Chapter 9 Little Sister 5

  The latest free chapter of this book can be found at ????. “Is time important?” The male lead looked puzzled.

  "Yes, you'd better remember. Because this is crucial to the smooth investigation of your child's case." Wang Yan didn't tell him that this was currently the only lead they had. After visiting for a whole day, except for this household in front of them, the remaining relatives of the missing girls couldn't recall the detailed scene at the time. The Guo family became the last hope to find a witness to this case.

  "Let me think..." The male owner's face was full of worry.

  At this time, the female host who had been silent on one side asked: "What about our Xiaxia? Have you found her?"

  This is a heart-wrenching question. Wang Yanan said softly, "We need to further confirm this. In a while, would you mind going with me to the Municipal Public Security Bureau for DNA sampling and analysis comparison?"

  "No, I won't leave this house. If I leave, the house will be gone and Xiaoxia won't be able to find her way back home. I'll wait for Xiaoxia at home." The mistress unexpectedly jumped up and quickly walked towards the inner room.

  "Sorry, Xiaoxia's mom has been ill for several years now. Recently, it's because of the demolition and relocation issue. Normally, you can't tell, but as soon as she mentions leaving home, she becomes like this. Don't mind her." The male owner explained helplessly.

  "It's alright, Mr. Guo. We can understand your wife's feelings."

  The master of the house nodded with gratitude and said: "As for the time, it shouldn't be too long. I don't remember exactly. That day, I suddenly received a call from my unit to go back to work overtime. After getting on the bus, I sat for two stops. Suddenly, I felt that leaving the two children in the park was not good. So I rushed back. It was probably only half an hour's time. When I went back again, Xiaoxia was gone."

  "Two children. Is there another child present?" This message surprised Wang Yan greatly. Could it be that another girl had also gone missing?

  "It's my friend's child, about the same age as Xiaoxia. The girl has poor eyesight and can't see very clearly. I've heard that she's a pitiful child who doesn't have a mother. Two years before Xiaoxia went missing, the girl moved abroad with her father for immigration purposes. During winter and summer breaks, she would return to China for vacation and look for Xiaoxia to play together. Her father's surname is Chen, he's a doctor, and I met him many years ago when I was seeing a doctor. We live relatively close by, so the two kids often played together..."

  He let out a deep sigh at this point, his hands trembling as he rummaged through the closet for half a day before pulling out a small photo frame. He hesitated for a moment before handing it to Wang Yan. It was an old black and white photograph of a young girl's upper body. The photo had yellowed with age, but the girl's face still looked pale and thin, her smile tinged with shyness. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and her eyes were as dark as ink, shining brightly like stars in the sky.

  "This is my daughter Xiaxia. Have you found her? She's grown up now, but she shouldn't look that different..." The master's expression seemed somewhat agitated, his eyes filled with anticipation.

  "Was the little girl found later?"

  The host nodded: "She said she went to play elsewhere and wasn't with our family's Xia. So she didn't see what happened later either. She was really lucky. You police already know all this."

  Wang Ya Nan suddenly realized that in all the known Populus euphratica disappearance cases, except for Zhang Tong, there was no second eyewitness. Her mood turned terrible.

  The phone rang, it was the familiar "White Birch Forest". Liu Chunxiao had changed many phones, but the ringtone remained the same, Pu Shu's "White Birch Forest". He didn't know why, every time he heard this song, Zhang Tong's shadow would flash in his mind. A ethereal and melancholic mysterious woman.

  "Hello." Liu Chunxiao wedged the phone between her shoulder and ear, while her hands continued to rummage through the papers on her desk for a file that had been right in front of her just five minutes ago. "Who is it?"

  It's me.

  A familiar voice almost stopped Liu Chunxiao's heartbeat. He quickly freed his hand, grabbed the phone and came to the window. The signal will be better here.

  "Little Tong, where are you? What's going on?"

  Zhang Tong did not answer directly. She hesitated for a moment and then asked: "Are you still in the office?"

  "I'm still at work, haven't finished yet." Liu Chunxiao's intuition told him that Zhang Tong must have had an accident. He had never heard her voice tremble like this before. "Where are you? I'll drive over to pick you up right away."

  "It's okay, I'm coming over now. I've thought it through and I'm willing to accept your hypnosis." She paused for a moment before continuing with a resolute tone. "I want to know the truth."

  Liu Chunxiao knew that in order to successfully persuade him, the first thing was that he had to completely trust her. When he told her his concerns, what he got in return was comfort from Zhang Tong.

  "You're overthinking it. Don't worry. We've been waiting for this day for twenty years already."

  "Xiao Tong, I still need to make it clear to you. In a while, you may face something that you can't accept. Remember, those things are already in the past. Don't force yourself. If not, then quickly withdraw. Understand?"

  "When did you become so wishy-washy? No matter what happens, I won't blame you. My sister is already dead. There's nothing that can bring her back now. And catching the killer is all I can do now."

  As soon as he heard this, Liu Chunxiao's heart tightened involuntarily. He looked at Zhang Tong with a thoughtful expression, and the latter's pale face made him even more convinced of his initial judgment. Zhang Tong had made such a 180-degree turn so quickly, something big must have happened. But now he couldn't ask. Thinking of this, Liu Chunxiao nodded calmly: "Okay, follow me."

