Culprit

Ding.

Darren looked at his phone. It was a message from an unknown number.

He read it the message and his lips hooked into a smile.

"Bastard! How dare you disappear without a word. I will beat you up the moment I see you. You still owe me a week of fun. - ST-"

He recalled that night when he carried her over his shoulder. He smiled at the thought. He had been busy looking into matters in Japan that he had suppressed thinking about her.

He quickly type a reply," Soon." and he pressed the sent button.

Shin Tong who was holding her phone anxiously was surprised by the quick reply. She quickly unlock her phone to read the message only to find her mind going frenzy. Soon? What on earth? What the hell? Who the hell reply a message with just one word. Soon? As in he will appear soon? She could feel her heart beating fast. Damn that man! Such a dubious reply. What the heck? She could not help but curse him. She refused to reply him back.

Darren let out a loud laugh when he did not receive a reply. That woman must be extremely irritated. He let out another string of laughter. He can't wait to get back to Country Z. He never felt as such before. Life had always been mundane and automatic. Now an interesting character appeared in front of him, he would not waste such opportunity. Looks like life less dull.

The person chained up who was kneeling down with blood flowing from his body trembled when he look at the man laughing. Did the man received more news regarding his treacherous behaviour that he was in a gleeful mood?

Darren would laugh out loud if he knew what the man he was torturing was thinking about. The crows had identify the gardener of the orphanage as the person who had set the fire. Despite him wearing a mask, the crows are intelligent creatures that could identify faces despite humans trying to deceive others by covering up their faces with make up or skin mask. Plus the man was caught trying to burn evidence of his involvement when he was caught.

"Speak!" Darren commanded.

The man trembled further that he peed in his pants. The handsome face was truly frightening up close.

"Still refuse to speak. Fine! I'll just cut off your tongue. You dare to cause harm to house full of innocent children. What would your wife and children do when they find out the man the look up to is a monster?" Darren threatened.

He could see his words were getting to the man.

"Please. Please. Don't let them know. Someone paid me to do it, he told me the kids won't be around. I panicked when I could hear them screaming. I tried to extinguish the fire but I did not expect it to spread so quickly. Since that night I could not sleep well. I needed money, that is why I agreed to it. I swear that is all I know. A man called my phone and gave me instructions over the phone. He left me cash in an envelope at the ezimailbox pickup. We never had face to face contact and his voice was manipulated by a tool so I would not recognise his voice. Please... Please let me go. I am telling the truth," pleaded the man.

Darren signalled to his men to release the man. In the cctv recordings, he did saw the attempt of the man to try and extinguish the fire after setting it, it was a puzzling thing and now that the man had explained it, it made sense. The person behind this hid so deeply that nothing could be trace back to him. The phone he used to contact the gardener was a burner phone. Plus the cctv at the ezi mailbox area was wiped out due to virus so they were unable to check it out.

"You could have saved my energy of you confessed earlier. However, this matter would not be forgiven that easily, I am handing you over to the police. So many lives had been lost all because of your greed," Darren said coldly to the man.

"Dear Sir, please... I beg you.. I... I only did i because my son.. He was just diagnosed with leukemia. You can check the records. I needed money for his bone marrow transplant cost. I told my wife, I had borrowed the money, she would leave me if she found out I had caused the fire. Just that day both my son and wife had been cursing the man responsible for the fire. If they knew... I don't want to think of the consequences. Plus I was misled that the children were out on an outing. I swear..

"Since you knew it was wrong but you still tread such path. What a joke! Why don't I make you a deal? You surrender yourself to the police and I would take care of your son's medical expenses. Your family affair, you sort it yourself. Be a man, if you dare to do wrong, you must dare admit. At least by taking responsibility, your conscience will be clear," Darren did not allow the man to complete his sentence and then he before he walked off he left some instructions to his men.

The gardener's expression was unreadable. Every night, he could not sleep, the screams of the kids echoed in his mind every time he closes his eyes. Maybe he really need to come clean only then he can sleep at night. Plus the money he earned from setting the fire is only as a down-payment for the procedure and is not enough to cover the cost. He then head to the police station to make a confession and pleaded the police to meet his son and wife before he is locked up. They agreed and to his surprise, his wife and son did not really hate him and they promised they will wait for his release. They understood he was a desperate man. He took the slaps given by his wife gracefully without any noise or any show of discomfort. Only after she lashed out, she broke down and told him she was proud he was willing to right the wrong. After the whole fiasco, he was led out of the hospital back to the police station.

Darren did not wait further and took the next flight out of Japan. He did all the arrangements required for the transfer of the orphanage to Country Z. He can't wait to meet Shin Tong.