Awake

Chapter 24

Even with the hospital lockdown, Mr Wang couldn't be found. The police were finally called in.

They took statements from everyone who was present at the time of the disappearance, and they also went through all the surveillance footage angles the hospital had to offer. Other than what Zhan said, there was nothing they saw on the cameras that could help.

They saw Zhan walk Mr Wang into the bathroom, then he walked out alone. He returned to the bathroom about 2 min later, holding a stack of clothes and coming out running frantically. Everything matched the statement he gave.

Other than using the main door, there was no other way to exit or enter the bathroom. So it was a mystery where Mr Wang could have gone or how he could have just disappeared in 2 min.

The police analyzed the footage over and over to see if it was tempered with, and it wasn't.

Zhan knew that soon Ziyi would be called as well, but for now, the police weren't letting anyone in or out of the hospital. This brought  Zhan some time to prepare himself to meet the main player in all this. No one outside the hospital had caught wind of the news because everything had been contained within the walls of the hospital, but soon everything would change, and Zhan was well aware of this. His control over the situation was only going to last until this all got out.

Zhan was exhausted now. He had been asked to go over what happened that night over a million times endlessly. His cellphone was taken away from him by the police to check if he had been planning this with someone outside of the hospital.

"I have already told you everything, officers. Even if you ask me over and over, my answers won't change because that's what happened. Patients with mental problems wander away from us many times. Why won't you believe me?"

"We know that patients wander. What we can not figure out is where this particular patient went? To wander is one thing, but to disappear is a totally different thing. I am certain you know that Dr. Xiao."

"Yes, I do, but what I don't understand is why I have to sit here and be treated like a criminal."

"Bear with us for a little longer. We are just doing our jobs. You are the last known person who was with Mr Wang so we have to keep you with us until we can be certain that you had nothing to do with his disappearance."

"Do I need a lawyer?"

"You are not under arrest, so whether you need a lawyer or not is all up to you, but I think you calling a lawyer when you have nothing to hide will make you more suspicious."

"Officer, we both know that innocent people get arrested, get tried, and found guilty while criminals walk free. There are people who can pay for their innocence and some who long for theirs while rotting in jail for crimes they didn't commit. I am going to ask for a lawyer just so I can give myself a better chance at keeping my freedom."

"If that's the case, then I won't keep you here any longer. Just know that even though you won't be answering any of our questions, you can not leave the building until it's OK to do so."

"I wasn't planning on going anywhere."

Zhan walked out of the room and walked back to his office. He found Jiyi waiting for him in the hallway.

"Dr. Xiao, what actually happened with Mr Wang? This has never happened before. Do you think someone kidnapped him?"

"I have no idea what happened tonight, but don't worry yourself too much about this. We have other patients to look after. Have you gone to explain the situation to them?"

"No, I was waiting for you to finish talking to the officers."

"OK, in that case, let's do it together."