Disappearances

*Xin Lei*, ---

I was a doctor in three specializations, so it wasn't difficult to tell that the men were dead, even without taking a pulse.

Witness to a felony.

And now I was stealing. I, who am a reputed doctor, the daughter of a lawyer, and a sister of a brother working in the Intelligence Service, was stealing cash.

Another felony. But now I was a part of it.

We were not rich, but at least considerably well off, financially. I never thought that a day like this would befall upon me.

I typed. "This is my first experience in stealing money."

Bai Li shrugged. "Everything has a first time. Welcome to street life. I hope you enjoy your stay."

I sighed. I looked at Cocoa and remembered how he ruthlessly dug his claws in the man's neck.

He was a cute dog.

He was lethal too.

I typed a message. "So, now, our next destination is Fu Ting's home."

He smiled. "So, now, let's head straight into the case."

*Duan Deming*, ---

"Officer Duan Deming!"

A police officer saluted as I stepped down from the car with my poker faced colleague, Tian Song at the crime scene.

Lang Fang police had called us officers from the police department in Qianmen, Dongcheng district to assist them in the case where the cleaner found a woman's dead body in an alley. They had immediately sealed off the area.

I glanced at Song. Seriously, he was no fun. He had always such a dead expression on his face as if he was a cold-blooded murderer.

"Lighten up, Song. You will scare the cleaner away."

But he ignored me and walked on.

"Hey, you are my only friend, you know that? After my lovely wife passed away-"

"The case, Duan Deming."

I hate it when he cuts me off like that! I feel so lonely when he still calls me by my full name.

I sighed. I entered the crime scene going past the yellow 'No entry' tapes.

The cleaner was standing at a side, shaking and trembling.

Poor guy.

Then I saw the dead woman. Her condition was terrible. She was beaten, all black and blue. Her hands and legs were hanging like a broken doll.

Not even a little mercy.

The junior officer, Peng Bao, came. "Sir, the woman is Liao Chuntao, thirty years old. She lives in Dongcheng. The cleaner discovered her body at 9.20 am today among the pile of garbage. She was a regular office worker. A week ago, she didn't return home at night, and her sister, Liao Huifang, registered a complaint the next day when she couldn't reach her."

Tian Song asked, "The statements of her colleagues?"

"Sir, she had left the office on time, and there was nothing unusual."

I asked, "CCTV?"

"Sir, she is seen entering a cab. It took her to the Andingzhen district, and from there she entered another car, but we couldn't make out the plate number. After that, there is no footage."

This is bad, I thought.

"Andingzhen is on the outskirts of Beijing and on the way to LangFang that is outside Beijing." I said.

Song nodded. "She must have-"

Suddenly, Song's phone rang and I saw him staring at it for a second before he excused himself.

Seriously, just who calls him, I wondered.

*Xin Lei*, ---

Bai Li, Cocoa, and I stood in front of the Fu residence, whose address we painstakingly found in the Beijing phone directory, calling numerous families with Fu Ting name. Finally, we found the wife, Fu Biya, who recognized my father, Xin Nianzu.

Bai Li said, "Carefully observe."

I typed. "Okay."

I pressed the doorbell. A woman opened the door. She was Fu Biyu, probably in her late thirties. The skin under her eyes had faint dark circles. She looked terribly worn out and exhausted.

Bai Li said, "Mrs. Fu Biyu?"

"Yes." She said. "You must be the ones who called me. Are you Xin Nianzu's daughter?"

I nodded.

"Come in."

"Can I bring my dog in?" Bai Li asked.

Fu Biyu carefully looked at Cocoa and nodded. "Just dust him a little."

Bai Li took a brush and quickly dusted him.

We entered, and I immediately liked the place. It was a modest size apartment where a typical middle-class family resides.

We settled on the couch, and she poured us some tea.

Bai Li cut straight to the chase. "What exactly happened?"

I saw Fu Biyu trying to control her tears, but she failed. She sniffled and said,

"It all happened a week back. My daughter, Fu Meili, and my son, Fu Jun, had a school trip to the Natural Park in Langfang, Hebei. Ting is a teacher in their school, so he was also with them. But then one day he called and said that Meili was gone. They searched for her everywhere in the whole park, but they couldn't find her. They called the police, but even they didn't find her."

Strange.

Bai Li asked, "Where did she disappear from?"

"Ting said that all the children were in the group together, but during lunch break, Fu Meili was nowhere to be seen. We asked her friends, but they didn't know when she got separated from their group." She was covering her mouth, trying to hold back her sobs.

Bai Li asked, "Why was Fu Ting arrested?"

Fu Biyu sobbed. "It's all a misunderstanding! I don't know how but they found Meili's handkerchief in Ting's room. It had blood on it, and after the test, it was confirmed that it was Meili's. So, they arrested Fu Ting on the charges of kidnapping her, but I know Ting cannot do anything like this!"

From the corner of my eye, I saw somebody peeking at us. I turned my head and saw a little boy. He got startled and stepped back.

'That must be...'

But before I could ask, Bai Li said, "Is there someone else in this home?"

I looked at him wide-eyed.

His instinct is…really spot on.

Fu Biyu said, "Oh, there is my son, Fu Jun."

"Can you call him here?"

Fu Biyu nodded. "Jun. Come here."

I saw him hesitating in the corner before he slowly stepped out. He was walking by taking small steps and then hid in his mother's embrace.

"He is six years old. Meili and Jun's classes were taken together for the trip."

I see.

Fu Jun looked alert for some reason. He was nervously shifting in his place. But his eyes sparkled when he saw Cocoa. 

"Jun." Bai Li called him and stretched his hand forward. "Come here."