Arriving at the bustling city, both Louis and Red made their way to the afore mentioned store. Knowing that a lot of people would be present, Red specifically put her hood on as to hide her horns.
With nothing much to worry, they then enter inside the store and was greeted with a normal looking place. Observing the place even further, they notice that the store was clothing specific one and not a bad looking one as well.
Filled with all sort of clothes and fashion items, Red can't help but be curious at the things she is seeing.
"Good day ma'am and sir." Noticing both Louis and Red enter inside the store, a lady worker suddenly approached both of them and spoke. "How may I help both of you?" The worker asked.
Noticing the lady, Louis then calmly replies. "I apologize miss but we're not here to buy some clothes."
"I see... Then may I ask what your purpose for being here, sir?"
"We're working for the police department miss." Louis explains. "I'm pretty sure you already have an idea why where here, just from that."
"Is this about sir Harold and his disappearance?"
"You would be correct."
"Then may I asked you sir to please wait until I call sir Bernadette here."
Noticing the conversation between both Louis and the lady worker, a flamboyant looking man suddenly approached both of them out of curiosity.
"Oh my? Is there a problem Judy?" The flamboyant looking man asked.
"Sir Bernadette!"
Hearing what the woman just said, Louis then turns his gaze at the man.
Noticing the sullied appearance of both Louis and Red, the man gazes at them with critical eyes for a few second after finally saying a word.
"Hmmm... 3 out of 10."
"Not quite your taste I suppose?" Louis calmly spoke.
"Both your faces aren't that bad." The flamboyant looking man said. "Is just that both your clothing's ruins it."
"Well... this isn't the first time someone told me that my clothes look like shit."
Chuckling at Louis's joke, the flamboyant looking man then raises his hand for a shake and introduces himself. "Quite the joker I see... The names Rick Bernadette but you can call me Ricky."
"The name's Louis Carroll." Louis introduces himself as he receives the shake. "A private Nightmare Hunter working for the police department."
"Police department you say...?"
"That would be correct." Louis replies. "Then I assume you already know why we're here?"
"We already have been interrogated a few times now so it would be dumb of me not to know."
"If that's the case then can we ask some questions?"
"I don't see any problem of being questioned so go for it."
"Well then... may I first ask what's your relationship with the missing sir Richard, sir Vicky?"
"Friend, Co-manager of this place. That's what much of what I can think of, when it comes to relationships with him." The flamboyant looking man replies.
"Co-manager you say...?" Louis echoes.
"He handles the financial aspects while I handle the taking care of the store and stuff. It's nothing special really."
"I see... he lets someone takes care of his store. May I ask why this is the case?"
"Well, it's not that Harold himself is a terrible manager or anything. It's just that he lacks flare to operate such a business."
"Flare?"
"When managing a clothing and fashion business, one factor that needs to be considered is beauty." The flamboyant looking man explains. "People doesn't just wear clothes for the sake of wearing something. They wear clothes to have the prestige of looking beautiful, pride for themselves and looking attractive to others. This is why fashion trends are a thing and why others make it so that their looks are unlike others."
"I don't see how this has to do with Harold's management."
"It's fairly simple sir Nightmare Hunter. What I'm essentially saying is that Harold is a good business man, but let him handle a fashion business what you'll get is just average. A store that just looks like every other corporate one's and not something that oozes in beauty and style. You think people these days will be attracted with such a store!?"
"I see..." Louis spoke, finally understanding the flamboyant looking man's words somewhat.
"Sorry about that." The flamboyant looking man apologized. "I just get very passionate when it comes to such things."
"R-right... In any case according to the reports and miss Helendel's account, sir Harold was last seen going to work before he went missing."
"That would be correct. Harold was actually working here before he went and vanish all of the sudden."
"May I know the details of such event."
"Well... it was a very typical day I suppose. Everyone was working as usual including me and Harold. Yet all of the sudden, Harold told me that he would be leaving."
"Leaving?"
"He said that there was something that he needs to do at that time and left the store for me to handle."
"What time did he leave? Did he say anything about when he'll return?"
"I don't quite remember the specific time, he left. But I do know that it was late morning about 11:00 A.M. or so. And as for information about his return, he said that the business he had at that time won't take long and that he'll return shortly..."
"But that didn't really happen now, is it."
"Yep..." The flamboyant looking man sighs. "If only I can go back that time and stop him from going."
"We don't really have such conveniences in life."
