Their conversation had inspired Wenjie. It might be risky, but Captain Luo had said himself that their conversation was between friends. The kidnappers had only warned them, not to cooperate with the police. That didn't mean he couldn't have contact with a friend, who happened to be a police officer. Besides, Luo Jian wasn't even in Taizhou, but in Qingcheng. 

"Captain Luo? Can I ask you something else?"

"Sure." 

Wenjie had already expected him to be all ears immediately. That reassured him. He was not alone. He had his father, Ding Wei, Sun Zhijian and Captain Luo. If they were at a loss, Luo Jian would know what to do. And he didn't have to tell him directly what had happened, at least not immediately. It was enough to pick up on the topic, that the policeman had mentioned, when he had told him about the state of the investigation. The keyword was kidnapping. He had already considered it himself and called him to warn him about it. Unfortunately, he was too late. 

"I was wondering what the police do about a case of kidnapping?"

"It always depends on the specific case. Is there a reason why you ask?" 

The question increased Wenjie's stress level minimally. "No. We're just watching this movie and I'm interested in how much it deviates from reality."

Wenjie hoped Captain Luo would stop probing. Otherwise, it would be difficult for him. He couldn't tell him the truth, had to wrap it in lies. What he had to tell him, was leading him onto slippery ice anyway.

"Wenjie, you know, you can talk to me about anything. Is there something I should know?"

Wenjie sighed deeply. Damn. Why did he have to ask him directly? Suddenly, he was no longer sure, whether it had been a good idea to bring up the subject at all. He'd better end the conversation. He would end up putting Zhiyue in danger. "Don't worry about it. It's not that important."

He was about to say goodbye when Captain Luo offered him a way out of the precarious situation. "What's the movie about?"

Wenjie took a deep breath and refrained from hanging up. He closed his eyes for a moment and focused on what he had to say. "About a kidnapping where the kidnappers didn't ask for money and didn't contact the victim's relatives, but the victim's friends. They wanted another person, so that they could blackmail a third person to participate in the release of a convict." 

If Ding Shenghuo was involved after all, he didn't need him to blackmail his father. Then he wanted to use him again, to set a trap for Xu Zhengqing while shortening his own sentence. Cooperating with the police was never an option for the thief. Firstly, because of his professional ethics, and secondly, because it would only shorten his sentence. The police would hardly release him so quickly, after everything he had done. 

"This is a very special case. How did the victim's friends in the movie react?

Wenjie breathed a sigh of relief when Captain Luo refrained from asking him, if anything had happened. Instead, the policeman concentrated on asking him about the movie. He could only hope, Luo Jian drew the right conclusions from his words.

"They responded to the demands and didn't contact the police, which led to problems later. But they couldn't risk the victim's life, so they tried to lure the criminals into a trap themselves and indirectly provided the police with information." By now at the latest, Captain Luo would realize what was behind his words. 

"In any case, it would have been wiser to contact the police directly. An anti-kidnapping team could have worked out a plan on the spot in cooperation with the victim's friends then. So, that the negotiations could succeed and the criminals could be caught quickly."

Wenjie took the hint. "What can the police do, if the kidnappers have taken over part of the city's camera surveillance?"

There was a long pause. Wenjie waited patiently, while his gaze kept shifting back and forth between the window and the door. Neither his father nor Ding Wei came to see, what he had been talking about for so long. He  approached the curtain cautiously and pulled it aside a little. 

It was already dark outside. Only one lantern was lit. Its cone of light allowed him to see the path, that led to the main building. A few tourists were out, but the other buildings were dark. Wenjie closed the curtain again. 

"The Technology Department has its own specialists who, in cooperation with the traffic police, can take back control and determine the location of the criminals. In the case you described, a special task force consisting of members from different departments would probably be sent," said Captain Luo. 

"I see," Wenjie muttered. "But all this can only be set in motion, if the victims cooperate directly with the police. Or do you think indirect leads will also help?" 

"I think so. As long as the victims have a good relationship with the police."

Wenjie almost choked on his spit. At the same time, a heavy burden fell from his heart. Captain Luo had drawn the right conclusions, as he had hoped. He would do something. "Thank you, Captain Luo. I'll continue watching the movie with the others. I hope I didn't miss too much. Or do you need anything else?"

"Take care of yourselves and let's talk again in the morning. No rash and reckless moves." 

"We're not planning to go out tonight," Wenjie replied quickly. A fleeting smile flitted across his lips. It was good to know, that Captain Luo would do everything in his power to help them. Even when direct cooperation seemed impossible. 

"Have fun with your movie. We'll hear from each other."

The connection broke. Wenjie put his cell phone away and opened the kitchen door. Ding Wei was standing in the hallway. Had he been eavesdropping? Or had there been new news from the kidnappers? He would prefer the former.

to be continued ...