Darkness had fallen by the time the Zodiac’s engine was turned off. Besides Alicia and Hawkins, on board there were four officers from the Emergency Response Team, all dressed in black, and four technicians specially trained in electronic surveillance, clutching their electronic detection gear like mothers clutching their newborn babies.
Two of the ERT officers slipped their paddles silently into the water while Hawkins talked on his cellphone. Soon Alicia caught the flicker of a flashlight from the shoreline.
“Okay, spotted you,” Hawkins said.
Moments later, David Chung met them where the waves lapped at the shore, watching as everyone disembarked.
“Curtains, shades, blinds all closed?” Hawkins asked.
“Yes,” David replied, staring at the ERT members, who stowed their paddles before equipping themselves with night-vision gear. “Where are they going?” he asked nervously as they disappeared into the darkness.
“Just a little reconnaissance of your grounds and neighbourhood to see if anyone is watching,” Hawkins said.
Alicia put her hand on David’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, they know what they’re doing and won’t be seen,” she said with assurance. “If they spot someone, all they’ll do is report back to us. Our utmost priority is to get Tommy home safely.”
“I’ve got security cameras on the driveway and around the house, but yeah, it’d be easy to watch us from lots of places.”
“My name’s Alicia, and I’ll be with you every step of the way. Any questions, anything, just ask. I’m here for you and your wife.”
“Thanks. I … I hope that calling you was the right thing.”
“It was,” Alicia replied confidently. “We don’t want anyone else to go through what you two are going through now. These people must be caught.”
He nodded for them to follow him.
After climbing a narrow path through some scrub brush, they skirted a tall hedge surrounding a tennis court, passed a swimming pool, then crossed a patio to a set of French doors.
“Guest room,” David whispered as he reached for a door handle. “My wife, Jia, is inside, but she won’t turn the lights on until you’re all in.”
“You’re doing really well,” Alicia whispered back. “We’re going to get through this together.”
“I, I just want Tommy back,” he choked out in response.
He opened the door to let everyone inside. Once the lights were turned on, Alicia could see David and Jia clearly. The police database had revealed that neither had a criminal record, and according to their driver’s licences, both were forty-two years old. If she’d been guessing their ages, though, she’d have added eight years. The stress was telling.
David looked at Alicia and turned his palms up to ask, What now?
Good, he was already turning to her for answers. She put her finger to her lips as a reminder to be quiet, then gestured for them to sit on the bed. She and Hawkins sat down in the only two chairs in the room.
The technicians immediately went to work. The room and hallway outside were given the all-clear, allowing them to talk while the technicians continued through the rest of the house.
Hawkins wasted no time conducting the interviews. Was there anyone whom they suspected? Any trouble at work or competitors who could be involved? Had anything unusual happened recently? Any salespeople come to the house? How long had Tommy been taking piano lessons, and was it always with this teacher, on this day? Could Jia better describe the men? Did they wear gloves? What about the white van? Was it dirty or clean? Old or new? Any decals or bumper stickers? Could it have been a rental? What did the inside look like? Any scratches on the floor?
The questions continued, but the answers were of little value. Jia remembered that the man who shoved a gun in her stomach wore latex gloves, but was too scared to remember if the other one did.
Hawkins made notes and had Jia repeat certain details to ensure accuracy or to help jog her memory. “You said one of them asked for your phone number as well as your husband’s. Did you see him write them down?”
“He wrote the numbers on a piece of paper that looked like a sales receipt.”
Too bad. If he’d used something like part of a cigarette package, that might have helped identify him later on.
“We’d like to put a tap on your phones immediately,” Hawkins said.
Both parents agreed.
“Jia, you said you drive Tommy to school every morning,” Hawkins continued. “Did you ever notice someone who might’ve been following you?”
Jia burst into tears. “No, I didn’t! I should’ve been paying more attention!” she sobbed. “I let this happen. I let them drive away with my Tommy.”
David put his arms around her and tried to comfort her. “It’s not your fault. They had a gun. What were you supposed to do? Fight back? They said they’d kill you both if you didn’t co-operate.”
“You did the right thing,” Alicia added firmly.
Hawkins cleared his throat. “Jia, you also said they took the keys to your car and chucked them out the window a block away, at the next intersection?”
Jia nodded. “They told me to wait three minutes before going to get them. I found them in the grass beside the sidewalk.”
“You said they gave you a map?”
“As well as a note. They’re upstairs on the kitchen table.”
“A note?” Hawkins asked.
“Typewritten, giving David directions. They said they won’t put up with any, uh, bullshit, like us asking for proof of life or going to the cops and having them send someone else to deliver the ransom. They said this isn’t the movies, so no heroics. They’ll release Tommy as soon as they have the money. That’s not on the note — it’s what they said. Their words.”
