Chapter 212 Patricia Missing Again
On the other end of the conversation, Charles detected something amiss and quickly asked, "Daddy, what's happened?"
Martin knew that Charles was more mature than most children his age. Hiding the truth would only backfire, so he briefly explained the situation.
Charles, with a stern face, said, "That's impossible. The system clearly shows mom and that cell phone number together; there is more to this old lady than meets the eye. If she's been able to deceive you once, even if you go back now, she still won't admit it."
Martin fell silent for a moment before asking, "Can you pinpoint your mom's exact location?"
Charles shook his head and said, "This is as specific as it gets! Most tracking systems are accurate within fifty meters; this one is within ten meters."
Martin, deep in thought, said, "So you're saying your mom is within ten meters of that cell phone number?"
Charles was utterly certain. "Yes, one hundred percent."
"Okay! I've got it!" Martin nodded in understanding, then changed his tone to offer comfort, "You go to kindergarten like a good boy, and I'll make sure to bring your mom back safely."
"I believe you!" Charles smiled. For some reason, he just believed that his dad would keep his word.
After ending the call, Martin opened the tracking system again. Sure enough, the yellow and blue dots were nestled close together.
Did that mean Patricia was in that cottage? Then why couldn't she be found after searching the entire cottage? Why was Patricia hiding and not wanting to see him? Martin was utterly perplexed.
What Martin didn’t know was that Patricia, after monitoring Hunter for several hours, combined with more than a dozen hours on a plane and over five hours in a cab, was so exhausted she fell asleep beside the bed.
In the silent wine cellar, her breathing was even and steady. Hunter slowly opened his eyes, making sure she was asleep before carefully sitting up. The movements pulled at his wounds, causing his brow to furrow in pain.
But this bit of pain was nothing to him. For his purpose, a little sacrifice was nothing. As long as he could have Patricia, he could endure even greater pain. Hunter moved to Patricia's side and tentatively called out.
"Patricia..." Patricia was too tired, sound asleep with no response.
"Patricia..." Just in case, Hunter called out again.
Seeing no reaction from Patricia, he gently got out of bed. His gaze fell on the pocket of Patricia's clothes, noting the half-exposed cell phone sticking out. He then glanced at the washbowl beside her.
That was from earlier when Patricia had been wiping him down. Perhaps she was too exhausted, leaving it there without taking it away. Hunter's lips curled devilishly as he gently slid the phone out of her pocket and submerged it into the water.
He watched the mobile phone slowly sinking before his eyes, his smile deepening and his gaze turning icy cold. The moment the phone hit the water, the yellow dot on the GPS system vanished.
Seeing the disappearance of the yellow dot on the GPS, Martin thought it was a glitch, and was about to call Charles, when Charles's call came through.
"Mommy's tracker is gone."
With a grave expression, Martin asked, "Right! What's going on? Why did it happen?"
Panic welled up inside Charles too. But to avoid causing alarm, he forced himself to stay calm. "Dad, don't panic. The tracker going offline doesn't necessarily mean something's happened to Mommy. Maybe the phone got damaged or wet."
A damaged phone means the tracking system can't maintain enough power and will become ineffective. The same principle applies if the phone got water-damaged.
"Losing the locator will make everything more complicated and slow down the progress," Martin's temples throbbed, and a faint headache began to form.
No matter how they looked at it though, Patricia's trail had vanished completely. Even if he went back to the old woman now, if she refused to admit anything, he would be out of options.
It wasn't like he could rough up an old lady, could he?
For a moment, Charles was at a loss for words. His earlier guarantees now seemed feeble.
To ease his worries, Martin comforted him.
"Alright, you head to the kindergarten, and I'll let you know if there's any progress here. Don't worry. Carter has some influence here; he should be able to help."
"Okay! Dad, be careful, and I'll wait for your good news."
After ending the call, Martin leaned back into the leather seat, exhausted, closing his eyes with his right thumb and forefinger gently pinching the bridge of his nose. The driver, who had witnessed the entire scene, wanted to ask if they should head back or continue forward, but seeing Martin's weary face, he swallowed his words.
In the wine cellar, having dealt with the phone, Hunter took out a white pill, placing it into the glass on the bedside table and poured hot water from the kettle over it. The white pill dissolved quickly in the water.
Hunter, holding the tea cup, approached Patricia and gently nudged her, "Patricia, wake up, Patricia... come on, wake up..."
At his urgent call, Patricia slowly came to, rubbing her sore and swollen eyes, and mumbled confusedly, "How did you get down here?"
Her dazed appearance was like that of an innocent, unknowing girl, adorably endearing. Hunter's heart skipped a beat. He handed the glass to Patricia.
"You've been looking after me all day; you must be tired. Have some lemon water, and then go to bed."
Without suspicion, Patricia took the glass and gulped it down. The water tasted oddly sour, but Patricia didn't think anything of it. She assumed that due to the limited conditions here, the lemon had been left out too long, affecting its taste.
Hunter fished his drenched phone out of the water: "Patricia, how did your phone end up in the water?"
"Ah..." Patricia exclaimed, snatching the phone to find it utterly water-damaged. "It must have fallen out of my pocket when I was napping by the bed in an awkward position! It's broken, it's fine, I'll get a new one once we're back in Ivara City."
Hunter's gaze deepened, but he said nothing. After finishing the lemon water, Patricia got up from the floor and placed the cup back on the bedside table.
"You're the patient, you should sleep in the bed. I can make do with a sleeping mat. The old lady has already brought in bedding for me."
Hunter smiled, "I've just got a burn, a minor injury; it's nothing serious. Aside from being less agile than usual, it's not affecting much."
Seeing that he still had the energy to joke, Patricia finally felt a bit relieved, and while getting his medicine, she said, "That's because you're still young and strong. What about when you're a little older?"
After saying this, she handed him the anti-inflammatory medicine. "Quick, take your medicine."
Hunter obediently took the medicine, as Patricia said to him, "You should feel lucky that you called me, and that I happen to be a doctor. Otherwise, you would have definitely died in this wine cellar."
Hunter played along with her words. "Yes, yes, you're my lifesaver. I will be sure to thank you properly once I'm better."
Patricia gave him a sharp look, seeing that he wasn't taking his injuries seriously. "Your injuries might not be deep, but there are many and they are widespread! You should be very careful during this period and make sure not to get them wet."
As she spoke, she suddenly felt her eyelids getting heavier. With each short sentence, she yawned three times. A shadow passed over Hunter's eyes, but he smiled at her.
"Feeling sleepy? Then rest up! I'll call you if I need anything."
"Sure!" Patricia nodded, arranged a makeshift bed on the floor for herself, and quickly fell into a deep sleep.
After making sure the medicine had begun to work, Hunter bent down, picked her up to the bed, removed their clothes, and turned over to press her down.
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