  At the end of the corridor where Liu Chunxiao's office is located, there is a room of about five square meters. The space is not large, but it is decorated with a warm and natural atmosphere. The light-colored wallpaper and pale purple curtains make the room feel cozy. The furniture is simple, with only a sofa bed in the corner of the ceiling, where a miniature surveillance camera is installed to record everything that happens inside the room faithfully. Although the room is small, its sound insulation effect is very good. As long as the door is closed, no outside noise can be heard. This is the psychological counseling room specially set up by the Tianchang City Procuratorate. In addition to handling cases on a daily basis, Liu Chunxiao also has another job, which is to have in-depth exchanges with all objects that need to undergo psychological evaluation in each case and make reasonable judgments.

  This hypnosis session was a daunting challenge for him. Liu Chunxiao knew that the biggest taboo for a hypnotist was to have an emotional connection with the subject, because throughout the process, the subject would be completely under their guidance, and they had to remain detached and observe any situation that might arise. However, this time, Liu Chunxiao, who usually remained calm in the face of challenges, was about to confront Zhang Tong and a shocking secret that had been hidden for twenty years, a secret that had already cost many lives, including those of Zhang Tong's loved ones.

  "Is it here?" Zhang Tong asked after circling around the room.

  Liu Chunxiao nodded. "I'll give you ten minutes to relax a bit. Then we'll start."

  Liu Chunxiao left, and Zhang Tong sat down on the sofa in the center of the room. After glancing around, she took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.

  "Where is Dr. Zhang? I called her phone but it's turned off. I need to find her, where is she?" Wang Yanan rushed into the forensic doctor's office without knocking on the door, startling Pan Jian, who quickly stood up.

  "I don't know. She called this afternoon and said she had something to do at the procuratorate and needed to take a half-day leave."

  Wang Yanan was stunned. Chapter Tong, who never took a leave of absence, went to the Procuratorate at this critical moment.

  Zhang Tong handed the family photo that he had treasured for many years to Liu Chunxiao: "This is the only photo left by my sister. The rest are all gone. After Father passed away, Mother cleaned up a lot of things at home. I thought you might need it, so I brought it over."

  Liu Chunxiao nodded and handed the photo back to Zhang Tong. He stretched out his hand to turn on the recorder, first reporting the time, place, and name. Then he turned around and said in a gentle voice: "You lie down first, choose a posture that you feel most comfortable with, close your eyes... good, this is very good. Now, open your eyes, concentrate all your energy on the photo in your hand, especially your sister's face."

  Watching Zhang Tong doing it one by one, Liu Chunxiao continued to say: "Now calm down and carefully recall the memories of your sister Zhang Qiu's every move in your mind. Even a slight frown or a subtle blink. While doing these things, your eyes must not leave your sister's face for a moment. Yes, think slowly, think slowly...

  Gradually, Zhang Tong's expression became somewhat dazed. His movements also seemed slower. His eyes were slightly closed, but he still followed the instructions step by step with precision.

  Liu Chunxiao knew that at this moment, Zhang Tong looked like he was still wide awake with his eyes open, but in fact, he had already entered deep sleep. The timing was ripe. Liu Chunxiao gently took away the photo from Zhang Tong's hand, and yet Zhang Tong's hands remained unchanged, still holding the pose of grasping something.

  Liu Chunxiao leaned forward slightly and said in a very gentle tone, "Xiao Tong, you are now on the day when your whole family went on an outing to the suburbs twenty years ago. You were ten years old then. Your sister's name is Zhang Qiu, she was a lovely little girl. Tell me, Xiao Tong, where is your sister? Have you seen her?"

  When she heard this, Zhang Tong's eyes did not open, but her eyelids trembled slightly. She hesitated for a moment before calmly replying: "I saw her. She was beside my mother, making flower garlands."

  "Tell me, Xiaotong, what do you see around you now?" Liu Chunxiao knew that Zhangtong's heart wasn't easily opened up, so he decided to take a detour and approach from another angle.

  Zhang Tong's face revealed an innocent and mischievous smile.

  "Dad, Mom, me, and Qiuqiu."

  "What are you doing."

  I am helping mom sort out food.

  "Was there anyone else who went on the outing with you? Besides your family members, was there anyone else around you?"

  "Mei Mei and Uncle Chen also came. However, they are not here now..."

  "Who is MeiMei." Despite a feeling of surprise in her heart, Liu Chunxiao maintained a calm and gentle tone from start to finish.

  Mei Mei is Chen Bo Bo's daughter.

  "Good kid. Then can you tell me what Meimei looks like?"

  "She is not very tall. Wearing a pair of very thick glasses. She can't see very clearly. Must wear glasses..."

  "Can you see them now?"

  Zhang Tong shook his head. "Mei Mei and Old Man Chen went fishing at Double Dragon Pond."

  Liu Chunxiao was familiar with the forest distribution map of Zhang Tong's missing sister. He knew that the place where Zhang Tong's family had camped out in the past was a turn to the south, and walking straight would lead to Shuanglongtan. "Why didn't you and your sister play together with Meimei?"