The agent looked at Althea trying to deduce whether such a young and innocent-looking girl was trying to pull his leg. "I hope, miss, that this is not a lie," he received a small "no" from the littler girl in response to his comment. "Good," he searched for the number while still stealing small glances at the girl sitting at his desk and humming to herself.
"This is Michael Garret calling from the Central Park Precinct Station," Michael said with uncertainty, but knowing he had nothing to lose. "I'm calling regarding a lost child in Central Park. The little girl informed me that she was at your facility with her class because she won a contest." Upon receiving an affirmative response, he continued, "Do you know all the schools that registered?"
"I was with Scarlett, we took a photo and I drew her!" exclaimed Althea.
The young woman behind the phone smiled and said, "I suppose it must be her. I can ask. Please hold."
As he waited, Michael ran his finger over his lips and gestured to Althea to be quiet. She began swinging her legs while Michael impatiently tapped his desk. Finally, a different voice answered.
Girls, I have a police officer on the phone. A littler girl from yesterday's visit got lost in the Central Park, and they're asking us for information because they don't know where she's staying," the young woman informed, interrupting any conversation the actresses might have been having.
Scarlett immediately stood up and asked, "What's her name?"
"She's a little girl from her voice and said she took a picture with you and drew you," the young woman replied.
With just that detail, it was Scarlett who took the phone immediately and asked, "Is the girl's name Althea?"
Michael scolded Althea when one of her feet hit the chair she was sitting on and picked up the phone again. "Yes, sorry. The girl's name is Althea. Could you tell me the name of the hotel and who is responsible?"
Scarlett's heart raced at the thought of the littler girl being lost in Central Park. Thousands of scenarios crossed her mind. "Is she okay? Oh my god, please tell me she's okay."
"Yes, apart from some dirt and a scare, the girl is in perfect condition. Who am I speaking with?" asked Michael.
"I'm Scarlett Johansson," she replied.
Michael choked on his own saliva. He was talking to the legendary Scarlett Johansson. He looked at his nearby colleagues, but couldn't say anything to them at that moment. The sexiest voice was stuck to his ear, just for him, at that moment.
"Are you still there, officer?" asked Scarlett, concerned.
"Yes, I'm here! I was just a little surprised," responded Michael, trying to sound professional.
"Well... yes. I didn't expect, although the girl mentioned your name. I still need the details..." said the man, more nervous than he would like to admit, running his hand through his hair.
"Please make sure the girl is being watched. I will come right away, and if anyone shows up claiming her, please wait for me before doing anything," said Scarlett, checking the time and knowing she would have to reschedule her next appointment due to the emergency.
The agent, surprised, agreed and informed her where to find him. He wasn't going to miss the chance to meet the beautiful actress, maybe even get her autograph.
"Now, Althea, I'll show you some pictures and I want you to tell me if you see Tim," he said, placing albums of criminals who had committed crimes with minors. Meanwhile, he left a juice and a chocolate bar on the table for the bored girl, who flipped through the pages of the album. She yawned a couple of times, but didn't waste any time and ate the whole chocolate bar.
Michael received a call from District 18 reporting the disappearance of a girl whose name and photo undoubtedly matched the one in front of him, struggling not to fall asleep. Soon he would meet the girl's teacher who was coming to pick her up, and the actress Scarlett Johansson. Michael hoped the actress would arrive first, so he wouldn't have to come up with an excuse to detain the girl.
However, the first to arrive was a lawyer, which disappointed the agent.
"My client, Mrs. Johansson, will be here soon," Harold Grant informed, surprised as he looked at the girl nodding off.
"I don't understand why a lawyer was necessary," was the frank response from the agent, who was still looking at the lawyer's business card. Anyway, he allowed him to sit down, wanting to know why he was there.
"We requested an urgent DNA test, as the girl is about to leave the state," he said, opening his briefcase and handing over the papers.
Althea stood up abruptly, leaving her chair to approach with the album that was too heavy for her arms, and placed it on the table with a loud thud. "This is Tim," she pointed out confidently.
The lawyer looked at the photo of the aforementioned without knowing what the littler girl meant, so his questioning eyes turned to the agent, seeking explanations. If the girl he had right beside him was his client's daughter, he needed to know everything.
The door opened. "Sir, he's here..." Instead of finishing the sentence, he gave way to the actress, who smiled as soon as she saw the little Althea.
"Hi, Scarlett!" Althea ran over, wrapping her legs in a hug. "They left me alone, I was really scared, but I'm a big girl. Tim wanted me to go with him because he knew my teacher, but I was scared and Amy helped me, she brought me here. Amy is wonderful, she has three brothers: Jack, Kate and Jackelin."
Scarlett burst into laughter at the girl's talkativeness, not showing herself as shy as the first day. She caressed her cheek and squatted, opening her purse to take out a wipe that she used as much with Rose as with Cosmo. "Let's clean your pretty face," she passed the wipe a couple of times and then deposited a kiss on her button nose. "Here's my princess, I almost didn't recognize you."
