7-Year-Old Boy Defends His Mom from Rude Man in Cafe and Disappears Next Day – Story of the Day

"Don't you dare talk to my Mom like that!" 7-year-old Matt defends his Mom, Heather, from a rude waiter. The next day, Heather's world comes crashing down when she finds her little son mysteriously missing from the house and uncovers a chilling note in his bedroom.

"Glad you agreed to meet me here, Heather!" Mr. Murphy, 35-year-old Heather's family lawyer, greeted her as she and her 7-year-old son, Matt, occupied the table at the bustling café on that pleasant afternoon. "I have some amazing news for you!"

"What is it, Mr. Murphy?" Heather excitedly leaned forward in her chair while Matt, naive of the discussion, was busy playing Bubble Shoot on his mom's phone.

"Your grandmother has left you $400,000!" Mr. Murphy declared. "This is the copy of the will. We'll discuss more back in my office, and you can sign all the paperwork once you're ready to claim the money."

Heather's happiness knew no bounds when she saw the six-figure legacy that could help her kickstart a better life with her little son.

She needed this money, especially after going through a tumultuous divorce and the death of her ex-husband David last year.

"Oh my goodness! Really?? That's...incredible!" Heather exclaimed.

But before she could take in more of the exciting news, Matt got into an unexpected situation with Kyle, a young waiter, who was wiping their table.

"Hey, watch it, kid!" Kyle frowned and leaped back in disgust when Matt accidentally dropped the glass he was holding, splashing cola on the waiter's shirt and shoes.

"Oops! I'm so sorry about that, sir," Matt immediately apologized.

"Oh really??" Kyle barked. "Look what you've done! Is your sorry going to wash the cola off my shirt now?"

Kyle scoffed and continued talking under his breath. "These entitled kids! Can't they see straight? Acting blind and disrespectful!"

"I'm not blind or disrespectful, sir!" Matt argued, having overheard Kyle's words. "Accidents happen, sir. You don't have to bark at me for a simple thing."

"What did you say?" Kyle was trying to control himself. "You better watch your words, kid!"

Heather and Mr. Murphy were quite taken aback by what was happening. So Heather calmed her son down before turning to the waiter.

"Excuse me, my son did it by mistake," Heather looked up at Kyle. "I apologize on his behalf."

But Kyle was not in the mood to accept an apology.

"Can't you control your freaking kid? Is that how you've taught him to speak to people older than him?" Kyle barked at Heather before making another bold remark. "That's some Grade-A parenting right there!" Kyle slow-clapped sarcastically. "What a delightful mum!"

The waiter's words filled little Matt with anger. He may have been only seven, but he was not one to just sit and watch some random guy insult his mother.

"Don't you dare talk to my Mom like that!" Matt rose from his chair, staring fiercely at Kyle as he slammed the table hard. In a fit of rage, Matt's hands gripped the little ceramic vase sitting at the center of the table and hurled it at the man.

"What the hell? Your kid is out of control!" Kyle roared as he blocked the flying vase with his hand, sending it shattering on the floor.

"I'LL MAKE SURE HE LEARNS SOME MANNERS!"

"Matt, what are you doing? Stop!" Heather quickly grabbed her son. "This is not how you talk to your elders. Apologize to him right now."

"But Mom, I already apologized. He was still rude," Matt argued.

"That's enough, Kyle! You will not speak to our guests like that," the café manager intervened as the waiter clenched his fist and stared daggers at the little boy before storming away.

"Hey, Kyle! Get back here and apologize to them. Kyle??" the manager shouted for the waiter. But Kyle angrily disappeared into the kitchen.

The manager apologized to Heather and her son and even offered them complimentary beverages to compensate for the mishap.

Having discussed the will with Mr. Murphy, Heather took her son home following a hearty lunch, assuming she would never have to deal with the arrogant waiter again.

The next morning, Heather sat up in bed and snoozed the alarm by the bedside. She hurried downstairs to the kitchen and started preparing breakfast.

She was halfway done setting the breakfast table when she noticed her son hadn't come to the kitchen yet. It was unusual. Matt was always on time.

"Matt, breakfast is ready, honey! Hurry up and grab a plate, sweetie!" Five minutes passed, and there was still no sign of the boy, which got Heather a little worried.

"Matt? Can you please come down? We're getting late for school..." she called again, and there was still dead silence upstairs.

A wave of anxiety rushed through Heather as she sensed something was wrong. She bolted to Matt's room, hoping she was worried for nothing and that her boy was just asleep.

