"Of course, the picture is everywhere. You can keep it if you want! Everyone has one; we hoped to find this monster someday," he stated. She nodded at him while observing the picture as they made their way down the street.
Ariana remained silent, looking at the cute, handsome Sam in the photo. The picture was so clear, bringing back memories of him.
"You know, I was surprised that the police couldn't find this monster, and yet Adam was the one who found him instead," she said, still focused on the image.
"Not just you; everyone was surprised," Musk replied.
"Hmm, I wonder why people haven't asked how Adam knew he was the monster. Where did he meet him? How is he the only one who knew about the monster? The police have so many resources, and yet… Adam discovered the monster without any research. How is that possible?" she asked, causing Musk to pause.
It seemed he wanted to think about what she was saying. She made a valid point, and that question needed an answer: How did he really know that the boy in the picture was a monster?
"Well, I’m not saying your favorites aren't trying. I’m just saying he has a few questions to answer too, and people should stop following blindly," She said.
"We have many government agencies looking for this monster, yet they have no clue. So how did Mr. Adam find him? What is he, and what tools did he use? Maybe he knew about the monster because he crossed paths with it, or perhaps…" she trailed off, gazing at Musk, leaving him to figure out the conclusion she was hinting at.
And with the expression on his face, it was clear that he understood what she was trying to say. He was giving in to her, which meant her words were truly meaningful.
"If I may ask, since this beast has been revealed, has anyone seen him? Are there any leads on how to catch it?" she inquired.
Musk shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "Well, as far as I’ve heard, the police are on it," he replied, causing Ariana to chuckle.
"Yeah, the police are on it. It’s been a few days now, and yet they’re still working on it. Don’t let politics play you like a football," she said with a brief smile, extending her hand for a shake.
"Thank you, sir. It was nice meeting you," she stated, and the young man nodded. She then left while he watched her until she was out of sight.
  
                   • John's Home •
 
"I swear I have nothing to do with your sister's disappearance. Forget the fact that I’ve been threatening both of you; all of my threats were not true. I was only trying to scare you so you wouldn’t tell anyone about what happened between us! I don’t know what happened to Rose; I’m telling the truth," he said as Rosemary and Finn sat in front of him, listening.
He could no longer go to work since Rosemary and Finn had found him at home. He needed to address the issue and clear his name, showing them that he was innocent of the accusations.
Rosemary remained silent, tears streaming down her face. She couldn't shake the feeling that John was lying. She knew her sister had been scared—very scared—but what troubled her the most was that her sister’s phone was unreachable.
If Rose had really run away, she would have called to let her know. She wouldn’t just leave without a word, knowing that Rosemary would be worried and searching for her. All Mary could think was that John had kidnapped her and taken her phone to prevent them from reaching her.
"Okay then, Rosemary, you heard him..."
"Heard who?" Rosemary interrupted Finn, her anger flaring.
"There’s nothing I want to hear. The only thing I want to hear is that you have brought back my sister! I won’t believe your lies because I know who you really are—you’re nothing but a monster!" she shouted at him, filled with rage. John stayed silent, looking at her. He realized it would be hard to prove his innocence.
The worst mistake he made was calling them in the first place and threatening them. If he hadn’t done that, maybe things wouldn’t have escalated like this. He couldn’t blame Rosemary for accusing him; instead, he blamed himself for risking his freedom. He knew that if this situation reached the wrong ears, he could end up in jail.
"Rosemary, please calm down, okay? I know that John has done many terrible things, and so have I. When I..." He was still speaking, but Rose interrupted him.
"Yours is different! You didn't try to rape us, nor did you threaten us to keep it a secret. Instead, you begged for our understanding! Unlike him, who threatened me, and now my sister is missing. He wants me to believe he has nothing to do with it!" She yelled.
"Yes, I understand, but I know John. I can tell when he’s lying! As I’ve told you before, we are close friends, and we can sense when each other is being dishonest. Just calm down, okay? Let’s give him some time because he’s a police officer," Finn said, while John widened his eyes, wondering what Finn meant. He had already told them he had no involvement in Roseline's disappearance, so what were they waiting for? To provide information he had no idea about?
"Finn, I told you that I'm not with her sister. In fact, I don't know what happened to her. So what do you mean by giving me time?" John asked.
"You’re an officer, John. Her sister is missing, so you’re supposed to help find her! That’s the job of the police, isn’t it?" Finn pressed. John swallowed hard, glancing from Finn to Rosemary.
This was a significant dilemma for him. He was supposed to be busy with the monster case, which everyone expected the police to address soon. If they didn’t release information quickly, it could damage the police reputation and shake his office. Yet, refusing to search for Roseline might make it seem like he was involved in her kidnapping, even though he knew he wasn’t.
"What's wrong?" Finn pulled John out of his thoughts with a sigh.
"Finn, I'm an officer, and you know how serious this case is. We should all be focused..." John started, but Rosemary interrupted him loudly.
"I don't care about your case! You must find my sister, and I give you just three days to bring her back. If you don't, I will expose you and your evil deeds. In the end, you will have to find my sister before you end up in jail!"
She shouted, slamming her hand down on the table before storming out of the house. John and Finn were left staring at each other. Just as John was about to speak, Finn cut him off.
"You brought this on yourself, bro. Maybe I could have helped, but trying to force yourself on my woman? You should know that I’m now your enemy. Until you find her sister, we both know our places." Finn said, then left the house, leaving John to face the consequences.