Chapter 332: Laying an Inescapable Net
After breakfast and seeing to the children, Adrian Lancaster and Wren Sutton left the house together.
A driver was waiting respectfully for them at the villa’s entrance. With him at the wheel, the couple sat in the spacious back seat.
Wren Sutton leaned back against the seat, her heart a tangle of emotions.
Before leaving, she had listed all the places Isla Griffith might go. They were scattered all over Aston, making the search time-consuming. It would be nearly impossible to check them all in a single day.
The longer this dragged on, the more anxious she felt.
Adrian Lancaster took Wren Sutton’s hand. "They’re still so cold," he said, his voice full of concern.
Wren couldn’t worry about herself right now. "I’m worried about Isla. She didn’t take anything with her, and it’s so cold. Where could she have gone all by herself?"
"Don’t worry. I’ll organize a plan and routes based on the locations you provided. As long as she’s still in Aston, we’ll definitely find her," Adrian Lancaster said with conviction.
Wren looked at him, her eyes pleading. "Really?"
Adrian Lancaster nodded, squeezing her hand tighter, as if to transfer his warmth and strength to her.
"Trust me."
After reassuring Wren, he took out his phone and called Sean Sterling.
Adrian Lancaster knew that Sean Sterling had cut ties with the Sterling Family, rendering his past connections and resources useless. Now, without the ability to mobilize his former network, he could only rely on the police investigation. He was completely on the back foot.
"I still have nothing on my end. The police pulled the surveillance footage from around the hospital and the main roads. After leaving the hospital, Isla slipped into the back alleys of the old district. That area is full of old buildings with incomplete or broken surveillance, so we lost her trail completely."
Sean Sterling’s voice was filled with exhaustion, self-blame, and helplessness. All of his former spirit was gone, leaving only a defeated man.
Adrian Lancaster encouraged him and offered his sincere help.
"Cousin, you focus on cooperating with the police. Keep your eyes on every lead from the surveillance room, and tell me immediately if anything comes up."
"I’ll mobilize my connections. I’ve already notified all the security teams and private investigation agencies the Lancaster family has worked with and had them dispatched in groups."
"They’ll conduct a grid search of all the places Isla Griffith might have gone, leaving no stone unturned, including all hotels and inns."
"Additionally, I’ve sent people to contact the airport, the train station, the long-distance bus station, and the passenger ferry terminal."
"We’re sending Isla Griffith’s physical description and photos of her in her hospital gown to all security screeners, ticket inspectors, and on-duty personnel."
"Whether it’s boarding a plane, getting a ticket checked for a high-speed train, a long-distance bus, or a ferry, if they spot anyone with a similar build, they are to stop them for verification immediately. We can’t let Isla Griffith leave Aston."
After a pause, he added, "I’ve also contacted the traffic police department and the highway administration to distribute Isla Griffith’s photo and her license plate information to all highway entrances and exits in Aston, as well as to national and provincial road checkpoints."
"They’ll be prioritizing checks on taxis and ride-sharing vehicles, verifying them one by one. We have to secure every possible exit."
"She’s weak, so she can’t have gone far. It’s even more unlikely that she could leave Aston without a trace. We have to lock down the search area to within the city."
"You stay with the police and take care of yourself. With us working on two fronts, we’re bound to find a clue."
Adrian Lancaster had mobilized every connection and resource at his disposal, casting a dragnet so tight that it would be impossible for Isla Griffith to leave on her own, thus narrowing the search area to its smallest possible scope.
Sean Sterling was deeply moved after hearing his meticulous arrangements.
"Thank you, Adrian. If it weren’t for your help this time, trying to find her on my own would be like finding a needle in a haystack."
"We’re family; no need for thanks. Wren and I are heading to Riventide in the west of the city now. I’ve sent people to the old district and other areas, so don’t worry. If we have to, we’ll turn Aston upside down to find her."
Sean Sterling thanked him gratefully a few more times.
Adrian Lancaster hung up, turned to Wren, and pulled her into his arms.
"Honey, is the plan I laid out okay?" His deep voice rumbled in the car, laden with concern. He was afraid that even the slightest oversight in his arrangements would only add to her worries.
Wren looked up into Adrian Lancaster’s dark, deep eyes. He didn’t show the slightest hint of impatience.
Just now on the phone, he had methodically deployed everything, mobilizing all his connections to cast a dragnet that covered everything from air, land, and sea transportation hubs to highway entrances, from major avenues and back alleys to hotels and small inns.
Every detail was considered, with no stone left unturned. His calm and resolute demeanor acted like a sedative, instantly soothing the chaotic turmoil in her heart.
Wren’s eyes stung as her heart swelled with gratitude for Adrian and a deep sense of reliance on him.
If he hadn’t been by her side, she truly wouldn’t have known where to even begin. She would have just run around without a plan, and it all might have been for nothing in the end.
"Your plan is so good, so thorough. You’ve thought of every possibility. If you hadn’t stepped in to help and mobilized so many connections, it would’ve taken me forever to find her on my own."
"Adrian Lancaster, thank you."
That "thank you" held all of Wren’s reliance on him, all her gratitude.
When she was lost and at a loss, Adrian was her rock, shouldering her worries and clearing her path.
"I mean it. Thank you."
Adrian Lancaster smiled gently, his eyes filled with adoration and heartache. He tightened his embrace, resting his chin on the soft crown of Wren’s head, inhaling her familiar scent.
"Honey, you don’t have to thank me. Isla Griffith is your best friend. There’s no way I could just stand by and do nothing. Helping her is helping you. It’s what I should do."
"I’ve already divided our people into teams. The east, south, and north districts, as well as the old district—I’ve assigned people to conduct a sweeping search of all the streets, alleys, small shops, and remote corners. The two of us will go to Riventide in the west."
Wren rested in Adrian Lancaster’s arms, listening to his steady heartbeat. All her unease gradually melted away. She trusted him completely now.
"Okay, let’s do as you say. We’ll go to Riventide. That’s Isla’s favorite place. I hope we can find her there."
...
「At a car rental agency.」
Isla Griffith drove away in an ordinary, secondhand white sedan.
She wore a baseball cap, her hospital gown replaced with loose, casual clothes.
A few days ago, Isla Griffith had secretly contacted her former agent.
She had transferred a large sum of money via her mobile banking app, instructing the agent to exchange it for cash, prepare a few changes of clothes and some daily necessities, and then leave everything at an inconspicuous car rental agency in the old district.
Her agent, a loyal and reliable friend, not only did everything she asked but also promised to keep her secret.
Having calculated the date, Isla Griffith left the hospital today. She navigated countless unmonitored back alleys and finally arrived at this rental agency, tucked away in a corner of the old district.
She didn’t rent the car; she bought the secondhand vehicle outright with a one-time cash payment.
It was a simple verbal agreement, leaving no record of her identity. She had no intention of ever returning the car, severing all ties that could lead back to her.
She had long suspected that Sean Sterling would ask Adrian Lancaster for help, that he would use all his connections to cast an inescapable net. Every legitimate channel out of Aston would surely be under intense scrutiny.
To leave Aston, she had to find a way to evade all the patrols and checkpoints.