by Jeremy Finn
"Maybe we need to look into agents Lee and Jin," chief investigator Jung of the secret service proposed with a threatening tone. He was at his wits end and lashing out in frustration. "We know the President spoke to them last. Maybe they are complicit."
"I don't think you would be making good use of your time accusing those two," an older man in a long, scruffy trench coat opined.
"Who the blazes are you!" Jung cursed at the newcomer.
"This is the lead inspector of the secret service," a young agent scolded the gray-haired man with thick spectacles. "You better scoot along and keep your nose out of where it doesn't belong."
"But my nose does belong here," he replied with wry amusement rather than anger. "Gentlemen, I am Detective Han of the Seoul metropolitan police," he introduced with a slight bow and an outstretched hand.
Jung replied with a scowl and did not return the greeting. "Very good. Metropolitan police. Well I suppose I can have you write up some of our reports or bag some evidence. If you are lucky, you might be of some moderate use to us, but keep your public servant opinions to yourself. This is a secret service investigation and you will keep your mouth shut."
"On the contrary," Han said as Jung turned his back to walk away. This kidnapping took place in a city public building, so the jurisdiction falls to me. The law says I am the lead. Now, I understand you gentlemen have much experience with matters concerning the President and such. So, I am certainly willing to tackle this investigation jointly."
"You crazy old man!" Jung began as he swiveled around to face him, but Han cut him off with a calm, firm tone.
"Investigator Jung, if you will not cooperate, I can file to have you removed from the case altogether. Now I'm offering joint cooperation. I value your expertise and I hope you will value mine."
As much as Jung hated to admit it, he was right - he had the advantage. It infuriated him, but he forced himself not to grab the old fool by the neck and shake him silly. That would just get him thrown off the case. A little patience and obstruction and he could possibly walk this local buffoon through a series of mistakes that would give him a good case to have him thrown off the investigation for incompetence.
"Ok, joint, but joint means joint - no trying to dominate this with your years of experience tracking down kids who stole candy from the convenience store," he mocked.
Han just smiled in return. That enraged Jung even more than if he had tried to defend himself.
"So, what makes you think he was kidnapped, anyways," Jung challenged.
"Well, what else could have happened?" Han said simply, without sarcasm. "As far as you and your men know, he had every intention of attending the public rally today, so his absence must be against his will."
"Your deductive reasoning is amazing," Jung heckled. "Since you are off to such a great start, why don't you recommend the next step?"
"Absolutely," Han agreed and pulled a foil-wrapped green tea bag out of his trench coat. He pulled the gauze bag out of the wrapper and stuffed it inside his lower lip, then headed for the bathroom.
"We've already been in there a hundred times," Jung called after a moment of hesitation as he stared at the bulge in Han's lip. "There's nothing to see."
Han entered and walked around the center of the room a few times. Jung followed him in and leaned smugly against the sink. After standing in thought, sucking on his lip full of tea leaves for a minute, Han walked over to the last stall and stood inside thinking.
"What are you doing?" Jung called, failing to suppress his curiosity.
Han did not reply, but dropped to his hands and knees on the grimy floor. Jung walked closer with an incredulous look.
"Here!" Han exclaimed.
"What?" Jung asked drawing closer but refusing to drop to the dirty floor.
"Styrofoam dust," Han answered and held up two fingers pinching minuscule grains of white foam.
"Great," Jung smiled. "And I guess if we find a shred of discarded toilet paper we'll have this case solved.
Han paid no attention to the chiding, but jumped up on the toilet seat and climbed on top of the back of the toilet.
"Have you lost your mind?" Jung asked.
"Why would there be styrofoam dust on the ground?" Han asked Jung, but also spoke to himself.
Jung stared up without answering as Han reached to press his hands against a ceiling tile. The tile wiggled loose and he pushed it aside so he could stick his head up into the false ceiling.
"What do you see?" Jung asked.
"Nothing right now," Han replied dryly. Would you or one of your men have a flashlight on you?
Jung shook his head and glanced at his men. One of the younger agents noticed an emergency flashlight plugged into a wall charger and tossed it up to Han. He scanned the area and pulled something long and dark from out of the hole. He tossed it to Jung.
"What is this?" he asked fumbling with the ball of fabric.
"Here's another clue," Han said as he tossed down a pair of shoes.
"The President's pants?" Jung asked skeptically.
"And his shoes, apparently," Han confirmed. "But that's it. There's nothing else up here.
"Well how far does the false ceiling extend?" the young agent who fetched the flashlight asked.
"Not very far," Han replied. "There are solid concrete walls all around and it appears only to extend over the men's room and the room adjacent to us.
"The women's room?" Jung asked.
"Naturally," Han replied.
"So the only logical scenario is the President crawled over to the women's room," the young agent pondered, earning a scowl from Jung.
"That's not logical," he berated. "Why would the President climb through the ceiling to the women's room? Why would he leave only his pants and shoes behind?"
"If you have another bit of evidence or a good conjecture, I would love to hear it," Han said climbing down from the toilet. "Otherwise, you seem to be holding the only evidence we have right now.
