Chapter 249

• Four days. Four days in which his life had been a living hell, immersed in the desperation of not being able to locate Casie. The police had contacted him and had taken note of his statement, but they still doubted whether to consider Casie's situation as an abduction or a voluntary escape. She already had a history of disappearing from her normal environment and reappearing with a different identity. Her emphatic declaration that this was not in the woman's intentions did not seem to matter much, nor did the fact that Detective Perry had insisted that Richard Masterson was a dangerous man seem to have pressured them much. The detective had kept in touch with him, as he had promised. He had questioned the bastard ex, whom he had located at work, which was not surprising. It was not uncommon for them to consider Casie missing since Saturday.
• The detective pointed out that the man had responded without difficulty, although he mentioned that he seemed much worse off than before. His life had been altered, and he had lost his job and financial stability as a result of his obsession with Casie.
• "It is likely that he blames her for it, I'm afraid. But there is no evidence of abnormal activity, and I do not have the authority to do much more," he said.