24. Chapter 24 Sabrina
Chapter 24: Sabrina
S abrina gave up any attempt at work and logged into Freddy’s computer remotely. It was well past midnight, and everyone else had gone to bed hoping Freddy would turn up in the morning. That didn’t work for Sabrina. Every instinct she had was screaming that something was wrong.
She navigated to his bank and credit card accounts, scanning through the recent transactions. There - the cheese shop purchase from several hours ago. But after that... nothing.
Her heart raced as the implications sank in. Freddy had vanished without a trace sometime after buying that cheese. For her. She stood up to stretch and headed downstairs to grab a glass of water as she thought.
Freddy’s disappearance coming right on the heels of his contentious meeting with Dynamic Solutions sent a chill down her spine. Brian Renner’s face flashed through her thoughts. The way he’d always seemed to be lurking, watching Freddy a little too closely. Could Renner have done something to Freddy?
Sabrina collapsed onto the couch in the living room and dropped her head into her hands. She had to figure out where Freddy was, if he was safe. Her eyes burned and her chest ached at the thought of any harm coming to him. Her gut told her Renner was involved in Freddy’s disappearance, but she needed proof before making accusations that could jeopardize her job and Freddy’s safety.
She bounced her knee as she thought, trying to make sense of the situation. Renner’s constant questions and over-eager interest in TI felt important. He might have been trying to learn about Freddy’s work, routines, and living situation. Those might all be things he’d need to know if he was going to snatch Freddy. Then again, Renner should know that Freddy didn’t have access to the full code.
A thought struck her like a lightning bolt. What if Renner planned to use Freddy as leverage to force Patrick’s hand? A wave of nausea washed over her, but Sabrina shoved it down. Speculation wouldn’t help Freddy. She needed facts, and she needed them fast.
Sabrina grabbed her laptop, glad she’d brought it downstairs with her, and snuggle into the corner of the couch. It was nothing like her loveseat where she and Freddy spent so much time gaming together, but it was the closest she had, and she wanted to feel closer to him right then. Even if it didn’t make a fucking lick of logical sense. She was determined to find something, anything, that could lead her to Freddy. She hacked into Freddy’s email account, searching for any correspondence with Renner that might provide a clue. There was nothing.
Sabrina’s eyes narrowed as she scanned Freddy’s accounts once more. Something wasn’t adding up. She pulled up his recent transactions, focusing on gas purchases. The last fill-up was almost a week ago.
Frowning, she opened a new tab and searched for information on Freddy’s Audi A3. Tank capacity, fuel efficiency - she absorbed the details, her mind racing. With a few quick calculations, she realized Freddy wouldn’t have had enough gas to make it home from the meeting.
She leaned back, rubbing her temples. The cheese shop was in a plaza with a parking garage, but there was a gas station on the corner. Freddy must have planned to stop there, but there was no charge on his card.
Sabrina’s breathing quickened. This could be the lead she needed. She needed to call the cheese shop, but it would have to wait until they opened.
Knowing she wouldn’t sleep, but with nothing else to do, Sabrina closed her computer and returned to her room to curl up under covers and watch a movie. She was stuck until morning.
Unsurprisingly, she dozed fitfully, but didn’t get any real sleep. It didn’t stop Sabrina from starting a pot of coffee the minute the sun peaked over the horizon. Patrick and Holly were up shortly after her, but while she was solely focused on Freddy, their attention was split between worry for him and keeping the business running as usual.
It took forever before the clock finally ticked past nine, but as soon as it did, Sabrina punched the button to call the cheese shop. She drummed her fingers on her thigh as it rang.
“Thank you for calling Cheese to You. How can I help you?” a cheerful voice answered.
“Hi, I’m calling about a customer who visited your shop yesterday,” Sabrina said, trying to keep her voice steady. “Tall guy, shaggy brown hair. Would’ve bought some sheep’s milk cheese.”
“Oh yes, I remember him,” the owner replied. “Friendly fellow. Said it was his girlfriend’s favorite.”
Sabrina’s cheeks flushed, but she pressed on. “Did you happen to see him leave? Or hear anything about his car being left in the parking garage? Do you validate parking?”
The owner chuckled. “Sorry, miss. I did validate his parking, but that’s just a quick stamp. I don’t keep up with anything else related to the parking garage. Too busy with my cheeses, you know?”
Sabrina’s hope deflated, but the owner continued, “If you’re worried about a car being left overnight, you should call the property manager. They handle any towing issues.”
She perked up. “Do you have their number?”
The owner rattled off the digits, which Sabrina quickly jotted down.
“Thank you so much,” she said, already plotting her next move.
As she hung up, Sabrina felt a glimmer of hope. It wasn’t much, but it was a start. She’d find Freddy, no matter what it took.
Sabrina’s hands trembled as she dialed the property manager’s number. Her heart fluttered and skipped a beat, hoping for any information about Freddy’s whereabouts.
“Plaza Management, how can I assist you?” a bored voice answered.