"Matt...honey?" Heather exclaimed as she opened Matt's bedroom door and froze. Little Matt was not in his bedroom.

With a racing heart, Heather checked the bathroom and the little balcony outside. But Matt was nowhere to be found.

His blanket was crumpled, and pillows were thrown around. Heather kept scanning the room in a state of panic. Her eyes widened in disbelief when she spotted a strange note lying on the bed.

A knot tightened in Heather's stomach as she unfolded the paper and began reading the chilling words:

"We have your son. Do you remember we promised to make sure he learns some manners? Guess it's time to straighten the little imp's tail and show him his place.

If you want to see your son again, leave $400,000 in the yellow trash can outside the City Park gate tomorrow evening at 5.

Don't think of going to the cops. Or you won't see your son again!"

Heather's hands shook uncontrollably as she clutched the anonymous note tightly, realizing her little son had been kidnapped.

"No...God! No, please! This can't be happening," Heather cried. She remembered the waiter telling her and Matt the exact words during the heated exchange at the café the previous day.

"There's no way he can do this to my son and get away with it," Heather's mind raced with a mix of terror as she grabbed her handbag and bolted out of the house to her car. The terrified mom knew she must seek the cops' help despite the threat in the anonymous letter.

Shaken to the core, Heather mustered her courage and drove to the local police station to report her son as missing and kidnapped.

Arriving there, she hurried to the department's main entrance when her phone suddenly buzzed with a message from an unknown number flashing on the screen.

"Where do you think you're going?" read the notification as Heather stopped in her tracks.

"We warned you not to go to the police. We are watching your every step.

This is your last chance. One more mistake, and it's bye-bye, Matty."

Heather's hands trembled. The station was bustling with cops, but she could do nothing to seek help from the police when she realized she was being watched.

Fear driving her to the edge, Heather nervously scanned her surroundings. Her eyes darted from person to person, but she could not pinpoint who was watching her.

Paranoid and unable to shake off the chilling feeling, Heather turned around and ran to her car. Sitting behind the wheel, she called the number of the person who had seemingly kidnapped her son and had been sending her those menacing messages.

But to Heather's dismay, the number was a masked virtual phone number, and neither calls nor messages could go through.

"Please, I want my son back..." Heather broke down. Desperate to find Matt, she decided to confront the waiter and immediately drove to the café.

A sense of uneasiness crawled in Heather's stomach as she entered the café and scanned the eatery for the waiter. When she did not see him around, she approached the restaurant manager.

"Excuse me, sir. I was here yesterday afternoon...with my son, remember?"

"Oh, yes, Ma'am. I do remember. Please tell me," the manager replied.

"I came to apologize to the waiter for yesterday's conflict. Could I please meet him...?" Heather added, her tone laced with worry and urgency.

"Oh, but he's not here anymore…" The manager looked Heather in the eye. "After yesterday's incident, he was fired. Our restaurant policies don't entertain such behavior. So he was let go immediately, Ma'am."

Heather was beyond disappointed, but she composed herself so the manager would not start doubting her sudden interest in personally meeting Kyle.

"I...I totally agree with you. He was rude. But I think even I was wrong for not stopping my son. He's just a little boy, you know....so I want to apologize to the waiter," Heather explained.

"Could you please give me his address? Maybe you have it in your staff register?"

"Yes, we do! One sec..."

Moments later, Heather rushed back to her car and drove to Kyle's address she obtained from the café manager.

As Heather approached the waiter's house half an hour later, a creepy feeling overwhelmed her.

Rubble blanketed the front porch, and the lawn was unkempt. With dry leaves crunching beneath her boots, Heather approached the main door and knocked. But even 30 seconds later, there was no reply.

"Hello...anyone home?" Heather shouted while knocking harder on the door. Still no answer.

Dead set on somehow meeting Kyle, Heather reached for the doorknob, and to her surprise, the door wasn't locked, and it swung open. Summoning her courage, Heather entered Kyle's house.

"Anyone home?" Heather nervously asked again as she stepped inside and scanned the interiors.

An eerie sensation crawled through her nerves when she saw a broken ceramic vase shattered at the doorway. Heather slowly marched to the kitchen and spotted an overturned table, shards of broken plates littered, and a glinting knife on the floor.

Despite her thorough search in every nook and cranny, including Kyle's bedroom, Heather found nothing that could count as a clue.

Frustration and worry clouding her mind, she hurried out of the house, and as she stepped out into the fading light of day, she spotted a neighboring house and decided to investigate.

Gathering her hopes of finding a clue — any clue — that could lead to her missing son, Heather knocked on the neighbor's door. Moments later, Doris, Kyle's older neighbor, answered.

