On the seventh day after my daughter Anna Lawson went missing, I, Elise Lawson, took the entire kindergarten hostage. All twenty-seven children and two teachers were locked in the classroom with me. I told the police: “If you can’t find my daughter, I’ll kill one child every thirty minutes.” The kindergarten principal, Isabella Reed, knelt on the ground crying: “Your daughter’s disappearance has nothing to do with me! Why should other children pay with their lives?” I glanced at my watch and said calmly: “Twenty-nine minutes left. Please hurry and find my daughter.” I knew she was somewhere in this kindergarten. Five minutes earlier, Isabella had been arrogant outside the door. I leaned against the door as the children in the classroom continued playing, oblivious to what was happening. Only the two female teachers stared at me with terror in their eyes. Outside, Isabella pounded on the iron door, her voice shrill: “What the hell do you want? What does your missing daughter have to do with me? Open this door! Parents are coming to pick up their kids!” I said nothing, pulled an assembled gun from my pocket, turned toward the ceiling, and pulled the trigger. Isabella staggered back two steps, her lips trembling: “Are you insane? This is illegal! I’m calling the police! Don’t you know kidnapping children is punishable by death?” I sneered, running my fingers along the barrel: “Go ahead and call them, but you’re in no position to negotiate with me.” Five minutes later, sirens wailed in the distance, growing closer. A gentle male voice came from outside. I recognized him—Officer Eric Owens from the police station: “Elise, just calm down. We’re doing everything we can to investigate your daughter’s disappearance. Please let the children go first, and we can talk this through, okay?” I gripped the gun handle tighter, almost laughing out loud. My daughter had been missing for seven whole days. The police had no leads, no answers, and now they wanted to “talk this through” with me? Talk about how many years I’d spend in prison? I shouted toward the door: “I just want to see my daughter! If I don’t see her within half an hour, you’ll see the first child’s corpse!” Police tape had already been set up outside. Parents rushed to the scene, their cries rising and falling. Some beat the ground in anguish, others cursed and raged. The police tried to contain me while holding back the frantic crowd. Eric was sweating profusely. He knew this was way beyond his jurisdiction. SWAT and detectives were already on their way, but he still needed to keep me stable: “Mrs. Lawson, these children are innocent. You used to be a teacher here—can you really bear to hurt them?” I closed my eyes. The biggest regret of my life was coming to work at this kindergarten. If I hadn’t come here, Anna wouldn’t have disappeared. I checked my watch, my voice ice-cold: “Twenty-eight minutes left. You don’t want any casualties either, do you?” Eric said urgently: “We’re already searching with everything we’ve got, but how can we find someone in such a short time?” I kicked over a chair violently and screamed: “I’ve told you countless times—she never left this place! She’s in this building! Search it like your lives depend on it!” Rainbow Kindergarten wasn’t large—three two-story buildings with activity yards in front and back. The day Anna disappeared, I searched every corner of this place and couldn’t find her. I demanded to see the surveillance footage, but Isabella claimed the system had malfunctioned and all recordings were lost. I didn’t believe such a coincidence existed. I suspected Anna’s disappearance was connected to Isabella. Later, I snuck into the surveillance room at night and went through the backup footage frame by frame. The footage clearly showed Anna entering the kindergarten but never leaving. She was still here. But where exactly was she hiding? I couldn’t figure it out. Eric continued trying to persuade me from outside: “The police have conducted a new search. You have to trust us.” But I knew he didn’t believe me. The police had searched three times initially and hadn’t found so much as a strand of Anna’s hair. They’d long since concluded Anna wasn’t here. The parents outside completely lost control: “Your daughter’s missing—what does that have to do with our kids? If you’ve got guts, go kidnap Isabella!” “Please, I’m begging you, let my daughter go. She has asthma—if she gets too scared, she could die.” A mother knelt outside the police tape, tears streaming down her face. The crowd roared: “Shoot her! Take her down!” I raised the megaphone, my voice cutting through the chaos: “I don’t want to kill anyone. I just want to know where my daughter is.” I raised my hand to check the time—twenty-five minutes left. SWAT must have arrived by now. A sniper was probably already aiming at my forehead. “Isabella,” I said slowly, “you know, don’t you? Where is Anna?” Everyone’s eyes turned to her in unison. Her face went pale, but she forced herself to stay composed: “How would I possibly know? Mrs. Lawson, stop making wild accusations like a madwoman!” “Your daughter might have run away from home—maybe she went to find her father.” She paused, then suddenly added, “Oh right, her father, that convict, isn’t he getting out of prison soon? Maybe he secretly took her away!”
