Because I'm screwed either way. I either die but get to keep whatever decency and sense of humanity I have left or I live without either of those.\n\nStupid fucking decisions. I hate having to make them.\n\n[[It's not just for your sake, you know|Millie]]
THEN:\n\nAbout a month ago I was sitting -well, sleeping here really, when I got a phone call. A lady was on the other end. She sounded very flustered. A strange mix of panic and anger.Her daughter had run away. I asked what for and she said she didn't know. Then I asked for how long. About an hour. And did she not think it would be better to wait a while and call the police and she said no, it was urgent and offered me a large sum of money. I threw the numbers around in my head. An entire year's worth of rent and pills. Please, she said. No questions and you'll get your money. \n\n[[How could I refuse?|The first meeting]]
Hannah and Smiley were sitting at adjacent computers, talking and laughing.\n\nI caught myself feeling relieved that she was alright and felt uncomfortable for it. You can't get personally involved, I told myself. \n\n[[It always ends badly when you do|They Exit]]\n\n
[[Her Facebook|https://www.facebook.com/wendy.theeinjeru]]\n\nEverything checks out with the information her parents gave me- her school, birth date and all.\n\nOne thing did seem a bit off, though... a lot of her statuses are edited. I'm not sure if I'm on to something, or if she's just the kind of kid that ends regretting and taking back a lot of the things she says.\n\nI'd better make a note about it just to be sure.\n\n<<silently>>\n<<set $aclues_inspected = $aclues_inspected +1>>\n<<endsilently>>\n\n[[Inspect the Other Clues|The first meeting]]\n
THEN:\n\n<html><img src="/casefile.jpg"></html>\n\nIt was already way past dinner by the time I went through all the clues. No stores were open then, so I made myself a sandwich. Real simple, just a slice of cheese in white bread.\n\nEugh. \n\nStupid kid, I thought to myself, maybe this'll work...\n\n[[Send a Facebook Message to Smiley|The Facebook Message]]\n \n\n\n\n
NOW:\n<<silently>>\n<<set $cclues_inspected = 0>>\n<<set $bclues_inspected = 0>>\n<<set $aclues_inspected = 0>>\n<<endsilently>>\nAnother dead end. Every lead and clue I've been given has turned up half with almost nothing. Weeks of going over all of it again and again and and I'm nowhere closer to finding the girl. I'm tired. I keep her Facebook and Instagram on the side and hit refresh repeatedly, hoping for anything to come up. It's almost as good as doing nothing, but I can't think of anything else at the moment and running about the place isn't a good idea in the state I'm in. Need to keep trying. I need this job to come through. Can't pay for my pills any more -been avoiding the landlord. He'll come barging in any day now. Pills running short. Started breaking up what I have left into smaller portions and rationing them out so they'll last a bit longer. Don't know how long that'll work for even. Coughing getting worse. More blood every day. I feel old. Hell, I am old. I'm an old man with nothing much left to live for. Nothing except this case. This case...Why does it interest me so much? I wish she didn't look so much like my Millie. \n\n[[Sigh. I might as well look over the entire case again. I might have missed something.|Old evidence]]
"Thanks for the drink Hannah. And for answering my questions. As promised, I'll leave you two alone now."\n\n"Wha-"\n\n"You and your maid"\n\nI need to get home. Really not feeling well at all now.\n\n[[Go Home|Go home]]\n\n
Riiiiiing…. riiiiiing…\n\nThe phone rings, and I am startled awake. I clear my throat and pick it up.\n\n“Hello?”\n\nIt's Smiley. She sounds hesitant. “Hello, Smiley.” I croak out.\n\n“Thank you, mister. The officers tell me that you told them about my parents. I… I don’t need to go back to them again.”\n\nI'm flustered, despite myself. I grunt,“It was only the right thing to do.”\n\nThere is an awkward silence, which I break with a few loud coughs.\n\n“So… how’s your knee? You hurt it when I- when I was chasing you?” My voice sounds embarrassingly gruff.\n\n“Oh… About that. I’m sorry, mister. I was faking it. I mean, it did hurt, but you didn’t cause that wound. It was an old wound from my parents that reopened when I fell. I’m sorry for making you worry…”\n\nThe rest of the conversation is brief. Eventually, we both hang up. My throat still burning, and my heart lightened after hearing Smiley’s voice, I smile and close my eyes briefly. \n\nWhen I reopen them, I realise that my answering machine light is blinking. \n\n[[I press the button.|end recording]]\n\n
