GRIEVOUS VENGEANCE

PROLOGUE

12 YEARS AGO

Janine is in their front yard playing with her dog when she noticed a pink backpack across the street. She saw it through the metal grills of their fence. She got curious about the pink backpack, she went out to take a look at it. She went closer to the back pack and stared at it.

"Someone must've dropped this along the way." She bent and picked the bag, then she suddenly felt dizzy. She fell down while still holding the bag. She saw a glimpse of a scene she barely understands. A young girl dropped the pink backpack as she was running passing by their house. The girl almost reached the playground of their village when suddenly a white van stopped, and a strange man with face mask went out of the van. He took the girl and carried her towards the van. No one's around at that moment and their area is still a little secluded. The village just started developing the community.

The young girl tried to escape but she couldn't do anything against a strong adult. The guy immediately closed the door and then they drove the van away. She saw AV 2264 at the back of the van. A yellow tiger figure toy is inside the van, its head was nodding.

"Janine!" She heard her mother, calling her. "Janine! Why are you lying on the street? What happened to you?" Janine's father asked. He lifted her and carried her as they went back inside the house. She sat down on the sofa and put Janine on her lap.

"Papa, I saw this on the street." Janine gave the pink backpack to her Papa.

"Why are you picking things on the street? You might caught germs from those things. Be careful next time, Janine. You might get sick." Her Mama warned her.

"Papa, A stranger took the owner of this bag. They were riding a white van. I saw AV 2264... yellow tiger..." Janine was trying to tell a story but she suddenly fell asleep.

"Janine!" her Papa called. He looked at his wife, Mrs. Trinidad Alistair.

"You should go and find out what happened," his wife said. She took Janine from her father and carried her to her bedroom.

Janine's father left, he took the pink backpack with him. He went to the police station to find out what happened to the owner of the bag.

As he entered the station, he saw a couple crying in front of the help desk. They seemed to be devastated, the woman was crying in front of the police officer.

"What's happening?" SPO1 Alistair—Janine's father—asked the police officer assigned on the desk.

"Their daughter is missing since she didn't go home after school," the police officer replied. "They checked with the school guard. He said her nanny picked her up, but this lady here said the nanny returned alone because her daughter wasn't in school."

"Hold on, that's my daughter's backpack!" the old lady in her 30's exclaimed. She's wearing too many gold accessories, carrying a leather hand bag and she looks like just came from the salon. She took the bag from SPO1 AListair's hand. "She opened it and checked the content of the bag. She pulled the ID card of her daughter from it, and showed it to the front desk. "Here! She's my daughter, Anika Salvador." The lady faced SPO1 Alistair. "Why do you have my daughter's bag? Where is she?"

"A passer by found this bag on the street. She said she saw a white van, a strange man went out of it and he took your daughter. She just gave me the information we need and then she left."

"What?! No! Anika!" the woman hysterically calling her daughter's name. "Who took her? find my daughter, Mr. Police Officer. Please, find my daughter!"

"We will find your daughter in no time, Madam," SPO1 Alistair assured the lady. "We have a clue."

"Really?!" The old lady saw a chance of finding her daughter. "You're a heaven sent!"

"Thank you, Madam. For now, please rest in our conference room and let's wait for the result of tracking the white van."

"Thank you," the lady said. "Just call me Mrs. Salvador. This is my boyfriend, Emil Duque."

"Please to meet you both. I am SPO1 Arthur Alistair. I'll take care of your daughter's case. Please proceed to the conference room." He looked for another police officer to assist the couple. "Let them rest for now."

He waited until the couple is far enough to hear them. "Greg," SPO1 Alistair called the help desk officer.

"Find out about the owner of a white van with the plate number AV 2264. If you found the owner, ask if it has a tiger figure with the head nodding. My daughter saw the van. Please, hide the identity of my daughter for her safety."

"Sure, Arthur. I'll do a background check on that white van." Greg made a several phone call before they found out who owns the van. He instructed some people to help him find people he was looking for. It took an hour before he found out some necessary information to solve the kidnap case of Anika Salvador.