“Absolutely impossible!” The words burst out almost involuntarily. Eric quickly said, “We’ve already tried contacting Anna’s father, Joseph Weber, but we haven’t heard anything from him so far. Ms. Lawson, we will find your daughter. Please release the children in the classroom first, okay? I promise you, I’ll do everything in my power to find Anna. Everyone is working hard on this. The way you’re acting now, even if we find Anna, how could you face her? Do you want her to know that both her parents are criminals?” My heart lurched, and I actually felt a moment of wavering. Just then, a small red ball rolled to my feet. A little girl stood not far away, looking up with bright, sparkling eyes: “Ms. Lawson, could you kick the ball back to me?” I struggled to suppress my churning emotions, bent down to gently pick up the ball, and tossed it back tenderly. The children remained innocent and carefree, completely unaware that this classroom had been shrouded in fear and confrontation. But could my Anna still play games so happily? I didn’t dare think further. I glanced at the watch on my wrist and called out coldly toward the door: “Eighteen minutes left. Have you found any leads?” The negotiation had broken down. Eric sighed, his brow furrowed with anxiety. The police had already taken their positions, and negotiation specialists sent by the state had arrived on scene, rapidly deploying tactical plans. This incident had already caused a citywide sensation. Reporters and social media crews swarmed in, cameras focused on the kindergarten’s entrance. The orders from above were clear: absolutely no child could be harmed. If necessary, the suspect could be shot and killed. But Eric still didn’t want it to come to that—he believed things hadn’t reached that point yet. Based on his years of experience handling cases, he felt that woman didn’t seem like a criminal, but more like a desperate mother. He asked, “How’s the surveillance recovery going? Did Anna actually leave the kindergarten or not?” A colleague from the tech unit quickly responded: “We’ve restored the deleted video segments. From the existing records, Anna never appeared in any exit surveillance footage, and there’s no indication she left the building.” Eric frowned deeply: “If Anna really didn’t leave, then where is she? But the entire campus has been searched three times. We’ve checked the classrooms, offices, principal’s office, kitchen, storage rooms, and activity rooms.” The police searched inside and out again, but found absolutely nothing. “Did she just vanish into thin air? There’s no other explanation!” Colin Barnes slammed his fist against the wall, his voice full of frustration. “Every corner here has cameras! There are no surveillance blind spots!” “Wait!” A flash of inspiration struck Eric. “Are there cameras installed in the restrooms? Search the bathrooms!” The kindergarten’s restrooms were indoors, and Anna had last disappeared from her classroom. But that was exactly where Elise was holding the hostages. The loudspeaker inside crackled to life again, Elise’s voice cold and mocking: “Fifteen minutes left. You police are truly useless—you can’t even find one child.”