Jung handed the clothes off to the young agent without looking at him. "And what would you suggest we do now?" he mocked. "Go see if the President is hiding in the women's room?"
"As unlikely as that is," Han replied calmly, "it is nevertheless a possibility that must be confirmed or denied. Shall we have a look?"
Han led the way into the women's room next door with a loud warning and the others followed, hesitating instinctively as they entered the female bathroom.
"Well, he's not here. Surprise, surprise," Jung barked.
"As I expected," Han said to himself and bent down near a stall to run his finger over the tiny tiles on the floor. He lifted it to find the tip covered with styrofoam dust.
"Sir", the junior agent ventured, "I noticed something about the President's shoes."
Jung waved him off, but Han shuffled over to where he stood.
"I'm sorry," the young agent apologized, "I know it's probably nothing, but I just noticed there is some red stuff on the bottom of one of the shoes."
Han glanced at the man with a brief look of approval and took one of the shoes to examine. He picked a bit of the red stuff off with his fingernail.
"It's not gum," Han observed. "Maybe a kind of wax or something."
"And what does that matter?" Jung tested.
"Maybe it doesn't, maybe it does," Han mumbled. "If we have a look at the security cameras, it may answer some of our questions."
"That's what I was going to suggest," Jung said. "Let's stop wasting our time. All we need to do is see when the President came out of the women's room and with whom. Then we'll have an idea of how he was taken and possibly the identity of his captor."
"Yes, it would be wise to view the tapes," Han agreed, "but if you don't mind doing that yourself, I was thinking of pursuing another angle."
"What do you mean?" Jung asked. "He had to come out at some point and watching the tapes will reveal it."
"Yes, but he will only come out if he entered in the first place," Han explained.
&nb
sp; "Well of course he entered. Do you know how many people saw him go into the men's room?
"Plenty, I'm sure," Han said. "What if it was a distraction, though? What if the man they saw enter the bathroom was not the President after all?"
"Now you are talking crazy," Jung accused.
"I don't think any of us would say the President had a motive to disappear. So, for me it makes it very unlikely he was the one at the root of his own abduction. I'll tell you what, you go watch the videos and I will check the subway cars again," Han offered. "We can divide our manpower and come to a faster conclusion."
"Sure, anything to get you out of my hair for some time," Jung agreed.
"Oh, but can I take your young agent along with me," Han asked as he glanced at the man holding the pants and shoes.
"Sure, I won't miss him," Jung said dismissively.
Moments later, Detective Han and the young agent were walking resolutely toward the underground tracks.
"Excuse me, Detective Han," the young agent said. "Would you mind telling me what you expect to find in the subway cars?"
Han glanced at him as they walked. "What is your name?"
"Special Agent Chae," the young man replied."
"Well, Chae, I don't expect to find anything in particular," Han replied. "While the cameras may give us some leads, I have a gut feeling the crux of the crime took place before the bathroom."
"But the cars that carried the President are long gone," Chae noted as they approached the platform. "Do you want to try to get them called back?"
Han did not answer, but stood on the edge of the platform and stared pensively into the trench where the tracks stretched into darkness on both ends. Chae looked too, wondering what had caught the older man's attention. Soon, a bright light flickered at one end as the next train approached. As it neared, it sounded its horn. Han was standing too close to the edge, and Chae had to pull him back.
"Sorry," Chae apologized, "but you were standing so close to the edge."
"Hmm, yes thank you," Han mumbled and watched the transients pour out and in. Then, the train accelerated and whooshed past them.
"What are you thinking...?” Chae began, feeling awkward, but he was startled as Han suddenly dropped down into the tracks just as the last subway car zipped past.
"Detective Han! What are you doing!" he shouted, but the man was jogging down the tunnel from where the last train had arrived. "I can't believe this!" he hissed, but jumped into the trench and began running after the man. He was fast for his age, though, and kept ahead of Chae.
Eventually, the light became so dim Chae could only hear Han jogging ahead of him. He paused to try to determine how far ahead he was, but the sound of his footsteps quickly ceased.
"Detective, are you ok?" Chae yelled, but there was no answer. He waited for a moment, and then caught a glint of light off a metal beam far down the tunnel at a curve in the path of the tracks.
"Let's go!" Han urged as he suddenly bumped into Chae.
"What!" Chae exclaimed as the older man rushed past him back toward the distant platform. Then he heard and felt the rumbling of the next train coming up the line. "You're crazy!" he yelled and began sprinting toward the glow of light impossibly far away from them at the platform.
This time, fear and youth combined to give Chae the advantage and he passed Han as they neared the platform. The subway was coming up fast behind them and he could feel a rush of wind as the cars pushed the air ahead of them in the tight space. Chae jumped up onto the platform and reached down to fish up Han. He pulled him up amidst deafening blares from the subway car as it was nearly on top of them. The two men fell to the concrete as commuters yelped and gawked.
"What has gotten into your head?" Chae yelled. "Are you trying to kill me?" He instantly felt guilty for the rough tone he used with his senior, but he knew he escaped death by a hair.
Han stood up, dusted himself off and offered Chae a hand. Chae scrambled to his feet on his own, glaring at the detective.
