Later that night, the team convened for a brief video conference, trading findings across time zones.
“We scouted the riverbank where Diogen found the luggage,” Trevor began, leaning into his webcam. “The trail is cold. Several days have passed, and there’s no CCTV coverage in that section. More importantly, there were no IDs—no wallet, no driver’s license, no social security card. We can’t confirm the bags were Hector’s with one hundred percent certainty yet. We haven’t told Camila; we don’t want her spiraling toward the worst-case scenario.”
“Keep it that way until we have a smoking gun,” Report Man replied from his hotel room in Milan. “But I’ve found something while analyzing the footage between fashion shows. I’m convinced the person who left in the morning was not the same person who returned at noon.”
He shared his screen, displaying two zoomed-in screenshots side-by-side. Both showed a figure locking the apartment door.
“Look at the door frame,” Report Man pointed out. “Using the molding as a reference, the man on the left, from the morning clip, is clearly shorter than the man on the right. Notice the gap between the top of their heads and the frame. Now, look at the third clip. When the figure leaves with the suitcase, he’s carrying a massive rucksack on his back, a suitcase in his right hand, and another wide bag balanced on top. Most people would struggle with that weight, but this person strides forward with terrifying speed.”
“He walks like someone used to a rucking march,” Spion noted, eyes narrowing. “Like someone with military training.”
“Exactly,” Report Man agreed. “Go back to the first clip. That person walks with small, deliberate steps. Given Hector’s leg injury, he would be forced to walk carefully like that. My conclusion? The man in the morning was Hector. The man at noon was an imposter dressed in Hector’s clothes.”
“So the imposter is slightly taller than Hector, accustomed to rucking heavy loads, and likely has a military background,” Trevor summarized quizzically, wrinkling forehead. “But what about the footwear? A taller man can squeeze into Hector’s parka, but he can’t shrink his feet to fit Hector’s shoes. Yet, the man in both clips is wearing identical dark boots.”
“Exactly,” Report Man noted, his voice echoing through the speakers. “Which leads me to believe the imposter didn’t just stumble into this. He must know Hector well. He has the same boots, a military background, and has clearly been in the apartment before; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to find those belongings and take them away.”
“Then we aren’t just looking for a stranger,” Trevor said, his expression darkening. “We need to dig into Hector’s inner circle.”
“I have a lead on our other favorite subject,” Lady News interrupted, her voice tired but sharp. “One of the models here in Milan, Juliana, actually dated Jack Goblinez. She called him a ‘party animal’ and a ‘playboy’ who’s pursued countless celebrities, including the daughter of the exiled Crown Prince of Persia.”
She leaned back, a smirk playing on her lips. “However, she thinks he’s incredibly childish; he might be a genius in business, but he’s completely immature in his personal life. Apparently, his father, a retired general, once sent him to the Babylon War in the hopes that the experience would finally toughen him up.”
“He was in the Babylon War?” Spion’s jaw dropped. “He has a military background too?”
“Only for four months,” Lady News clarified. “He evacuated with the main troops when the war ended in December 2011.”
“He bought a toy factory on the verge of bankruptcy and transformed it into the empire it is today. The man is undeniably good at business,” Trevor murmured, recalling the cover story he’d read.
“He does it by leveraging celebrities and influencers,” Lady News added with an amused shrug. “Juliana said that when they were dating, Goblinez treated her like a walking billboard, requiring her to bring his toys to every event and show them off to the media. She said he was more demanding than some of the actual fashion brands. Remember those Rawawa dolls that were everywhere last year? He dated five different actresses in a single year just to keep those dolls in Gossip News.”
“So he chases girls and builds entire relationships just to sell more toys? Man, that guy really was born to be the toy king,” Spion said, breaking into a laugh.
“He’s still our prime suspect,” Trevor reminded.
“The gala is a perfect opportunity to get a sense of the man, but somehow, I don’t see him as the type to be involved in Hector’s disappearance,” Lady News said thoughtfully. “He’s pursued plenty of celebrities and faced his fair share of rejections, yet none of it ever seemed to faze him. He just moves on to the next headline.”
“My suggestion is that you two keep digging,” Report Man noted. “See if Hector and Camila have any other mutual acquaintances we haven’t identified yet.”
“We’re visiting Camila’s studio tomorrow,” Trevor said. “Maybe we’ll find a name there.”
“Well then, I think I’m going to call it a night. It’s getting incredibly late here in Milan,” Lady News said, her voice trailing off into a yawn. “Good night, everyone.”
“We’ll end it here for tonight. Sleep well. Ciao,” Report Man added before his video feed cut to black.
The meeting was over. Trevor headed to the bathroom to wash off the day’s grime. As the steam filled the room, he replayed their findings in his head. He couldn’t shake the sinking feeling that this case was far more layered—and far more dangerous—than he had ever imagined.