Michael stood up, offering his hand as a greeting and thinking not to wash it later. Not being alone with her, he proceeded to sit back down to pay more attention to the papers that seemed to be important, until his eyes widened, looking back at the actress and the girl. "Does this mean...?"
"Yes," Scarlett replied before he said anything in the presence of the girl. "As Harold must have explained, it is necessary to do it as soon as possible."
"Of course, I will request a DNA testing kit right away," and was then informed that the girl's teacher was waiting outside. "Please, bring him in."
Scarlett was sitting in front of the agent with her lawyer by her side and little Althea in her lap. The fatigue was so great that her eyelids began to droop, and she didn't even realize that Professor Márquez was entering, and the relief was reflected on his face when he saw her.
"How could you lose a littler girl?" Scarlett asked rudely.
"A child was hurt, we had to take him to the hospital because his knee got worse and what we thought was a simple scrape turned out to be a small fracture..." he paused briefly. "I don't justify losing Althea, but we all thought the girl was with the other monitor, so when Iratxe told us she couldn't find her, we reported her missing. Is she okay?"
The agent cleared his throat and all heads turned to him. "It could have been worse," he gestured towards the open album. "This man is known for child abuse and, according to the girl's statement and the three girls who found Althea when she escaped from him, we could have had something to regret."
Professor Marquez paled. Scarlett hugged the little body that rested in her arms, making her feel that her family was complete. Her eyes inspected Althea, making sure she was okay. She didn't want to imagine what that depraved man would have wanted to do to her.
"This man will go back to prison, but I'll need your statement" he commented to everyone. "Now, let's deal with the other case."
Márquez blinked, worried. "Will he have to testify? There's a problem, we're traveling tomorrow. Could it be done remotely? If not, her parents will have to travel, because I can't stay."
"For the moment, the girl won't be able to leave the country, Mr. Márquez," Agent Michael looked at him as he spoke. He was about to continue informing the professor when someone knocked on the door and a lab technician appeared.
"What's going on here?"
"My client has requested a paternity test, and until we know the results, the girl will have to stay in the United States to prevent the possibility of flight."
While the agent spoke with the professor, Scarlett paid more attention to the technician. At that moment, the professor seemed like an incompetent who had once again lost his possible daughter, handing her over to a criminal on a silver platter. She tried to relax, but only managed to do so when she saw Althea's angelic face, completely relaxed in her arms. "What do you need?" she whispered to the technician.
"We'll perform a complete exam, if that's okay with you. I'll need to take a mouth swab and a blood sample," he opened his briefcase and prepared everything, while Scarlett lifted the sleeve of her shirt, revealing a too-thin arm. The prick made Althea whimper in her sleep and open her eyes, frightened to see the needle, but she was surrounded by Scarlett's arms.
"It's okay, sweetheart. It's just a test. I promise everything's okay," she kissed her forehead and breathed in the baby's scent. "Look at what a champion you are," she congratulated when the technician finished taking the sample and prepared the swab. "Now I need you to open your mouth, my little one."
Althea was still half-asleep, but Scarlett's calm voice kept her calm. She opened her mouth and felt the swab rubbing against the inside of her cheeks. Then she was surprised to see Scarlett undergoing the same test without crying, just smiling. "Are you sick, Scarlett?" asked Althea.
"No, sweetheart, it's a very important test that we had to take together," Scarlett replied, kissing her nose. Then, addressing the technician, she asked, "How long will it take?"
"Normally it's five days, but due to the unusual situation, you'll have the results in three days," the technician replied as he left the office with everything properly sealed.
"Professor," called Althea when she was more awake, but she didn't make any move to get up. She was still hurt by what the professor had done, and she showed it by furrowing her brow and puckering her lips. "I didn't like it, Tim. You said mean things about me."
Márquez didn't understand what the girl was saying, so he looked at the agent. "Althea," said the agent.
The girl looked at the police officer and said, "Tim lied to me. He's not even called Tim. He's a bad man who's going to prison. Furthermore, he doesn't know your professor, little one."
Althea looked back at her teacher and sobbed, "But you left me alone."
"I'm so sorry, Althea. I thought you were coming with us," the teacher replied, visibly crestfallen. Nevertheless, Scarlett felt no pity for him and continued to glare at him.
"We believe that, given that there are three days left until the results are obtained and the other children must return, it would be counterproductive for the girl to spend those days in a foster home, given the scare in the park with unknown persons," the lawyer began his request and then handed him a new paper. "My client wants to take care of the girl until the results are known. Scarlett is a famous woman and the girl feels comfortable with her, as you can see. Mrs. Johansson is a trustworthy woman and there is no possibility of her disappearing."
Surprise! Double chapter today! I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, please let me know with a star and a comment. I love reading your thoughts, and it really encourages me! Thank you so much for reading. <3