Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 296: The Vanishing Point

"Let’s check the office and see if anyone’s there," Simon said.

The door to the Lakeside Paints office was wide open. Inside, a pale young man sat in a wheelchair, frantically apologizing into a phone.

"I’m so sorry! We didn't mean to delay the order... It’s my mother. She went into the mountains five days ago to source raw materials and we haven't heard from her since! Please, just give us a few more days!"

He hung up and turned to see them, looking confused. "Can I help you? You don't look like customers."

Nancy stepped forward. "We’re looking for the owner. A relative of ours used to work here before she went missing, and we’re trying to find leads."

"I’m Eugene Goreman," the man said, his face clouding over. "The owner is my mother, Ingrid Haste. But like you just heard, she went into the mountains five days ago and hasn't checked in."

Eugene paused. "What was the employee's name?"

Simon handed over the photo of Tammy. Eugene looked at the young woman in the picture, then up at Simon. The resemblance in their eyes was undeniable.

He visibly recoiled. "You’re Tammy’s family?"

The shock on his face quickly turned into a sharp glare. "Why are you only looking for her now? You left her out there on her own all these years. Do you have any idea how hard it’s been for her?"

The words hit Nancy like a physical blow. Her blood ran cold. What exactly did she go through?

Simon gripped Nancy’s hand, his thumb brushing over her knuckles to steady her. He met Eugene’s gaze with a calm, steady voice. "Our mother went missing when we were kids. We tried everything, missing person reports, local ads but then our father died saving someone. I had to raise Nancy on my own. I never stopped looking, but I didn't have the resources. I became a cop specifically to find her."

Eugene’s anger died in his throat. He looked like he wanted to swallow his tongue. "I... I’m sorry. I didn't know. There must have been more to it than I thought."

Nancy’s voice was tight with desperation. "Where is she? Is she still here?"

Eugene looked pained. "She left the factory two years ago. My mother is the only one who knows where she went, and she made me promise to keep it a secret."

He looked at the siblings, hesitating. "You’ll have to wait for her to get back. But it’s been five days... I can't get ahold of her. I’d go look for her myself if my legs worked."

"Did you call the police?" Simon asked.

"Of course," Eugene nodded. "They tried, but the mountains are crawling with takins right now. One of the officers was nearly trampled during the last search. They had to pull back."

Nancy felt a knot tighten in her chest. Takins looked like fluffy, oversized goats, but they were dangerous. They could weigh over 700 pounds and were known for being aggressive. People had been killed by them in these mountains before.

"We wanted to hire a professional search team," Eugene added, "but the factory is broke. We’ve already defaulted on our orders. If we don't deliver in three days, we’re going to be sued into the ground."

Nancy pulled on Simon’s sleeve and whispered, "We should go in after her. With the animals to scout and warn us, we can find Ingrid faster than anyone else."

Simon already had his GPS out. He looked at Eugene. "Which mountain did she go into? We need her route. We’re going to find her."