The Evil White Nightmare (5)

Meng Siqi expected that this young mother would be emotionally disturbed. The family was facing a huge dilemma because of their daughter's kidnapping. If something really happened to Xu Yizhou, the family might be completely destroyed.

Meng Siqi least wants to see this sad and tense scene, but as a criminal police officer, she does not have the right to choose cases. She must rescue the victim as soon as possible and solve the family's problems.

During this silent moment, she also looked around the house as quickly as possible. The living room was very large, with a balcony with a yard. The balcony was planted with lush green plants and pink flowers. The sunlight sprinkled on the front hall, making it feel like looking at a painting. The furniture was also high-end, and the sofa was a dark red leather sofa, giving a very high-end feeling.

Meng Siqi observed the structure of the community as soon as he entered the door. This community is not one that ordinary residents can afford to live in. The community has large intervals, there are pools and flower stands between the floors, the green environment is very good, and the houses are all three-story. If it were a pure residential building, the light would not be good if you lived on the first floor. However, the houses in this community are villa-type, and the first floor has its own garden and is bright all around, which is actually the best floor.

All this shows that the victim's family was in good condition and was relatively wealthy. The kidnappers chose this family, which shows that they had done an investigation in advance.

The TV in front of the sofa was relatively large, with festive New Year pictures hanging on the wall. On the table below the TV were several photo frames. Meng Siqi lowered his head slightly and saw the little girl in the photo frame. She was only six or seven years old, with two ponytails, a sweet face, and happiness and joy on her innocent little face.

The little girl raised her hands above her head, making the gesture of bunny ears, and had a pink plastic watch on her right wrist.

However, in the photo frame, she also saw a man, who was about fifty years old, with still dark hair, and was quite friendly with the little girl. He should be the child's grandfather.

Han Changlin remained calm and said to the child's father, Xu Jianfei: "Let's do a simple inquiry and understand the situation briefly, so that we can rescue the child as soon as possible."

"Okay, okay." Xu Jianfei nodded repeatedly and followed Han Changlin to the table.

Han Changlin ordered: "Xiao Meng, you go ahead and ask, Zhao Leiting will take notes."

Meng Siqi responded immediately, took out paper and pen, and just sat down when three colleagues from the technical department arrived. Han Changlin and Tang Xiaochuan helped them organize the equipment.

Meng Siqi sat at the square table in the restaurant, opposite Xu Jianfei. She had been in a hurry and had not prepared any questions. She planned to learn some things from her experience. She first asked, "Mr. Xu, can you recall what happened before and after your daughter went missing yesterday? The more detailed the better. For example, did you encounter any unusual things or receive any unusual phone calls?"

Xu Jianfei was in a low mood, but he seemed to be holding back a lot of anger. He raised his eyelids and said, "Comrade, I don't know what to say. Usually my wife goes to pick up the children, but yesterday, she had something to do. She was working in the jewelry store. But yesterday she ran into a difficult customer and couldn't leave for a while. Then I was more than 20 minutes late. When I arrived at the school gate, I didn't find Zhou Zhou."

At this point, Xu Jianfei's voice began to choke up.

"Mr. Xu, calm down. What do you do?"

“I’m a math teacher.”

"You guys aren't in the same school?"

“Yes, I work in an educational training institution.”

Meng Siqi could see that he still paid more attention to his image. He wore a suit at home, but his hair was not combed.

"What is your lover's name and job?"

"Zhou Yingjun, I work at Phoenix Jewelry. There is only one Phoenix Jewelry in this area."

“Does the child have any other close relatives?”

"Yes, my dad, but he doesn't live with us."

"What is the child's grandfather's name and occupation?"

"My father's name is Xu Wangtu, and he's the vice-president of a driving school."

Meng Siqi had just looked at the photo. The child's grandfather was in good spirits and looked like an educated person. This was consistent with her guess. This family had many sources of income. The child's grandfather, father and mother all had good jobs. So whether the criminals took the child's grandfather or the child's parents, there was an element of kidnapping.

At this time, Han Changlin also came over, took a chair and sat aside.

Meng Siqi continued to ask: "Have you notified the child's grandfather?"

"My dad came over last night and told us not to call the police. He was going to collect money. He should still be collecting money now. Although we all have formal jobs, it is actually impossible to collect so much money in such a short time. I didn't get in touch with my dad this morning, and I didn't receive a phone call. I was worried that something happened to my daughter, so I called the police."

