19 Chapter 16: Departure Part 2
I went to the Beijing Prefecture of China to investigate another disappearance case. A girl named Estrella Perez went missing on the same day as Prince Li Wei, the crown prince of the Li Empire. Things turned havoc upon my arrival there.
Beijing Prefecture, China
" I'm an independent woman with two children at hand, Alexandre and Estrella. Estrella went missing two days ago" Mrs.Perez said informatively.
" What was the reason behind her disappearance? Did you fight?" the officer asked in a questionable tone.
" I'm the one responsible for my daughter's disappearance!" Mrs.Perez said sadly.
"What do you mean?" the officer asked questionably.
" Well, the thing is----------------------- Mrs.Perez narrated the whole story to the officer.
" I see! Your daughter disapproves of your remarriage" officer Ying Jie said.
" That's correct! She's against it! We fought about that matter which led to her disappearance two days after" Mrs.Perez said sadly.
" May I ask you a question?" officer Ying Jie asked suddenly.
"Go right ahead! What do you want to know, officer?" Mrs.Perez suddenly asked.
"How old is your daughter?" the officer asked in a questionable tone.
" 5 years old!" Mrs.Perez responded.
I realized at that very moment that this case was very similar in more ways than one. First, both Prince Li Wei and Estrella Perez disappeared on the very same day. Second, they're the same age. The only difference between these two cases is the reason behind the disappearance. Prince Li Wei disappeared due to a lack of love and Viviana Perez ran away because of her mother's remarriage. Ryuji Tachibana, Viviana Perez's fiance is an honorable man who loves Viviana Perez a lot, but because of Estrella Perez's disappearance, things between them went downhill.
" Are you breaking our engagement?" Ryuji Tachibana asked Mrs.Perez questionably.
" I never said that. It's just that I-------------------------------" Mrs.Perez said unable to finish his sentence.
"I understand! I won't ever see you again. I promise you that! I'll take my leave now!" Ryuji Tachibana said standing up.
" I'm sorry! I hurt your feelings! I'm sorry!" Mrs.Perez said crying.
" Stop crying already! It isn't your fault, so stop blaming yourself. We have to do this for our daughter's happiness. I can do anything for you. I can give my life for you, but the only thing I can't stand is seeing you cry" Ryuji Tachibana said, wiping away her tears.
" I never wanted things to end up like this!" Mrs.Perez said crying.
" Calm down, madame!" officer Ying Jie said.
" It wasn't my intention in the slightest to hurt his feelings like that. I just did what I thought was right" Mrs.Perez said sadly.
"You don't seem confident about the decision you took, am I right?" officer Ying Jie asked in a questionable tone.
" You're right, officer! What else could I do? I was forced to! Our marriage is the reason for my daughter's unhappiness and, for her happiness, I'm willing to do everything it takes" Mrs.Perez said sadly.
This case isn't all that simple. I have two similar cases on my hand now and I wonder how I'm going to deal with two cases at the same time, officer Ying Jie thought to himself.
Li Imperial Palace
Li Dining Room
" We were waiting for you. What took you so long?" Empress dowager asked her son questionably.
"Sorry! We can eat now!" Emperor Li Jun said, taking a seat.
" I know what you're worried about," Princess Li Mei said suddenly.
" What?" Emperor Li Jun asked.
" You're worried about Wei, am I right?" Princess Li Mei said in a questionable tone.
" I realized just how important he is to me. When he was here, I wanted him gone and now that he's gone, I want him back" Emperor Li Jun said sadly.
"I'm happy!" Princess Li Mei suddenly said.
" What for?" Emperor Li Jun asked.
" You're missing Wei badly, which means you love him. Let's eat!" Princess Li Mei replied.
"Enjoy your meal!" said the emperor.
"You too!" Empress Dowager said in unison.
" Thanks for the meal! I'm a bit tired, so I'll leave first" the emperor said, taking his leave.
" Jun-------------------------------? Empress Dowager said standing up.
" Mom, let him go! Let him be alone for a while!" said the princess by grabbing her hand, stopping her from going after him.
Beijing Prefecture, China
Perez Residence
Where should I start my investigations? The ideal would be to start gathering information by asking around the neighborhood. I'm missing something! the officer muttered to himself.
" Excuse me, officer!" Mrs.Perez said.
" Yes?" I responded.
" I forgot to give you these!" Mrs.Perez said handing something to me.
" The photos? I was just about to come looking for it. Thank you very much! With these, I finally have everything at my disposal to start investigating. I need to go out for a while!" said the officer.
" Before you go, would you have dinner with me?" Mrs.Perez asked me in a questionable tone.
" Gladly!" officer Ying Jie said smiling.
' Thank you!" Mrs.Perez said thankfully.
I followed Mrs.Perez to the dining room to have dinner with her.
"Thanks for the meal! It was delicious! I'll get going!" said the officer standing up.
