Filed to story: Mia Bowen and Timothy Barrett Novel
Ginger recited a sequence of numbers. However, upon Heath dialing the number, it produced a busy tone, indicating that the phone was switched off.
Turning to Timothy, Heath asked, “It’s turned off. What should we do?”
Timothy, too, was at a loss. He gazed at Ginger seated beside him and asked, “What’s your mom’s name? We can ask the hotel staff to assist us in locating her room.”
Ginger wiggled her small feet, her large dark eyes darting around. “Mister, my mommy works here at the hotel. I know how to find her. Goodbye, Mister!”
This time, Ginger had ventured out to find her dad without her mom’s knowledge.
Consequently, she had no intention to reveal her mom’s name, especially since her mom wasn’t present.
With her chubby little hand, Ginger opened the car door and hurriedly made her way toward the hotel, her steps unsteady.
Timothy glanced at her briefly before turning his attention away, preparing to head to the underground parking lot. He shut his eyes for a short rest.
“Mr. Barrett, it’s not safe for such a young child to go find her mother alone, especially in a place like Xanier Island where there are all sorts of people. What if she encounters someone with malicious intentions and ends up in trouble?”
Frustrated, Timothy opened his eyes. “Why don’t you consider a career switch and become a nanny?”
Nonetheless, Timothy’s attention was drawn to the red umbrella lying beside him, forgotten by Ginger. He rubbed his temples in frustration. “Stop the car!”
Initially, he had no time to spare for taking care of Ginger, let alone locating her mother.
However, Ginger’s face, strikingly similar to someone from his past, continued to haunt his thoughts, making it hard for him to stay composed.
As the car came to a halt. Timothy swiftly retrieved the red umbrella and strode toward the hotel entrance.
Heath hurriedly followed suit; he was aware that Timothy wouldn’t simply abandon Ginger in such a situation.
Upon stepping into the hotel lobby, Timothy scanned the area swiftly but found no sign of Ginger.
His brow creased. Where had she disappeared to?
How could she vanish without a trace so quickly?
Heath wasted no time and approached a nearby hotel staff “Have you seen a young girl, around three or four years old, entering the hotel alone? She has pigtail braids and is carrying a small backpack.”
The staff member shook their head. “Today we had many guests, including several with children who were dressed similarly to her. We didn’t pay much attention. Could it be that this gentleman’s child got lost?”
Timothy’s lips tightened coldly. “No.”
The staff member appeared puzzled, prompting Heath to quickly clarify, “She’s not Mr. Barrett’s child, but we’re acquainted with her. Can you please check the surveillance footage?”
“I’m sorry, sir, but we can’t access the hotel’s surveillance footage casually; we don’t have the authority to do so.”
Timothy’s expression remained stern as he ordered, “Get the person in charge of this island on the line.”
He needed to locate Ginger as soon as possible.
After all, he still had her umbrella with him!
In no time, the hotel manager, Matthew Crosby, hurried over. “I apologize, Mr. Barrett. Our staff overlooked your identity. I’ll escort you to review the surveillance footage right away. Please, come with me.”
Timothy followed Matthew to a nearby lounge, where Matthew set up a laptop and brought up the surveillance footage of the lobby.
Timothy watched as Ginger skipped into the lobby and then turned toward a staircase, disappearing from view.
Matthew furrowed his brow and remarked, “Mr. Barrett, as you know, our hotel has its peculiarities; some sections lack surveillance coverage.”
“Could a child easily wander into those areas?”
“Usually, they shouldn’t have access to those locations. However, security might have overlooked her due to the high number of guests today.
“But don’t worry, I’ll dispatch someone to search for her right away. You can return to your room and relax. I’ll inform you as soon as we have any updates.”
With that, Timothy exited the lounge and took the elevator directly to his exquisite suite upstairs.
As he settled onto the sofa, he noticed Heath holding the red umbrella.
Feeling annoyed, he remarked, “Instruct the staff to search the vicinity.”