I leaned against the wall, my voice dripping with sarcasm: “When a foreigner loses a watch, you’d turn the entire dump upside down. But when a living, breathing child goes missing for seven whole days, you have absolutely nothing?” Eric fell silent for a moment, his voice low: “Ms. Lawson, maybe your daughter is right here beside you?” I froze, unable to grasp the meaning behind his words. Anna’s last known location was indeed this very kindergarten. The lockers, the restrooms, every single corner—I’d searched through them all countless times with my own hands. Nothing. “This place has full surveillance coverage, except for the restroom—that’s the blind spot,” he continued. “We suspect your daughter might have been taken through the restroom. Ms. Lawson, it’s not too late to turn yourself in. The police will uncover the truth.” The restroom, the restroom! I mentally traced that cramped space over and over—the unisex children’s restroom, two small stalls, an inconspicuous exhaust fan in the corner, pipes stained with rust, humming constantly. I looked toward the restroom, and suddenly something strange flickered through my mind. But the feeling was too vague, like shadows underwater—impossible to grasp or articulate. I licked my cracked lips, my voice ice-cold: “Ten minutes left. I only want results. If you can’t find my daughter, I’ll make them all pay with their lives.” Eric closed his eyes, veins pulsing at his temples. Behind him, a detective quietly raised his hand, signaling the sniper—the moment there’s an opening, take the shot. I chuckled softly, my gaze sweeping across the seam between ceiling and wall: “If she really was taken through the restroom, then there must be a hidden passage leading outside. Officers, I hope you find it soon. Even if you arrest me for this, it’ll be worth it.” I’d considered before whether someone might have abducted her while she was using the restroom. But that would require a passage and would leave traces. As just an ordinary person, the clues I couldn’t find would have to be left to the professionals. I lowered my eyes, fingertips gently caressing the cold edge of the gun. Everything was proceeding according to plan. The watch’s second hand ticked forward. I beckoned to a little girl: “Ruby,” I curved my lips into a smile, speaking softly, “want to play a game with me?” With only five minutes remaining, the police continued their futile attempts at persuasion. Eric had nearly shouted himself hoarse: “Ms. Lawson! Don’t be rash! The entire city’s police force is mobilized, everyone’s helping you find your child! Not just us, but countless concerned citizens! If you turn back now, you’ll still have a chance to see your daughter again!” “Last minute, and you still haven’t found her.” As my words fell, I suddenly yanked open the curtain, using Ruby’s small body to shield mine as the blade sliced across. A line of blood bloomed across her neck. She didn’t even have time to whimper before her head drooped softly. Bright red blood sprayed across the clean glass window, blooming like flowers. I quickly retreated behind the wall as my voice, calm to the point of being mechanical, echoed through the broadcast: “The first child is dead. This is the price of your incompetence.” The parents’ wails outside were heart-wrenching. Due to the swift action, many couldn’t even tell which child had fallen. I stood pressed against the wall, cold sweat streaming down my back. Even hidden behind cover, I could feel the sniper’s scope locked dead center on my forehead. Eric roared as he smashed the megaphone to the ground, his voice trembling: “You monster! Whatever grievances you have, killing innocent children is an unforgivable crime! You’re surrounded! Drop your weapon and surrender!” So now he thinks reasoning won’t work and he’s resorting to threats of force? I remained perfectly still, my voice calm: “I’ve planted bombs throughout this kindergarten. If you don’t want to see more casualties, you’d better move faster. I swear, as soon as you find my daughter, I’ll surrender immediately and won’t harm anyone else.” The moment Eric heard the word “bombs,” his face went deathly pale. They didn’t dare take the risk. Even if they shot me down right now, I could still detonate the remote device before dying. “Who the hell is she?” a young officer asked, trembling. “How does a woman who can get her hands on guns and explosives end up working as a kindergarten teacher?” Someone nearby whispered an explanation: “She used to be a PhD in munitions engineering. After her husband was imprisoned, she returned to her hometown and took a job at this kindergarten.” Eric rubbed his temples: “What was her husband imprisoned for?” The officer replied: “Manslaughter. He was released seven days ago. His current whereabouts are unknown.” Eric thought to himself: “Seven days ago? Anna also disappeared seven days ago. Is this a coincidence? Could Joseph have taken his own daughter?” But reality didn’t allow them time to ponder. Joseph needed to be tracked down, and Anna had to be found. A new thirty-minute countdown had already begun. Just then, excited shouting came from the adjacent restroom: “There’s a hidden passage! Really! There’s a child inside!” Eric’s head snapped up as he saw his colleague crawling out of a narrow ventilation shaft, carrying a frail little body in his arms, clutching a small piece of a broken phone watch. His eyes widened—it was Anna’s watch. The crowd erupted in screams and sobs. Eric quickly removed his police jacket to cover the child and shouted at me: “Elise! We found your daughter! You can let everyone go now! She’s alive!” I held my breath, peering through the peephole. The child wrapped in the police jacket had one arm hanging limply, and on her wrist was the pink phone watch I had personally chosen for Anna. My heart pounded violently, almost bursting from my chest. I could barely control myself, my fingers already reaching for the door handle, wanting nothing more than to rush out and hold her. Just then, my phone vibrated. I glanced down at the message I’d just received and instantly regained my composure.
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