Luke began to review the surveillance footage from the morning of June 14, and the plump lady was also called over to his side.
Since the camera was fixed and the target was a parked black vehicle, it was relatively simple to review, and Luke quickly found a black sedan. He pressed the space bar, "Is this the car?"
The plump lady peered at the screen, "It seems so."
Luke continued to fast forward the video until a man got out of the car, facing directly towards the camera.
"Snap!" Luke pressed the space bar again, "Is it him?"
"Yes, that's him." The plump lady pointed at the screen with certainty.
Luke stared carefully at the screen, an Asian man with sunglasses looked around, then walked into the postpartum care center.
From this angle, the car's license plate was clearly visible, 8lFb898.
Luke asked, "Did he leave any contact information?"
The plump lady shook her head, "No."
Luke appeared thoughtful; this man was highly suspect.
First, he had visited Mrs. Kenneth, also known as Amy Ma, shortly before the crime took place.
Luke speculated that, like himself, the man probably found the place through a soft ad posted on WeChat Moments.
However, Amy Ma did not post her community's address, after all, her identity as Mrs. Kenneth was fake, and she was afraid of being exposed.
Moreover, the physical characteristics of this man matched the footprints found at the crime scene, suggesting he might have been there and could even be the kidnapper.
Now that they had the license plate number, finding the car's owner would not be difficult.
Police Detective Bureau.
Robbery and Murder Department Office.
The office was crowded with people, Reid, Susan, the deputy team leader, Deputy Mayor Lee Mei, Brown Kenneth, and the technician responsible for the surveillance equipment.
Brown's mobile phone was laid on the table, becoming the focus of everyone's attention.
Brown glanced at his phone and was getting impatient, "It's already two in the afternoon, why hasn't the kidnapper called?"
Reid offered comfort, "Don't worry, as long as the kidnapper calls, we can trace his location.
Additionally, the kidnapper has named a new trading location, we can get there ahead of time to set up a stakeout, ensuring the safety of Betty and Amy Ma."
Even Lee Mei, who was accustomed to big events, showed a worried expression, "What if the kidnapper doesn't call?"
Everyone fell silent.
Susan said, "As long as the kidnapper wants the money, he will definitely call."
"It's not necessarily so," the deputy team leader shook his head, recalling, "I remember a kidnapping case I was involved in ten years ago.
The kidnapper also made ransom demands. During the first ransom delivery, due to an unripe opportunity for arrest and considering the hostage's safety, the police forfeited the chance to apprehend.
The greedy kidnapper tasted sweet success and demanded ransom a second time.
This time, the police went all out, reaching the drop-off location early to set up a stakeout, fully prepared...
But the kidnapper never showed.
It was half a month later when we found the hostage, she... had been starved to death."
Brown showed a nervous look and pressed, "If the kidnapper clearly demanded the second ransom, why didn't he call again?"
The deputy team leader sighed, "At the time, we were also perplexed, the kidnapper clearly asked for the second ransom, but then there was no movement, instead letting the hostage starve to death.
Two years later, the kidnapper was arrested for another crime. Eager to understand the reason, I went to visit him in prison.
According to him, he knew there was a big risk in collecting the ransom, and he had already taken a big risk the first time. The second ransom demand was just an excuse, intended to buy time and confuse the victim's family, to gain more time for his escape."
Brown became utterly panicked, looked at Reid, then at Susan, and finally fixed his gaze on the deputy team leader, "What should we do then? If the robber has the same intent, isn't Betty in danger?
We can't just wait foolishly, we absolutely can't!"
Lee Mei also spoke up, "Deputy Chief Reid, other than waiting for the kidnapper's call, does the Robbery and Murder Department have any other action plans?"
Reid nodded, "Of course, Deputy Team Leader Luke is leading a team investigating another lead, we expect to make progress very soon."