Pelican » Zarry ✅

🕵 S e v e n

Harry put his hands together and pressed them against his lips. "What if it's not that?"

"What do you mean?"

"What if it's made to look like that? What if they're just being random with the numbers they're giving me because they want to torture me? What if they want me to suffer by hearing Zayn suffer?"

Amos thought for a moment. "Well... if that's the way you think, then it would have to be someone you've upset. Someone who would love to see you suffer. But yesterday at the office you said you couldn't think of anyone and that you made upset."

"Because I haven't. Unless there's some company out there that doesn't like my competition. Someone who doesn't need the money so they ask me to withdraw random amounts from the bank."

Amos frowned. "Please don't forget that I am a trained professional, here. I've learned a lot from working on the job, working with the police and putting kidnappers behind bars. One thing I've learned to do is profile people. And I can guarantee you this guy is no business man. There are other ways to sink your company and this is not it. This is someone who is pressed for money, likely broke all together. He's willing to take a risk. But not a financial risk. A risk with prison. So he probably has been there before."

"Really? What else can you tell me about him?"

"He is likely the mastermind behind this whole scheme. He's quite calculated. Everything from specific amounts of ransom money to knowing exactly what he wants during your phone calls."

"But how does that make him the mastermind? He could be reading from someone else's script. After all, he has been repeating the same words. Almost word for word."

"Almost. But not exactly. Which goes back to my point. He's calculated. He only says what he needs to say and nothing more. And since you've basically identified this caller as the same man who called last time, it means he doesn't trust his partner to work alone. He is the brains behind this operation."

Harry looked at him in awe now. Everything he said made sense. "Wow. What you do is fascinating."

"Thank you." He said. "But your fascination with me won't help us find Zayn. There's a lot more we're going to have to do."

"So what's next then?"

"We sleep."

"What?"

Amos stood up from the couch with the yellow pad in hand. "Harry, you need to get some sleep. What you're doing is tiresome for your mind and body."

Harry stood up. "But sleep holds us back. It wastes time."

"In an official investigation where there's a crime scene to be processed or forensics to test. But we have nothing other than a phone call with your husband's kidnapper. On top of that, there must not have been any witnesses because it hasn't been reported to the police and no one has contacted you personally from the department." He started to walk towards the bedroom door. "I would suggest that you wait until tomorrow and get the ransom money so you can buy us one more day to start our own private investigation. We need to retrace Zayn's route and see if we can find his car."

"If we can go tomorrow, why can't we go tonight?"

"Harry."

"What?"

"Do you hear yourself? Your children are sleeping in their beds right now. We can't leave them at home alone at a time like this."

"But what about the evidence? What about the evidence that might be compromised by waiting another day?"