a little girl he has no relation to. Keep in mind this is only a theory based on the actions of the police. I have no way of proving any of this. The only thing that is for certain is the police will not put the manpower into searching these woods unless a lead they cannot ignore is brought to light."