Chapter 16: The Prenuptial Agreement

“This is a routine inquiry, OK?” Before Lacey could speak, Roan pulled out a Glock 18 and placed it on the desk, smiling. “We’re not suspecting you, Mr. Daren. But according to procedure, we must ask these questions to eliminate any doubts.”

Seeing Roan’s gun, Daren frowned and was about to lose his temper, but when he caught Roan’s smile, he forced himself to keep his cool and said irritably, “Yesterday I was in Los Angeles checking out a property. I stayed at the Hilton hotel overnight.”

“Alright.” Lacey scribbled notes, asked a few more simple questions, and then asked gravely, “Mr. Daren, have you or your wife offended anyone recently? Did you see anyone suspicious when you bought this villa?”

“No.” Daren waved his hands emphatically, his tone agitated. “Nothing was wrong when we bought this villa, and my wife and I have always been polite to everyone. Business at the company is handled strictly by the book. We’ve never made enemies.”

“...Very well.” Lacey jotted down the information, then turned to Roan. Roan immediately spoke, “Mr. Daren, given your financial situation, we suspect the kidnapper took Mrs. Sabina for ransom. If nothing unexpected happens, they should contact you soon to demand the ransom.”

“OK.” Hearing this, Daren breathed a sigh of relief and declared, “It doesn’t matter. As long as Sabina returns safely, they can ask for any amount. I don’t care!”

Roan ignored Daren’s posturing and continued, “For Sabina’s safety, we’ll assign an agent to accompany you, protect you, and monitor your phone. This way, we can try to track the kidnapper by phone location…”

“No, you can’t do that.” Daren suddenly stood up, his voice bristling with displeasure. “If all they want is money, just give it to them! If they find out about you, what if they kill her? I won’t risk Sabina’s life!”

“You…” Lacey instinctively wanted to retort, but Roan grabbed her arm and stood, asking seriously, “Mr. Daren, are you sure you don’t want us to protect you?”

“No need!” Daren answered coldly, but for some reason his tone softened as he added, “I just want my wife back safe. If they want money, I’ll pay. We’re not short on cash! It’s a straightforward transaction. I can handle it myself. FBI, just catch the kidnappers.”

“Understood.” Roan nodded, said nothing more, and pulled the still stunned Lacey out of the study.

Outside the villa, Lacey checked the surroundings to ensure no one could overhear, then said in confusion, “Roan, he’s totally uncooperative—very suspicious!”

“Exactly. He might be the one behind this,” Roan nodded, then opened his Nokia and asked Mona on the other end, “Mona, did you find anything about Daren’s recent finances or spending?”

“Of course. Trust in Mona’s skills.” Mona’s clear voice came through, laughing. “Daren did have a first-class ticket to Los Angeles yesterday, but none of the local Hilton hotels have any record of him staying. So I checked his previous statements, and found that in the past year he’s frequently visited Las Vegas, always spending with no income. Rough estimate, he’s lost nearly two million dollars.”

Roan nodded and continued, “When Daren and Sabina married, did they sign a prenuptial agreement?”

“Uh, give me a few minutes.” The sound of furious typing echoed over the phone. After a while, Mona’s voice came back, excited, “There is one! Filed at a well-known New York law firm. Several pages of stipulations, including one stating that if Daren initiates a divorce, he must leave with nothing. Moreover, if Sabina dies, Daren only gets three hundred thousand dollars, and all the funds Sabina inherited from her parents will be donated.”

“…I don’t understand wealthy people’s logic,” Roan shook his head, then said to Lacey, “Daren’s money mainly comes from their joint company. He’s addicted to gambling and has spent a fortune, so his cash flow is likely broken. He can’t tell Sabina about this, so kidnapping his own wife for ransom is obviously a good idea. According to the prenup, if Sabina dies, he only gets three hundred thousand dollars, so he wouldn’t kill her for money—it’s not worth it.”

Lacey realized and continued Roan’s analysis, “So Sabina should be safe for now. If she dies, Daren gets nothing. He’s simply after money.”

“Precisely.”

Roan nodded—this was a direction worth pursuing. He raised his Nokia, eyeing the cars in front of him, and asked, “Mona, all the cars at this villa are the latest Cadillacs. The license plate numbers are *** and ***. Can you track them?”

“Absolutely!” A few more keystrokes, then Mona laughed, “Done! Wherever they go, I’ll know!”

“OK, thanks, Mona.” Roan hung up, turned to Lacey, and smiled, “You said you came from Intelligence, excellent at surveillance. Daren is yours; follow him wherever he goes.”

“Easy!” Lacey smiled, threw Roan a confident gesture, and headed back inside the villa.

With both approaches in play, Roan was satisfied—Daren’s next moves would be fully under control. Just as he was about to return to the car and wait for Daren’s next steps, his Nokia rang.

He checked the caller—Ryder. Roan was puzzled but answered.

“Roan, I need your help.” Ryder wasted no time. “I’ve gone through all the files on the serial murder case and found nothing. I heard you’ve cracked the kidnapping case. Since that’s done, could you analyze the murder case files?”

“Uh…” Roan glanced at his Nokia, hesitating. “I haven’t cracked the kidnapping case—the culprit hasn’t been caught. I can’t return to the office yet…”

“No need to come back.” Ryder’s tone changed. A matching SUV slowly stopped on the nearby road. Ryder stepped out, holding his phone and grinning, “I’ve brought the files to you.”

Roan: “…”