My absurd experiences in North America over the years

For the next few days, Nashville appeared calm on the surface.

Li Fuzhao often went to work at the company.

I arrive at the office at nine o'clock every morning, turn on my computer, glance at the euro-dollar exchange rate, and then handle some daily affairs of the investment company.

He quickly reviewed the reports submitted by his analysts, occasionally circling a few figures for them to review and re-analyze.

The office curtains were always half-drawn, with sunlight squeezing through the gaps in the blinds, drawing thin streaks of light on the desk, while he often wandered off into the shadows on the other half.

He was unsure how things would ultimately turn out.

At 5:30 p.m., he shut down his computer on time, tidied up his desktop, went downstairs, and drove home.

No one could tell that he was preoccupied with something.

Lucy would call occasionally to ask about Lily.

Lily still lives in the guest room of his white courtyard house. Li Fu has arranged for someone to take care of her, and he will come back in the evening to have dinner with her.

The girl didn't talk much, but she was no longer as afraid of everyone as she was when she was first rescued.

Her emotions gradually stabilized, and she would occasionally watch TV on the sofa in the living room.

Li Fu hardly ever talked to her about what happened that night, nor did he ask her about the details in the basement. He would only occasionally say something like, "The weather is nice today," at the dinner table.

Sometimes she would nod, a longing expression on her face.

However, she still didn't dare to step out of the room.

The security level at the suburban hotel where the Thompson family stayed was suddenly raised on the third day.

The hotel receptionists and staff have all been replaced, and there are also people on duty standing in the corner of the lobby, watching every guest coming in and out.

The arrival of a full security team elevated the hotel's security to a quasi-military level.

Crawford discovered that little Lily was missing the night Li Fu left St. Clair.

When he entered the basement, all he saw was the severed cable tie and the empty wooden bed.

He stood in that dimly lit basement, the overhead light bulb casting a stark white light on his face, which had long since transformed from a kind and gentle countenance into a menacing one.

He immediately began to arrange for people to track them down.

The first location searched was Thompson's house.

He had realized that the afternoon's prayer was not some kind of bullshit blessing at all, but a diversionary tactic.

However, Li Fu had already anticipated his actions.

The Thompson family has arrived in Nashville.

Immediately afterwards, Crawford sent someone to the only motel in town.

They asked the receptionist if they had seen an Asian person.

The receptionist actually said no.

It wasn't that she intentionally concealed the truth for Li Fu, but rather that she was somewhat distracted while Li Fu was checking in because her boyfriend in Memphis was breaking up with her.

Since it was late at night and the lighting was dim, she didn't notice at all.

Li Fu also habitually liked to use pseudonyms.

Of course, those people did not give up the search because of what the receptionist said.

However, Li Fu's room was already empty.

Crawford finally realized something was wrong and had no choice but to call Nashville.

At first, the person on the other end of the phone didn't answer.

Crawford waited for a while, then hung up and dialed again.

After the call was connected, the other party remained silent.

It wasn't until Crawford spoke up, "I've run into a bit of a problem on my end," that things changed.

The other party clearly hasn't realized the seriousness of the problem.

"Don't make this call lightly. I've told you this many times."

For so many years, things have been very peaceful, and there have almost never been any problems. Even if something does happen, he usually doesn't need to come to the rescue.

Crawford had no choice but to tell the truth, "I have a little girl who has been taken away, and the family of another missing girl has disappeared; they may have already gone to Nashville..."

There was another long silence on the other end of the phone, and then the call was abruptly disconnected.

Crawford put his phone in his pocket and looked at the old oak tree in the churchyard. One of its withered yellow leaves had fallen, and winter seemed to be approaching.

Soon, it was the fifth day since Li Fu returned to Nashville.

Cole spent five days outlining the general network behind Crawford.

The information did not come from Li Fu's USB drive; those photos and videos could only implicate Crawford himself, not anyone above him.

The Forrest family's network of relationships is so vast that outsiders cannot imagine it.

