3:10 A.M.

In Hotel La' More Room No. 902...

Jim and Nathan were delving into Jonathan Stone’s case file with diligence. It’s been nearly two hours since the Captain called. But, as he said, he never broke his deal. They could see their children via the live stream to which they had been allowed access. Except for the fact that Ivanka and William’s hands and legs were tied, they seemed to be in decent shape. They could also hear what they were saying, but there was no way their kids knew that their fathers could listen to them.

"We tried so hard that neither of them ever met and look at us. Here we are at this crossroads," Jim said to Nathan.

"What more could we have done? At the very least, our secrets are safe. Our kids know nothing about us." Nathan told his friend.

"How long, though? They may not be aware about us, but the kidnapper does. So, we will be good only till we comply with them. Perhaps we should not have called the police. Things would have gone even more smoothly." Jim voiced out this thought.

“Really, Jim. Those individuals attempted to intimidate us. We can’t let them get away with this easily. We should check with the officers to see if they discovered anything.” Nathan rose from his chair and went to speak with the police, followed by Jim.

“Has there been any news?” He inquired.

“No, the kidnappers have provided your children sleeping bags to sleep in.” Both Jim and Nathan could see that in front of the screen. They listened in on Bossman’s entire conversation with them.

“Mr. Patterson and Anderson, we’d like to question you again. Did you stall Jonathan Stone’s medication on purpose? This information is crucial to the case.” Mr. Martin, the officer in command, inquired.

“We are reputed Doctors, officers. Why will we do such a thing? The kidnapper is lying there, attempting to turn our children against us.” Nathan defended themselves.

“We want to believe you; however, we cannot ignore the fact that your kids were not surprised. They are not ten-year-old who can be fooled.” The officer was striving to look at the larger picture.

“No, they are not, but they are still not mature enough to understand the gravity of our profession. We had to compromise our time with them several times for a more serious cause, but we don’t blame them for seeking for any reason to blame us.” This time, it was Jim who justified themselves. Mr. Martin shook his head, giving the doctors the benefit of the doubt.

“I pray you are telling the truth because if you are not, you guys will be in a lot of trouble.”

“We are telling you the truth. If we had been lying, I am sure Jonathan may have lodged a lawsuit against us. I am also certain that we would have been in huge trouble with competent officers like you.” Jim responded to them with sincerity in his voice. But the officer-in-charge was still not convinced.

“Are you sure you don’t want to inform your wives about this situation?” Mr. Martin inquired.

During the briefing, Jim and Nathan shared their disagreement with the participation of their wives. They don’t want their wives to be sick with anxiety about the kids. If the situation can be quickly fixed, then they want to keep them out of it for as long as possible.

“Yes, we are still firm on that decision. Until all of us have control over the current scenario, we want to keep it under wraps. Both our wives are not in Paris with us, and none of us wants them to travel alone in this terrible situation.” Jim told him.

“Plus, the kidnappers are still out there; we don’t want them to use our wives against us as well,” Nathan added.

They cannot have their wives here. Not for any reason.

“As you say.” Mr. Martin said. “The situation is still under control; there is no media involvement, so there is no possibility of leaks from our end."

"Do you guys have leads on any Jonathan family members that may be behind this?" Nathan inquired.

"Everyone has an alibi. What's strange is that Bossman claims to be Jonathan's brother in the video, but according to our sources, Jonathan doesn't have a brother. Distant, yes. But none of them will go to the lengths to pull this stunt." Mr. Martin informed them.

“Perhaps a close friend or someone who considers him as a brother?” Jim suggested.

“That is just what we are working on. Nonetheless, none of the people with whom Johnathan has come into touch seems to be in line with this case. Our man also ran a background check on his troupe. The ones that perform plays with him, but they all seemed to get along. By any chance, does William or Ivanka knows Jonathan?” Mr. Conner inquired.

“No. They don’t. I am certain that they never even had an encounter with him.” Nathan told them. He spoke up right away at the mention of their kid’s meeting Jonathan, which made them look rather suspicious.

“How about your other son, Mr. Anderson? You have two sons, don’t you?” The officer inquired, even though he was fully aware of his existence.

“Yes, his name is Michael Anderson. But, currently, he is in Canada for his work.” Nathan told him.

“And I presume you don’t want him involved either.”

“Yes, you are right. I don’t want to worry Michael for any reason.” Nathan confirmed.

“Are you sure about that? Since your son, Michael, can help us by linking the dots that we are missing.” The officer insisted on meeting with Michael Anderson.

“Mr. Martin, I have told you before, and I will tell you again. I don’t want my or my partner’s family involved in this. I hope it won’t be a problem.” It was more of a threat than a request from Nathan.

“Of course, Sir.” Mr. Martin wished to strangle both of them. He knows what influential people are capable of, that if they want something, they get it. Morals and ethics have no place in their world.

He then went to check on the state of the case with his colleagues.

“What is the status?” He inquired.

“Everything is under control. We will have them in our hands sooner than they realize.” Paul told one of his colleagues.

“Good.”

Jim spoke up loudly before Conner could ask any further questions.

“The kidnappers are calling again.”