" Wait!" Mrs.Perez stopped me in my steps.
" Yes?" I turned around.
" Have you found a place to stay for the night yet?" Mrs.Perez asked me in a questionable tone.
" No, I haven't found a place to stay just yet. Don't worry, madam! I'll book a hotel for the night" officer Ying Jie replied.
" How could that be? I mean, you don't have to book a hotel for the night. You're my guest and as such, it's my responsibility to take care of your every need. I won't let you go to the hotel. You may stay here!" Mrs.Perez said
" I'm afraid I can't stay! If I were to stay, I'll cause you trouble and besides, it won't please your fiance to know that I'm staying here" the officer said.
" Let him think whatever he wants! I'm not doing anything illegal! If he's unable to trust me, that's his problem. Would you stay?" asked Mrs.Perez in a questionable tone.
I understood by her insistence on why Mrs. Perez was asking me to stay over. She didn't want to stay alone as her daughter was missing and her son wasn't home. She wanted company. She wanted someone to talk with. She felt lonely and vulnerable without her children by her side.
" Since you insist, I'll stay!" I said affirmatively.
" Thank you!" Mrs.Perez said thankfully.
" See you in a while!" Ying Jie said, taking his leave.
Shanghai Prefecture, China
Ying Household
Jie always told me that I got an innate gift as a human being. I still remember it very clearly as if it were yesterday.
3 weeks prior
" Breakfast is ready, Yue! Come down!" Ying Jie interpellated Ying Yue downstairs.
" Coming!" She responded cheerfully.
Ying Yue came downstairs five minutes later.
" Are you still looking for a job?" Inquired Ying Jie all of a sudden.
" Of course I do! I'll be able to find a job in my field of study which is Childcare". She responded.
" What kind of job are you looking for in Childcare?" He inquired curiously.
" I haven't thought of that just yet, but if I had to choose one, I'll prefer working as a nanny". Said Ying Yue in an assertive tone.
" Why a nanny? I mean there are so many other options".
" I like children, which is why I chose the field of Childcare. I want to help them in any way I can. I want to help them overcome any kind of trauma they may have since childhood. I want to guide them through the path of adulthood". She said pretty determinedly.
" You're very passionate about Childcare and I can see why you love it so much. If only you were that passionate about Criminal Justice". Ying Jie had a bit of sadness in her tone as he said that.
" Criminal Justice? Why do you want me to be an officer that much?" She inquired.
" You don't have to be an officer. You can work as a private detective". He responded.
" I see your point, but I don't have any aptitude for it".
" Don't underestimate yourself! You got an innate gift that God gave you since birth, so use it. Use it to help others around you". He said with his gaze fixated upon me.
" What gift are you referring to?"
" Quick Analysis!"
" Quick Analysis? What's that?" Ying Yue inquired confusingly.
" It's the ability to quickly analyze something by taking a glance at it just once".
" I've got such an ability in me!" Ying Yue found it hard to believe.
" Yes, you do! With just a glance at the case, you're able to tell if it's a murder, a suicide, or a kidnapping. Believe me! One day, you'll notice it too and you'll realize I was right in what I said". Said Ying Jie in an assertive tone.
At present
" My brother talked about an inner gift I had. It's time to check his affirmations. I'm going to investigate and find some clues which will lead me to Wei, I muttered to myself.
Beijing Prefecture, China
I chose the streets to start my investigation.
Ying Jie went around asking people questions about Estrella.
" Have you found this girl anywhere?" Ying Jie asked one of the citizens.
" No, I haven't seen her around". The citizen responded.
As he was about to continue his trajectory, one of the shop owners said all of a sudden: " I saw her two days ago".
" Where have you seen her?" officer Ying Jie asked the shop owner questionably.
" She came to my shop two days ago".
" How was she?" the officer asked the shop owner in a questionable tone.
" She was sad. When I ask her what was wrong, she said the following words:"
Two days prior
" What's wrong today, Estrella? You don't look like your usual self!"
" I'm fine, Mr.Shop Manager! Sometimes, things happen that you can't prevent from happening. Life is like that and we as humans need to accept it. We don't have any other choice but to accept the current situation". The little girl said with a sad face.
" I don't understand what you're saying at all. Can you be more clear, please?"
" Thank you!" The little girl simply grinned in response.
" What for?" He inquired.
" Thanks for worrying about me. I'll never forget your kindness, Mr.Shop Manager! I'll miss you!"
" Why? Are you going somewhere?" He inquired confusingly.
" I was only joking and you believed me. See you around!"
End of flashback
" She wasn't joking that day. She was saying goodbye. If I had known at that very moment what she was planning on doing, I would have dissuaded her. Please, officer!"
" What is it?" officer Ying Jie asked.
" Find her?" Said the Shop Owner.
" Don't worry! It's what I'm here for" Ying Jie said to the shop manager reassuring him.
