He found her address and went to meet her, while she was out, she met him on her way, then they went to a café, he introduced himself, then Mark began his questions: What is your name? Where are you from and what were you doing at the time of the accident?
She took a deep breath and said, "Sarah, from California, Los Angeles, I've been walking around the market, then I stood up for a cab."
Then he continued, taking out the picture of the thief: Do you go around looking for trouble?
She wondered: Sorry! That miss was robbed, and I helped.
He replied: If I had not pushed you, you would have been stabbed hard.
She replied: If you had not spoken to me, he would not have been able to attack me.
He sighed and then showed her the picture: When you stood in front of him, you asked, "Aren't you him...?" That means you know him, may I know how a foreign girl can know a local thief?
She took the picture and looked at it carefully, then said: I just thought that the young man I saw in front of the building in which I live , he was similar to him in terms of small body and age, as for the face, I can't be certain that I didn't see his face because it was covering it.
He took some notes and she remembered the lady's words, saying, "Ah, I saw the owner, Mrs. Fallen, last night talking to two policemen because of a robbery that happened in a store in the area, and then I found someone standing near that store, wearing black clothes, who was in the same shape as the young man who I saw in the first day I arrived, do you think they're the same person?
He replied: "This may be true or maybe the opposite, in any case, thanks for your cooperation.
He was getting up, but she remembered the note and said, "Excuse me, before you leave, do you know a captain named Lawan?"
He wondered, "Captain Lawan!"
She nodded: Yes, it's a long story, but I'm looking for Mr. Lawan for personal reasons, do you know him?
He replied: Yes, he is my Commander.
She got up, surprised: Indeed! What a coincidence, where can I meet him?
He said: Tomorrow at the central police station.
She went back to the apartment building and found Mrs. Valen running out. She waved to her, but she didn't turn around. Then she got into the taxi. Sarah was surprised by her behavior, but she didn't pay any attention to the matter.
Sunday, 19th April
She cautiously entered the police station building, it was crowded with people, and there were people in handcuffs sitting on the seats waiting for their turn, it was uncomfortable for her. Mark was standing in front of the printer and drinking coffee and then he pressed the cup with his teeth to use his hands to check the papers, then he turned to find Sarah standing in front of the door waiting nervously.
He stopped Someone and said: Take these papers to the commander. (Then he walked towards her and said: You came early.
She turned to the voice and smiled, and he said to her: How about we talk to a less noisy place?
They entered the criminal department, where the employees were busy typing reports, talking and eating, they sat on the sofa and he offered her the juice, saying: Commander Lawan will come soon.
Then she said: Thank you. I didn't get the chance to apologize to you. I'm sorry that I insulted you when we first met. I didn't know you were an investigator in the police department.
He took a sip of coffee and said, "It's okay, I'm used to this."
After a few minutes, his Commander came and got up and saluted him saying: Thank you for meeting me Mr. Lawan, I am Sarah and I come from California.
He replied: "Welcome, Miss Sarah, how can I help you?
She said: Well, there is a case that I am investigating, and my mother left me a letter asking me to meet you in person.
He wondered, "Who is your mother, miss?"
She answered: Mrs. James.
His eyes widened in amazement: You are Mrs. James' daughter! How is she?
She replied in a broken tone, "She's gone."
He said: I'm sorry, I thought she was... I'm sorry for your loss.
Mark advanced: Commander, I will leave you two alone now.
They sat on the sofa, and he continued: But why did you come here to look for me?
She replied: In fact, I found out recently that my father had been in Thailand after he had disappeared for five years without a trace. My mother's letter, the strange picture, and Mr. Tan's letter were all referring to Thailand, so I came to find him.
His expression changed when she mentioned Mr. Tan's name, and he said to her: Have you met Mr. Tan?
She said: No, I don't think so, it's only four days have passed since my arrival.
She wanted to ask him, but Mark interrupted them, saying: Commander, there is a new case, the murder of an old lady inside her house in the slums.
He got up and said: I must go, but do not worry, I will make someone help you... But remember Miss, don't put all your eggs in one basket.
She said goodbye to him and continued her way. She got into the taxi back to her apartment. On the way, she pulled out her notebook and began reviewing the information she had so far.
She returned to the apartment building with many thoughts in her mind. Sarah continued her way and went up to her apartment. She sat on the floor next to her bed and stared at the wall.
In the evening she felt hungry and decided to buy a meal, she got up and took her bag and checked how much money she had, after that she got dressed and left to buy a quick meal, on her way back she saw a police station in the area, she entered and saw on the billboard a lot of pictures belonging to missing girls , she asked the policeman about the frequent incidents of theft in the area, and he replied: They are just thefts targeting stores that have a weak security device.
She added: Is the thief a young man?
The policeman stared at her, wondering: Did they catch the thief, miss?
She nodded: Yes, but I'm not sure about that.
A woman with leaflets in her hands came and approached the policeman, saying: Did you find my daughter? Did you find Dao?
Sarah noticed the posts and said to herself, "She's the mother of one of the missing girls whose picture was hung on the billboard."
He went to the lady and tried to calm her down: Madam, please calm down. The investigators are doing their best to find your daughter.
Then a young girl entered the station and approached the other policeman: I am here to file a report of losing my identity.
The policeman answered her: We will file the report, so do not worry, until you issue a new identity, you will have to close all accounts, freeze your bank account, change the password, and so on.
She turned around and noticed Sarah. She approached her and said, "Hello, do you remember me?"
She stared at her in astonishment, then said, "Oh, the girl who was picked up by that thief!"
She nodded, "Yeah, thank you for getting my bag back."
She smiled: It's okay, I didn't do much, but why are you here?
She replied: I found out that my identity had been lost, so I came to file a report.
The lady left, and the policeman, who overheard their conversation, approached: You must be careful Miss, for all the missing girls on the board had their identities stolen at first.
The second policeman added: Yes, this is the fifth report from this area, and I hope nothing happens.
They left the center and exchanged conversations on their way back: You are a foreigner! Your Thai is excellent! You remind me of someone.
She smiled: Thank you, I have always been interested in learning languages, and this has helped me in my work.
They stopped at a crossroads, and she said, "Nice to meet you, we talked all the way, but I don't know your name, I'm Jane, and you?"
She replied: I'm Sarah, Nice to meet you.
***