Chapter 29: The So-called Amber Alert

"Emma Christina, 19 years old, a college student, went missing a month ago. Her dormmate reported it to the police three weeks ago. The case was filed, but there's been no progress."

"Did the victim disclose the name of her captor?"

Hannah shook her head. "The victim didn't know where she was being held. After escaping, she kept running out of fear until she collapsed from exhaustion."

"Until you ran her over with your car?" Detective Mota continued to press, his tone insufferably snide.

Jack quickly grabbed Hannah's arm to prevent her from reacting impulsively.

"It was an accident. No one along the way was willing to help this poor child. When she saw the police car, her first instinct was to run towards it for help. She collapsed in front of it because she was utterly exhausted."

Jack's tone was firm, his disdain for this detective growing. Perhaps, aside from those he knew from past cases, Detective Mota was a true representation of the average cop in the USA.

Detective Peggy, possibly finding the young, handsome Jack more agreeable, also stepped in to stop her partner's inappropriate comments.

"We'll expedite the search for the kidnapper's residence. Did you gather any clues just now?"

Hannah glanced at Commissioner Gray beside her, whispered a few words to him, then nodded to Jack.

Jack handed over his notebook. "These are some details provided by the victim. This child is very calm and rational. Let us know if there's anything else you need us to do."

"Conduct a neighborhood sweep while we confirm the exact address."

"That's settled," Commissioner Gray interjected.

"I'll assign three patrol cars to conduct an overnight sweep, including you and Hannah, Jack."

"Understood. Jack, let's go." Hannah turned to leave without a second thought, clearly at the end of her patience with the bald, overweight detective.

---

"Let's eat something. It's already afternoon, and you need to replenish your energy."

It was nearing 3 PM. Jack handed a heated lunch box to Hannah in the car, containing soup dumplings he had made the night before.

Hannah put down the radio, carefully bit into the dumpling's skin, sipped the delicious broth, found it not too hot, and then quickly devoured the whole thing, letting out a satisfied sigh.

"I've asked Tim to use his connections at the detective bureau to help locate the suspect's address. Commissioner Gray has also reported the situation. Once we have a concrete address, we won't have to wait for the Major Crimes Unit; the court will send the search warrant directly to us."

Jack, also starving, grabbed a dumpling and ate it in one bite. Since his physical training intensity increased after his physique broke through 20, so did his appetite.

"I have a question. Why doesn't the Major Crimes Unit take these missing minor cases seriously?"

Hannah, while wolfing down her food, answered, "Do you know how many people go missing in this country every year? Nearly 100,000! As of last year, about 800,000 cases had no progress after being filed, with minor cases being particularly serious."

Seeing Jack's shocked and incredulous expression, she continued, "In densely populated areas like Los Angeles, children go missing almost every day. But how many times have you heard an Amber Alert? The conditions for issuing an Amber Alert are extremely strict. For a case like Carla's, as long as that bald detective insists there's insufficient evidence, it's impossible to issue one."

"Okay, never mind," Jack thought to himself, sympathizing with the plight of people in the USA as he competed with Hannah for the remaining dumplings.

"But I don't get it. Carla was running barefoot on the street for her life, and no one even noticed?"

Hannah shrugged, pointing to several eccentrically dressed pedestrians on the street. "This is LA."

Jack still felt uneasy but decided not to pursue the matter further. Maybe kidnapping was just a daily occurrence in this country, or perhaps in this world.

At that moment, Tim's voice came through the radio.

"Hannah, Jack, we found the suspect's identity and address. Angus Lucius, male, 47, former Marine, lives at 2699 Pickford Street. John and Angela are on their way from the station with the search warrant."

Hannah swallowed her food, picked up the radio, and responded, "That's about three blocks from where we found the victim. We're the closest; we'll arrive in five minutes."

Jack quickly tossed the lunch box into the trunk, got into the driver's seat, started the police car, and sped towards the destination with the siren blaring.

Three minutes later, Jack turned off the siren, slowed the car to a normal patrol speed, turned the corner, and slowly drove down Pickford Street. Hannah checked the map while inspecting the surrounding houses.

"Gray bungalow with a red brick roof. This is the place."

Jack followed Hannah's directions and saw the house with its windows and doors tightly shut, the driveway empty. A sense of foreboding arose; they might be too late.

In less than 10 minutes, Tim and Lucy's patrol car arrived, followed by John and Angela with the search warrant. As usual, Tim took charge.

"Angela and John, go around the back. Lucy and I will cover the sides. Hannah and Jack, breach from the front. Be careful, everyone."

Everyone nodded. Based on the victim's description, the suspect was armed. They all carried rifles; Jack held an Ithaca-12 shotgun loaded with a special breaching round.

The others carried M16s, wary of the suspect taking hostages. At Hannah's shout, "LAPD, open up!" Jack blasted the lock off, and Hannah kicked the door open. They entered one by one, clearing each room.

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

Jack's premonition was right. Angus Lucius had fled after Carla escaped, leaving everything behind. Tim found the basement entrance, but it was empty except for a foul smell.

"Hey, guys, come here. Look what I found."

John's voice came from the bedroom. Jack walked in and saw an open chest containing various women's accessories and undergarments.

Tim switched his flashlight to UV mode. Under the UV light, stains from bodily fluids were clearly visible on the underwear.

"These undergarments are in several sizes. There are more victims!"

Lucy exclaimed. Everyone's face turned grim, especially the female officers, Angela and Hannah.

Tim scanned the room and nodded at Jack. "Jack, come with me to the backyard. The rest of you keep searching for clues. We need to find the suspect's whereabouts quickly. Emma might not have much time. If the suspect feels safe, he might kill her."

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