Chapter 1: Mystery Heiress Vanishes.
Despite Jack's claim to have been with Banta the night she disappeared, the police are initially suspicious of him. They bring him in for questioning, but he maintains his innocence and insists that he has no idea where she could have gone.
Meanwhile, Banta's family hires a private investigator to look into the case. The investigator uncovers a number of leads, but they all seem to dead-end. As time passes, the family begins to lose hope that they will ever find Banta.
However, on a certain day, Jack shows up at the family's door with a new piece of information. He tells them that he knows where Banta is and that he can take them to her. The family is understandably skeptical, but they decide to follow him anyway.
Jack leads them to an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town. But before they got there Banta had been taken away to an unknown destination.
As the investigation continues, it becomes clear that Banta was kidnapped by someone who was after her family's wealth. Jack, it turns out, had been working undercover to try to find out who was behind the kidnapping. With his help, the police will eventually be able to track down the kidnappers and bring them to justice.
Suspicion on Jack
Jack is a long-time friend of Banta and they had plans to meet up that night. When Banta didn't show up, Jack tried to contact her several times but couldn't reach her. He became worried and went to her apartment, but found it empty.
As Jack stood outside Banta's apartment, he tried to call her once again, but her phone continued to ring without answer. Jack started to panic, wondering where Banta could be.
He decided to speak to the neighbors in the apartment building, hoping someone had seen or heard from her. One of the neighbors informed Jack that Banta had left early in the morning with a large suitcase and seemed to be in a hurry.
Jack was confused by this information since Banta hadn't mentioned any travel plans to him. He decided to go back home and wait for Banta to return, hoping that she would call or message him soon.
As hours turned into days, Jack became increasingly worried about Banta's whereabouts. He tried to call her family and friends, but nobody had heard from her either. Jack was left feeling helpless and frustrated.
As the police continue their investigation, they discover that Jack and Banta had a recent argument about money. They also find out that Jack had a history of violence and had been arrested for assault in the past. These findings make the police even more suspicious of Jack and they start to consider him a prime suspect.
Despite the mounting evidence against him, Jack maintains his innocence and insists that he had nothing to do with Banta's disappearance. He even offers to take a polygraph test to prove his innocence.
As the days go by, the police are unable to find any concrete evidence linking Jack to the crime. However, they still believe that he knows more than he's letting on. They continue to question him, hoping that he'll slip up and reveal something incriminating.
Days turned into weeks, and the investigation seemed to have hit a dead-end. The police had no choice but to release Jack from custody due to lack of evidence. However, they continued to keep a close eye on him, hoping that he would lead them to the real culprit.
Jack, on the other hand, was still reeling from the traumatic experience of being accused of a crime he didn't commit. He couldn't believe that the police had thought he was capable of something so heinous.
Meanwhile, Banta's family and friends are frantically searching for her. They put up flyers, contact local news stations, and even hire a private investigator. However, their efforts are all in vain as there is still no sign of Banta.
As the investigation drags on, Jack's life starts to fall apart. He loses his job, his friends, and his reputation. He becomes a pariah in the community and is shunned by everyone he knows.