Los Angeles Legendary Sleuth

Detective Bureau.

Everyone gradually returned to the detective bureau.

They gathered in the office area to summarize the case.

Susan hung up the phone, "I contacted Betty's schoolteacher, and Betty didn't go to school today.

Amy Ma sent a text message to the teacher asking for leave, so the school didn't contact Betty's father.

From the current situation, this case might not merely be a robbery; it's highly likely to be a case of home invasion and kidnapping."

The deputy thought for a moment and said, "Generally, if it's a kidnapping, the suspect would make a ransom call immediately after the abduction.

On one hand, it's to have the family arrange the ransom quickly, and on another hand, it's because they worry about the family reporting to the police.

Now, almost twelve hours have passed, but Mr. Kenneth has no idea about it, nor has he received a ransom call.

This is somewhat inconsistent with the pattern of conventional kidnapping cases."

"Don't forget, Betty doesn't just have one dad." Susan said, looking towards Jenny, "Did you get in touch with Betty's mother?"

"Yes. She's on her way here; she should arrive soon." Jenny nodded, adding, "From the tone of her voice, she seems not to know about her daughter's abduction either and is very anxious."

Luke asked, "Have we found any more information about Amy Ma?"

Matthew said, "Her mobile phone is currently unreachable. The last message was to Betty's teacher, and the last phone call was to Mark.

Currently, we haven't found many valuable clues. She is an immigrant from Hua country, with very little official information available, and we can't find any details about her immediate family.

We only found that she owns a white Toyota sedan, license plate number 7qeb332."

After summarizing the clues, Luke started to recall the entire case.

Although he had inspected the scene and questioned the reporter, the overall situation of the case was not clear.

The suspect's motive also remained unclear.

If it was a robbery, why would both Amy Ma and Betty go missing?

If it was a kidnapping, the scene was too messy, and the family hadn't received a ransom call.

Could it be that the real target of the suspect wasn't Betty, but Amy Ma?

Amy Ma herself presented certain issues.

She had disguised herself as Mrs. Kenneth to seduce the young white man Mark, which did not seem to be the actions of a person with pure intentions.

Although he took a statement from Mark, Luke felt his suspicions were minimal.

But Mark might not be the only one deceived.

There were other questionable things about Amy Ma.

For example, the expensive clothing and cosmetics found in her room.

People rely on clothing, horses on saddles; if not for these expensive clothes, Mark might not have been so easily deceived.

Luke searched online for a similar piece of clothing, which was worth over fifteen hundred US dollars, unaffordable for an ordinary nanny.

"Thump thump..."

The office door sounded, interrupting Luke's train of thought.

Reid pushed the door and walked in.

He was accompanied by a middle-aged Asian woman, who was professionally dressed and whose features bore some resemblance to Betty.

Reid cut to the chase, "Captain Susan, have you found any leads on Betty's whereabouts?"

"Not yet."

Reid pointed to the Asian woman beside him, "This is Betty's mother, also the Deputy Mayor of Los Angeles, Ms. Lee."

Jenny gaped, mumbling softly, "No wonder she seemed somewhat familiar."

Luke also widened his eyes, evidently not expecting the victim to have such a connection.

"My name is Mei Lee, I'm Betty's mother. How is she now? I would like to know the progress of the case," she said urgently.

Susan nodded, "Please come with me to the conference room.

Luke, you come in too."

Subsequently, Luke, Susan, Reid, and Lee Mei entered the conference room.

As soon as they entered the conference room, Lee Mei, unable to wait any longer, asked, "Has Betty disappeared? What exactly happened?"

Luke briefly summarized the situation of the case.

Lee Mei shook her head and sighed, "Oh my God, how could such a terrible thing happen."

Luke said, "Ms. Lee, I can understand your feelings, but the situation is quite urgent now; we need to take your statement."

Lee Mei took a deep breath to calm herself, "OK, ask away."

Luke cut to the chase, "Have you received any ransom calls?"

"No. I only found out Betty had an incident when you called. This is terrifying, and I feel very guilty; I'm not a qualified mother," she confessed.

"When did you and your husband get divorced?"

"It's been over a year now, does this relate to the case?"