"Hey, sorry to bother you. I was just wondering...do you know anything about the guy who lives in that house? Kyle?" Heather asked the lady, pointing to Kyle's house.

"Are you his girlfriend?" Doris asked.

"Yeah, that's right!" Heather lied to the woman. "I just wanted to meet Kyle. But he's not home. Do you know where he is? He's not answering my calls."

"Oh, hi! I have to say I'm glad the boy finally found a girlfriend!" Doris chuckled. "He's a bit of an arrogant lad...but a good boy! He always helped me when I had difficulty mowing the lawn or fixing my roof."

"Oh, lovely! So when did you last see him?" Heather interrupted, pressing Doris for more information.

"I saw him early this morning, dear. I looked out my window after hearing strange noises from Kyle's house. Not unusual, because you know how he likes to have friends over now and then, and the group can be a bit noisy," Doris recounted. "Come to think of it; I did have a feeling that something was odd. I saw someone else with him. A man. I think Kyle was drunk because the man had to practically lift him and put him in his car. And then they drove off."

"Drove off?" Heather grew suspicious. "Do you remember how this guy with Kyle looked? Do you remember anything about the car?"

Doris thought for a while. "No, dear. I couldn't see his face clearly since it was dark outside. But I did see his car," Doris said.

"It was a huge, black car, dear…an SUV, perhaps," Doris added. "Is something wrong? Should I have noted the plate number? Oh, I wish I had! Who am I kidding? With my eyesight, I couldn't have seen the license plate number clearly even if I tried. But it was a black SUV, dear."

"Thank you so much!" Heather thanked Doris and hurried back to her car.

The older neighbor's words kept replaying in her mind, and nothing seemed to make sense to Heather.

With time ticking away and her little son confined in the hands of his kidnappers, Heather gave up playing detective. She decided to fulfill the kidnappers' demand and immediately drove to her lawyer's office to get the paperwork done to claim the $400,000.

"Miss Heather! I'm so glad to see you! How can I help you?" Mr. Murphy was surprised when he saw Heather entering his office.

With each second inching closer to the 24-hour deadline her son's kidnappers had given her, Heather got straight to the point about the inheritance.

"I want to sign all the paperwork now, Mr. Murphy. And I want the money...all of it...transferred to my account immediately once the formalities are over," Heather said, her voice choking with desperation.

"Oh, Mr. Murphy...what happened to your lip?" She was distracted and grew concerned when she saw a little bruise at the corner of the lawyer's lips. "You okay? How did you hurt yourself?"

"Nothing serious, Miss Heather," Mr. Murphy said. "Some hooligans cornered me outside the grocery store last evening and tried to rob me."

"Oh my God…Did you file a report in the police station?" Heather grew tense.

"Not to worry! I fought them back and managed to escape," Mr. Murphy said. "I'll get the papers ready immediately so you can sign them right away!"

Heather nodded. After signing the paperwork, she thanked Mr. Murphy and grabbed her handbag. Just as she was about to leave, a black SUV pulled over outside the lawyer's office.

As soon as Heather saw the black car, she stood still, recalling Kyle's older neighbor, Ms. Doris's descriptions of a similar black car in which Kyle was driven away by a mysterious man early that morning.

"Mr. Murphy, the tank is full!" Mr. Murphy's assistant said as he tossed the keys in the lawyer's hands. "I'm breaking for lunch. I'll be back in half an hour!"

The scar on Mr. Murphy's lips looks like he's gotten into a fight...like somebody punched him. And now this black car that belongs to him. Something's not adding up. Is it just a coincidence or...? Heather was lost in deep thought when Mr. Murphy suddenly spoke from behind, jolting her.

"Miss Heather...Are you alright?" the lawyer asked Heather.

"I...er...yeah. Yeah, I'm fine, Mr. Murphy," Heather stuttered. "Can I please have some water?"

"Sure! One sec..." Mr. Murphy turned around to fetch the jug from his table.

Meanwhile, Heather started piecing together the puzzle.

Mr. Murphy is the only one who knows me personally...he was also present when Matt had that argument with the waiter at the café, she thought.

Heather acted swiftly and tossed her fitness band, activated with the GPS tracker, into the inside pocket of Mr. Murphy's coat hanging on the coat stand.

"Miss Heather...here's your water," the lawyer approached her with a glass moments later.

"Thanks, Mr. Murphy," Heather gulped some water and immediately left his office.

