"Isla asked us not to talk to her and pretend that we didn't know her when we see her outside, just in case the kidnapper's people are around," Sheryl said to Charles.
"Okay," Charles agreed.
But he figured that there was no need for such precautions. Isla's face was all over the TV during the live press conference. People already knew about her relationship with Sheryl. So, if the person sent by the kidnapper was here, Isla's presence would alert them.
Even though he knew this, he didn't retort because he had some sound speculations regarding the kidnapping.
He assumed that the one who had abducted his children hadn't yet discovered that he had called the police. Moreover, he even surmised that the kidnapper hadn't realized that he was making a serious mistake.
'The kidnapper's initial motive was to make Sheryl admit that she was having an affair even though it wasn't true.
Sheryl didn't hesitate and agreed immediately. After she followed his demands, the abductor was supposed to release the children.
But, the criminal backed out because he noticed Sheryl's absolute obedience.
As a result, the perpetrator decided to demand the large ransom.
Imagining Sheryl as the meek type, the criminal was probably certain that she would agree with his conditions. She brought fifty million dollars in cash and put it in the location as he had instructed.'
As Charles analyzed the situation, he speculated that the abductor must have let his guard down seeing that he had proposed to exchange the money in a shopping mall.
It might have looked like a wise decision because it was a public place with a crowd and the kidnapper might not be exposed easily.
However, the kidnapper had ignored the critical detail that today was the mall's anniversary.
Most people might not think that it was a big deal.
There were more customers than usual in the mall. It might have seemed like a good idea to exchange the money in the crowded place. But the criminal neglected the fact that too many people might cause chaos.
The shopping mall would have definitely asked for a swat team to keep the peace in case of emergency during the event. Suspicious people would surely be targeted by the police in such events.
If the swat team caught someone carrying fifty million in cash, they would be in immense trouble.
If the criminal was on full alert, he wouldn't have made such a blind mistake.
After taking all of this into consideration, Charles ruled out the possibility that the abductor had chosen this shopping mall because of the public nature of the mall. He came to the conclusion that the criminal or the person he had sent must know the place very well.
He guessed that the person sent by the kidnapper was a frequent visitor to this place.
Such an individual might not arouse the staff's suspicion with a huge suitcase.
As Charles analyzed the whole situation calmly, he and Sheryl exited the mall. Isla and several plain clothes officers lurked in the corner outside the shopping mall.
As Sheryl was about to tell Charles that they should move away from the market, she heard a familiar female voice.
"I told you! I have a full schedule today." Sheryl immediately recognized the voice as Vivi's.
She had slapped Sheryl hard across the face only a couple of days ago. So it was impossible that Sheryl would forget her high-pitched voice so soon.
"How about I come over tomorrow?" Vivi proposed curtly, rolling her eyes.
She was talking on the phone while heading towards the shopping mall. She didn't look suspicious, except for her quick footsteps.
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