chapter36：Mysteries Surrounding Tom

"Why is this happening? What on earth has this woman gone through?" These questions kept popping up in Tom's mind. Meanwhile, the intense pain continued to torment him, causing his consciousness to waver between lucidity and haziness.

On Amy's side, she and Jack escorted the suspect into the FBI office. As soon as they entered, the colleagues saw Jack and greeted him politely. "Jack, brought another one back?" a colleague said with a smile. "Yeah, this one is a bit tricky. We still need to interrogate him thoroughly," Jack replied as he led the suspect further inside. Amy was walking beside them, but her eyes were drawn to her colleague Mark's computer screen. It showed the case he was currently investigating - the case of Tom, a teenager from Long Island County, saving Coco, a girl who was being attacked 15 years ago. Amy asked curiously, "Mark, what's this case about? It seems really complicated." Mark glanced at Amy and began to explain, "This Coco, her parents passed away, and she and her siblings grew up depending on each other. She has an open - minded personality and was very popular at school. She was really lucky back then. Tom happened to pass by and saved her. But strangely, after being saved by Tom, instead of thanking him, she hated Tom for not letting the attacker kill her directly." "Ah? How could that be?" Amy's eyes widened in surprise. "Yes, no one could understand. The old police officer Boby was in charge of this case at that time. He even went to Tom's place specifically to investigate," Mark continued. "And then what?" Amy asked eagerly. "Well, not long after Boby went to Tom's house, Tom was found hanged at home, and this case became a mystery," Mark shook his head helplessly.

Amy listened to her colleague's account in shock. Just as she was about to take a closer look, suddenly, her eyes widened. The computer screen changed, showing the scene after the girl Coco was rescued in time by the teenager Tom. One of her feet was saved by a stent, and the other foot also recovered smoothly. However, Tom still met his end. He died in a car accident the next day. Amy stared at the changing pictures on the computer screen in disbelief and murmured to herself, "What on earth is going on? There must be some connection between them." Jack, who was beside her, heard Amy's words. He walked over to take a look at the screen and frowned, "This case doesn't seem simple. Maybe it has something to do with the suspect we caught today." Amy nodded thoughtfully, "It's possible. We need to investigate thoroughly."

A tense and mysterious atmosphere filled the office. Everyone seemed to sense that behind these seemingly scattered events, there was a huge and complex secret hidden. Amy stood in front of Mark's computer, her eyes fixed on the information about Tom and Coco's case, lost in thought. She always felt that there was some subtle connection between these events, but this connection was like something hidden behind a thick fog, elusive.

"Jack, do you think the suspect we caught today could be a key figure in the case back then?" Amy frowned, her eyes still on the screen, and asked Jack. Jack folded his arms across his chest and looked at the information on the screen, "It's hard to say. But from the current situation, this suspect definitely has a lot of secrets. We need to dig deeper into him."

At this moment, the suspect being escorted suddenly shouted, "I don't know anything! You've got the wrong person! I just had an argument with my wife. Why did you bring me here?" Jack stepped forward, stared into the suspect's eyes, and said seriously, "You'd better be honest. Do you think we brought you here just because you had an argument with your wife? There are too many suspicious points about you." The suspect's eyes flickered a little, but he still toughened his mouth, "What suspicious points do I have? You're framing me!" Amy also walked over and said calmly, "When we found you today, there were a woman's screams in the room, and the sound of sharp objects hitting things. That lady was also injured. These can't be simply explained by an ordinary argument." The suspect's forehead began to sweat. He gritted his teeth and said, "We were just too emotional. I accidentally hurt her, but I definitely had no ill intentions. It was just our private couple's fun. Is that illegal?"

Just then, Mark walked over to Amy and Jack and said, "I just checked this suspect's background. His full name is Hardy. Xi. He's an ABC, 42 years old this year, a second - generation Chinese - American immigrant. His parents are from Shaanxi. Our investigation found that he lived in Long Island County for a while when he was a child and had some interactions with Coco's family back then." Amy and Jack exchanged a glance. They both realized that this clue was very crucial. "It seems that you are indeed involved in this matter," Jack stared closely at the suspect. The suspect's face turned even paler, and he tried to quibble, "So what? Long Island County is so big. It's normal to have some interactions." Amy ignored his excuse and continued, "Then can you explain why you moved here not long after the 'No - Feet Case'? Is it just a coincidence?" The suspect was momentarily at a loss for words. His lips trembled slightly, not knowing how to answer.

On the other side, Tom was waiting for the police in the alley. His headache had eased a little, but the terrifying image of that woman still kept flashing through his mind. "Little boy, are you all right?" came the voice of an old police officer. Tom looked up and saw that the police had arrived. Weakly, he said, "Uncle Sheriff, please save her quickly." The police quickly launched the rescue work. After examining the woman's injuries, the old officer Boby frowned and said, "She has lost too much blood. Her condition is very critical. She must be sent to the hospital immediately." Tom watched as the woman was carried into the ambulance, and his doubts grew deeper in his heart. He decided that after he recovered a bit, he would investigate this matter on his own.

