Upon arriving at Mr. Bryan's house, Nicky was immediately welcomed by his in-laws, who had been waiting in the living room. Mr. Bryan looked anxious, while Mrs. Helena appeared exhausted after spending the whole day wondering about Nicky's news.
"What is it, Nick? You said it was important?" asked Mr. Bryan as he stood up from his seat.
Without saying much, Nicky placed his laptop on the coffee table, took a flash drive from his pocket, and plugged it into the USB port. He spoke softly, "Sir... Ma'am... This is about Diana. I... I don't know where to start. But you need to see this."
Mrs. Helena immediately came closer and sat beside her husband. Nicky opened the video he had watched earlier. In that silent room, the only sound came from the laptop, a gentle lullaby, the voice of a woman rocking a baby, and Diana's face.
As the scenes unfolded one by one, Mrs. Helena quickly covered her mouth with her hand, her body trembling violently. Her tears fell silently. Mr. Bryan clenched his fists, his eyes sharp and his face tense, holding back emotion.
"Oh God... this... this is our Diana..." Mrs. Helena's voice cracked.
Mr. Bryan couldn't say a word. He just stared at the screen, his jaw tight, his breath heavy. Nicky looked at his in-laws, his heart in pieces.
"I don't know who could do something this cruel to Diana... but she's clearly not okay. Look at her, she's being psychologically tortured..." Nicky said, trying to keep his emotions in check.
When the video ended and the words "This is my baby, Diana... whom I'll love forever" appeared on screen, the atmosphere in the room grew heavier. No one spoke for several seconds.
Then, Nicky immediately took out his phone. He called Mr. Marco.
"Hello, Mr. Marco... Sorry to bother you this late. But I've just found something important. Very important... This is about Diana... Yes, I'm certain now she didn't just run away or disappear. She was kidnapped, and held captive by someone... Yes, I have evidence to prove it... No, sir. I'll come there tonight to show it to you directly."
From the other end of the call, Mr. Marco's voice sounded serious. "Alright, let me know once you arrive in this city. I'll come meet you right away. Bring all the evidence. Hopefully we'll find something useful."
Without wasting time, Nicky, Mr. Bryan, and Mrs. Helena quickly prepared to leave. They took the laptop and flash drive. That very night, they traveled to the city where Diana was last seen, the same city where they had honeymooned, hoping to find more clues about who had turned Diana into a "baby" in that mysterious room.
***
Mr. Marco sat at the small desk in their hotel room, eyes fixed seriously on Nicky's laptop screen. Around him, Mr. Bryan and Mrs. Helena sat in silence, their faces still tense and horrified after watching the contents of the flash drive.
The video had been played twice. This time, Detective Marco observed not from an emotional angle, but from an investigative standpoint.
"Look at the camera movement," said Mr. Marco, pointing at the screen. "It pans slowly to the right, then zooms in on Diana's face, then pulls back. This isn't an automated tripod or static cam. Someone is behind the camera."
Nicky nodded slowly. Mrs. Helena covered her mouth again, her eyes welling up.
"So... that means..." Mr. Bryan whispered.
"Yes," Mr. Marco replied quickly. "There are definitely two people in that room. One is the woman in the video treating Diana like a baby, and the other is behind the camera."
"Oh God..." Mrs. Helena lowered her head, her body trembling. "My daughter... being treated like a toy by two people... How could they be so cruel?"
Mr. Marco slowly closed the laptop. "Unfortunately, we still can't identify who's holding the camera. There's no other voice besides the woman's and Diana's. The camera never reflects any shadows other than theirs."
Silence hung in the air. Finally, Nicky stood and said, "We can't just sit here. We have to find out who they are. Whoever filmed this knows everything."
"Mr. Nicky, I need to know... where did you get this flash drive?" he asked calmly but seriously.
Nicky took a deep breath and answered truthfully, "This morning, when I was at home, a small package suddenly arrived. No sender name. Just a plain brown envelope... and inside was that flash drive. I thought it was sent by mistake. I even ignored it at first."
Mr. Marco frowned, listening closely.
Nicky continued, "At first I didn't care. I thought maybe it was just someone's baby photos. But... because I was bored and curious, I opened it. And what we saw... was in there."
Mr. Bryan, sitting beside Mrs. Helena, gently patted her shoulder as if to comfort her.
