"What are you doing here?" Jerome asked Drake, giving him a quick glance before looking back to his phone and typing furiously.
"Dad," Drake said, not adding anything afterwards. He stood awkwardly hands inside the pocket of his suede black jeans.
"And you are here, why?" Jerome asked once more, this time giving his full attention to the man that suddenly began to rub the back of his neck. His cheeks began to red. Whether it is from embarrassment or anger, they do not know.
Jerome has always been blunt. Too blunt to a point that it kinda hurts people's feelings.
Drake and Jerome looked at each other for sometime. No one wanted to give in. Drake, not wanting to say anything, while Jerome silently probes for an answer for his question.
"Are you guys done measuring each other?"
Mace said, breaking their silence. The two men looked down at her, she was one of the smallest women they know, yet she packs a punch when she talks.
"Jeron has been calling me, and sending me messages. It seems that the missing children's case we unearthed a few days ago is connected."
That caught Jerome's attention.
"What?"
Mace looked at her boss and nodded. Her voice sounded grim when she continued. "Neil, remember him?" she waited for him to nod before continuing, "He was so bored that he read the case file of the children who had been missing in the past, some of those missing were found at the site."
Jerome's face darken with anger. The number of missing children has been increasing for a few years. Some were found wandering in other cities, they claimed that they were taken by a group of men. When examined, all organs were intact. He suspected that they were taken because of their blood.
The needle marks on their skin was a clear sign of the amount of blood that was taken from them.
Those were the lucky ones…some were not.
From organ harvesting, to being sold off, they were the children that did not go back to their families. The ones that did not make it home, the ones that were forgotten by society.
And that was what the Remnant Division was about.
Jerome threw the set of keys to Drake and told him to drive. There was an urgency in his voice that Mace caught on. With Jerome sitting shotgun, he showed him the way to the place.
"Mace? Drake looks like he is lost, care to explain?"
"Why the hell do I have to tell this guy anything?" Mace angrily asked. "He is not even a police officer-"
"He will be working with us as part of the experience. Our chief - nyeta - cut the office budget," Jerome's belligerent voice filled the car. "Drake's dad was gracious enough to help us. In exchange he needs to at least see how we operate."
Mace stayed silent. What was there to say? Their chief was that uptight, and it seems that she was one unreasonable person to talk to. How did Jerome tap into this person, Mace has no idea.
The ride to the site was filled with tension. Mace was in constant communication with Jeron, while Drake and Jerome stayed silent the whole drive. The voicemail Jeron sent was becoming more and more concerning.
"Most of them are kids, and teens…"
That statement was delivered with horror and Mace was sure that Jeron would be asking for therapy after this one. He was one of the most level headed people in his department. This case would definitely change him.
"About five years ago, there was a sudden spike in missing person's reports. Majority of them were teens and kids that were around five to seven years old," Mace began.
"I remember that. My dad was in constant state of stress that year. He was part of a humanitarian right movement and they were pressuring the cops to find those missing kids," Drake recalled.
It was a time when half the country was united. It was impossible for the police to keep track of 119 million people. What was the sad part about it was most of those missing people belonged to the poverty line. They were the kids that would be found walking on the streets working. Selling flowers, or even selling candies, some would resort to begging for food.
"Dad did all he could to help those in need. He built several homes that would house those who were wandering the streets," Drake added.
Mace was nodding at him. "Draco Teves was, is, one of the most well known philanthropists from the Philippines. He was one the champions of the poor, up till now. Your father is a great man, so IDK why you are here, tagging along, when you could stay at your office doing whatever pencil pushers do," she commented.
There was no venom in her voice, just plain curiosity. Mace was not about to be mad at a man who looks more clueless that a cat, but Mr. Draco must have a motive.
"His father wanted him to learn how we operate," Jerome answered. "Uncle Draco had been telling me that he wanted to see how RD works. He wanted all those cases we have to be solved. Even though i told him the feat of solving all the case files we have at the archived would be impossible."
"But why?" Mace inquired.
"I don't know…"
Mace could see the confusion in both men's eyes. Rather than asking further questions she stopped and continued to explain.
"The commissioner back then was laidback, and an a**. For him, the rich were the top priority, common people or beggars as he put it, did not need the cops help. It was a waste of resources to look for people who will not make a change," she continues, irritation coated in her words.
"At that time, the chief of the fire department stepped up to help and spread word. It didn't take long for others to be aware of the sudden spike of missing persons. Communities band together, and neighbors look out for one another. People became aware, and everyone started to fear going out without a buddy. Then it trickled down. The wave that cause panic subsided and teens who were reported missing appeared in different regions that they did not live in."
"When they were questioned, none of them remembered what happened. Blood work was negative with any substance, but when their platelets were checked, their RBC's were dangerously low," Mace said.
"RBC's?"
"Red blood cells."
"Ahhh. How many teens were found?"
"In that year? Around ten, all of them had the same story and conditions."
"What does this burned house have anything to do with your case?"
"Jeron's sisters were among of the missing people that year. And with the last picture he sent me, he just found his little sister's burned body."