Rong Jian said hoarsely, "There were so many people donating money. I don’t understand how he figured out that it was us. I an I quit my job days after the fire and moved to Wuhan. I changed my number and emails because I never wanted to hear from any of those people. I just wanted to forget.
I got married and had a son. And then one day, he was kidnapped and the kidnapper asked for a ransom. I knew it as soon as I saw the amount, and I felt sick to my stomach."
"So why didn’t you tell the police all this?" She asked him.
He almost laughed. "And expose what had happened in the fire! I wanted to wait and see what he wanted. I didn’t expect my son to die. I considered telling the police everything after that, but I thought of how it would destroy my wife. She would never look at the sa way. We had already lost our boy, we didn’t have to lose each other as well."
All He Xiao Yi heard in the response was selfishness and fear.
"But you didn’t push the boy into the fire." Liwu reminded him.
He Xiao filled in the space by saying, "But he didn’t stop Su Daji either or take the elevator back to see if the boy had survived. He also agreed to keep the secret, and that made him an accomplice by silence. In the eyes of the boy’s father, your money was blood money, a price for his child. The worth you assigned. So, he is assigning the sa worth to your children and punishing them. It is revenge."
"Is there anything else you can tell us about what happened when your son was kidnapped?" Liwu asked him. "Whatever was left out of the police file?"
Rong Jian shook his head. "Apart from this story, I told them everything else."
Liwu’s jaw tightened. "We need to know his na."
"Huo Lingtian." Rong Jian sighed. "I have been afraid to say his na for many years. The boy was Huo Bin." He rose, dusted off his hands and looked at Aang, who had returned and looked on silently. "Where did you send my mother?"
"Wuhan South Municipal hospital." Aang replied.
"Thank you." Rong Jian muttered, walked into the house and closed the door.
Without saying another word Aang teleported Liwu and He Xiao Yi back to the precinct. The operation center was noisy and busy, phones were ringing every other second and over a dozen officers were answering them.
"What is going on?" Liwu pulled her partner to the side.
"Multiple teleportation sightings and kidnappings. We have three more children that have been grabbed. Witnesses all report the sa thing. Shimring costu, a middle finger sign, peace sign. It is obviously him." Linlin replied rapidly, as she was in a rush.
He Xiao Yi walked to the front, and sounded a horn, startling everyone. For a mont, all activity paused. "This is a diversion tactic. Unless the children that have been kidnapped are related to the seven people on the screen, then we are being played. I don’t an we should ignore the leads, but I am suggesting that we forward them to to other teams and focus on Huo Lingtian and the seven families."
"I agree." Chief Abby declared.
"There were seven people that were there when Huo Bin died and Su Daji is the seventh." Liwu tapped her notebook against her thigh. "He is the last."
"And just as I feared, the child is set for death." He Xiao Yi said slowly. "It explains the flashiness, he is not arrogant, he just doesn’t care if he is caught. Maybe, he even wants his deeds to be publicized. My worry is that if he kills Su Wan and we don’t stop him, he will go back around and kill the rest of the children he kidnapped before. It will give him more satisfaction and hurt the parents deeper."
"A taste of his suffering." Xuanji mumbled, loudly.
Liwu put the notebook down on the table, focusing on the map of the city on the screen. "He can teleport. We are looking for him here, within the city, chasing our tails, when he could be in Nanjing. What could be more symbolic than killing Su Wan in the sa place his son Huo Bin was killed?"
A tech officer raised her hand. "Sir, the Su’s have received a ssage."
The ssage was forwarded to the screen. It ended with a chilling line: "Forty-four hours left. Sa ransom. et at the Cherry Blossom park with the money, in cash. Co alone, or else your daughter dies."
Liwu’s jaw clenched. He Xiao Yi’s eyes t hers, sharp as blades.
A location had been given. The hunt could begin.
"It is a trap." Liwu said.
The team set out imdiately, because they knew Su Daji would still go. They beat the man to the park, disguised as couples, families that were out to have fun, tourists enjoying the view. Cherry blossoms drifted across the park like falling snow, their beauty mocking the tension in the air.
He Xiao Yi and Liwu, disguised as a couple, kicked a ball round in the grass, laughing softly.
"He is here," was whispered into their ears.
Su Daji had arrived, clutching a worn leather bag, his steps heavy as he approached the designated eting spot beneath the largest tree. Detectives had called his house and phone, trying to convince him not to go but he ignored their warnings. He placed the bag on the bench, his face pale but resolute.
Chief Abby sat down on the bench next to that one, wincing as if he had hurt his foot from strenuous jogging. He even had sweat dripping down his back and on his forehead.
Then, without warning, the air heated up. A ripple distorted the cherry blossoms. In an instant, Su Daji was gone--snatched by the kidnapper. The bench sat empty, the bad abandoned.
The chief, Liwu and He Xiao Yi rushed forward. The bag was torn open. Inside were stacks of paper, blank sheets cut to size, painted to mimic currency. It was fake money.
Above, petals swirled violently in the wind, as if mocking the detectives. The deadline ticked closer. Now, not only did they have to save Su Wan, but also three other missing children and Su Daji as well.
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