Mr. Marco nodded slowly, his eyes sharp, staring into the distance. "That means there's a high chance... the sender knows you. Knows you're Diana's husband," he said, thinking hard.
"Maybe," Nicky replied. "Or maybe... that person wanted me to find this. I don't know."
"This is important," said Mr. Marco. "Whoever sent that flash drive may be one of the perpetrators... or perhaps a witness who knows something and wants us to find Diana."
That night in the hotel room, after Nicky, Mr. Bryan, and Mrs. Helena discussed the possibilities, Mr. Marco remained standing beside them, lost in thought.
"Hm... If I'm not mistaken..." Mr. Marco suddenly spoke with a heavy voice. "If I'm not mistaken... there's something bothering me."
Nicky and his in-laws immediately turned toward him, attentive.
Mr. Marco stroked his chin, then said, "I feel like Diana's case... is very similar to another case I handled a few months ago. But I can't recall all the details yet. From what I remember, there was also a young woman who suddenly disappeared mysteriously... And the perpetrator sent video documentation via flash drive, just like this case."
"Really, Mr. Marco?" Mrs. Helena gasped.
Mr. Marco paused, gathering his memory.
"Hold on," he said seriously. "I need to check the old files at the station. I have to find that case record. There might be a connection between Diana's disappearance and that one."
Mr. Bryan nodded quickly. "We understand, Mr. Marco. So, what should we do now?"
Mr. Marco took a deep breath. "For now, you all should rest. You've just had a long journey. Tomorrow morning, come to the police station. We'll continue the investigation together once I get the documents I need."
"Understood, sir," Nicky replied firmly, though his tone still sounded anxious.
Mr. Marco gave a small nod, looking at each of them to ensure they understood.
"If I find those old files, and if this truly is a similar case..." he added with a deeper tone, "Then... Diana may not be the only victim."
The atmosphere suddenly grew more intense.
After saying goodbye, Mr. Marco left the hotel quickly and got into his patrol car. Without delay, he drove straight to the police station to begin digging through the old case archives.
Meanwhile, Nicky, Mr. Bryan, and Mrs. Helena returned to their hotel room. That night, they barely slept, haunted by the image of Diana and that terrifying video.
***
The next morning, Nicky, Mr. Bryan, and Mrs. Helena arrived at the police station, just as promised. They headed straight to Mr. Marco's office, where they found him surrounded by a stack of old case files. His eyes looked tired, as if he hadn't slept all night.
As soon as he saw them enter, Mr. Marco stood up to greet them and offered seats.
"I found something," he said seriously, opening a thick folder containing a case from a few months ago.
Mr. Marco took a deep breath and began explaining. "Several months ago, we handled a similar case. A young woman was reported missing. Just like Diana, no signs of violence, no clues about the suspect. The only strange thing was that every month, the victim's family received a flash drive mysteriously sent to their house."
Nicky and his in-laws watched Mr. Marco intently.
He continued, "The contents of the flash drives were videos. Videos of the victim, but this time she was not treated like a baby. She was treated... like a dog."
Everyone fell silent, horrified by the image in their minds.
"She was made to wear a dog collar, fed on the floor, ordered to crawl and bark. Just like in Diana's video, the perpetrator's face was never shown, only their voice could be heard. And it seems there was someone else filming too, just like in Diana's case."
"A very similar case, just a different way of treating the victim," Mr. Bryan whispered. "So... could it be the same person?"
Mr. Marco nodded. "It's possible. But we can't confirm it based solely on the pattern. What makes me more suspicious is that the victim's family stopped receiving flash drives three months ago. We still haven't found her to this day."
Mrs. Helena's face turned pale at the thought. "Does that mean... the previous victim is dead?"
"I don't know... Because until now, there's been no trace of the perpetrator," Mr. Marco replied.
"That's why," he continued, "to confirm any connection, how about we visit the previous victim's family? They might know more. There could be clues we've yet to uncover."
"Yes, we completely agree, Mr. Marco," said Mr. Bryan enthusiastically.
"Alright. The car is ready. Let's go now," Mr. Marco said as he grabbed the file folder.
They didn't waste time. Everyone left the police station and got into the car. The atmosphere inside was heavy. No one spoke much. Each was lost in thought, imagining how cruel and insane the person who may have kidnapped Diana could be.
In his heart, Nicky prayed that meeting the previous victim's family would bring them the lead they desperately needed, before it was too late.