"Can you determine any other physical traits of the suspect from the footprints?" Zeng Ping asked.
"If someone with small feet is wearing large shoes, it affects the accuracy of footprint analysis. I need more time to study it carefully," Han Bin replied.
"So right now, all we know is the suspect's height, age, and gender? We can't be more specific yet?"
"Give me some time. I should be able to eliminate the large-shoe interference and find more clues."
Han Bin's footprint analysis skill was still at the advanced level. If he had reached expert level, he might have been able to identify the suspect's traits on the spot. But for now, he didn't have that ability.
"Based on the current leads, let's reorganize the tasks," Zeng Ping instructed. "Tian Li, check surveillance footage around the community. Set the suspect's height at around 160 cm."
"Li Hui, interview local residents to see if anyone has seen a similar suspect."
"Zhao Ming, get in touch with Cao Tianyou's classmates to find out if he acted unusually in the past couple of days."
"Han Bin, keep analyzing the footprints."
"Yes," they all responded and split up to carry out their tasks.
Buzz... The phone vibrated.
The victim's father, Cao Hua, looked flustered. "Captain Zeng, the kidnappers sent a message!"
"What did they say?"
"Tonight at 8 PM, the boy's mother must bring 200,000 yuan for the ransom. No cops, or you'll never see the child again."
"Call back—we need to hear the child's voice."
Cao Hua tried calling, but the phone was turned off.
Zeng Ping turned to the tech team. "Can you determine the location from which the message was sent?"
"It'll take some time."
"Captain Zeng, I don't think we have enough manpower."
Since the footprint collection was complete, Han Bin was preparing to take the evidence back to the station for analysis.
"Should we ask the local police station to send some officers to help?" Tian Li suggested.
Zeng Ping hesitated. "This is a kidnapping case. Uniformed police might draw too much attention. Let's request help from Team 1."
Team 2 of the Third Criminal Investigation Squad was relatively new and small in number, unlike the more established Team 1.
"You all follow my earlier instructions and report back by 5 PM."
"Yes."
Everyone moved out.
—
Half an hour later, Zhao Ying, the leader of Team 1, arrived with three team members.
"Zhao, you're here." Zeng Ping got up to greet her.
Zhao Ying had short hair and a no-nonsense demeanor. She glanced around the house. "Old Zeng, where's your team?"
"They're out chasing leads. If we weren't short-handed, I wouldn't have asked your team to help."
"Any leads on the kidnapper?"
Zeng Ping briefly summarized the situation.
Zhao Ying thought for a moment. "Have we pinpointed where the message was sent from?"
"From a base station near the suburbs," the tech team answered.
"There's not much surveillance out there. It'll be hard to track," Zeng Ping said.
"We should still send someone to check." Zhao Ying assigned two officers to investigate the area with details from the tech team.
"Mr. Cao, has the boy's mother arrived yet?"
"She and I are divorced. She's out of town."
"Can she make it back tonight? The kidnapper specifically asked for the boy's mother to bring the money," Zeng Ping said.
"I'm reaching out to friends and family, but no luck yet."
"Is raising 200,000 yuan a problem?" Zhao Ying asked.
"Not really. I'll find a way, even if I have to borrow it."
"Then you focus on the money. Let us handle the rest."
—
5 PM.
Li Hui, Han Bin, Tian Li, and Zhao Ming returned to Huacui Community.
"There are only three hours left before the ransom deadline. Let's hold a briefing and see if there's anything new," Zeng Ping called out.
"No sign of the suspect or Cao Tianyou in nearby surveillance footage," Tian Li said.
"Local residents haven't noticed anything unusual," Li Hui added.
"I sent officers to the suburbs. No surveillance near the base station, and no trace of the suspect," Zhao Ying reported.
"I talked to some of Cao Tianyou's classmates. One close friend said a few days ago, Cao said he was about to see his mom. I suspect this is connected to the kidnapping," Zhao Ming said.
Zeng Ping pointed to Zhao Ming. "That's an important lead. The suspect is only 160 cm tall and doesn't have a physical advantage. It's more likely the boy was lured rather than forcibly taken."
"In other words, the kidnapper may have used the boy's desire to see his mother to lure him away," Zhao Ying analyzed.
"But now the problem is, the mother can't make it back. Who's going to deliver the ransom?" Tian Li asked.
"I'll go," Zhao Ying volunteered.
"You?"
"Is there anyone more suitable?"
Zhao Ying, in her 30s, fit the age profile of a mother and had the calm and experience needed—she was indeed a good choice.
Zeng Ping had a nagging feeling they were missing something. He glanced around and noticed Han Bin crouched beside the shoe cabinet, examining something.
"Han Bin."
"Yes, Captain?"
"Everyone's discussing the case. What are you doing over there?"
"I may have found something," Han Bin replied.
"Come over and tell us."
Han Bin walked over and sat on the couch. "I don't think Captain Zhao should deliver the ransom."
Zhao Ying frowned. "Why?"
"The suspect will immediately realize she's not the real mother."
"That's unlikely," said Cao Hua. "Since the divorce, my ex-wife hasn't come back, and there are no photos of her at home."
"I spent the afternoon analyzing the footprints and managed to rule out the 'small foot in big shoe' interference. I can now confirm the suspect is male, likely around 13 or 14 years old."
Zhao Ying looked skeptical. "That can't be right."
"After arriving, I checked some of Cao Tianyou's old shoes in the cabinet. The wear pattern matches the 'small foot in big shoe' footprints exactly."
"You're saying... Cao Tianyou faked the kidnapping scene by wearing big shoes?" Zeng Ping said in shock.
"No way," Cao Hua was even more stunned.
"Then this wasn't a kidnapping?" Tian Li asked.
"Cao Tianyou planned the whole thing?" Li Hui added.
"I can only confirm that he wore the large shoes. Whether he was lured away or acted alone is still uncertain," Han Bin said.
Everyone fell silent. Han Bin's discovery changed everything.
"No wonder we couldn't find any trace of a kidnapper—because no kidnapper came to Huacui Community at all," Tian Li realized.
"That's impossible. My son has always been well-behaved. Why would he do this?" Cao Hua couldn't believe it.
Zeng Ping paced, analyzing: "His classmate did say he talked about seeing his mom soon."
"Could it be that Cao Tianyou missed his mom so much, he staged the kidnapping just to see her?" Zhao Ying said.
"That would also explain why the message specifically said the mother had to bring the ransom," Han Bin added.
Buzz...
"The kidnapper just sent another message."
(End of Chapter)