"We need to understand as much as possible to find a breakthrough in the case quickly," Luke explained.

Lee Mei nodded, "Go on, ask."

"Why did you and your husband get divorced?"

"Irreconcilable differences."

"Was there a third party involved?"

"No, both of us are very career-oriented, dedicating much of our energy to our careers, neither willing to compromise, leading us to this end.

But our relationship is still decent, it was more of an amicable divorce."

"Do you only have one daughter, Betty?"

"Yes."

"From what I know, children usually stay with their mother after a divorce. Did you voluntarily give up custody?"

"Yes, my job was too demanding, more so than my husband's. So...

I regret it, I really do. If Betty had been with me, this might not have happened.

If... I would fight for custody again."

Luke took notes, noting that wishing to fight for custody suggested a motive.

"Where were you last night between nine and twelve?"

"From nine to ten I had an interview with a news program, and then I went to a friend's party. I didn't get home until after midnight."

"What party, and is there anyone who can verify that?"

"Frank was there too, you can ask him if you don't believe it.

I wouldn't lie about something like this; you don't need to doubt me. I want to find my daughter more than anyone.

Don't waste your energy on me; hurry up and investigate other leads."

Luke was not satisfied with this answer. What does it mean Frank was there too?

Could I actually call Frank to verify?

Who would go looking for trouble?

"Were you close with Betty?"

Lee Mei sighed, "I love her, but I rarely had time to be with her, so..."

"So that means you didn't communicate often and you're not aware of her recent situation?"

"Yes, I'm not a qualified mother, I feel very guilty, extremely guilty."

"Do you know Amy Ma?"

"She was Betty's nanny even before Kenneth and I divorced. She's quite responsible and can cook.

Betty has Asian heritage, but she rarely had contact with Asians, so I hoped this would help her understand more about Asian culture.

Where is Amy Ma?

Is Betty's disappearance related to her?"

"We are not sure yet, we're still investigating," Luke replied, changing the subject. "What's the financial situation like between you and your ex-husband Mr. Kenneth?"

"Not bad, my ex-husband is not only a college professor but also a consultant for a biotech company. He earns more than I do."

"How much does Amy Ma make a month?"

"About five thousand US dollars."

While the salary was not low, it clearly wasn't enough for Amy Ma to afford expensive clothing.

"If, and I say if, Betty was kidnapped, do you suspect anyone?"

Lee Mei took a deep breath, her voice trembling slightly as she spoke, "A while ago, I received a 'threatening email'.

The content was, resign immediately from the deputy mayor's office, or be prepared to say goodbye to your daughter.

After I received this email, I was quite worried and immediately contacted Betty.

I relaxed only after seeing she was fine.

I thought it was just a prank or an intimidation tactic, so I didn't take it very seriously.

Now, thinking back, Betty's disappearance might be related to that threatening email."

Luke pressed on, "Since you received a threatening email, why didn't you report it at the time?"

Lee Mei said helplessly, "I had just taken up the post of deputy mayor, there were too many things I needed to handle.

I thought it was a petty tactic by political enemies to distract me.

If I allowed it to affect my work, my situation would be disadvantaged.

Thus, I chose to ignore it.

After a while, I almost forgot about it, but I never expected..."

Ladies and gentlemen, please, you must find my daughter. If there's anything I need to do, just say the word."

Susan said, "If the kidnapper asks for a ransom, make sure to inform us immediately."

"I will."

Susan also asked a few questions, but Lee Mei didn't know much about her daughter's situation and couldn't provide any valuable clues.

The interview concluded.

Lee Mei once again pleaded for her daughter to be rescued.

Reid escorted Lee Mei out of the office, but soon he returned.

He closed the door of the office. "Guys, you must recognize the importance of this case. Extortion cases are different from other cases.

In other cases, catching the suspect sooner or later doesn't matter too much.

But in a kidnapping case, the victim's life is at stake.

So solving the case is important, but rescuing the victim, Betty, is even more important."

Reid reiterated his point before he left.

Where is there equality for everyone? In America, the police patrols vary in density from community to community.

Especially when the kidnapping victim is the daughter of the deputy mayor.

The situation is significant.

Of course, successfully rescuing Betty could also provide substantial benefits.