Chapter 2

The investigation begins

Elisa's POV

"Maza, my office!" Captain yelled.

I followed her to her office. Her steps were heavy on the tile floor. I matched her pace. She sat at her desk, grabbing something. I closed the door.

"Someone has reported Natalie Mancia of Mancia Industries missing yesterday. Apparently, she went to a meeting and never came back to work. This is a high priority case since she is 6 and a half months pregnant." She explained.

"Do we know anything else?" I asked.

"We have a warrant to look through her computer and home. Elisa, you're the only qualified detective available at the moment to solve this. Bluestone is still healing from his injuries. If you need backup, I'll give it to you, but we can't afford to tip off the kidnapper." She said sternly.

"I understand, Captain." I nodded.

"Everything we have so far is here. I suggest you go to Mancia Industries first." She gave a file.

"Alright, Captain." I said, turning to the door.

I read the file. Natalie Mancia was 33, white with brown hair and hazel eyes. She had no criminal record. Her company, Mancia Industries, was a medical tech business. It had a few lawsuits. People saying a product had hurt their family member or other claims of the sort.

I locked the file away, grabbing the warrant, and drove to Mancia Industries. It took an hour to get there. I parked my car. It was a typical skyscraper with the company's name on it. I walked to the front desk.

"Detective Maza, NYPD. I have a warrant to take Natalie Mancia's computer." I told the secretary, showing my badge.

"Oh, of course. Follow me." They lead me to her office.

They led me to Natalie's office. It was big and wide with lots of shelves. I went to her desk and unplugged the computer. I put in a box and went to interview the receptionist on this floor. We took a conference room for privacy.

"Alright, Mr. Blackton. Tell me when you came into work and if you saw Natalie Mancia yesterday." I said.

"I came into work at 7 o'clock. Natalie came in around 8. I worked for awhile. Then around 11:00, I saw Natalie take the elevator. My hour long lunch started at 12:30. I stayed in the building the whole time. At 4 o'clock, a client arrived and asked where Natalie was. I called her work phone, but no one answered. I tried her cell phone too, but it didn't work. I brought in my supervisor and that's all I know." He told me.

I wrote down the event and asked a few more questions. He answered them then I interviewed the supervisor next. The supervisor's story matched Mr. Blackton's. However, she added that Natalie's work calendar did not have any names. The company endured a phishing scam and client names got leaked.

I brought in a few more people, but they didn't know who she was meeting. Natalie didn't seem to talk to her coworkers very much. I called Captain Chavez. I asked to have the security footage from that day and any phone calls for Natalie. I brought the computer to my car and decided what to do. I would check her home after I dropped the computer off. I drove back to the precinct.

Elisa's POV End