Chapter 249

Her face was streaked with ash, a clear sign she had just escaped from a fire. Standing next to her was William, holding her small hand. He only let go when she reached out for her mom.

Harper ran towards her, throwing herself into her arms, crying her heart out.

"Mom, I missed you so much. I was so scared. I thought I'd never see you again."

"It's okay, Harper! Mommy's here." Christina felt a wave of relief, holding her tightly.

Harper continued to cry, the fear still clinging to her.

Christina hugged her even tighter. "I won't let you out of my sight again!"

After calming down a bit, Harper turned to look at William. "We have to thank Dad Cavendish too. I was hiding in the bushes, and those bad guys tried to set the dry grass on fire to burn me. I was too scared to come out, but Dad Cavendish showed up with some people and saved me."

"Really?" Christina gently stroked her hair. "It's okay now. Mommy's taking you home."

Christina led Harper to the police car, making sure she was settled before turning to William. "Thank you for this."

Despite her deep dislike for William, she had to acknowledge that he had saved her child.

William smiled. "It was nothing. I had to do it. Harper is my child too."

Christina didn't want to hear this. She suddenly felt that bringing Harper back to the country might have been a mistake.

Although the overall social environment here was safer than abroad, many people she knew had some connection to her.

The situation with the Cavendish family was complicated, and she feared similar incidents might happen again.

"William, let me make this clear. Harper is my child and has nothing to do with you. Stop wasting your efforts."

William argued, "A child needs a father."

Christina scoffed, "But not you."

"Then who do you want my child to call father?" William's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"That's none of your business," Christina replied calmly.

William lost his temper and grabbed her wrist tightly, his eyes narrowing.

"Christina, I won't allow this to happen."

"You have no right to say that. Let go of me!" Christina shook off his hand, coldly got into the car, and closed her eyes in pain.

The captain was tracking the suspects through online surveillance.

After organizing his team, he turned back. "Is the child hurt? Do you need to go to the hospital, or should we go to the station to get a detailed statement?"

Christina wanted to take Harper home to rest and deal with everything tomorrow. But Harper, showing unexpected bravery, said, "Mom, I'm okay. I can tell the police what happened."

Christina felt a surge of pride and relief. Her daughter, though young, had the courage to face difficulties. She gently patted Harper's shoulder, encouraging her.

"Alright, Harper, tell the police what happened." Christina turned to the captain. "We'll head to the station."

At the station, Harper, guided by the captain, recounted her kidnapping ordeal in detail.

That painful memory was crucial to finding the kidnappers!

After finishing, Harper asked with wide eyes, "Will this really help catch them?"

The captain nodded. "Absolutely, Harper. You were very brave. We'll find them."

The captain left, and a police officer approached. "They got away, but based on the kidnapping method and situation, it might be a human trafficking gang operating in nearby states."

The captain flipped through the statements. "Do we have the main suspects? Get the sketch artist. The victim has seen them."

"Can a child really give an accurate description?" The officer was doubtful.

Often, children's memories were unreliable because they couldn't systematically record what they saw.

The captain sighed. "Let's try."

As the officer was about to leave, he remembered something and turned back.

"By the way, Jennifer's detention time is almost up. Should we let her go? We don't have a reason to keep her."

"Follow the procedure. Without evidence, we can't hold her." The captain waved him off.

Christina waited, feeling a mix of emotions. She was relieved Harper was safe but worried about the future. The kidnappers were still at large, and Harper's safety wasn't fully assured.

After signing the statement as Harper's guardian, Christina prepared to leave.

Outside the meeting room, she overheard officers discussing releasing Jennifer.

The captain came out of an interrogation room and approached Christina.

"Ms. Windsor, we've created sketches of the kidnappers based on Harper's description. We'll post them online and increase surveillance in the area to find them quickly."

Christina nodded, knowing this was the best the police could do.

She wanted to ask about Jennifer's release. Why was she being let go so soon?

She brought it up.

The captain sighed. "We don't have enough evidence to prove Jennifer's involvement in the kidnapping, so we have to release her. But we'll keep monitoring her, and if we find anything suspicious, we'll act immediately."

Christina took a deep breath. She knew the police's assurances wouldn't ease her worries, but she understood the need for proper procedure.

"Alright, I'll take Harper home now. Please call me if there's any news."

Christina handed the captain a note with her phone number and left the station with Harper.

On the way home, Harper clung to Christina's hand, her face still showing traces of fear. Christina's heart ached with guilt and sorrow, knowing the kidnapping had deeply traumatized her daughter.

Back home, Christina immediately prepared some warm water to clean Harper up, then gave her a bath and dressed her in clean clothes.