"Arthur, the original owner of the van is Sally Manrique, and she said her agent sold the van last week to someone named Melissa Duque. They have a deed of sale which she hasn't reported yet to the LTO. She also said she left the tiger figure toy at the back," Greg said, his eyes became suspicious. "I did a background check because I heard about that guy's surname. Melissa Duque is married to Emil Duque. They have 2 daughters, one is in the hospital. Something's ringing the bell?" He motioned using his head to check the conference room.

SPO1 Alistair didn't waste time. He called a few men under his command to follow him. They rushed to the conference room to talk to the "boyfriend" of Mrs. Salvador. He knocked twice before opening the door.

"Any news you have about my daughter?" Mrs. Salvador stood up, anticipating any news about her daughter.

"I think we found your daughter." SPO1 Alistair glanced at Emil, he seemed pale and anxious about something.

"Where? Where is she?!" Mrs. Salvador stood up excitedly.

"Why don't we ask your boyfriend, Mrs. Salvador?" SPO1 Alistair stared at Emil.

"What? Why do we need to ask him?' Mrs. Salvador's confused eyes shifted from SPO1 to Emil.

"W-why ask me? I don't have any idea about Anika," he said defensively. His hands a little bit shaking while gesturing in the air.

"Melissa Duque," SPO1 just simply said the woman's name.

"Why do you know his sister?" Mrs. Salvador looked more confused.

"They're not siblings. They're married. They have two kids," a short but sweet reply from SPO1. "The van that was used in k********g your daughter earlier was bought by Melissa Duque last week, your boyfriend's wife, Mrs. Salvador."

"No way..." Mrs. Salvador's fiery eyes seemed releasing a laser. He slapped Emil on his cheeks, left and right. "You're a liar! Where is my daughter?!"

SPO1 Alistair pulled out his hand cuff and approached Emil. "You are the primary suspect in the k********g of Anika Salvador. You are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney and have him present during the interrogation. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed to you free of charge. You can waive your right to be silent before or during an interrogation, and if you do so, the interrogation must be halted. You can invoke your right to have an attorney present, and until he is present, the interrogation must be halted."

Emil tried to escape as he pulled the plastic monoblock chair and tried to hit SPO1, but the police officer's reflexes is faster than him. He immediately kicked Emil in his stomach. The suspect lost his balance. SPO1 Alistair used the chance to grab the guy and pull his arm towards his back. He successfully handcuffed both hands of the suspect. He called the other police officers outside the room to help him bring the suspect to the interrogation room.

"I can't believe i trusted that man!" Mrs. Salvador cried. "Anika!"

"We will find your daughter. Don't worry," SPO1 Alistair said, to pacify the lady.

"Please, I want my daughter back unscathe," the lady pleaded.

"We'll do our best. For now, take a rest here while we are working to find your daughter."

Emil gave out the information of the whereabouts of Anka. They hid her in an empty factory. They were able to save the kid from harm. Emil and his wife planned everything for ransom to support their daughter's hospitalization.

SPO1 Alistair got promoted to SPO2 for solving the k********g case in a short time. Mrs. Salvador gave reward to their police headquarters and offered a big reward to him but he declined it. He said it is his job to serve and protect his countrymen.

****

The former SPO1, now SPO2 Arthur Alistair, has been spending his weekends with his family after he received his promotion. He wants to have quality time with his daughter, too, and make sure she'll be fine after what happened. He and his wife still cannot understand what Janine has experienced.

They were watching TV in their living room. Janine fell asleep on her mother's lap.

"What do you think happened, Arthur? She said she didn't see it but she saw what happened while she was dizzy," Trinidad asked while brushing Janine's hair using her hand.

"I can't explain it either, but whatever it is, it was a gift from God. She shaved a child," he said it proudly.

"Let's keep it to ourselves. I want her to live her life peacefully. Other people might take advantage of her ability to see events that others couldn't see." Mrs. Trinidad kissed Janine's forehead.

"Right. She's still young. She might not remember what happened recently. Let's put her to bed." He turned off the television and carried Janine.