Two hundred thousand was a considerable sum of money in that era. Even for a well-off family, it was difficult to collect two hundred thousand in cash in one day.

"You said your wife encountered a difficult client yesterday. Do you know the client's information? Or do I need to ask your wife?"

"Listen to his nonsense!" The child's mother Zhou Yingjun suddenly said in a sharp voice, "What do you mean by difficult customers? It's just that there is no one in the jewelry store, so they asked me to take over for an hour or two."

Meng Siqi understood. From this perspective, this difficult customer was also ruled out as a suspect.

"What time did you receive the ransom call yesterday? Can you tell me the details?"

Xu Jianfei seemed to think for a moment before saying, "Around nine o'clock. My wife and I went to the child's school and the places she usually went to, and asked her classmates about the situation. At the time, I didn't think of kidnapping, but just thought that the child was ignorant and had gone out to play. Later, I told my wife to go home and wait, and maybe one of the parents called to report that she was safe."

"Listen to his nonsense!" Zhou Yingjun yelled again, "If it weren't for him, would the child be in danger?"

"It suddenly rained yesterday evening and I was stuck in traffic. I was supposed to pick up the child at that time..." Xu Jianfei lowered his head as if he was confessing.

"Mr. Xu, please answer my question, what about the blackmail call yesterday?"

"I got home around nine o'clock," Xu Jianfei said. "I checked the time. Less than a quarter of an hour after I entered the house, the phone rang. My wife rushed to answer it, but she froze. I took the phone and it said, 'Listen carefully.' He said it once, 'Prepare 200,000 yuan, not a penny less, wait for his news, and don't call the police, otherwise the child will be gone.'"

At this point, Zhou Yingjun suddenly burst into tears again, and the atmosphere in the room became even more sad.

Meng Siqi asked calmly: "Can you describe the kidnapper's voice? Did you think he was someone you knew?"

"It was a man's voice, very rough and a little fierce. I have never heard such a voice before, and neither has my wife."

"Recently, have your father Xu Wangtu, you, and your spouse encountered any suspicious things or people? For example, when you were walking in the neighborhood, you felt someone was following you, or you saw a stranger wandering around in your garden."

Meng Siqi thought that the kidnappers might have come to the community to scout the area, so he asked this question.

"I don't know. I usually go to work during the day and go home at night. My wife usually picks up the kids and I have a day off on the weekends. I take the kids out to play. There are a lot of people coming and going in the community, but I don't mind it."

"Okay." Meng Siqi didn't make any more preparations. She couldn't think of any more questions to ask. She looked at Han Changlin and said, "Captain Han, do you have any other questions?"

Han Changlin nodded and asked Xu Jianfei: "Does your daughter usually tell you anything when she comes home? Interesting things are fine too?"

Meng Siqi realized that Han Changlin wanted to find out some information from the little girl. Meng Siqi had never thought that Han Changlin might pay more attention to this information because he had a daughter.

"No." Xu Jianfei shook his head. "My daughter is very well behaved. She never talks to me about her life at school, and I don't know..." He glanced at the child's mother.

Zhou Yingjun sneered: "You wouldn't even know if your child died. Do you care about this family? You only care about yourself."

Meng Siqi realized that the child's father's testimony might contain some lies. For example, he might have gone home on time after get off work and spent time with the child on weekends, but not often. Xu Jianfei was stocky and slightly fat with a slight beer belly. As a math teacher, he did have his own hobbies, so he was perfecting his image as a father.

Zhou Yingjun may know more about the child's situation, but in this situation, I'm sure she won't cooperate.

However, at this time, Zhou Yingjun took the initiative to say: "My daughter has been fine recently, but the night before yesterday when she came home, she said she saw someone staring at her after school. I thought the child was suspicious, so I didn't take it seriously. I didn't expect..." She held her face and cried again.

Meng Siqi felt that Zhou Yingjun was beginning to release herself and accept the police's help, otherwise she would not have taken the initiative to come up with this useful clue.

Meng Siqi asked, "Did your daughter tell you what that person looked like?"

"No. I didn't ask in detail. It's all my fault." Zhou Yingjun hunched over, buried his head in his arms and sobbed.

It seems that due to the mother's negligence, this clue was completely cut off.

Han Changlin said, "Okay, Xiao Meng, you two take a break."

He turned to Xu Jianfei and said, "Xu Jianfei, we will go buy some food later. You can tell us what you want to eat. I will arrange two or three people to stay at your home tonight and wait for the kidnappers' call. During this process, I hope you will stay calm and trust the police. We will definitely find your daughter."

