In Foster estate where Jean's current home was located, two figures one a male and the other a female could be seen alighting from a taxi cab.
On their faces, tired expressions were evident.
The male figure had a height of 5.8 feet, silvery short hair, well trimmed beards, chisel quare face, brown sharp eyes and had average looks. While the female figure had a height of about 5.4 feet, long raven hair that was tied into a ponytail, black intelligent eyes and a beautiful round face that couldn't pass unnoticed.
It was 6PM. and the sun was on the verge of collapsing in the western horizon as it painted the world in shades of orange and golden brown.
These two were none other than Bruin Dek and Natalie. They had been moving in and outside of the estate in search of their lost sons.
They had visited every boy's friends and acquaintances since morning but to no avail.
Since it was Bruin that knew most of the boys' friends, he was the one who suggested most of the trips. Natalie barely knew that much friends that the boys spent most of their time with. So, most of the time, she relied on Bruin to dictate the search process.
Before commencing with the search, the two had agreed to keep the matters private since they didn't want the news to spread and get in the hands of wrong people.
They had handled the matter with tact in order to never leave a clue in the minds of every person they asked about the whereabouts of the boys.
Now that their mission seemed to have hit a rock, they were hit by a sudden epiphany that they need to come up with the next possible solution.
Moving to the curbs and coming to an abrupt stop, Natalie raised her head and faced Bruin with a grim expression.
"Since this seems not to be working, it is time now we bring forth the next possible solution. Since we had an entire day thinking about this, I hope that you were able to come up with the best solution."
Natalie said as she gazed at Bruin who stood next to her facing the street road.
"I hope you also have a better suggestion."
Clearing his throat Bruin continued...
"For me, my next solution would be confirming the code of the contact that Jean contacted you with. This way, we can have a chance of identifying their possible location, incase they are still together.
I could have also suggested tracking their cellphones for the last place used, but this can go against our promise of keeping the matter private, since it will involve government officials."
With a nod, Natalie's expression turned serious.
"That is a nice suggestion. I can say our minds are in sync since it was the same suggestion I had in mind."
Giving Natalie a sidelong glance, Bruin snorted.
"...I still have another suggestion."
Bruin said after a moment of contemplation.
Turning to her left and gazing at Bruin, Natalie blinked severally.
"Bring it forth, let me hear it."
Lingering for a moment, Bruin gazed at the sky before turning to face Natalie.
"There is still one of their friends that we are yet to visit."
Suddenly, Natalie's expression darkened.
"Enough of this useless trips of yours. These trips have been taxing and useless. I don't think I am going to do this again. Besides, it is already getting dark. Let's just call it a day."
For a moment, Bruin was stunned. But he still maintained a straight face.
"I know the trips have been tiring, but for me to suggest this last one, I have my own reasons."
Bruin said in a friendly tone.
In an instance, Natalie's expression was perky.
"Why did you suggest it then?"
Natalie asked out of curiosity.
"First of all, this friend of their's lives within this estate and it is just less than a kilometer from here. It is just good that we stopped here."
Currently, the two were standing along the street that was in the southern wing of the estate. Here, they were planning to take another carb that would drop them off at their homes in the western wing of the estate.
"So, what you are trying to imply is that we can walk there?"
Natalie asked after a short moment of silence.
"Yes."
Bruin answered with a nod.
"Even if it is that close, how sure are you that the outcome is going to be different from our previous visits?"
Natalie asked in a serious tone as she caressed her hair.
"It can be different because this was the friend that they spent most of the time with."
"Why do you think that is so?"
Natalie asked with a confused look.
"Because she stays closer and she is special."
Bruin said with a grin.
Suddenly, Natalie's mind was in a maze.
Of all the boys' friends they had initially visited, none of them was a female. But with the mention of a female friend, a sense of realization struck her mind.
'Could this be the female friend that Jean had previously told me about?'
Natalie thought to herself as her mood livened.
In an instance, Natalie was enthusiastic about this last trip. She understood that for the boys to have a female friend, she must be special since she was the only one they knew about.
"How can a five kilometer distance be considered a short proximity? Any way, it is still a walkable distance. Show me the way, time is running out."
Natalie said with a complicated look on her face.
Without further hesitations, Bruin stepped on the road turned to his right and started moving down the street. Upon seeing this, Natalie didn't waste even a single second and tagged along.
The streets on these parts of the estate were no different from those on the Western wing in terms of structure. The only noticeable difference was that, unlike the streets on the Western wing, these streets were fleeting with taxis and they were more busy in terms of traffic.
The houses looked independently different a clear indication that were build by different people. People walked on the sidewalks and some rode bikes along the street. The streets were lively which was a complete opposite of the streets on the Western wing where the two resided.
From the look of things, it became clear why the boys liked visiting their friend on this Southern wing. They were after the lively atmosphere.
After a twenty minutes walk, the two crossed the road and entered another street on the left side of the road. After passing three gates, they stopped at the next one which was the fourth on the left side of the street. This street was similar to the small street that led to the houses of the two on the Western wing of Foster estate.
If someone could have visited such place at night, it could have been easy for the person to mistake the street with the one leading to Bruin's and Natalie's homes.
"Here is the place."
Bruin said after heaving a sigh.
Natalie looked at the gate with a glint of curiosity.
The gate was deep blue in colour, with beautiful patterns edged on its surface. It stood eight feet from the ground and twelve feet wide.
The house behind it was painted with a mixture of dark brown and white paints. Just as most houses in this street, it was a single storey house.
'What if it turns out that they are here? And if they aren't here but at least she knows where they went? That would be the best news of the day.'
Natalie mused as she locked her eyes on the gate before them.
In the next moment, Bruin knocked at the gate.
After a couple of minutes had passed, a small gate on the left side of the gate was pulled open and a security guard with a heavy build stepped through it.
He was approximately 6 feet tall and was putting on a guard uniform with a cap that had an certain company's emblem. The same emblem was also stitched on the left pocket of his shirt and the side pockets of his trouser.
"How can I help you?"
The security guard asked in a serious tone.
"We are here to see Tasha."
Suddenly, a wave of realization hit Natalie.
'So, that is her name? If she is the good cook that Jean told me about then I will be proud to share a word with her, because she seems to follow in my footsteps.'
Natalie thought with a grin.
At this point, the skills of the friend that Jean had talked about her when they were together some years back, made her remember how good she was at cooking at her younger age.
Although she didn't have a clue how the lady was, Natalie was sure that she was Jean's age mate.
Although the possibility of the friend they were here to visit were still there, she still chose to trust her intuition.
It was not like seeing her was an achievement, but she believed that the lady must be special in one way or the other.
"Who are you to her?"
The guard asked after a short moment of silence.
"I am Axel's dad and she is Jean's mum. Our children are her friends."
Bruin answered with a nod.
Suddenly, the guard gave them a teethed smile.
"Oh! My name is Gideon it is my honour to meet you two."
The guard said as he stretched his hand forth for a handshake.
Suddenly, Bruin was stunned. Natalie on the other hand looked confused.
'What is going on here?'
Natalie asked herself out of confusion.
(^□☆□^)