That night itself, Penny used all her connections to find out where Nathan was, yet her efforts were to no avail.
Nathan was extremely cautious with his whereabouts and left no trail behind. If even Clifford was unable to track Nathan down, how could Penny's search yield anything?
She had been making calls for the whole night and had reached out to many people, but still, her efforts went to the drain.
Penny could not sleep a wink that night. Nathan occupied her thoughts as she tossed and turned in her bed most of the night before she finally drifted into slumber when the day broke.
After a short rest, she brought Ava out with her in the morning to continue their search for
Nathan. They went to look for Lachlan Hagel, the head of the Armed Forces of Channing city, who invited them in.
Despite his willingness to help, he was merely the person in charge of the city's Armed Forces. He was unable to provide the two women with any substantial information.
After knowing the reason for their visit, Lachlan smiled regretfully from his desk. “I'm in charge of the soldiers in Channing here in the South, so I have no idea about what's going on in the North Army. I'm so sorry I don't have any useful information about the General, Ms. Smith.”
Penny was disappointed her attempt failed again. She actually wanted to meet Franklin, the commander-in-chief of the Channing military district, but he was away meeting the Chief Military Governor at the Grand Council, so Penny had no one else to turn to but Lachlan, yet the
outcome was disheartening.
A resigned smile curved on her lips before she made leave. “In that case, we'll make a move first, Mr. Hagel. Thanks for taking the time to hear us out. Have a good day.”
Lachlan nodded pensively as he gestured to see them out.
Just as Penny and Ava were turning to leave, he snapped his fingers and called out to them. “Just a moment, Ms. Smith. I'm not sure if I should say this, but I did hear some rumors about the General this morning.”
Penny's brows arched in a pleasant surprise as she turned around immediately. “Go ahead, Mr. Hagel. What is it that you heard?”
The man evaded her gaze and his voice lowered as he thought about how he should phrase things tactfully. “I heard people saying the General disappeared at the battle. Some even said that he deserted the army and hid because he knew Clifford was coming to get him.”
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