“Got it, I’ll immediately coordinate with security to initiate a search.”
Timothy reclined on the sofa and swiftly dialed Caleb’s number. “Where are you?”
“I’m currently at the basement level playing cards. Looks like you’ve made it.”
“Stay alert. If you see a three or four¨Cyear¨Cold girl wearing a light¨Cyellow dress with braided pigtails, inform me immediately.”
Caleb was puzzled. “We’re in the basement, it’s highly unlikely to find such a young child here.”
“Enough chatter. Just keep an eye out.”
“Alright, alright.”
After ending the call, Timothy poured himself a glass of water, but his nerves remained unsettled. He glanced at Heath. “Any updates?”
“Not at the moment.”
Just as he finished speaking, Timothy’s phone rang, displaying an unknown number.
Given that only a select few had his personal phone number, it was highly unusual for a stranger to call. Typically, he wouldn’t entertain such calls.
However, this time, he answered almost instinctively. “Hello, who’s calling?”
A tearful voice came from the other end, “Mister, please help me!”
Timothy’s complexion paled, and he swiftly rose from the sofa. “Where are you?”
“I don’t know. It’s dark, and there are bad people trying to kidnap me!”
“Describe the buildings around you. I’ll come immediately. Stay hidden and don’t come out.”
Initially. Timothy had planned to keep the line open, but the caller abruptly hung up after speaking.
®
Without delay, he gathered his team and proceeded to the intersection where Ginger had disappeared.
Just then, Matthew appeared. “Mr. Barrett, why have you come personally? Our staff is already searching for her.”
Timothy’s tone was stern. “Is there a place here with colorful lights and ancient statues?”
“Yes, there is but it’s highly unlikely for a child to be there.”
“Take me there immediately,” Timothy promptly ordered.
Leading the way with his team, he arrived at the location and called out loudly, “You can come out now.”
Shortly after, a thudding sound emerged from a nearby coffic
Timothy approached and lifted the lid of the small coffit; Just as expected, he discovered Ginger hiding inside. The moment she saw him, she burst into tears. “Mister”
Timothy crouched down and gently lifted Ginger into his arms. She clung tightly to his neck, crying inconsolably.
Tears trickled down Timothy’s hand as Ginger found solace in his arms, weeping profusely.
He couldn’t fathom the source of her abundant tears.
She appeared to be quite the sensitive little one!
Ginger’s cries were gentle, almost like a whimper. Although Timothy usually couldn’t tolerate children crying, he found his heart melting at the sight of Ginger’s tears.
Timothy stood still, tenderly holding Ginger. As a person who usually kept to himself, he felt as though he had ventured into unfamiliar territory. After all, he had never comforted a child before.
A tension settled over the atmosphere.
Turning to Matthew, Timothy inquired, “Could you please explain what is happening here?”
“Mr. Barrett, we’re not entirely sure either. It’s quite surprising that a child like her managed to wander off and hide in this place. Our staff searched the vicinity but couldn’t locate her.”
Timothy’s lips tightened. “But she claimed someone was trying to kidnap her.”
“Mr. Barrett, that’s simply not the case. Why would our hotel staff have any motive to kidnap a child? She likely became frightened by our staff and mistakenly believed they were attempting to take her away.”
Timothy shifted his gaze to the tearful Ginger in his arms. “Do you remember who was trying to take you away? Can you describe what they looked like?”
Ginger’s crying eventually stopped, and she wiped away the moisture from the corners of her eyes, her eyelashes clumped together with remnants of tears.
With red, puffy eyes, Ginger cast a pitiful gaze at Timothy. “I couldn’t see clearly, but they were dressed like him.”
Upon hearing this, Timothy shot a cold glance at Matthew. “You better provide a plausible explanation.”
“Mr. Barrett, this is all just a misunderstanding. Our intention wasn’t to kidnap her; we were simply trying to locate her. After all, children her age can get scared and say things that aren’t true.”