Heather drove past Mr. Murphy's office, haunted by strange thoughts, and headed home. The following morning, she woke up to a message on her phone stating the funds had been transferred to her bank account.

With only nine hours left to fulfill the kidnappers' demand, Heather was racing against time to bring her son home safe and sound from his abductors.

At 4:45 p.m. that evening, Heather arrived at the entrance of City Park and spotted a lone yellow bin at the entrance, where she was supposed to leave the bag of money.

She approached the trash can, and when nobody was around, Heather tossed the duffel bag stashed with the $400,000.

Desperate to see who would come to get the money, she hurried to a bench a few yards away from the dumpster and quietly sat, pretending to fidget with her phone. Suddenly, her phone vibrated with a new message from an unknown number:

"I know that you are in a red jacket and blue jeans. Get inside your car and leave the park immediately. That is, if you still want to see your son alive."

Panicking and forced to follow the orders, Heather rose from the spot and bolted her way back to her car. She knew she was being watched again. Steeling herself, Heather pressed the gas pedal and sped away from the park.

She had barely crossed the lane nearby when she turned on her GPS tracking app on her phone to check Mr. Murphy's whereabouts. To her shock, Heather noticed the lawyer's car was heading to the City Park's entrance around the same time.

"Jesus, was it my lawyer who kidnapped my son for the money??" Heather grew suspicious as she turned around. When she noticed Mr. Murphy's car driving away from the park, she discreetly followed him to find out where he was heading.

With every turn of the steering wheel, Heather knew she was edging closer to finding her son Matt.

...and hoped he would be safe...and alive.

At some point, Heather realized she was driving down a deserted highway passing through the woods on the outskirts of the town.

With her eyes keenly fixed on Mr. Murphy's car ahead, Heather followed him, only to abruptly stop when she saw Mr. Murphy taking a sudden diversion onto the secluded road leading into the thick forest.

"I can't drive any further," Heather thought, pulling over on the highway. She got out of her car and discreetly followed Mr. Murphy on foot. Suddenly, she lost sight of him. Even the GPS tracker on her phone stopped indicating Mr. Murphy's further movement.

"He's got to be here somewhere..." Heather started worrying as she ruffled through the creepers and thickets and froze when she arrived in front of an abandoned cabin in the woods.

Heather approached the shack and peered through the broken glass windows, scanning the dark corners with her desperate eyes.

She slowly opened the door and quietly crept inside, her breath heavy with fear and anxiety. Shards of glass and rubble crackled under her feet as she walked inside.

Suddenly, Heather stopped. Cold shivers ran down her spine when she realized she was not alone in the cabin.

"ARE YOU LOOKING FOR SOMEONE?!" a cold, menacing voice that seemed all too familiar spoke from behind.

With eyes bulging with terror, Heather turned around. "Oh my God...it's you??" she shrieked.

But before Heather could run for her life, she felt a sharp blow to her head and collapsed on the ground with a heavy thud.

"Why...why did you do this to me..." she cried before blacking out. She didn't realize this, but she was dragged to the cabin cellar.

"Mom? Mom, wake up..." Heather could hear Matt's voice calling out to her. "Mommy...over here...help me...Mommy...get up...."

Heather felt her head terribly ache as she slowly opened her eyes, regaining consciousness an hour after being attacked. And the first thing she saw was little Matt and Kyle tied to a wooden pillar opposite her. A sudden gush of adrenaline sprang into Heather, arousing her senses.

"MATT? Oh my God...Sweetie...Are you alright?" She cried and tried to free her son, only to realize she was handcuffed and tied to a chair.

"What an idiot you are, Heather!" Mr. Murphy emerged into the cellar with a pistol in his grip and a sinister grin beaming on his face. "Did you think I didn't know you were following me?"

"I was going to finish just the two of them after getting the money...and frame a "missing" Kyle for Matt's murder...and now, you're making me waste another bullet! Who shall I send up first? Ummm, let me start with you, Heather!" the lawyer chuckled as he pointed the pistol at Heather.

"The money in that duffel bag you took from City Park's dumpster is fake!" Heather cried.

"What?!" Mr. Murphy's eyes bulged with shock as he withdrew the revolver. "Na-Na-Na! Don't try to trick me, Heather..."

Mr. Murphy checked the duffel bag just to be sure and realized Heather had indeed deceived him with counterfeit money. The very sight of it, coupled with betrayal, drew Mr. Murphy to the edge of madness.

"How dare you cheat me, Heather," Mr. Murphy roared. "Tell me...where's the real money?"

"It...it's in the bank," Heather revealed, out of fear. "I deposited everything into my account before driving to the park with the fake money."

