Einsquare, few passersby noticed a boy sitting on the busy footpath. Below the tall wall, he looked like a poor little boy. One of the passersby tossed a coin towards the boy.
"Ya bastard, dash off," Thomas yelled.
He came running from the distance, it attracted the attention of the pedestrians. He picked up a few coins surrounding Trace. The look on his face was that of annoyance. Tomas snickered at the value of coins and kept them inside his pocket.
Trace was silently sitting, he could see the passersby along with the hidden room behind. His eyelids fluttered but were shut tight. In the secret room, he could see a person tided up on a chair.
During this state he was constantly disturbed by the numerous passersby. Making it different than the time at Eimi's house. Where he maintained this state for all night long. That was under a calm environment, no sounds, no stress.
"Young master, have food first," Thomas said.
Trace nodded accepting the packed food and a juice bottle. He thanked Thomas and quickly finished the meal. And resumed spying on the room inside.
Gladly, Lucas was still held hostage inside the secret room. But he was in a worse condition than yesterday. Dried blood was sticking on his lips and his eyes were swollen.
Only carriages could enter inside the Binpark Ranch Office but Thomas' shift had ended. After taking Trace to Coiling Cradle Street he had came back to returns horses along with the carriage. The horses would be left to rest and the carriage would be washed before being rent out to the person with day shift.
Before entering inside, Trace checked the room from outside and Lucas was kept in the same place. Trace decided to wait and see. His master had said no harm will be done but Lucas was left beaten up inside. Still, Trace believed that Lucas will be well fed like her daughter and released when the time was right, just like his master said.
Trace was here because he wanted to know the answers. Why did they kidnaped Lucas and were happy to even hold her daughter as a hostage? What short of treasure Lucas encountered? What was the problem that would be resolved as long as they captured Lucas for some time?
Since morning Trace had been sitting here, observing the secret room. More time passed, the sun had completed four fifth of its journey. Four people walked inside the secret room.
Two burly men from yesterday and two lean men in office clothes. One of the burly men untied the roped around Lucas' arm and legs. An extra large lunch box was thrown at him. Two additional lunch boxes were kept towards the side.
"Is it alright to keep this bastard here?"
"Yes sir, we got answers from him. Its only his brother and a kid playing detective who found this place yesterday."
"Won't his brother will be a problem?"
"No sir-"
"Calm down partner, I was here yesterday and personally listened to the answers. No need to worry, he has not tell about it to anyone."
"Handle this bastard, I will handle my end. The horses will arrive in a week," the man nodded back at his partner in office suit.
The lean men looked at each other and walked out of the place. But the burly men stayed after closing the door. They walked towards one end of the room and sat down. The lunch boxes were opened.
"My big dog ran away from a little kid," a man roared.
"Didn't ya run away before me?" the man said with food in his mouth.
"I thought, it was tha feds baiting me. Ya know me the type of person who keep it in tha pants."
The both men looked at Lucas who was now opening the lunch box. They both looked at each other and laughed.
"I heard ya bastard took money three times," one of the man poked.
"But ya don't worry there will be nothing to blackmail anymore," other man said.
"Tell me ma man, how did ya know about it," one man said.
Lucas couldn't ignore the burly men anymore. He stopped eating and snorted before resuming to eat again.
"No more food for ya!"
One of the burly man got up and directly kicked Lucas. He snatched the lunch box and asked the question again. Lucas coughed out the food and looked at the men.
"Ya give respect, ya get respect," another burly man said.
"I tell ya. One night filled in for my brother's shift. I saw tha horse that I gave being released again. Yer bastard bosses reusing tha horses again, earning money over horse graves. My grandfather did it once, I wanted follow him."
The burly man were shocked to hear it. They sat closer to Lucas to hear the tale. Lucas also got the lunchbox back. He felt like he was boasting about himself rather than narrating.
"That night I waited in front of tha exit. I gave my horses back but tied a small thread around tha tails. After an hour tha same horses were back again. This was big, even small dirt over Binpark's big name is shaking."
"Then what happened?" the two men asked together.
"Then what? Like a man I walked up tha office and slapped tha news on yer boss. He wanted no trouble and paid me little. Again and again he paid, scared like a puppy. But one day tha other boss refused. Yer know what next.
"Lucky I was out of house, and some chumps kidnapped my daughter instead."
The three men laughed at this point. They finished the lunch together. What a wild tale for each of them.
"Ya got some guts. But now they are buying tha missing horses again. Its over for ya after a week," the burly men tied Lucas again.
"What about tha boy and yer brother?" the other burly man asked.
"No idea how they found this place," Lucas sighed.
The three men were lost into deep thought. Trace was also listening from the outside. He scribbled on his notebook before standing up. Case Closed. What a day, he looked at the distance and smiled in relief.
Thomas received a nod, he nodded back. But in front of his eyes, the boy's body shivered and gently swayed. Thomas rushed ahead to catch the falling body of Trace.