93 The Convergence 3

Sonny and Estella were awed by the congregation before them. They initially intended to arrive at the event by three but work caught up with them so that they were more than an hour late. Everything was all set when they arrived at the facility. Vehicles, mostly red plated and large enough to accommodate one family plus friends, occupied the parking space near the large front yard of the building. Bodyguards in civilian clothes could be seen roaming around the perimeter. It was expected as some high-ranking officials were invited to the event.

Tables and chairs were meticulously arranged in the front yard. They would be sitted in one of those by dinner. Tables for the very important guests were set up on the lobby of the building which could be seen through the glass doors and walls. They were especially reserved for the distinguished class. The building's main door was still closed and it would be opened only when the white ribbon tied on it was cut by the most revered guest and that would be no one but the mayor.

Thirty minutes before the program began, almost all invited individuals had already arrived. Many of them were key players in running the district. Officials and representatives from many government offices could be seen all around the venue. They were mostly gathered in separate groups as they conversed about top-level subject matters which only the minds of politicians, businessmen, and intellectuals would be interested in. Smaller groups which were more inclined to sharing gossips and rumors were also assembled, away from other enthusiastics ears. On the bright side, everyone was wearing face masks and face shields, and except for the couples, they were conscious in maintaining a good distance from other people.

"Here comes Mr. Salvador," Estella commented as she nibbled on a tiny sandwich on a stick. "With his coming, I think all local officials are here at the event."

"Yes, correct, except for the mayor," Sonny answered. "My mental calculations say that all VIPs are already here."

"He will surely come. He is the guests of honor and he will come when everyone else had already arrived. He is not the man who waits."

Sonny chuckled.

"Well, he is the town's mayor. He holds the time."

"You could not be more right, Sonny."

"And speaking of the devil, here he comes."

The mayor's SUV entered the parking area. Everyone looked as the vehicle's silver skin shimmered in the afternoon light. Two bodyguard stepped out and expertly but quickly scanned the surroundings before the mayor emerged. Despite his face mask, one could sense that he was smiling to everyone he met. His eyes narrowed each time, crow's feet appearing at the corner of each deep-sitted tiny eyes. He waved at some people and shook hands with others. When he spotted his kind of crowd, he stayed there and conversed with them.

"I think the event will start in few minutes," Estella said matter-of-factly.

"I agree," Sonny replied. "We'd better take our spots."

They went to the nearby table and while Sonny checked his camera and gear one last time, Estella took her seat and began scribbling notes.

Meanwhile, the Biker Brothers also saw the arrival of the mayor from their hiding spot. They parked their bikes earlier under a large acacia tree, away from the common parking space. They could not risk being caught while boarding their bikes so to avoid that, they need to run for a good distance through the maze of vehicles before embarking their rickety bikes. While the ceremony was still going on, they decided to stay in the shadows. Once the tour begins, then it would be their time to strike. They could easily blend in with the crowd, then sneak into the basement. They were pretty sure Jamie was kept there so they had no other destination but the basement.

They were watching the mayor get together with the other guests when Bogart suddenly scratched his head. Something was bothering him.

Tonton: "Are you alright, Bogart? You look confused."

Bogart: "Well, I can't help but wonder which room in the basement was Jamie hidden. For sure, there would be plenty of rooms there."

Kiko: "We will just try our luck and open each room."

Bogart: "And how do we open the door?"

Kiko: "Well, we simply have to turn the knob, then push. That's the way how to open the door."

Bogart: "Silly, of course I know how to open a door. What I mean is which door shall we open?"

Tonton: "We will try to open all doors."

Bogart: "But what if they were locked? For sure, Dr. Alvarado would not simply leave the doors unsecured if they were hiding a kidnapped person."

Quickly, the two boys hushed him.

Kiko: "Bogart, you cannot be too tactless. Be extra careful, please."

Bogart: "Sorry, guys. I was just too excited."

Tonton: "But you are right, Bogart. The doors would surely be locked."

Kiko: "So where do we find the keys?"

Bogart: "I don't know."

Tonton: "Me, too."

Kiko: "Then that's the big problem."

Tonton: "We need to think where the keys could have been possibly kept."

Bogart: "Do you think Dr. Alvarado has them?"

Tonton: "He could have duplicate keys but he would surely not be bringing them now. He is busy entertaining people."

Bogart: "Maybe he put them in his car."

Tonton: "But we could not simply ransack his car. Besides, we are not one hundred sure if he has them in his car."

Bogart: "So we need to think of a place where we believe one hundred percent sure that the keys were kept."

Tonton: "Where could that place be?"

Kiko: "It is just in the facility. There should be a place or a room here that holds all the keys. It is like a central control room that has everything."

Bogart: "Yeah, you are right. It is like in the movies."

Tonton: "So we need to first find where that room is. If that is the case, then we'd better start now."

The two boys nodded. Carefully, they stood up but before they could do anymore action, a voice spoke up from behind them.

"There I found you!"

The boys turned their heads and in surprise, , they all fell down on the ground upon seeing tbe man's face. They knew him very well...

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