“She’s not there! Can’t you see! She’s gone!” Del screamed.

Omar steadied himself. Del pulled away from Omar and paced up and down the small, airless office. The small Pondok Polis was more like a hut, compact enough to fit the Inspector’s office, a holding room, one toilet and a front office for reports.

Inspector Awang felt sorry for the couple in front of him. His instincts told him that after twenty years of being in the police force this was not a kidnapping. This was a child who had been taken.

“Here is my card. Please call me if you need to… and thank you for meeting me here, the renovations at HQ will be done soon,” he continued, hoping to dismiss them.

Del burst out, “But surely, you can do something? Send the coast guard out, check the boats…?” She was shouting by now. “Do something! Please. I am begging you!” She lunged at him, grabbing him by the lapels of his uniform, her eyes filling with tears, her voice hoarse. She then let go and fell to the floor, her knees prostrate, her head on the ground.

Taken aback, Inspector Awang knelt down. Del was banging her head on the floor repeating “Please, please…please…help us.” Omar reached for her shoulders and tried to help her up but she pulled away.

Inspector Awang straightened up, smoothed out his uniform, looked squarely at Omar and said, “At any given day there are at least a hundred and fifty vessels, big and small, in those waters…just about six nautical miles off Port Klang. Once you’re further out in the Straits of Malacca, there are hundreds of vessels, cargo ships, fishing trawlers, sampans, speedboats, luxury yachts, everything! And…you need a warrant to search international vessels, which we will need to get from the International Maritime Law Institute in Panama. You would have to go through Wisma Putra and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It would take days, weeks…! The paperwork alone will be a nightmare…! It is simply impossible, simply impossible!” He shook his head and glared at Omar. He then turned around and strode back to his desk.

Omar remained quiet, stunned by the new revelations. Del slowly pulled herself up to standing position, her eyes puffy, her mouth quivering with silent sobs. She squeezed her eyes shut, and forced her fist into her mouth, summoning herself into silence.