Chapter 969 Shirley Meets Hannah
Shirley glanced at Jennifer, who was chatting away, and thought about what Lassie and Carter had warned her. Instantly, alarm bells went off in her head, and she scooted a bit to put some space between them.
Lassie and Carter had drilled it into her: don't talk to strangers unless they're cops, and definitely don't go anywhere with them.
Even if she kinda recognized them, if they weren't super familiar, it was still a no-go.
Shirley might've been only five, but she got the gist.
Jennifer seemed nice enough, but Shirley still kept her distance.
Jennifer hadn't expected such a little kid to be so cautious. She quickly smiled and said, "I'm not a bad person. How about I help you find your parents?"
Shirley's eyes were still wet with tears, and she shook her head like crazy.
She thought for a moment, her expression softening a bit, and said in her sweet, tiny voice, "Can I borrow your phone to make a call?"
Maybe Lassie and Carter didn't know she was here, which was why they hadn't come to find her.
Jennifer handed her phone to Shirley. "Sure, go ahead and call!"
Seeing Jennifer's straightforwardness, Shirley's guard dropped a bit.
She punched in Lassie's number.
But it didn't go through.
Thinking there might be an issue with Lassie's phone, she then dialed Carter's number.
Still no luck.
She was so anxious she almost started crying again.
Jennifer took the phone back and pretended to be surprised. "There's no signal. It might be because we're in an underground parking lot, and the signal's weak. That's why your call isn't going through."
"What should I do then?" Shirley asked, starting to sob again, her shoulders shaking.
Shirley thought, 'What if Daddy and Mommy don't know I'm here and keep looking for me upstairs? I don't dare to leave. I'm afraid that if they come looking for me and I'm not there, we'll miss each other.'
Jennifer said, "How about I take you to the first floor? There should be a signal there, and then you can use my phone to call your parents."
Shirley looked around and saw that there was no one else nearby.
She couldn't even find the escalator she had come down on.
The parking lot was so big, and she hadn't paid attention to the route when she came down. What if she couldn't find the escalator?
Seeing her hesitation, Jennifer said, "Don't worry, I'm a good person. I won't harm you! Do I look like a bad person? I just came out of the restroom, and there's no one else here. You're just a little kid, all alone. What if I leave and you're the only one left here? Wouldn't you be scared? Trust me, I'll just take you to the first floor and let you call your parents. I won't take you anywhere else."
As soon as she finished speaking, a cold breeze blew from somewhere, giving Shirley goosebumps.
She thought about Jennifer leaving and her being alone. What if there were ghosts?
Or what if she ran into a human trafficker?
After some thought, Shirley made up her mind and nodded. "Thank you. Please take me to the first floor, and I'll have my parents pick me up."
Seeing that Shirley had fallen for it, Jennifer's eyes lit up. "Alright! I know where the elevator is. Hold my hand, and I'll take you there."
Shirley obediently held Jennifer's hand.
Jennifer led her through several turns, making Shirley dizzy and disoriented, before finally finding an elevator.
Shirley looked at the elevator and frowned. "This isn't the escalator I came down on."
Jennifer explained, "This mall has many elevators. It's okay. Once we get to the first floor, you can call your parents to pick you up."
Shirley didn't doubt her words and followed her into the elevator.
The two of them made their way from the underground parking lot to the first floor.
Shirley looked around at the counters and frowned again. "When my sister and I came down, this area was selling shoes. Why is it selling skincare products now?"
Jennifer laughed. "Of course! The mall is huge; it doesn't just sell one thing!"
As she spoke, Jennifer took out her phone and handed it to Shirley to ease her guard. "Alright, call your parents and have them come pick you up."
All of Shirley's doubts melted away.
"Thank you!" Shirley said.
She took Jennifer's phone and dialed Lassie's number again.
This time, the call went through quickly, and before Shirley could speak, Lassie's anxious voice came through, "Shirley, where did you go? Do you know we've been going crazy looking for you? Violet said she went to throw away some trash, but when she came back, you were gone."
Hearing Lassie's voice, Shirley's anxious heart finally calmed down.
Shirley, caught up in the joy of finding Lassie, didn't notice anything off and immediately said, "I'm at the skincare products section! Mommy, where are you?"
Lassie said, "Why are you there? Your father and I are at the police station, about to report you missing!"
Shirley explained, "I've been in the mall the whole time. I didn't go anywhere."
Lassie asked, "Whose phone are you using to call me?"
Shirley glanced at Jennifer and replied, "A kind woman."
Lassie said, "Have her take you to the police station. The police said they need to take a statement to close the case. We'll be waiting for you here."
Shirley didn't suspect anything and readily agreed, "Okay! We'll come over right away. Wait for me there."
After ending the call, the tears on Shirley's face had completely dried, and she looked at Jennifer with a beaming smile. "Could you please take me to the police station? My parents are waiting for me there!"
Jennifer readily agreed, "Sure! The police station is very close. I'll take you there!"
Saying this, she took Shirley's hand and headed towards the exit.
Shirley obediently followed Jennifer. After taking a few steps, she suddenly remembered something, and her smile froze. She glanced at Jennifer through the glass mirrors on the mall counters.
In just a split second, she caught a glimpse of a cold and sinister look flashing across the middle-aged woman's face.
She instantly tensed up.
Jennifer was a human trafficker.
When she had used Jennifer's phone to call Lassie, the number displayed on Lassie's phone should have been an unfamiliar one.
But Lassie had known it was Shirley before she even spoke.
Also, ever since Violet had gone missing when she was little, Lassie and Carter had been very cautious, fearing that Shirley might go missing too. They had repeatedly taught her not to talk to strangers and to find a police officer if she needed help.
With such cautious parents, how could they let a stranger take her to the police station?
This was completely out of character for them.
So, from the beginning, Jennifer had been a human trafficker trying to abduct Shirley.
Realizing this, Shirley didn't cry or make a fuss. Instead, she displayed an unusual calmness.
Shirley thought, 'No, I have to escape. I can't go with Jennifer. But the mall is so big, and Jennifer might have accomplices. I have to think of a plan.'
Shirley cunningly rolled her eyes, discreetly looking for a mall security guard.
At that moment, a familiar yet unfamiliar figure caught her eye.
The person bore an eight-point resemblance to Violet. Her face wasn't as pretty as Violet's, but she was a bit taller. She was standing in front of a vending machine, seemingly deciding what drink to buy.
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