"You think you can mess with me, Heather?" Mr. Murphy sneered. "Your son's fate is in my hands now."

The lawyer approached a terrified Matt and untied him.

"Please, let my son go. Please, I'll do anything. Just please, let Matt go. He doesn't deserve this," Heather pleaded with Mr. Murphy.

"You foiled my plans. And now, you'll pay the price for betraying me," the lawyer dragged Matt up the cellar's wooden stairs.

"Please...where are you taking my son? Leave him alone. Please...have mercy. He's just a child. Please..." Heather cried.

Mr. Murphy turned around and stared grimly at Heather. "I'll return with the papers. I need you to sign a power of attorney granting me sole custody of your inheritance money," he said.

"I'm taking your son with me, Heather. So don't try to act smart again and provoke me to do something nasty to your little boy...

…something you will end up regretting for the rest of your life!"

Mr. Murphy locked Heather and Kyle up in the cellar and immediately left with Matt.

As soon as the coast was clear, Kyle turned to Heather, shattering her silence. "Hey, do you have a hairpin?" he asked.

"Yeah, I do!" Heather replied.

"Good. Try to get closer, and let me grab it. I have a plan," Kyle urged.

Without a moment of hesitation, Heather started dragging herself along with the chair in Kyle's direction. She had no option but to trust the stranger.

"You thought I was the bad guy, didn't you?" Kyle said in the meantime. "In a way, you were right! I'm a bad guy, but not bad enough to kidnap children! I used to pick locks for a living before becoming a waiter. And when I had that outburst with your kid, I was already having the worst possible day of my life. Until this situation, of course. Anyway, I have a plan. Look the other way and try to be still..."

"Great! This should do it!" Kyle grabbed the hairpin from Heather's hair with his mouth. After an exhausting attempt, he opened his handcuffs with it and then freed Heather.

They glanced at each other, and the reality of the situation sank in. Though Heather and Kyle were now free to escape, they couldn't do it yet as Mr. Murphy was still out there, holding little Matt captive. When every other idea seemed risky, they decided to stay back and tackle the kidnapper firsthand.

"When that scoundrel comes back and opens the door, I'll go first, alright?" Kyle devised a plan. "You have only a few seconds to charge at him before we can take your son and escape."

Heather nodded. But her biggest fear was the fully-loaded gun Mr. Murphy possessed. If the plan backfired, things could go awry for Heather, Kyle, and Matt, and they would meet a gruesome end at his hands.

However, knowing this was their last resort, Heather and Kyle joined forces and waited for Mr. Murphy's return. An hour later, they heard his car pull over outside the cabin and took their places, ready to charge at him.

When Mr. Murphy climbed downstairs, Kyle pounced on him and locked his hands from behind. "Come on quick...do it...DO IT!" he shouted out loud.

As chaos erupted, a loud bang startled Heather. Mr. Murphy pulled the trigger and shot Kyle in the leg. Heather was too terrified to hold the metal pipe, and with all the strength she could muster, she struck a hard blow to Mr. Murphy's head, sending him groaning to the floor.

"He's passed out...hurry up...we need to leave this place," Kyle shouted.

"Oh no...you're losing a lot of blood," Heather panicked when she saw Kyle's injured leg. She tore her scarf, fastened it over the wound to stop the bleeding, and then turned to Mr. Murphy.

"Rot in hell!" Heather swore under her breath as she handcuffed Mr. Murphy to the staircase railing and called 911.

"Let's find your son!" Kyle turned to Heather. Panic surging through her veins, Heather bolted upstairs and slowed down when she approached Mr. Murphy's car outside the cabin.

"Mommy!" Matt bolted in her direction and threw himself into her arms.

Heather was relieved to see her little son alive and burst into tears as she hugged him. Around half an hour later, a police squad surrounded the cabin and arrested Mr. Murphy, who was taken into custody after charges were pressed against him.

The next day, Heather visited Kyle in the hospital, where he was treated for the bullet injury on his leg. Carrying a bouquet of white lilies, she walked into his ward, and he was pleasantly surprised to see her.

"Our first meeting at the café didn't go well. The second time we met was worse!" Kyle said with a smile, trying to lighten the mood. "I want to fix that! I know this might sound crazy, but when I get out of here, can we meet for the first time all over again? Have you been to the new restaurant at the beach...?"

Kyle was nervous about Heather's reaction. But to his surprise, she responded with a hug! "It's a date!" Heather chuckled. "If you hadn't suggested it, I would've brought it up myself! And hey...thank you. For saving us!"

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