Lost in London [Completed]

Vingt

Halden had put his search for Kay on the back burner for now. He didn't seem as if he would be showing up any time soon. The news articles about him had increased, but stopped the moment it was announced that there would be no investigation. At least, before, Halden had been able to keep track of Kay's movements. Now? Not so much.

Right up until Kay logged back into a social media profile. Halden had been keeping a casual eye on it, but there had been no activity in months. Then, a flurry of activity. Several new friend requests, more liked and followed pages and then Halden struck gold. An update posted on Kay's account. He'd checked into a movie theatre with a friend.

Not only that, but he'd posted pictures of himself and some dog. There was plenty of scenery in the background for Halden to search up, and it didn't take him long to find the building they had been outside of. Kay should know better. Know better than to be so careless with what he posted – better than to be so open. Was that not how things had gone wrong for him last time?

Within two days, Halden had narrowed the location down to one city. Not even a city, really, and he'd found the very apartment building that Kay was living in. Not only that, but he'd turned up right outside.

"Hey," he snapped, catching the attention of the receptionist, "I need a spare key to my fiancé's apartment."

"What's her name?"

"Kay Edwards."

"Okay, just bear with me for a second," the man behind the counter responded, already starting to rummage through the drawers. He pulled out a key and handed it over to Halden. "Apartment 2F, just drop the key back whenever you're done."

Halden gave a sharp nod and headed in the appropriate direction. He was plenty confident enough in where he was going and managed to fit in exceptionally well. He got to the door of the apartment and turned the key, opening the door and stepping inside.

Fido was lying on the couch and initially paid no attention to Halden, until the door closed. He barked and growled, only to be scolded harshly and told to 'shut up' by Halden, but to no avail.

Halden had been expecting something like this, though. Clearly, Kay was scared to live alone, no matter what excuses he gave. Instead of shutting the dog away, Halden had planned something a lot more permanent. He headed through into the kitchen and looked for the dog's bowls. Upon finding them, Halden rummaged in the refrigerator and pulled out a dish of chopped vegetables.

After placing a small handful in the bowl, he took a black and red sachet from his pocket and tore it open with his teeth before emptying the contents of it into the bowl. He hadn't even needed to stir it – Fido was already there, sniffing at the bowl in curiosity.

Good.

Now the animal was distracted, Halden got to work doing what he had come here to achieve. He started from the back of the apartment, rummaging through the bathroom cabinet and under the sink, though was careful to ensure that everything was returned to its original position.

There was nothing of note in the bathroom, but it was enough to tell Halden that Kay did live alone. One toothbrush – so that meant Kay would be an easy target. Good to know. He'd also found a single box of dark hair dye, unopened, and three bottles of sleeping pills stored under the sink.

The bedroom was more interesting. It was sparsely furnished, and the closet even more so. Kay never had been one for materialistic possessions. There was an empty glass on the bedside table and a distinct set of paw prints on the duvet, which Halden screwed his nose up in disgust at. He let that animal on the bed?

Halden finished rummaging through Kay's clothes and returned to the kitchen, able to now step around the dog who seemed pleased with the vegetables he'd been given. Happy with the bare minimum. He could see how Kay got along with the animal so well. He rifled through the kitchen drawers, cupboards, refrigerator and freezer, but found nothing particularly interesting. Not that it mattered, Halden had gotten plenty of insight into Kay's life already. Not much about him had changed, apparently.

Halden didn't bother staying for much longer after that, slipping out of the apartment and locking the door behind him. He had no intention of returning the key yet, though. He would much prefer to be able to access Kay's apartment whenever he liked. Next time, though, he was determined to make sure that Kay was home first.

Next time, he wouldn't settle for an unsupervised tour.