"Well, my instincts served me well," Han said as he held up a wad of fabric in one hand.
"What are you talking about?" Chae asked, genuinely perplexed. It looked like a simple woven cap. "So you found a cap in the subway. Anyone could have lost it. I don't see any connection."
"Maybe not, but this was in the middle of the track between stations. Who loses their hat while they are on the subway?" Han asked. "And this was stuck to the hat," he added holding up a muddled mass of black hair.
"A fake beard," Chae observed, not sure whether he should be curious or furious. "Odd, but how can you possibly connect that to the President's disappearance?"
"I can't," Han stated simply, "but in an investigation, anything out of the ordinary deserves attention."
"In that case, you deserve quite a bit of attention," Chae said under his breath.
"Well, shall we go see what Inspector Jung turned up?" Han asked, oblivious to Chae's snide remark.
They walked silently to the station office, Han lost in thought, Chae lost in confusion. As they approached the small office just to the side of the entry turnstiles, they could see Inspector Jung leaning over the shoulder of an elderly man peering at a computer screen.
"Any luck?" Han asked as they entered. The room consisted of a row of computer monitors splayed across a large desk and a smaller desk in the back piled randomly with papers. There was another door on the opposite end of the room, but it appeared to be a closet. It smelled strongly of exotic spices emanating from a red candle burning on the window sill looking out over the turnstiles.
"Not really," Jung said as he looked up grudgingly. "We've gone through all the footage from the time the President went into the men's room until when we arrived. Plenty of women went in and out of the bathroom, but none that resembled the President," he added with a touch of sarcasm.
"Were there any who came out who you did not see enter?" Chae asked, earning a nod of approval from Han.
"Well, of course we were checking that," Jung tried to say convincingly, "but the problem is the camera is at a bit of an angle looking down the hall and you can't see the very edge of the women's room door. On a few occasions where a woman skirts the edge of the doorway, you can only see her arm."
"Have you had a look at any of the films from the subway platform?" Han asked.
"No, why would we do that?" Jung scoffed. "The bodyguards were with the President up to the point he entered the bathroom."
"Yes, you are right, but what if they were not really with the President?" Han proposed.
"What are you talking about? Jung said rising. "Are you suggesting treachery from the guards?"
"No, I don't think so," Han replied thoughtfully, "but indulge me. Could we please see the cameras from the time the President disembarked from the subway?"
The elderly subway attendant looked up at Jung, who shrugged and gave him a nod. Soon, they were watching the mass of commuters pour out of the subway car. The President was easy to point out encircled by a group of his anxious men in suits. Many of the crowd recognized the President and paused to gawk or snap a cell phone photo, thus causing the confusion and congestion to grow worse. Once the President's entourage passed under the camera, the subway attendant stopped the video.
"I don't see anything out of the ordinary," Jung commented, but Han did not listen.
"Could you keep the film rolling?" the detective asked. The elderly man at the controls gave him a funny look, but shook his head and continued the film. Han watched closely until the train left the station.
"So?" Jung asked, a touch of curiosity added to his usual sarcastic tone.
"Is there any way you can patch into the cameras from other stations?" Han asked, ignoring the inspector's question.
"Uh, yeah. I can," the old man confirmed and began punching away at his keyboard. "What stations do you want to see?"
"Let's start with the one where the President boarded the subway."
The attendant played the film thr
ough several times for the small group, but Han just shook his head.
"How about the station before this one?" Han asked.
"Shouldn't we be running down some other lead instead of watching films from stations before the President even boarded?" Jung asked.
"If you have other leads, please feel free to chase them, Inspector," Han offered. "If you were going to do something to the President, wouldn't you want to be on the subway first? That way you could set the conditions."
"What makes you think someone on the subway was involved?" Jung asked. Han dug into his coat pocket and revealed the cap and beard.
"We found these on the tracks between stations," Chae explained.
"What in blazes were you doing on the tracks?" Jung exclaimed.
"Don't ask me," Chae sighed. "I'm still asking myself the same question."
"So we look for a guy with a hat and beard getting on the subway, then. Is that your plan?" Jung asked Han.
"That’s a beginning, of course," Han replied. As they watched the film of the crowds pushing onto the subway from multiple cameras, Jung finally jumped and pointed at the screen.
"There! He has a beard and cap just like the one you found!"
The poor old attendant nearly fell out of his chair.
"Yes, you have found our disguised man," Han agreed.
"So we have a lead now," Chae began. "All we need to do is find this guy and he will point us toward the solution to finding out what happened to the President."
"Perhaps," Han contemplated, "but I don't think that is going to get us much farther than we already are."
"What do you mean?" Chae asked.
"I believe this man in disguise is actually the president who entered the bathroom this afternoon."
"Don't be ridiculous," Jung cut in. "We just watched the video of the President getting on the subway at the station after this one."
"Yes, but he is not the same man who entered the bathroom."
"Ok, you have really got me confused," Jung bellowed then turned to the attendant. "Let's have a look at some later stops and see if this guy with the cap and beard gets off minus a cap and beard."
"Before you do," Han interjected, "please play this camera one more time."