"If only..."
"So, aside from those. Did sir Harold tell you anything about this business he was going to?"
"That's pretty much it, regarding his disappearance. I never really bothered asking where he was going at that time."
"I see... how about any peculiar activities? Like did sir Harold regularly went to any place that he was shown to have not visit in his past or something similar?"
"I don't think so." The flamboyant looking man replies. "I don't really dwell much on any of his personal life. All I know that could be even considered to be peculiar is his situation with his sister."
"You mean the one about letting miss Helendel live in his house?"
"Correct. And that information clearly has nothing to do with the current predicament."
"Hmmm..."
Assessing much of what he just learned, Louis took about a minute to think. Connecting each dot to another, Louis raises his brow from much of what he can wonder. How troubling... Louis said in his mind as he tries to solve much of the bigger picture.
3 people in different backgrounds suddenly goes missing with not much a trace or even a body. All 3 live in the same area but what could this possibly mean? Does the perpetrator of this incident know them? Lived close to them? Are such factors the reason why these people are the ones that were targeted? Wait... but this Harold person supposedly vanished when he was leaving at work which we can guess was in the city in that time, not the suburb... Is the same area factor just a ruse to confuse all investigators?
Seeing how there are still missing pieces of the case, Louis momentarily stops his pondering and continue his investigation. Knowing that the missing Harold essentially left his work before his disappearance, Louis came to a thought.
Considering that this is the city, there should be at least some potential cameras that could have capture his activities before he vanished. Louis said to himself. I guess this means back to the department I suppose...
Seeing how there's nothing much they can extract in the scene. Louis and Red prepares to head out and begin their next investigation. But before they can even leave, the lady worker suddenly said something which caught their attention.
"U-uumm... actually.."
"Is there a problem Judy?" The flamboyant looking man asked.
"About sir Harold... actually I saw him visiting the Help and Prospering Building a few weeks ago before his disappearance." The lady work said.
"Help and Prospering?" Louis echoes.
"I don't know much, but all I know is that it's an organization located near Rockwell."
"And you say that you saw the missing sir Harold went there."
"Yes! A few weeks ago, I saw him with my own eyes." The lady worker replied.
"How unusual..." Louis spoke. "I've already read the reports that the department have sent to me but this is the first time I heard of this."
"A-ah.. I apologize but I forgot to mention this detail when the police interrogated us." The lady worker explains. "But I did mention this when the BPSEA agents questioned us."
"BPSEA agents you say..."
"Yes! I did tell them that detail. I'm telling the truth."
"Hmmmm..." With a new information in the light, Louis began to ponder about the case once again. Connecting the new information from the others, the full picture of the case began to be much clearer.
"Thank you for your cooperation, sir Ricky and was it miss Judy?" Louis spoke.
"That would be correct." The lady worker replied.
"Anytime." The flamboyant looking man said. "Good luck on this case of yours."
"To you as well."
Saying their goodbyes, Red and Louis then rode off to their van once more. With their destination being the mentioned Help and Prospering Building.
Not knowing where the building is specifically located, Louis calls Rachiel from his phone for help.
.
.
"Hello Rachiel."
"May I know as to why you're calling me Mr. Carroll." Rachiel spoke.
"Right... there's this building called Help and Prospering Building somewhere near Rockwell." Louis said. "And I'm currently making my way back to Rockwell to investigate the place."
"And you're calling me because...?"
"I want to know the details about the place and specifically where it's located in Rockwell. I can't waste much of my gas driving around the place just to look for it."
"I see..." Understanding Louis's intention for calling her all of the sudden. Rachiel made her way to her computer and searched for the place. Quickly finding what she was looking for, she then informed Louis about her findings. "The building you're looking for is located near View Garden, you know that somewhat large building in that place."
"View Garden?"
"Correct and the building is run by an organization called Help and Prospering. A charitable organization, that helps people mainly the jobless and apathetic ones through the jobs and programs they offer."
"How very normal..." Louis spoke.
"It is." Rachiel replies. "The organization mentioned is still fairly new so not much information is known about it."
"I see..."
"So why are you investigating this place, may I ask?"
"Some clue I received points at the place being highly suspicious." Louis replies. "In any case. If I ever go missing, you already know where I'm last heading."
Hanging up from their call, Louis then quickly drives to where the building was located. With the new development of the case in hand, the duo awaits for what they'll meet at the afore mentioned place.
- End of Chapter 3