An Agent Named Nicolas Flint

Case One Part 1

My teeth clenched together in frustration. I regretted how inexperienced I was. I didn't have any kind of connections I could call up to help. Only a guy that provided some computer work and camera set up when needed. If I was a real private investigator, I could have a bunch of people over here combing these woods for clues. I felt useless trying to find this girl. Nicolas was an agent but was unable to bring in the big guns. Jenna had the bad luck of having a father who already wore a target on his back. If she wasn't taken by him, we were the only ones really looking for her. Nicolas noticed my shift in mood and spoke.

"We have already found a possible lead. Even without the same resources as the police there is a chance to find something. If we press on, we could find something better than two hanging candies."

I nodded. He was right. At least we were searching for her. We continued on not touching the candies and leaving them for the police to collect as evidence if they listened. Plus, they doubled as a trail back to the hiking path. I didn't know about Nicolas, but I was useless in the woods. I could get lost easily without something guiding us back. The agent followed behind me as I scanned the trees looking for more candies but also any sign of the girl. Every time I thought we lost the trail I would notice a twinkling off in the distance.

"If Jenna was following these, why would she go alone? Wasn't she with friends?" I asked when the thought came up.

"She had a small disagreement with her friends. She was lagging behind because she was angry with them. It is possible that she went off because the trail of candies was more interesting but I cannot say for certain." Nicolas replied.

I wondered more about this trail we followed. Was someone just waiting the entire day hoping by chance someone went off the trail? It was not guaranteed that a victim would follow the candies deep into the woods. And normally people who snatched children had preferences. Was Jenna really that unlucky to be good enough for her kidnapper to think she was suitable?

"This reminds me of Hansel and Gretel." I said while we paused to look for another flash of color in the trees.

I looked over my shoulder expecting Nicolas to agree but he looked at me with such a blank expression on his face that made me think he never heard the fairy tale before. Slowly he took out his notebook ready to write something down. This full-grown man really never heard that tale and expected me to tell it to him. I gave him an abridged version while he made notes. Snapping his small notebook shut, he followed my footsteps towards another hanging treat.

"I don't understand the moral of the story. Don't these tales normally have one? Was there not a better way of dealing with their situation besides dooming their children by leaving them in the woods?" He asked and I didn't have answers for him.

"It's just an old fairy tale. I don't think having a moral is the point of it and maybe leaving your kids to be eaten by bears made sense back then." I said with a shrug.

As we walked, we traveled deeper into the forest. I brought along a flashlight so we could keep searching until dark if needed. A hopeless feeling came creeping into my gut as I thought of hundreds different outcomes Jenna could have faced. If she wasn't at the end of this trail then what? We couldn't search this entire forest.

"I don't feel as if we're doing much." I admitted finally after walking in silence for a while. "What if this isn't the right path? What if someone took her or this has nothing to do with her?"

Nicolas stayed silent to let me take a drink of water. Again, he refused my offering of some. I was sweating in the warm spring night. I didn't know how he was staying so cool hiking in the woods in a suit.