Chapter 1: Is It What It Is?

Before starting any thing at all, readers need to know that we'll be setting this novel up based on two different parts of the world; that follows two different time zones. As the writer, I will not be disclosing the exact locations yet but one country is going to be USA and the other one is UK.

UK Time Zone: GMT+1.00

USA Time Zone: GMT-7.00

This is the information, readers need to remember to understand different parts of the novel to avoid confusion. Now, it is time to buckle up!

15th February 2007, 12:18 a.m.: (Stanford, USA Time)

It is already past midnight. Clara is working on her latest scoop. She is a crime reporter at ABC News and has some inside information about a child trafficking group on which she is working from last 2 months. But her writing gets interrupted as she gets a call from an unknown number. Clara looks at the screen for some moment before picking up. 

“Hello?” Clara speaks up. A male, husky voice replies, “Hello, is this Clara Paterson?” Clara tries to recognize it but fails, “Yes speaking. Who is this?” 

The person says something in return that makes her jaw drop down to the floor. “What? Are you sure? ... No, just keep an eye on her; I am coming right now.” Clara hangs up abruptly and puts on her coat before rushing out to the door. 

15th February 2007, 12:56 a.m.: (Stanford, USA Time)

Riley is on her way to home when suddenly she notices a car right behind to her one. It is a navy-blue SUV and it has been like this for a while. Riley Smith lives in an outskirt area of Stanford and often gets home late from a very empty road as she works as a crime reporter at ABC News. And since the road is not connected to any big road or area of Stanford, not much of the car passes from there. And living there since childhood, Riley knows almost everyone pretty well. And right now, she cannot remember anyone from that area having a navy-blue SUV. A strange fear covers her mind, making a chill go down by her spine. She shuffles through her things to find her cell phone while driving. She dials her boyfriend Dylan Souvey’s number as she checks on her pen drive once. Riley looks at the side mirror and the car is still there, following her. Just then, Dylan picks up the call. 

“Hey babe, what is up? Did you get out from your work?” he speaks up casually. Riley replies him back, not knowing how to bring up the talk, “Hey Dylan. Yaa, done for today; just returning home.” “We missed the Valentine’s Day dinner. It is already past 12 o’clock,” Dylan says sadly. “Sorry babe, I promise to make it up on Sunday,” Riley immediately apologizes. “No worries, babe. I know you are working extremely hard for the biggest news of your life and I support you. Just missing you a lot,” Dylan tries to cheer up the mood; making her shed a tear of joy, “I miss you too babe….” “But I obviously do mo….” he tries to cut her in playfully but stops hearing Riley’s cold, scared voice. 

“Dylan, babe… Hear me out; I need your help in something.” Dylan immediately gets concerned, “Right now? Do you need me to pick you up?” Riley denies quickly, “No babe. I am driving to home already.” “Then you should not be on phone while driving Riley,” he warns. She assures her, “I will not, from next time. But right now, it is very important. That is why I called you now.” Dylan starts getting nervous; feeling something off, “Any problem babe? You sound stressed.” 

Riley takes a deep breath and looks at the car behind her before replying to Dylan. “Listen babe, I have got something huge related to the case I am working on. I have not even reached half of the investigation and it is already getting dirty. And all the information is secured in a black pen drive. If someday, I am just saying in case if you cannot reach me out of nowhere, I want you to look for the pen drive. Currently, it is at…...” 

Dylan cuts her abruptly before she can even finish talking. “Babe, what is going on? Are you in some kind of trouble?” “Babe, I just said ‘in case’….,” Riley tries to lighten up the atmosphere but Dylan is determined to know the truth, “No, why would you think of such situation. Something is definitely going on there. What is it?” 

Riley hesitates, “I am not sure babe. Nothing has happened or is happening in particular. But I am not getting a good feeling about a lot of things. And the case is also getting messed up in a weird way. I wish I could discuss it with you but you know how these confidential stuff works.” There is a minute of silence before Dylan speaks up again, “Just tell me in one word; is somehow your life at a risk?” 

Riley stays silent, not knowing what to say. She does not want Dylan to worry but she never hides her feelings from him and honestly day by day her heart is grasping a fear out of nowhere that she cannot neglect anymore.  

“You are not saying NO. Then babe, you should drop the case out, right? Why putting yourself at risk?” Dylan concludes upon her silence. Riley denies at once, “I cannot, Dylan. I have come a long way with it and if I quit now, all the clues and evidences will get destroyed. You have no idea how many lives are at stake because of this. And I cannot let anything happen to them, you know.” 

“I know? I know nothing. You do not even tell me what your special case is all about?” The mood heats up a bit from the other end. Riley tries to apologize and solve the matter, “I am sorry babe. I will definitely tell you when the right time will come. But please promise me that you will look for the pen drive if it is needed. And you’ve to upload it all over the internet, immediately. Do not give it to anyone, not even to police. I want you to do it by yourself. You will, right?” 

“Hmm, I do not know what is going on your mind, I cannot ask; but I can also never win against you. Okay, I will do as you said. But promise me, you will try your best to stay safe and will not go to any dangerous places alone without telling me beforehand,” Dylan sighs. 

Riley jokes of a bit, “Ok sir, I will not. I promise.” “Fine. So, have you reached yet?” he asks.  

“Yaa, almost there,” while giving the reply, she looks at the side mirror and the car is already gone. “Maybe I was thinking too much. It was probably a random car,” Riley thinks on her own. 

Just then a bright headlight falls on Riley’s face, making her almost go blind. On the next second, Dylan hears a loud, weird crashing sound and Riley’s scream. “Babe, BABE?!! ARE YOU OKAY? ANSWER ME…!!” he screams up. But the silence on the other side almost makes him go crazy when he hears a whimper in a cracked voice, almost impossible to notice.  

“At my favourite place…. The pen drive…. Clara…. I love yo….,” and Riley’s voice gets covered up by a heel’s clicking sound just before the call ends.