Claimed by The Rogue Alpha
Claimed By The Rogue Alpha Chapter 17

"How long did you say she's been missing for?"

Leah made a mental note. "About five days."

The officer listened with bored expression as she recounted the events leading to Olivia's disappearance.

"Miss, from the look of things, she went on her own accord. She's 21. A lot of youngsters do that."

Leah couldn't believe her ears. Was this a joke? "I'm afraid, that's can't be right. Olivia has never run away from home, even though she's been sad lately because of..."

Leah didn't know why she cut herself shut. Or maybe she did. She widened her eyes as she realised that it could be possible that Olivia had been kidnapped. "Oh my God." Yes, the sharks her dad had borrowed money from could have done this. There was no other way to put it. No other explanation to come up with. Olivia wouldn't just go off that way.

The police officer still kept on that look of dissatisfaction on him.

"Have you dropped by at her house, lately?" he asked and Leah bit her lips. She hadn't done that, now the officer was going to have another reason not to take her seriously. "She hasn't called."

The officer, Segt. McCoy sighed. "Drop by at her house. When you don't replace her, you can then file a missing person."

Leah frowned, but deep down she knew he was right. She mumbled a thank you and left the station, the cool breeze blowing on her face.

Leah had once tried to check up on Olivia with coffee the other day, but it happened that her mum called almost immediately. Family emergency. She only returned today, and she wasted no time to get to the station as she still hadn't gotten a text or a call from Olivia.

She hailed down a cab. She preferred taking a walk to Olivia's house, as it was barely a 10 minute walk, but not today, her anxiety had picked. She just wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.

Soon, she was in the infamous Hunnigton street. This place used to give her chills. It still did, but not as before. She remembered how her mom would warn her never to step foot here, but should rather let Olivia visit her instead. Leah smiled as thought of that. She walked down the street, not trying to have eye contact with anybody. Do that and have yourself to blame.

Olivia's apartment complex came into view. She couldn't tell from here, apparently, if she was home or not. She just had to have a look herself. She walked into the lobby. The manager wasn't on sit. Very typical. She sighed. She didn't have his number, same with the landlord's. God, what was she going to do now?

She turned just to replace a neighbour about to get into the elevator. She walked up to her.

"Hi, uhm...."

"If Frances sent you, then tell her I ain't got no money no.. The s*x wasn't even that good."

Leah paused. She tried not to think much about what the woman. "No, I wasn't sent by Frances." "So what do you want?"

"My friend, Olivia. I haven't heard from her for some time. I was thinking if you've seen her or something."

The lady sized her up. She had these bulging pair of eyes that if Leah didn't know better would have asked her if had been caused by an accident or not.

The lady looked at her with suspicion written all over her face. Leah wondered what she was suspicious about. But then, Hunnigton was known for its very many drug deals, making it an epicenter of police combing.

"Look, this is an apartment complex, not a dorm. How am I supposed to know who Olivia is?"

Because she is your neighbour! Leah wanted to scream out her thoughts, but she smiled instead. She wasn't going to give up easily.

She saw the woman impute some numbers on the elevator. She was going to the second floor. Olivia's apartment was at the fourth.

Leah got into the elevator with her, ignoring the woman's quizzing gaze. When the lady got off the elevator, Leah rode the rest if the journey alone. The elevator dinned and the doors pulled open. She stepped out and walked down the hallway. Olivia's house was at the extreme. She got there and knocked.

There was no response. She then realised the door was shut from the outside.

Shit. Where could she be?

Of course, she had been answered right after all. This was unlike Olivia.

***

The doors of the elevator pulled open and as she was about to step out, a guy made to step in. She'd have ignored him had it not been how suave he appeared. The stranger offered her a smile, and her cheek reddened. He'd caught her ogling him.

She exited the elevator and pretended to be leaving the building. When she was sure the doors of the elevator had been shut, she stopped.

She hadn't met that guy before, but something about him rang a bell. He didn't look like the kind of person to live in an apartment as this.

Leah hung around, partly because she was concerned about Olivia and partly because of the guy. When five minutes had gone by with the guy yet to show up, she decided to go away. But just as she was about opening the door, the elevator din came through. She turned and just as she had prayed, he was the one. He acknowledged her with a smile.

"Hi," Leah started. "I'm sorry, do you live here?" She was forward. She knew it, but there was nothing else she could do. There was no better way to make the inquiry.

The young man still wearing his smile, glanced back at the elevator. An quizzical expression on his face. "No. Any problem?"

Leah shook her head. "Of course not."

She was about leaving when he spoke up again. "I came looking for a friend. You don't seem to live here either."

"Uh... No, I don't. I came for a friend too." As she said that, her mood changed. She was reminded that Olivia was yet to be seen.

The young man spotted that change in mood. "Is anything the matter?"

Leah ordinarily wouldn't have said anything, but as Olivia was missing, she wanted to make everyone know. She wanted to ask as many persons as she could, to try to know if they had somehow seen her.

"I haven't seen or heard from her. For five days now. And here I am to check up on her to know if she's okay, but her apartment is shut close. She hasn't done this before."

There was silence. Leah looked up to know what might be going on in the young man's mind. She found him staring at her. His face almost pale.

"Any problem?" she asked.

He snapped back to consciousness.

"I'm sorry," he said with a faint smile. "You haven't seen your friend, you say?'

"Yes," Leah answered. "Have you seen here around? Did you-" she stopped when she realised the folly in her questions. Of course, the young man hadn't seen her. How was she sure that he knew Olivia? "Is your friend..." he started but stopped. He swallowed. "Does your friend live in apartment 499?"

Leah's eyes widened in surprise. "Do you know Olivia?"

As she said that, the young man's expression mirrored hers.