Ivan slammed the phone down on its receiver hard enough for a twang to echo through the room. It had been days since he'd last heard from Alfred, and he was getting worried. He had just been on the phone with a seemingly unconcerned Arthur, hoping that perhaps he would have heard something, but, to Ivan's dismay, Arthur had not heard anything. In fact, he had told him not to be concerned, as Alfred was probably off on his stupid adventures again. He sighed, picking up the phone once more. If anyone knew where Alfred was, it would be his brother. He dialed the number and waited, frowning as it went to the answering machine. He sighed, looking at the list of numbers Alfred had given him, in case of the rare occasion that he didn't answer his own phone. Eventually, Ivan found Matthew's cell phone number scribbled in at the end of the list. Alfred had almost forgotten about it when he was making it. He dialed quickly, his free hand picking up his pipe on the table unconsciously as he waited for an answer. He tightened his grip as an answer came.
"Hello?" Ivan frowned slightly.
"Privyet, Matthew. I was actually hoping you could help me. Have you heard from your brother at all? Alfred has not answered his phone in some time." There was silence on the other end for a few moments.
"Well, the other day, he called me to watch the kids for him. Apparently New York has gone missing, so he went out to search for him." The tone in his voice caused Ivan's frown to deepen. Hadn't New York been the one babysitting for them a few days ago?
"Is that so? And you've not heard back from him yet? Aren't you concerned about your brother?" There was silence again, and Ivan felt the hair on the back of his neck prickle against his skin.
"…Al does these things sometimes. He left the kids with me and disappeared for a month once during the 70s, and came back on his own when he felt like it. It's just what he does. He's a free spirit. I'm sure someone like you wouldn't be able to understand how important his freedom is to him. Maybe he just needed a break, and made up the whole thing about New York being gone." There was something about the entire exchange that wasn't sitting well with Ivan. Perhaps it was the rustling in the background; maybe it was the detached tone in Matthew's voice – had he ever spoken like this before?
"I see…If New York is missing, where do you think Alfred would go to look for him?" There was an exasperated sigh on the other end.
"He said he was going to check Greenwood Lake. New York likes to go there sometimes. It's close to home but pretty remote at the same time. There are some dead spots, which could explain why you can't reach him." Ivan's grip on the pipe tightened.
"Perhaps I will go check on him there then. Thank you, Matthew. I'll let you know if I find anything."
"Of course! Thanks Ivan. I app-" Ivan interjected before he could hang up.
"Though you may want to look into why Alfred's home phone is dead, da? It appears the line has been cut." He hung up before Matthew got the chance to respond. He would have to find where this Greenwood Lake was. He turned, heading for the door. As he was pulling it open, the phone rang. He raised a brow as he walked over, answering it.
"Hel—New Jersey? Yes, this is Ivan. What is wrong?" His eyes widened and the pipe fell from his hand as he listened to the voice on the other end. As he listened to her recanting Arizona's tale, he felt himself go numb. This couldn't be real. Alfred was too strong to just be taken down. He wouldn't let anyone hurt his states. He hung up the phone after New Jersey did, and reached down, picking up his pipe. He couldn't feel it in his grasp. He stared at the phone, waiting for something; anything. Finally, a thought came to him, and he picked it up one last time, dialing the number scribbled on the scrap of paper. He didn't have to wait long for the answer.
"Oh Matthew! Before I went to the lake, there was one more thing I should do!." His gaze darkened and his tone lowered dangerously with it. "Let me speak to my son." The phone disconnected in his ear and he nodded to himself. He had found Alfred, and he was running out of time to save him.