“I see. Alicia will go with you to look at the map and the note. David, I have some questions for you while we’re waiting. I’d like to properly identify everyone who comes to your property and the companies they work for. Maids, landscapers, pool maintenance, repairmen, tree pruning service, and anyone else you can think of.”
Alicia and Jia went upstairs. As they made their way through the living room, a technician came around from behind a grand piano to speak to Alicia.
“This level of the house is clear,” he told her in a hushed voice. “It’s okay to talk, but keep your voices low. I think the guys upstairs are almost finished, then we’ve got some rooms to do downstairs, including a media room. Shouldn’t take long.”
“Thanks,” Alicia replied. She noticed Jia staring at a framed picture of Tommy on an antique desk.
Their eyes met. “Do you need it?” Jia whispered. “It was taken last month.”
Tommy was smiling broadly in the photo. His ears protruded and his face seemed tiny in comparison to his two upper front teeth, which stood out like a beaver’s.
“Cute kid,” Alicia said. “I’ll take a picture of it. Maybe you could hold it for me so there’s no reflection or glare. Here, let’s sit on the sofa.” She took out her cellphone. Jia’s hands shook as she held the picture. “Tell me more about Tommy,” Alicia said, reaching out to steady the picture.
“The other officer wanted the map,” Jia replied, looking toward the kitchen.
“There’s no rush,” Alicia responded. “We’ll need to have it examined by Forensics later.”
“I opened it, but David didn’t touch it.”
“That’s okay. We’ll get your prints if we need them and DNA swabs from the both of you. What’s Tommy’s favourite colour?”
“Red. It’s a lucky colour in Chinese culture,” Jia added blandly.
“I see. How about toys? Does he have a favourite? Or video games? Bet he spends a lot of time on the computer. Most kids do.”
“Not really. What he really loves to do is play the piano. I know most children need a lot of prodding to practise, but not Tommy. He seems to have a natural love of music.”
Alicia purposely stalled as they talked. One reason was to gain Jia’s trust and try to calm her down. The other was to give Hawkins time to question David about his personal life — like whether there was a mistress or a past affair that could have made him an enemy. That conversation would be very intrusive, and it was unlikely he’d admit to any infidelities in front of his wife.
Alicia’s instincts told her that David didn’t have any such secrets, but the questions still had to be asked. Because Jia didn’t work outside the home, they’d hold off asking her any questions in that regard until after they’d examined her phone records.
Eventually they went to the kitchen to examine the map. It was an enlarged copy of Queen Elizabeth Park in Vancouver. An X near West 33rd Avenue and Cambie Street indicated where David was to take the money.
A separate scrap of paper read:
Friday 4:30 p.m. — park car in lot. Walk to where the road branches off to 33rd Ave and the tennis courts. Wait at the park bench opposite that intersection. Carry $ in cloth satchel bag. NO SUITCASE!
“Why not a suitcase?” Jia asked.
“Probably because a suitcase could easily hold a hidden GPS locator,” Alicia replied. “A cloth bag would be harder to hide that in.” She glanced up as Hawkins and David appeared.
“The techs are almost done,” Hawkins said. “We can talk normally. Also got a text from the guys outside. They haven’t spotted anyone.”
Alicia stepped aside to speak to him privately. He made eye contact and shook his head subtly, indicating that David’s personal life was apparently clean. Yeah, I didn’t get the feeling he was that kind of guy.
Hawkins cleared his throat. “As soon as they finish, I’ll round everyone up and head back to the office. David’s provided me with thirty days’ worth of security camera footage, which I’ll have someone review at the office. Tomorrow he’ll arrange for the money. He deals with a couple of banks, as well as financial investment places, so he’ll split up where he gets the money from. If anyone asks, he’s going to say it’s a bonus for someone who’s assisting him with a foreign investment.”
“In other words, a possible bribe,” Alicia replied.
“Whatever works.” Hawkins leaned over to view the map and the note.
“I’m pulling the location up on Google,” Alicia said. She counted the potential exits from the park that a vehicle could take. “Thirty-two.”
“Check out the bench where David’s supposed to wait,” Hawkins directed. Alicia went to Google Maps Street View and zoomed in on the bench. “Chain-link fence as a barrier to the golf course,” Hawkins noted. “Looks to be a deserted part of the park for any pedestrians.”
“Maybe David will be instructed to toss the bag over the fence to someone in a golf cart,” Alicia suggested.
“Maybe.” Hawkins paused. “I’ll take the exhibit. I want to get back to the office as soon as I can.” He rejoined David and Jia. “I’d like Alicia to stay in your house. Is that okay?”
“Yes, I’d feel better knowing someone is with Jia while I’m arranging the money tomorrow,” David replied.
“You can use one of the spare bedrooms,” Jia added.
“Thank you,” Alicia replied, although she didn’t suppose any of them would get much sleep tonight. She saw the pain on Jia’s face. We’re all thinking the same thing: What kind of night will Tommy have … if he’s still alive?