"What value does your will have? I asked you what price it carries. If money is enough, is your will for sale? A will that can be bought with money... what's the meaning of that? If your will can be bought with money...

- Shinichi Kudo

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Chapter 32:
Race of Time

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ZANE

"That's... weird," I commented. "Why would she just say that?"

"Could be a setup or something more obvious," Raine replied.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

And why did the kidnapper tell her he wouldn't interfere tomorrow? I have a bad feeling about this.

Raine's attention shifted behind me. When I turned, Officer Lee was there.

"Raine, it turns out you were right. Ma'am Cassandra just visited her sister, Ma'am Angelica, last night. She's being interviewed now. Want to hear?" he informed us.

We approached the door where several police officers had gathered.

"I told them I don't know where she is," the woman insisted, her eyes mirroring her fear.

Raine paced around, her focus fixed on something unseen. With a shared glance, she and Officer Lee communicated silently. They wore gloves and shoe covers before stepping through the doorway.

"Where are you going?" I called after them.

Officer Lee pulled another set from his pocket and handed them to me. I quickly slipped them on before joining them.

Leaving the living room, we entered a spacious kitchen. Raine began to open the refrigerator and cabinets, revealing various food items inside. Outside a window at the rear of the large house, there was an extensive garden as well.

As we inspected the rooms, a sudden touch on my back startled me.

"May I ask what you three are doing here?" I turned to see one of the officers who had been outside earlier. Her vest displayed a badge reading Detective Inspector Cruz.

"Sorry, Ma'am," Officer Lee said, biting his lip.

"Ron Lee, so you're the new partner of this Raine," she remarked.

"Not just him, ma'am," Raine quipped lightly.

After glancing at Raine, who was trying to suppress a smile like Officer Lee, the detective turned to me. "And who are you?"

"I'm Zane Nuñez, ma'am," I replied softly.

"Do you live in this area? Why are you here with these two snooping around?" she asked.

"We're not police officers, Ma'am," Raine's companion politely explained.

What? He's not one of the police? I've been calling him Officer Lee all day!

"We were the first ones Mrs. Cassandra talked to, so we decided to help her," he added.

"Alright then. We'll take it from here," the detective said.

"We're actually on a case right now, Ma'am," Ron further explained. "I believe Detective Inspector George Ferrer has already briefed you on what's happening with Lorraine de Verra and Zane Nuñez, right?"

The woman sighed and crossed her arms, looking at us. "I heard. But—"

Another call came through Raine's phone.

"Is that it again?" Ron asked, to which Raine nodded.

"Did you already trace the caller?" Detective Cruz asked.

"I've already done it, but I can't find his real location," replied Ron.

If he's not part of the police force, how come he's authorized to solve a case? Is he like Raine?

"Looks like you've found another... ally," a new voice on the phone said. Unlike earlier callers, this one spoke more ominously.

My eyes widened at what I heard. Who's the new man being held hostage now?

Detective Cruz motioned for everyone to lower their voices with a subtle gesture.

"I've released the earlier woman," he added.

"You released her? Why?" Raine asked.

"She's good now because that that policewoman didn't chase you away even when you called the police," he replied.

Raine and Detective Cruz exchanged knowing glances, silently understanding what was implied.

"Like before, a life in exchange for finishing my game," he added.

"I didn't write about it on my website, did I? How did you know?" Raine asked.

"I've already given you the answer," he said.

"Answer to what?" Raine asked again.

"Five hours left, Lorraine de Verra. Five hours to answer my riddle," he replied.

Something flew in through the window, narrowly missing me before crashing into a wall-mounted cabinet and falling to the ground.

Beep!

Ron, closest to the object, picked it up and revealed a newly folded red envelope shaped like a paper airplane.

Upon opening it, there was again the photo of a seated unconscious woman, leaning against a wall in a dimly lit place.

"Sergeant Chavez, you're in charge of the hostage," Detective Cruz said to his colleague, handing her the photo. Her called officer followed and promptly left the house.

"Any report on what happened earlier?" Ron asked.

"The first hostage's in the hospital now and doesn't remember anything about the incident," she replied.

"A photo of a moon," Ron said, showing us what he held, revealing a photo that had unfolded earlier. It was just a circular moon taken in the sky using a clear camera.

"He really wants to convey something about the moon," I heard Raine mutter.

What could it be? Has the kidnapper stopped letting us know about my mom's case?

"Just as I said, Ma'am Cassandra doesn't live here," she added as she adjusted her gloves.

"Sergeant Chavez already told me earlier that Ron told him that," Detective Cruz answered. "You only heard what he said earlier—"

"—but we don't know yet if that's true," Ron interrupted.

"For starters, the food. There's far too much here for one person, especially someone supposedly locked in and under duress," Raine began again. "Everything is neatly arranged, not like you'd expect from a lunatic's residence, as the woman said earlier."

"I'm listening," Detective Cruz said.

We walked near the window where Raine pointed out the planting area.

"There are many plants in her garden. I noticed earlier at the house gate that it's tall, like the walls around. It's higher compared to what was shown in the kidnapper's photo," she explained. "If the person living here really has a mental condition, maybe someone visits her — her sister."

We walked back to the living room where the interviews were happening. The woman there kept crying, her distress appearing genuine.

"Look at the items in the house – hardly been used recently. Almost no dust, like they're barely touched," she added. "Only Ma'am Cassandra comes here, probably to bring food and watch over her sister. That's why the house is full of food but hardly anything changes."

"That makes sense," Detective Cruz said. "But why didn't she transfer her sister to a mental hospital?"

Her expression suggested she was testing Raine, who merely responded with a grin.

"Because Ma'am Cassandra believes keeping her sister here, in a familiar place, will lessen suspicion and make it easier for her to control her," Raine replied. "Maybe she thinks they won't be found here."

Detective Cruz' glance shifted at the crying woman in front of us. "We need to find your sister," she said. "Do you know what happened? Why did she leave?"

Ma'am Cassandra bit her lip nervously, her eyes darting around the room. It was clear she understood the dangers her sister might face if the threat Raine mentioned came to light.

"She... She knows about the fire that happened," she answered between sobs.

"Fire? Where?" I couldn't help but interrupt myself.

"She saw something, something dangerous. They threatened her, said they'd kill her if she spoke," she added. "I tried to protect her, so I kept her here, but she found a way to escape."

"Do you know who's threatening her, Cassandra?" Detective Cruz asked.

"I don't know," she replied. "They called me and told me to silence her. They said if I didn't do it, they would."

Those words sent shivers down my spine. The one calling Raine might be responsible for this. It could still be related to my mom's case.

"I was scared. I couldn't bear to see my sister killed, so I just kept her locked up in this old house," she added.

"We're here to help you, Miss Cassandra," Detective Cruz reassured her. "We'll do everything we can to find Angelica and keep her safe. And we need any information you can give us."

She took a deep breath, trying to gather her thoughts.

"She has a journal. Everything she knows about the fire, the threats, all of it is in there," she answered. "She took it with her. If you find Angelica, you'll find the truth."

"Thank you, Cassandra," the officer said. "We'll start the search for Angelica right away."

Before we could leave, she suddenly collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

"Medic!"