No Way To Escape | Novel

CHAPTER 4: THE SEARCH

'Oh, he must be there on the terrace. Did you have a look at that?', Bob asked me.

'Do you assume me to be a fool? I have checked everywhere within the building I could'

Bob gave me a sigh and started calling one by one all the friends and relatives of Larry.

'You say his flat had been opened since early morning, right?' Fred asked me.

'H'm, it's what Mr. Punt said so. But he saw it early morning. We don't know at exactly what time he left. He never leaves without his phone, that too keeping his door open. Something's wrong here. I have called the janitor and the watch-man anyways'

I was also trying to make some contacts for his search meanwhile. Fred was trying to think where he must have gone suddenly without informing anyone. It was when the caretaker of our residential building and the watch-man came.

'Has anyone of you seen Larry?', I asked both of them. Bob and Fred came closer in hope of some details.

'No sir, I haven't seen him but the guard should have', said David, our caretaker. I turned to Blake, the guard.

'Yes sir, I saw him today just before dawn, around 5 a.m. perhaps'

'So why didn't you say first. Waiting for me asking you?', I said, glaring at him.

'I was going to say, sir, but Mr. David interrupted me before I could say something.' I rolled my eyes in revulsion and gave a stare to both Larry and Blake.

'Okay, go on then', Fred said to Blake.

'Larry sir was looking very different that time, not because he had woken up from sleep but it was something different. His eyes were wide open as if he did not want to close 'em and he was walking with a very slow pace with his palms open and stretched as much as he could. His feet-'

'Oh, can you take the pain to say where did he go?!' Bob chimed in.

'Yes sir, I am coming to that', Blake said and continued, 'I asked him that where he was going at such an early morning time in an amiable way but all he did was giving me an obscure stare and then walking down the Crimson Road, walking in the same manner as I had described a while ago'

'Crimson Road? The road by which we had walked back home yesterday? What made him stroll down there at that time of the day? David –'

David looked at my face carefully.

'- get me all the CCTV footages as fast as you can'

'Yes sir', saying so David left.

'Let's go guys. I hope he is safe and sound'

Bob and Fred accompanied me in my search. We ran down to the Crimson road and started searching desperately for him here and there. We had Larry's picture in our cell phones and using that we moved from house to house present in the vicinity asking if they had seen him. But all our efforts ended in vain as we got no information regarding Larry.

'Let me get the CCTV footages of the houses and stores around here. There must be something for us. Till then you two go and have a seat at Liam's flat and wait for some update by me', Bob said and went away to a nearby house and began his business. I and Fred returned around to my flat.

......

'You need a coffee?', I asked Fred as we entered my flat.

'Yeah, sure if you make for yourself too. I'm having a small headache, probably because I ran out of my bed only to fly directly here.'

'Can feel that, brother. I am also having that same feeling. That's why I asked', I said, grasping my forehead, wincing at it.

'I hope Bob gets some news regarding Larry'

'Me too', I said crossing my fingers and then went to the kitchen to prepare some cold coffee. I looked at the wall clock and it showed 12:27 p.m.