Chapter 1

Five minutes earlier, the principal had been brazen and defiant. I leaned against the door while the children inside the classroom continued to play, completely unaware of my presence. Only the two female teachers watched me with fear in their eyes.

Outside, the principal kept pounding on the door, snapping, "What are you trying to do? Your daughter's disappearance has nothing to do with me! Open up, school's almost over!"

I frowned, took an assembled firearm from my pocket, and fired once over her head without a word.

The principal went silent at once and took two shaky steps back. "Are… Are you serious? I'm telling you, this is against the law. I'll call the police! You're going to get shot for kidnapping children, you know that?"

I let out a cold laugh as I ran a finger along the gun. "Go ahead and call them. You're in no position to talk to me."

Five minutes later, sirens wailed outside. A calm male voice called through the door. I recognized him. He was William Turner from the local precinct.

He tried reason and sympathy. "Lilian, please calm down. We are investigating your daughter's disappearance with everything we've got. Release the children, and we can talk this through, okay?"

I tightened my grip on the gun and felt a bitter smile tug at my lips. It had been seven days since my daughter vanished without a trace. What could we possibly talk about now, how many years I have to spend behind bars?

I yelled back at him, "I want to see my daughter. If I don't see her in half an hour, you'll start seeing these children's bodies!"

The yard had already been cordoned off, and parents who heard the news had gathered outside the line, weeping. Worried that I might hurt the hostages, the police had to both keep watch on me and hold back the crowd.

William was sweating. This matter was beyond his jurisdiction. The detectives and SWAT would arrive soon.

For now, he needed to calm me down. "Ms. Brown, we understand how you feel, but the children are innocent. You're their teacher. How could you hurt them?"

I regretted taking a job at this kindergarten. It was the worst mistake I had ever made. If I hadn't taken it, my daughter wouldn't be missing.

I checked the time and answered coldly, "There are 28 minutes left. You don't want any casualties, do you?"

William panicked. "We've already thrown every resource at the search, but you can't expect us to find someone in half an hour."

I roared, "I already told you. She never left this kindergarten! Find her!"

Rainbow Academy was a small private preschool with three two-story buildings. It had two small playgrounds, one in front and one in back, for the children to run around.

On the day my daughter, Evelyn Baker, disappeared, I turned the place inside out and still found no trace of her. I asked the principal to retrieve the surveillance footage, and she said the cameras were out of order.

I didn't believe in coincidences. I suspected the principal was involved.

So, I snuck into the monitoring room and watched the tapes repeatedly until I was certain that Evelyn had never left the kindergarten. But where in the building could she be? I couldn't make sense of it.

William tried to soothe me from outside the door. "We've sent teams to search. Trust the police."

I knew he didn't believe me, and the officers who had already searched the place earlier had reported no sign of her. The crowd outside swung between outrage and pleading, their shouts grinding on my nerves.

"We have nothing to do with your child's disappearance. Kidnap the principal if you dare. What's kidnapping children supposed to accomplish?" someone yelled.

Another parent fell to her knees, sobbing into her hands, "Please let my daughter go. She's timid, and her body's weak. I'm begging you…"

The crowd grew louder, calling for the police to shoot me.

I raised a megaphone and made sure everyone could hear. "I don't want to kill. I only want to know where my daughter is."

I glanced at my watch. There were 25 minutes left. The detectives and SWAT had arrived. The snipers might already be in position, too.

I inhaled deeply and said to the principal, "Ms. Campbell, I'm sure you know where my daughter is, right?"

All eyes swung to where the principal stood in the corner. She gritted her teeth and shot back, "How would I know? Ms. Brown, don't accuse me.

"Maybe your daughter ran away. Maybe she went to look for her dad…"

Then, as if remembering something, she blurted, "Isn't her dad a convict? He should be out of prison by now. I bet he took your daughter!"