This case is getting more and more interesting.

After organizing his thoughts, Luke contacted Xiao Hei, Jackson, and Port, asking them to meet near Kem Smith's house.

...

Forty minutes later.

Candice Community.

The four of them met near Kem Smith's house. Luke didn't go directly to Kem Smith's house but spoke with Xiao Hei first.

Luke asked, "What clues have you found regarding Kem Smith?"

"Kem Smith was at the company all afternoon and returned home at six. Port and I watched for two hours but found nothing unusual, then we went home."

"Have you seen Kem Smith's girlfriend?"

"No, but I found some information on Kem Smith's girlfriend. Her name is Ivella Gandhi, an exchange student from India. She's quite pretty and well-built, no wonder Kem Smith broke up for her." Xiao Hei handed a document to Luke.

Luke looked at the information and photo of Ivella Gandhi. Ivella Gandhi had long, black, beautiful hair, sharp features, and wheat-colored skin. She was very pretty and seemed to belong to a high caste at a glance.

Luke handed the information back to Xiao Hei, "Let's go in."

The four of them walked to Kem Smith's doorstep, and Jackson pressed the doorbell.

Soon, the door opened.

Kem Smith stood at the door with an anxious expression, "Captain Li, I've been waiting for you. Come in quickly."

Luke entered the living room, observing the surroundings of the house, not smelling any blood or disinfectant scents.

Kem Smith invited them to sit on the sofa, "Captain Li, I'm sorry for calling you so late."

But I can't find my girlfriend, Ivella Gandhi. I'm worried something might have happened to her, so I reported it to the police."

Luke pressed on, "What do you think happened to Ivella Gandhi?"

"I don't know, but I can't get in touch with her. She's never done this before.

I'm very concerned for her safety. Please help me find her."

Luke reassured him, "Don't worry, answer a few questions first."

"Okay."

"When was the last time you saw her?"

"Yesterday morning when I went to work, she saw me to the door. She was fine then, but in the afternoon, I couldn't reach her by phone.

When I came home and found her not there, I contacted everyone she knew, and no one knew where she was.

I suspect something happened to her, so I called you."

Luke said, "There are many kinds of accidents, but in this situation you've described, it's very likely Ivella Gandhi has been kidnapped.

Did you receive a call from the kidnappers?"

"No."

"Does she have any other relatives in Los Angeles?"

"No."

"Did she have any plans yesterday?"

"She was resting at home yesterday and even said she'd make lamb curry for me in the evening."

"So, it's very likely she encountered an accident at home."

"That's what I think too."

"Is there any sign of outsiders entering your home? Any damage to the locks? Or traces like bloodstains?"

"I... didn't find any."

Luke turned to Xiao Hei on the side, "Take some people to search the rooms." After saying that, Luke glanced at Kem Smith, "No problem, right?"

Kem Smith hesitated slightly, then nodded, "It's okay."

Luke continued, "Has anything valuable been stolen from your home?"

"No."

"Generally, kidnappers are after money, but you haven't received a ransom call, nor have you lost anything valuable. This might not be that kind of situation." Luke shifted the conversation, "What does Ivella Gandhi do for work?"

"She is still a student."

"Has she offended anyone recently?"

"Not that I know of."

"What about you?"

Kem Smith shook his head, "Neither have I."

Luke watched him closely, detecting traces of dishonesty on his face.

Luke changed the subject, "I went to Lydia Kuni's house today and spoke with her."

Kem Smith was taken aback, as if unsure why Luke mentioned Lydia Kuni, "How is she?"

"She admitted to being involved in the arson case."

Kem Smith sighed and asked in confusion, "Though I saw her that night, I still can't understand why she would do such a thing?"

"Her daughter was kidnapped, and someone threatened her with her daughter's life."

"Terrible! To achieve their goals, they kidnapped a little girl. Who would do such a despicable thing?"

Luke shook his head, "We're also very outraged."

"Can you rescue Lydia Kuni's daughter?"

Luke's expression dimmed, "She was kidnapped on July 10th, it's already been three days. We've missed the best rescue window, and the situation isn't optimistic..."

"What about my girlfriend? She only went missing yesterday afternoon. It's not too late to report it, is it?"

"The first 24 hours after a kidnapping is the golden time for a rescue. There's still a chance now, but we need to understand the whole case and know why she was kidnapped.

If you're hiding the real reason for her kidnapping, causing our investigation to go off track, we might miss the best rescue window..."

"Oh my God, why is this happening?" Kem Smith grabbed his forehead forcefully.

"Do you have any suspects for Ivella Gandhi's kidnapping?"