He has people in the state government, the state police department, and several key departments in Nashville.

He doesn't need to look through files or check surveillance footage for many things; he just needs to sit in his office, make a few phone calls, and ask a few questions, and the answers will come to light.

These days, a state attorney, two city councilors, and two senior police superintendents have been unusually active.

Some of them tried to use their power to break through the security at the hotel where Thompson was staying, while others secretly inquired about the relationship between Li Fu and the Forrest family.

Doing something like this at this critical juncture would be truly bizarre if it weren't related to the St. Clair girl's disappearance.

Cole wrote down their names, then locked them in a drawer and never told anyone.

As for whether there are even bigger backers behind these lists?

He doesn't know, and there's no need for him to know.

He will only investigate this case to this extent.

Crawford operated in the town of St. Clair for thirty years, and his followers are estimated to number in the thousands. He has probably handled at least dozens of missing persons cases.

How were these girls smuggled out? Where did they end up? And whose accounts did Crawford's dirty money go into?

That's what happens after an investigation is launched.

He will definitely investigate, but whether or not he will disclose the information to the public depends on the circumstances at the time and who is involved.

If the "vines" extend beyond Tennessee, into places he doesn't want to touch right now, he will immediately stop it, and he won't make it public.

During this time, he also made a special trip to see his father, Thomas Forrest.

Thomas Forrest was preparing to leave for Los Angeles when he met him in the study of his own estate.

This time, Cole didn't bring any reports, but instead brought some pastries that Thomas liked.

Unlike Lucy, as the eldest brother, he had experienced this kind of situation many times, so he sat calmly across from his father and recounted Crawford's case.

It all started with Thompson taking leave, then Li Fu went to St. Clair, then the girl in the basement, then the photos and videos on the USB drive, and finally the list he had compiled over the past few days.

Thomas did not interrupt him or ask any questions.

He leaned back in his chair, quietly eating the pastries his son had brought him, his eyes calm and undisturbed.

After Cole finished speaking, the study was quiet for a few seconds.

Thomas took a sip of his favorite whiskey before looking at Cole. "What do you want to do?"

Cole repeated Li Fu's explanation.

However, he did not copy it verbatim. Instead, he used his own version, removing the passionate parts and adding cost accounting, risk control, and family benefits.

After he finished speaking, Thomas remained silent for a while.

"Are you sure that girl can identify the person?" he asked a crucial question.

"There shouldn't be any surprises for now. She's in a stable emotional state and is willing to do so. I'll conduct another psychological evaluation in the next couple of days," Cole replied truthfully.

"What are your plans regarding the media?"

"First, I will report the recent missing persons cases truthfully to arouse public opinion, and then I will push for a thorough investigation of the cases, provide them with the truth afterward, and allow them to report on them extensively."

Cole had already prepared a contingency plan.

Thomas nodded. "You take care of this. Just remember to stop when you should."

He was quite satisfied with his son's actions.

"I understand," Cole said, getting up to leave the study.

As he reached the door, Thomas's voice suddenly came from behind him.

"That young man surnamed Li..."

Cole turned around and looked at his father, feeling slightly nervous.

It's true that Li Fu is Lucy's lover.

Wasn't he one of his confidants?

"Bring him to see me next time," Thomas said, standing up and looking out the window.

Cole paused for a moment, then nodded.

……

On the sixth day after Li Fu returned to Nashville, the name of the town of St. Clair began to appear in newspapers and on television.

This is a rare instance of such high-profile reporting.

The Tennessee News published a lengthy front-page article reporting on several recent disappearances, with the headline "St. Clair should no longer remain silent."

However, the article did not name Father Crawford or mention the photos and videos, but it subtly criticized the police for their lack of substantial progress to date.

That afternoon, a Nashville television station broadcast the news on its midday news, accompanied by a photo of the small town.

The white spire gleamed blindingly in the sunlight.

On the morning of the seventh day, The Tennessee News published another long article on its main page.

