Margarite and Malad's mother took Amdo to the cellar. There were many whiteboards attached to the walls. Nonetheless, the dark, rough room was filled with cracks and cobwebs. Suddenly, light filled the room with the click of a button to give it a stark bright, almost cheerful, look. Now, the pitch black tables and chairs were visible to Amdo's painfully strained eyes.
He began by telling them everything that happened on the trip. After a few screams and a lot of hitting, the room fell silent. Until Malad's mother shifted to grab a pen, going to the largest board to get all the facts on the board. Each scratch of her marker was accompanied by Margarite's whimpers as the events unfolding in her younger sister's life materialised in front of her eyes. It made them solid, real, and yet somehow unimaginable.
"Has she posted anything on social media?" Amdo enquired.
"No, she has not -" Malad's mother began.
"She wouldn't be so stupid," Margarite cut in "to let anyone know every step of her life in normal times, let alone when she is trying to hide from someone." Her cold side glance at Amdo made him shudder.
"She is not trying to hide from him...." her mother contradicted, "only to prove that she can do what he accused her of not being able to."
"Travelling." Amdo realised, finally having the bulb moment. "She's travelling to prove me wrong. To prove her worth." His eyebrows creased, "Is there anywhere she mentioned she would like to travel? When she was little, in a passing conversation, anything?"
"Not anywhere specific," was Margarite's strained reply, "she just wanted to go on a world tour. Maybe France."
"Great." Amdo commented sarcastically. "Now our scope is the world!"
"Don't be so dumb. There are many ways you can track someone's location nowadays." Margarite stated with a sneering smile. "The police won't help us because she is an adult and has the right to choose her own path. But we can use her find my phone and credit card apps. Try to find her last expenditure. But I am not doing it until YOU are gone. YOU are the reason she is gone. YOU are the reason she wouldn't come back. YOU should be gone."
"Exactly my point, Margarite." Malad's mother joined. "He started it. Only he can end it. There is nothing we could say that would bring her back, but maybe he could."
"Okay then." Margarite fumbled with her phone. After several 'forgot my password' links and unsuccessful attempts at finding Malad's phone, Margarite finally found a lead. "She cashed out some Euros in Hounslow."
"Which means she must be going to Europe." Amdo deduced, "from the Heathrow Airport."
"Wow, we have a rocket scientist." was Margarite's sarcastic reply. "How do you intend to get to London and that too on time?"
"Motorbike." Amdo replied. "whizzes through traffic, gets you there at double speed."
"Well, I can only hope this shot in the dark hits its mark." said Malad's mother, joining her hands.