“Excuse me. Can I help you?” A female Maintenance worker asked the purple Hawaiian shirt wearing man of African Decedent that had been spying on the Matthews Family. “Umm… no unless you can tell me the room that family that just left is staying in?” the man answered in slight worry. “Sorry but without a police warrant or delivery of a planned package, by law I am forbidden from telling you that if I knew” the maintenance worker. “Right… just checking” the man apologised before leaving the tanks room himself, thinking back on why he was following the Matthews family.
…1 month earlier…
“Is the drink to your liking?” the man now dressed in a formal Gray suit asked the Blond-haired woman in an orange Jumper with black trousers and matching slip-on shoes across the desk from him. “Honestly I expected whisky or bourbon personally” the woman confessed. “I avoid the stuff as best I can, not for religious reasons mind more over the reasons my time in the police was cut rather short” the man assured. “Of course Mr Thomas” the woman accepted. “Liam… please, after all you’re a perspective client” the man insisted.
“Well to start Liam, 6 months ago my friend Jessica while doing a guest speaking at this middle school over the benefits of proper mixtures of exercise and diet to inform me she might have found my lost daughter” the woman then started. “Mind explaining how you lost your daughter then Tara?” Liam then suggested. “It was 11 years ago. My Husband and I were on a trip but while I was out shopping for groceries the holiday home we were using was broken into, intruders left James in intensive care for over a year while kidnapping Katie” Tara started explaining. “And no ransom was demanded?” Liam questioned. “Not at all and over how badly James was attacked a manhunt was issued but nothing came of it. Until Jessica’s chance encounter possibility that is” Tara continued. “And why not involve the local police? I mean by my knowledge over everything we are still well into the statute of limitations?” Liam questioned. “Actually Jessica started that on our behalf while Jame and I headed down… only by the time we arrived Jessica was the one being arrested for making a false report” Tara revealed “Turns out the woman of these two suspected kidnappers is cousins to a local Detective”.
“So… my role is to go after them myself and collect DNA From this girl you suspect is your kidnapped daughter?” Liam guessed after the story “Well that I can do but their will be a catch”. “Catch?” Tara questioned in dread. “I need you to give both yours and your husband James DNA to this lab I call on to do such tests, meantime I’ll work on getting the girl’s DNA” Liam instructed “See the thing is in my early PI days I did allow clients full control over lab choices and DNA handling, but then a few cases ended up with me on notice such as a patternicity suite almost had this mortgage manager appearing as a deadbeat to twins when the real father was lying dead in a local cemetery as an example”. “…I see” Tara accepted before getting a file out and handing it over, one baring a class photo cutout of Ariel on it, “These are the details of the girl in question”. “One last thing. How did this Jessica come to think this Ariel girl could be your missing daughter Katie?” Liam then inquired. “A Slight bluish birthmark just off her left cheek on her neck, well that and a resemblance she has to some old photos of my mother” Tara assured.
…Present day…
“Damn good thing I brought my Camper Van, of all the luck when I get to the address on file I have to tail them all the way here and at the town’s famous mermaiding convention time” Liam muttered to himself as he tried to move through the crowds to follow the Matthews family “Still these suspected kidnappers are getting bold, taking the girl to a place like this at this time of year”. “THAT’S HIM” A voice then called out with Liam suddenly finding himself getting grabbed by a security guard. “Problem officer?” Liam politely asked the security guard. “You the owner of that Black and Yellow Camper Van parked in the public parking structure across the street?” the guard returned firmly while showing Liam a smartphone photo. “Yeah That’s my camper” Liam accepted “Why?”. “Owner’s here stating your parking meter payment expired an hour ago” the guard answered as said owner walked up. “Oh for crying- how much to extend alongside what fine I have to pay?” Liam then demanded from said owner. “100 an hour for the fine. 20 and hour to continue now” the owner answered while holding a tablet out. “Here” Lian insisted as he put his details in alongside a payment. “100000? ARE YOU INSANE?” the owner bellowed upon seeing the amount. “I’m on a job here and me coming to Aquatis was completely last minute on tailing someone” Liam answered before walking off to both the Guard and Owner’s confusion.
Thankfully for Liam by choosing to go to the Hotel’s attached restaurant he lucked out that the Matthews family was their and ordering food, “Talk about luck” Liam whispered to himself as the pondered on what to do next to hopefully get the DNA: