Everything seemed off.
Nicole sent the womanâs photo to a hacker friend overseas with a message.
âCould you help me identify this woman?â
The response was brief.
âOkay.
â
Nicole stared at Roscoeâs image in the photo with a heavy heart.
He appeared thinner than before.
How did things come to this? He was once so vibrant.
Nicole blamed herself for everything.
If only Roscoe didnât know her, perhaps things would be betterâ¦
Just then, the taxi driver announced the arrival, and Nicole gathered her thoughts.
Her tasks were loaded, including investigating her fatherâs death and helping Roscoe.
She decided to tackle them one by one and unravel what was happening.
Stepping out of the taxi, Nicole surveyed her surroundings.
Melissaâs neighborhood was modest and somewhat rundown.
The buildings were old and dingy, and the area around them was disordered.
Nicole located Melissaâs apartment using the address Jemma provided.
After knocking persistently, no one answered.
Nicole called Jemma again.
âJemma, is Melissa at work?â
âNo, that girl has been acting odd.
She hasnât been seen for three days,â Jemma said.
âIs anyone at home?â
Nicole frowned.
âNo.
Iâve been knocking for a while, but no oneâs answering.
â
âThat damn girl, she hasnât run awa y, has she?â Jemma said helplessly.
âShe still owes me 800, 000 dollars.
â
After Melissa caused trouble last time, Lowe had helped settle some of her debts because she served him well.
While Lowe had problems in erecting, he found other ways to enjoy Melissaâs company.
Melissa knew how to keep him pleased, so he helped her financially.
Melissa hadnât fled because Jemma had her passport and ID.
She was effectively trapped.
Besides, no one was willing to pay such a hefty sum for her.
After all, her cosmetically altered appearance wasnât deemed valuable.
Nicole responded, âThen Iâll go ask around.
â
Nicole tried Melissaâs other contact information but got no response.
There was no sound of ringing from inside the apartment either.
At that moment, an elderly lady walking her dog approached and saw Nicole at the door, asking, âMiss, are you looking for the young woman from this apartment?â
Nicole nodded and asked, âDo you know her, madam?â
âYes, she rents from me,â the elderly lady said.