Chapter Thirty Eight

"I would not like to hear from you, my niece is still in a comma. It's all your fault."Jude insulted the cops who had come to interrogate him. "What are you people even useful for?! Since you can not handle a simple kidnapping case like this, then you should be dog chasers, not criminals!"

The policeman, who had swallowed his words with all sense of professionalism, then replied, "I apologize for this sudden intrusion Sir. And for your niece. But you really need to understand that she was kidnapped with a classmate and he's still missing..."

"So..."

"His parents are here. We'd like to have a chat with both parents."

Jude Kam followed them to the hospital's reception. Mr and Mrs Smith stood up on seeing him, they had a wary look and somehow Jude pitied them. They exchanged greetings and sat down.

"First, accept my..." One of the three policemen who sat on the couch began.

"Get straight to the point!"Mrs Smith shunned him. Her husband patted her back.

"It's the third day and one of them was given back to her father in a comma, after paying a ransom..."

"That's the weird thing!"Mrs Smith snapped. "The kidnapper never reached us. And my son is still missing. Why was the girl in a comma?! What the hell are you people doing?! Why didn't you get their hideout?! Why didn't you find him?! "

She was losing control of herself. Her husband tried to calm her down but she shunned him.

"Let me speak. It's four days. Damien has an awaiting scholarship. What does this do to him?! Ruin his life! My son has been gone for days and you expect me to be quiet. Don't come here explaining to me how you failed. Get me back, my son. Period.

In fact, I'm out of here! "She stormed out of the hospital.

Mr Smith apologized on her behalf and asked that the meeting should continue without her.

"Mr Kam, if I may ask, why didn't you report to us when the kidnapper reached you? And when did he contact you?"

Jude cleared his throat. Though his initial plan was to avoid interrogations, but having watched Mrs Smith's display, he knew he had to tread more carefully. 

"You see. I had no time. I wasn't in town when I got the message that Paige had been kidnapped. I took the first flight back to the country. The police, you guys, claimed to be working on it. I got a call from this stranger yesterday morning. He said he was with both of them. And he'd kill them if I told the police. 

I was charged twenty million for both of them. After a little negotiation, I paid fifteen! Fifteen!" He yelled, infuriated that he'd wasted that huge amount of money. "I sent the money immediately. And he told me when to come pick them up. At the Crossover Bridge to skidrow. A masked man snatched the money from my men. They saw Paige on a mat under the bridge, breathless. I had to rush her to the hospital myself!"

"This isn't good. Oh God" Mr Smith gasped, cupping his face in his palm.

"You should have called the police still. Anyways, we'll have to wait for the young lad to wake up. She'd know more about the kidnappers. Mr Smith, accept my condolences sir.

"

"No."He shook his head. "I know my son will be fine. No condolences please. We'll be awaiting their calls. Please do your best. God will help you. I'll take my leave now. " He shook hands with each of the policemen, then Mr Kam. "We meet again Kam." They laughed. They met once at a business convention. "Take care of your niece. God bless you."

He was about to leave when a policeman who was on the phone shrieked. "A body has been found!"

The countenance of everyone at the reception changed. A body only meant one thing; someone's dead.

"You have to follow us, Mister Smith."

"Sure."He followed them to their van and it took off.

*

The afternoon sunlight poured in through the leaves, shading the rippling water with kaleidoscope light. The steady gurgling of the stream was soothing. It was the perfect place for a perfect alone time and retrospection. It was strange to think that this beautiful place was a gruesome crime scene. A headless body was positioned near the stream. The policemen knew immediately that it was Damien. He still had his uniform on, a gunshot wound in his stomach. But his head had been cut off. 

They stepped back for the father to have a look.

Mr Smith knelt by the body, unsure what to do or say? Will God ever do this to me? God forbid! His mind was rejecting the reality he was seeing.

"Damien."He touched the body. "Who did this to you?"

He wouldn't have cried, he never wanted to, but Damien was the only companion he had. He was more like a brother to him. Damien had all the energy in the world. They jog morning and night together. Damien was the best thing in his life. Then he thought of what would happen if his mother got to know.

"Oh God why?!"He murmured. "This is not the promise you gave to me. He served you. We served you with all that we had. He doesn't deserve to die this way."

"Search the water for the head! We found the missing boy, dead at..." A policeman reported on a CBB radio. Soon the beach was filled up with reporters and detectives. Mr Smith walked away from the body, though grieved, he had to get home before his family found out from the media. 

"Damien, I hope we meet again. Soon."