Chapter 252: Zara Zane Goes Missing

Chapter 252: Chapter 252: Zara Zane Goes Missing

Zara Zane subconsciously patted her pocket. After confirming she had them, she said, "Yeah, I’ve got some. Regular ones, will that do?"

’But who are they for? Aren’t we the only three girls here?’

Sherry Underwood nodded and reached out to grab her. "That’s perfect. We’re in an unfamiliar place, so come with me. I’ll feel safer if there are two of us."

Hearing this, the girl who had her arm around Zara Zane’s shoulder also stood up. "She’s right, we don’t know this area. I’ll go with you two. It’ll be safer that way."

"No, no, two of us is enough. You stay here and watch our stuff." Sherry Underwood immediately shot down the suggestion, waving her hands dismissively before grabbing Zara Zane and running toward the public restrooms.

Her panicked footsteps, guilty eyes, and tense expression all looked incredibly suspicious.

The girl watched them run off, frowning in confusion. ’Something feels weird about this.’

Just then, three motorcycles skidded to a halt in front of her.

When they saw she was alone, they looked surprised. "Where are Zara and Sherry?"

"They went to the restroom." The girl pointed toward the public restrooms, the bad feeling in her gut growing stronger. She was the one who had invited Zara Zane out; if something really happened, she would be partly to blame.

With that in mind, the girl looked at the three guys walking over and asked, "Do you remember which precinct Zara’s cousin works at?"

The guy in the middle frowned, thought for a moment, then answered hesitantly, "I just remember his last name is Hughes, and he’s in Varden."

Zara Zane hadn’t shared any more details, so he didn’t know much else.

’That’s enough.’

The girl gripped her phone, mentally calculating the distance to the public restrooms. She decided that if they weren’t back in ten minutes, she would call Zara Zane’s cousin.

Meanwhile, Zara Zane followed Sherry Underwood. Watching her friend’s anxious expression and listening to her constant urging, the strange feeling in her gut intensified.

Remembering her cousin’s warnings and the safety tips he’d shared, Zara Zane grew wary. "Sherry, is your friend waiting at the restrooms?" she asked tentatively.

"You didn’t mention a friend was coming earlier, did you?"

Sherry Underwood’s expression stiffened, and she looked nervous for a second before quickly masking it. "She’s not my friend, just a girl our age. Her period started unexpectedly, and she asked me for help. I didn’t have anything on me, so I ran back to get something from you."

"Come on, let’s hurry. She must be getting anxious."

With that, Sherry Underwood reached out to pull Zara Zane toward the restrooms again.

Zara Zane caught a glimpse of the convenience store not far behind them, then looked at the restrooms, which were now just a stone’s throw away. Her internal alarms went into overdrive.

’No, I can’t go over there.’

’This area is pretty secluded, and there’s a big tree right next to the restrooms. Who knows if someone’s hiding behind it.’

’I can’t just walk into danger!’

Zara Zane sidestepped, dodging Sherry Underwood’s outstretched hand. "Hang on, my cousin just texted me. I have to reply, or he’ll kill me."

As she spoke, Zara Zane took out her phone and quickly typed a message to Sean Hughes, attaching her location as well.

"Sherry, I’ll wait here. You go give this to her." Zara Zane pulled the sanitary pad from her pocket, pressed it into Sherry Underwood’s hand, and turned to run.

The next second, she heard Sherry Underwood’s shrill cry, "Quick! She’s trying to run!"

Then, Sherry Underwood lunged forward, clinging desperately to Zara Zane’s legs.

Two men rushed out from behind the tree and, with practiced ease, covered Zara Zane’s mouth and nose with a cloth.

In the last second before she blacked out, she heard Sherry Underwood scream, "Wait! You promised you’d let me go if I brought someone to you!"

Meanwhile, as the two girls still hadn’t returned, the waiting friend’s sense of dread grew. She tried calling both Zara Zane and Sherry Underwood several times, but no one picked up.

The girl looked up the area code for Varden and called a police precinct there directly.

"Hello, Varden West Precinct, how can I help you?" a calm voice said on the line.

The girl explained everything in a rush. "I’m looking for an officer with the last name Hughes. His cousin went to the public restrooms here with another girl, and I’ve called them both several times, but no one’s answering. It’s been more than ten minutes, and a round trip to the restrooms and back shouldn’t even take that long!"

"I’m worried they might have been abducted—you know, the kind of thing that happens at public restrooms. My friends and I are going to check on them now, but I wanted to let her cousin know too."

As she spoke, she hopped onto the back of one of the guys’ motorcycles, signaling for them to speed toward the restrooms.

Although her words came out in a jumble, the dispatcher immediately understood the situation.

Hearing the sound of wind whistling through the phone, the dispatcher urged them to be safe while simultaneously logging the incident and escalating the report.

Less than a minute later, the dispatcher heard the girl’s terrified voice. "Zara Zane’s phone is on the ground, but they’re not in the restroom!"

In that instant, the dispatcher knew this was an abduction.

In this day and age, nobody just drops their phone and leaves it on the ground.

Meanwhile, back at the Provincial Bureau, Sean Hughes had just returned to his desk from the restroom when he noticed two new messages from Zara Zane.

When he opened them and saw the contents, Sean Hughes shot to his feet.

The screech of his chair scraping against the floor drew the attention of everyone in the office.

"Zoe! My cousin’s been taken! I need your help!" Sean Hughes’s voice was strained, the words forced through clenched teeth.

Upon hearing Sean’s words, Zoe Sawyer and Heath Hale shot to their feet and headed for the door without hesitation.

Just then, Evan Keller took a call. After listening, he looked at Sean Hughes and said, "Varden West Precinct just got a call from your cousin’s friend. She reported two people missing, and that your cousin’s phone was found on the ground."

"Evan, I’m taking a team to get her," Sean Hughes said, then pulled out a photo of Zara Zane and handed it to Zoe Sawyer.

Soon, Zoe Sawyer carefully opened a small crack in a door and stealthily slipped a miniature camera through the opening.

As the camera began to transmit, a dim room appeared on Officer Lee’s computer screen.

Sprawled inside were seven or eight young women. The one with green hair, tossed carelessly aside, was Sean Hughes’s cousin, Zara Zane.

"We’ve got enough ’product.’ Let’s pack up and get out of here."