Sabrina swallowed hard. “Hi, I’m calling about a car that might have been left overnight in your parking garage.”
The woman on the other end sighed. “Let me guess, silver Audi?”
Sabrina’s breath caught. “Yes! That’s the one.”
“Yep, we had it towed last night. The owner can retrieve it from City Impound on 5th Street. They’ll need ID and proof of ownership.”
Sabrina scribbled down the details, her mind reeling. “Thank you so much,” she managed before hanging up.
She stared at her notes, a mix of relief and dread washing over her. They had Freddy’s car, but no Freddy. Something was very wrong.
With shaking fingers, Sabrina carried the page with her notes downstairs to Holly, who led her directly into Patrick’s office.
“Any news?” Patrick’s voice was tense, his shoulders rigid.
Sabrina took a deep breath. “I found Freddy’s car. It was towed from the parking garage near the cheese shop last night.”
“What? Why didn’t he move it?”
“That’s just it, Patrick. I don’t think he could.” Sabrina’s voice cracked. “I think someone grabbed him as he was leaving the shop.”
Silence stretched across the room. When Patrick spoke again, his voice was low and dangerous. “Tell me everything you know.”
Sabrina recounted her investigation, from checking Freddy’s accounts to calling the cheese shop and property manager. As she laid out the evidence, the horrible reality solidified in her mind.
“Patrick, someone has Freddy. And I’m betting it has something to do with that meeting at Dynamic Solutions.”
“Sonofabitch!” The phone clipped to Holly’s waist rang, interrupting them.
“Taylor Industries, this is Holly,” she answered without leaving the room. “Patrick, you need to take this.” She handed him the phone and ushered Sabrina out of the office.
Back in the living room, she stared at Holly in disbelief. How could anything be more important than finding Freddy? Holly ignored her and disappeared into her own office.
Sabrina understood they both had work to do, and Freddy was an adult, but why wasn’t everyone panicking the way they should?
She paced the living room before grabbing her laptop to see if she could come up with any other bright ideas to help find…her brain replaced her usual thought of ‘best friend’ with ‘the man she loved’ and her entire body shuddered. Was that right? Did she love Freddy? Not as a friend, but in a romantic way?
A soft ping from her laptop caught her attention, pulling her back from her thoughts. Sabrina flipped through the windows she had open to find the one that had alerted her with a notification.
Her eyes widened as she saw the private message from her favorite online forum. She clicked it open, her breath catching in her throat as she read the words:
TruthYeller: I hear you’ve lost something. Or should I say someone?
Sabrina’s blood ran cold. She reread the message, her mind racing. How could anyone on the forum know about Freddy? She’d been careful never to mention her connection to Taylor Industries or any specifics about her life.
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard as she debated how to respond. Should she play dumb? Demand answers? Her instincts screamed that this was connected to Freddy’s disappearance, but fear kept her frozen in place.
Sabrina’s heart pounded as she stared at the message on her screen. Her fingers trembled over the keyboard, torn between the urge to demand answers and the fear of revealing too much.
TruthYeller had always seemed to know more than he should. His comments about China’s technological progress had raised red flags before, but now they took on a sinister new meaning. Could China be behind Freddy’s disappearance? The pieces started to fall into place in Sabrina’s mind–Renner’s odd behavior, the leaked documents, and now this cryptic message.
Sabrina took a deep breath, steadying her nerves before typing a response.
Sabrina: What do you know?
The reply came almost instantly.
TruthYeller: More than you’d like. Less than I need. Let’s help each other.
Sabrina’s brow furrowed. She weighed her options carefully, aware that every word could have consequences.
Sabrina: I’m listening.
TruthYeller: Your friend’s absence has caused quite a stir. Certain parties are very interested in what he knows.
Sabrina’s suspicions crystallized. This wasn’t just about industrial espionage or corporate rivalry. If China was involved, the stakes were far higher than she’d imagined.
Sabrina: And what do these ‘parties’ want?
TruthYeller: The same thing everyone wants. Power. Control. The future.
Sabrina’s mind raced. She thought of Freddy, alone and scared, possibly being interrogated about technology he didn’t fully understand. She thought of the potential consequences if TI’s advancements fell into the wrong hands.
She wanted to bargain away everything she had to offer with the hopes of getting Freddy back, but the risk was too great. If she handed over whatever these people wanted, why would they keep Freddy alive?
Sabrina: Where is he?
TruthYeller: I’m honestly not sure; That’s what I need you to find out.
Sabrina: If I can figure that out, why would I tell you instead of the police?
TruthYeller: Don’t be stupid. You’ll get him killed.
TruthYeller might be right, but he or she was also obviously involved somehow. Giving them more information and access felt wrong on every level. She might not know what to do to save Freddy, but her gut was screaming that it could not involve TruthYeller. With her heart in her throat, Sabrina closed out of the forum and shut down her computer without responding. A man could only want what he didn’t already have. TruthYeller was a problem, but he didn’t have Freddy, nor did he have access to whatever it was he wanted. Sabrina wasn’t going to be the one to change that.