"Thank you, thank you, officer."

In the afternoon, there was a knock on the door. Han Changlin was very calm and motioned Xu Jianfei to open the door. Han Changlin, Tang Xiaochuan and Zhao Leiting had been observing the movements outside from the windows in front and back of the house. Han Changlin occasionally looked out through a telescope and observed the passers-by passing by the building. He should have observed who the visitor was.

The door opened, and Xu Jianfei called out "Dad" in a low voice. The man outside the house walked in. When he saw the person in the house, he reacted immediately. His already haggard and old face immediately drooped like a piece of dried orange peel.

Meng Siqi could tell that the man was Xu Jianfei's father, Xu Wangtu. In the photo, he looked vigorous and radiant, but now his hair was disheveled and he looked very old because of a few white hairs. In fact, Xu Wangtu should be around fifty years old.

He was carrying a cross-body canvas bag. The bag was not big, but very sturdy. It pressed his body slightly to the left. It was obvious that it was the 200,000 cash he had raised.

After the door was closed, Xu Wangtu pulled Xu Jianfei to the balcony of the living room and questioned him in a low voice, which could still be heard in the living room: "Didn't I tell you not to call the police? Do you want to kill Zhou Zhou?"

"Dad, I haven't received a call yet. I'm worried, but I can't get in touch with you. Don't worry, these police officers are very cautious and won't be exposed."

Xu Wangtu glanced at the group of strangers in the room again, and finally his gaze stopped on Meng Siqi's face, the expression on his face gradually changed from tense to normal.

Xu Jianfei helped Xu Wangtu take off his backpack. "Dad, is it 150,000?"

"Not a cent less."

"Okay, then I'll put the 50,000 yuan from my family together."

Zhou Yingjun had a dazed look on his face, his eyes lingering on the pile of money on the tea table, as if that pile of money was the only hope for this family.

Xu Jianfei brought 50,000 yuan and added it to the 150,000 yuan brought by Xu Wangtu. The two of them counted the money together, fearing that one was missing. Finally, Xu Jianfei suggested putting in an extra 1,000 yuan.

Throughout the whole process, they seemed to be immersed in that obsession and seemed to have completely ignored the existence of the police. Perhaps they felt that money was the real means of saving lives.

But Meng Siqi understands them very well. In a kidnapping case, because loved ones are controlled by others, people will compromise with the kidnappers without principles, and the kidnappers' demands become the "Noah's Ark" in their hearts.

During this process, Han Changlin did not stop them. He believed that sometimes, when handling a case, more human factors must be taken into consideration and it cannot be implemented by force. Now the most cooperative person in this family is undoubtedly Xu Jianfei, because he took the initiative to call the police, and he should be the one who most hopes that the police will participate in rescuing his daughter. Han Changlin is waiting, waiting for the right opportunity to take action.

He once experienced a kidnapping case that was catastrophic, the Sun Beizhe kidnapping case. On that occasion, he gave a wrong order, which led to the murderer's escape and Sun Beizhe's death. This time he will not make such a mistake again. He must face everything calmly.

Xu Wangtu suddenly raised his head and asked, "Who is the leader?"

Han Changlin replied: "It's me."

Xu Wangtu forced out a pale smile and took out a cigarette from his pocket. "I'm sorry for being indecent just now."

He handed a cigarette to Han Changlin, who pushed it away. "Principal Xu, you're welcome. No one here smokes."

"Oh oh." Xu Wangtu should be a sociable person usually, but at this time he smiled slowly and put away his cigarette.

"It's like this." He begged, "Zhou Zhou is very young, nothing can happen to her. This money is nothing, our family can afford it. I hope the leaders will be gracious and wait until they get the money and release my granddaughter, then you can take action, okay..."

At the end of his speech, Xu Wangtu suddenly held his face with his hands, lowered his head and sobbed silently, as if he was suppressing his emotions.

Xu Jianfei quickly held onto Xu Wangtu's arm and said, "Dad, I'll go back to your room with you to rest for a while."

"I don't want to rest..." Xu Wangtu choked up slightly, "I can't stay here. This is Zhou Zhou's shadow. Let me go back to work. Maybe I will feel better. Call me immediately if you have any news."

Meng Siqi was also very upset. Xu Wangtu was the vice-president of a driving school and should be very busy. He wanted to focus his thoughts on his granddaughter during his busy work. Perhaps that would make him calmer. In this room, facing a silent phone, he would just go crazy.