Back in the FBI office, Amy and Jack were further interrogating the suspect. "You'd better tell us everything you know right now. Otherwise, when we find out, you won't have a chance," Jack warned the suspect emotionally. The suspect was silent for a while, then slowly said, "I... I do know something about Coco's case, but I'm not the murderer. I was... I was threatened." "Threatened by whom? Why were you threatened?" Amy asked immediately. "I can't say. If I do, I'm as good as dead," the suspect said, his face full of fear. Jack slapped the table and shouted, "If you don't say it now, you can't get away with it either. Only by cooperating with us can you possibly get out of this mess." Amy reminded Jack, "Jack, calm down." The suspect bit his lip, his heart in a fierce struggle. Finally, as if he had made up his mind, he said, "It was a mysterious person. I've never seen his true face. He gave me money, made me move to that apartment, and create some commotion at a specific time. I thought it was just some little pranks until you mentioned the 'No - Feet Case' today. Then I realized the seriousness of the matter." "Did this mysterious person ever say anything about Coco or Tom to you?" Amy asked. "He only said that I should mind my own business. If I didn't listen, I would end up like Tom," the suspect said tremblingly.

Amy and Jack continued to ask the suspect some more questions, but the information he could provide seemed rather limited. Jack frowned, somewhat frustrated, and said, "Can't you think harder? Are there any other details you've missed? This concerns many people's lives!" The suspect shook his head helplessly and replied with a hint of fear in his trembling voice, "I really have told you everything I know. I don't want to be involved in these horrible things either."

At this time, Tom was in the hospital guarding the rescued woman, Coco. The smell of disinfectant filled the ward. The white sheets and walls made the whole room look extremely cold. Coco lay quietly on the hospital bed, her eyes closed, her face as pale as the first snow in winter, and her lips without a trace of color. Various tubes were inserted into her body, and the instruments beside her emitted a regular ticking sound, as if narrating the fragility of her life. The doctor had just finished the rounds and said to Tom, "Her condition is very bad. She has lost too much blood, plus wound infection, and is still in a coma. It's hard to say whether she will wake up or not." Tom clenched his fists tightly and stared at Coco without blinking, vowing secretly in his heart, "No matter how big the conspiracy is behind this matter, I must find it out. I can't let innocent people get hurt again."

After returning home from the hospital, Tom went straight into his room and lay on the bed. His mind was like a movie, constantly replaying all the things that had happened today: the terrifying scene in the dark alley, Coco lying in a pool of blood, his nervousness and worry when calling the police... All of this was like a mess, and he couldn't make sense of it.

Just then, there was a gentle knock on the door. "Second brother, can I come in?" It was Kelly's voice. "Come in," Tom sat up. Kelly pushed the door open and slowly walked to Tom's bedside and sat down. Her eyes flickered a little. After hesitating for a moment, she asked, "Second brother, how is Coco sister... how is she now?" Tom looked at Kelly and felt that she was a bit strange today, so he replied, "She's still in a coma. The doctor said her condition is very unstable." When Kelly heard this news, her body trembled slightly, and a hint of guilt and panic flashed in her eyes, but she quickly covered it up and pretended to be calm, "Oh, I see. I hope she gets better soon." Tom thought it was very strange. Usually, when Kelly heard that someone was injured, she would be very worried. Why was she acting so strangely today? But he didn't think much about it. After all, too many things had happened today.

Suddenly, Kelly's cell phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID, and her face instantly became a bit unnatural. She stood up and walked to the corner of the room to answer the phone. "Hello..." Kelly's voice was very low. A deep voice came from the other end of the phone, "Little baby, did you have a good day today? Uncle has more surprises for you." Kelly's body stiffened明显. She偷偷看了一眼Tom,发现Tom并没有注意她,便小声地说, "Uncle, don't be like this anymore. I'm so scared." The bearded uncle laughed on the phone, "Scared? There's nothing to be scared of. As long as you are obedient, you will have endless wealth and honor in the future." Kelly bit her lip, her eyes full of confusion and fear. She didn't know how to deal with this bearded uncle. She knew that what this uncle was doing was very dangerous, but she didn't dare to resist because this uncle held a big secret of hers.

Tom thought Kelly's behavior was very strange. He couldn't help but ask, "Kelly, whose phone is it?" Kelly was startled by Tom's sudden question. She quickly replied, "Oh, it's... it's a classmate, asking about homework." Tom frowned. He knew Kelly was lying, but he didn't expose her. He felt that Kelly must be hiding something from him, and this thing might be related to everything that had happened today.