The title was changed to "St. Clair: The Silence Behind the Disappearance of Dozens of Girls".

The article mentions information provided by a local resident who wished to remain anonymous, who mentioned the church and the basement.

Although Crawford's name is still not mentioned directly, all the clues point to him.

That same morning, Cole drove to the state capitol building.

Tennessee Governor Phil Bradson was waiting for him in his office on the second floor.

Buderson is in his early fifties, full of energy, and his smile resembles that of a kind high school principal.

He is one of the few Democrats to have risen to the governorship over the years, which alone shows that his abilities should not be underestimated.

However, in Tennessee, a red state, he took a moderate and pragmatic approach.

Sometimes they have to support some traditional Republican issues, are very cautious in finances, and keep a low profile on social issues.

Unlike the Democrats in California and New York who champion freedom, environmental protection, and LGBT+ rights, they do not.

Since taking office, he has maintained a good relationship with the Forrest family; they are not allies, but they are certainly not rivals either.

Governing in Tennessee requires the cooperation of local powerful families like the Forrest family; otherwise, progress will be extremely difficult.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Cole placed a stack of documents on Bradson's desk.

The documents, which were more than ten pages long, had a list of missing girls at the top and several photos at the bottom, all of which were evidence related to the missing girls.

Bradson glanced at the document, then looked up at Cole. "What are you planning to do?"

"Set up a special task force to thoroughly investigate the disappearance case in St. Clair," Cole's voice was not loud, but every word was exceptionally clear. "Ideally, the state police department should take the lead, with observers from the Department of Justice participating. All evidence should be made public, all hearings should be open to the public, and all those involved, no matter who they are, should be dealt with according to the law."

Brad was silent for a moment, wondering if this investigation was going to be too much of a fuss.

"Won't this case implicate quite a few people?"

"That's probably true," Cole nodded, half-jokingly adding, "There might be people I support, and people you promoted among them."

Bradson looked at him, shook his head and laughed, "You've really given me a tough problem."

"It is indeed a difficult problem," Cole did not deny it at all, but then added, "However, it is also an opportunity."

He pulled a sheet of paper from the stack of documents and pushed it in front of Bradson.

The above is a poll showing that Tennessee voters' satisfaction with the state government's handling of missing persons cases is shockingly low.

Bradson's gaze fell on the paper, and he shook his head with a smile again.

He doesn't need to care about these things.

Every year, people take to the streets to protest, for one thing or another.

Regardless of whether it's the Republican or Democratic Party, it's fair to say that no one is satisfied. Whether it's the federal election or the state election, it's just a contest of who's worse.

However, on the other hand, if the Forrest family was behind it, then it's hard to say.

It should be noted that the Republicans hold a majority of seats in the state legislature, which could make him a lame-duck governor at any time.

Politics, in essence, is "the art of compromise and exchange."

If the people implicated aren't that important, what's wrong with investigating them?

"You know who's in this network, right?" Bradson asked Cole.

He needs a commitment.

This matter cannot be addressed with overly ambitious promises.

"Yes, I know perfectly well," Cole replied affirmatively.

The subtext is that some things should be done in moderation.

This is the tacit understanding between him and Bradson.

On a larger scale, it's also a tacit understanding between the Republican and Democratic parties.

Sometimes they are at loggerheads, wishing they could kill each other, while at other times they tacitly reach a consensus on certain matters.

That afternoon, the task force was officially established.

All relevant personnel will be questioned, and a special task force will be dispatched to the town of St. Clair as soon as the task force is established.

This was a top-secret operation.

Crawford was prepared to flee, but only in extreme circumstances.

He believed he had a high probability of escaping unscathed.

After all, there are many wealthy and powerful people in this chain of interests, and they can't just sit idly by and do nothing about it, can they?

He had no idea who was trying to use him to establish his authority and reputation.

He didn't have time to escape or rally his followers to resist. The three people around him were shot dead on the spot, and he himself was arrested and taken to Nashville for trial.