"Principal Xu, we also have a few questions to discuss with you." Director Han Lin suggested.

"Leader, what do you want to know? I know nothing."

Han Changlin said, "Well, since we are all here, our goal must be the same, which is to rescue your granddaughter. I would like to know what you have seen recently."

Meng Siqi understood Han Changlin's thoughts. Strictly speaking, Xu Wangtu's exposed identity was richer than his son Xu Jianfei. Perhaps the kidnappers were targeting Xu Wangtu.

"Okay, ask me, and I'll tell you everything I know."

Next, Han Changlin arranged for Meng Siqi to question Xu Wangtu. In fact, the result of Xu Wangtu's questioning was simpler than Xu Jianfei. Summer vacation was coming, and the driving school became very busy. A long time ago, Xu Wangtu used to pick up and drop off his granddaughter to and from school. Later, because of his busy schedule, he only came to see his granddaughter occasionally every week, and the task of picking up and dropping off fell on Zhou Yingjun. The parents had the most contact with the children.

After asking questions, Xu Wangtu insisted on leaving, so Xu Jianfei saw him out. When he came back, Xu Jianfei's eyes were red. He must have felt pain in his heart as he watched his father's old back leave.

At dusk, Han Changlin arranged for Tang Xiaochuan and Zhao Leiting to buy food nearby, but asked them to act separately and make several trips to prevent them from buying a large amount of food at one time and arousing suspicion from the criminals.

By nine o'clock in the evening, I still hadn't received any calls from the kidnappers. The kidnappers first called me at nine o'clock last night asking me to prepare money, but there has been no calls since then.

A little before six o'clock, Xu Wangtu made two phone calls and experienced two roller coaster rides of tension. Xu Jianfei suggested that his father not call back and that he would be informed of any news as soon as possible, and Xu Wangtu agreed.

"Zhao Leiting, send Xiao Meng back to rest." Han Changlin gave the order, "Leave one person in the technical department tonight. Xiaochuan and I will stay here, and the others will come tomorrow morning."

At this critical moment, Meng Siqi didn't want to leave at all. She asked: "Captain Han, I can stay anywhere. I will stay here tonight."

"This is an order." Han Changlin said sternly, "Besides, you still have to hold on tomorrow."

Meng Siqi had to obey orders. The victim's community was far from the police station, but not very far from her home. Zhao Leiting took a car and first sent her home and then returned home.

Meng Siqi didn't sleep well that night. She couldn't get rid of Xu Yizhou's figure in her mind. His lovely big eyes illuminated her dreams like precious gems. The next morning, Zhao Leiting drove to pick her up. Zhao Leiting said that the kidnappers didn't call last night.

Could it be that the kidnappers discovered something and killed the hostage? Meng Siqi felt vaguely uneasy.

On the way, Zhao Leiting's intercom rang, and he took the intercom: "I am Zhao Leiting, go ahead."

"Brother Lei Ting, this is Lin Mingjia. I haven't been able to contact the Korean team. Please check the newspapers. Several newspapers have published news of the kidnapping."

"What?"

Meng Siqi was almost in despair at that moment. The first thing she thought of was the once sensational family tragedy and the news about Zhu Xinting.

The car braked suddenly to a stop in front of a small newsstand. Meng Siqi suggested getting out of the car to buy a newspaper. The moment she rushed out of the car and saw the newspaper in the newsstand, she was stunned.

There was a long report about a kidnapping case in the newspaper, and a photo suddenly caught the eye.

The photo shows a little girl of about five or six years old, lying on her side on the ground. Her sleeping posture is very strange, like a shrimp with its tail curled up, her hands hugging her legs, her head tilted down, and her whole body curled up into an almost disc-like shape.

Although she was lying on her side, one could still clearly see her drooping eyelashes, tightly closed eyelids, and pursed lips. She should be in a coma and was deliberately placed in this position. However, one cannot determine her physical condition just by looking at the photo. She may have died.

This posture is not the most peculiar thing. The little girl seems to be lying on a huge lotus leaf. Ordinary lotus leaves are not so big, so it looks like an artificial lotus leaf. Newspaper is in black and white, so the dark green lotus leaves also appear grayish black.

The photo has a limited field of view, and the composition alone gives people a weird feeling. The weird composition presented in the whole photo is more like a promotional poster for a horror movie.