I arrive at the guardhouse moments before the officers pull up. One female and one male officer step out of the car. “You were the one that called, sir?” I nod, turning and walking into the premises without waiting for them to follow.\n\nHannah isn't surprised to see me at the door this time.\n\n“It’s you again.” \n\nBut she is surprised to see the two officers standing behind me. She makes to slam the door shut, but I easily overpower her. Still, she keeps trying to push. \n\n“Smiley’s a good person!” she shouts. “I’m not letting you take her away from me, not if you’re just going to let her suffer again!” \n\nHer efforts are in vain, outnumbered three to one. We manage to force the door open and I slip through. Tears run down her face and she tries, unsuccessfully, to wipe them up with her hands. I sigh, and put my hand on her shoulder.\n\n“Hannah. We’re here to help Smiley. We’re not letting her go back to her parents.”\n\nHannah’s eyes widen. The female officer walks up to Hannah and places a hand on her other shoulder. “That’s right, dear. We’re here to help your friend, not to bring her back to her parents.”\n\nHannah hiccups. She calms down at this point, and puts on a brave face.\n\n“Can I believe you?”\n\nShe aims a steady gaze at me and holds it.\n\n“Yes,” I say.\n\nHannah leads us through the study to a small room at the back of the house. She knocks on the door. It opens after a moment.\n\n“Who was it, Hannah? Was it tha-”\n\nHer eyes narrow, and she shoots an accusatory stare at Hannah.\n\n“Hannah?” she asks. “Why is he here? Why are they here?”\n\nThe next moment is a blur as Smiley lunges at me, kicking and scratching. Hannah’s cries go unheeded. Smiley manages to hit me hard in the chest and as the air leaves my lungs I start to cough uncontrollably. The officers pull her off me and I stumble back, trying to catch my breath. Smiley goes limp in the female officer’s hands, tired from thrashing about. Through my coughs, I hear the male officer ask if I am okay. I nod weakly. He thanks me for alerting them to the situation. They are going to bring Smiley to their offices to ask her some questions. And if all goes well, they'll be bringing her parents in. If they are found guilty, Smiley won't have to stay with her parents any more.\n\nI nod, still coughing occasionally. The officer pats me on the back and follows the female officer out of the room. Hannah clutches onto Smiley’s hand as she is carried out.\n\nThe room falls into silence. My role in this is finally over. \n\nEventually I find myself reclining in my computer chair. \n\nI can finally get the rest I deserve.\n\n[[(it’s time to go to sleep)|Rest]]\n\n
I don’t know why I’m thinking so hard about this. I only have one option- I need to finish this. For myself. For- for Millie.\n\nI pick up the phone. The dial tone sounds tinny and weak to me. “Hello? Child Protection Services, how may I assist you?”\n\nI swallow the lump in my throat, and start to speak. I tell the officer about the events that had occurred in the past few days. About how I took the job to find Smiley, how my investigation led me to discover evidence of Smiley’s abuse and where I eventually discovered she was staying. By the end of my speech, I am physically and mentally drained. The officer is silent for a moment. “Okay, sir, I think I’ve got the gist of the situation. I’ll send one of our guys down to the location you specified- will we be expecting you there as well?”\n\nMy throat's burning. “Yes,” I croak out. “I’ll be waiting at the guardhouse in a grey shirt and black pants.”\n\nAs the officer hangs up, I feel my head begin to throb. I heave, and cough up another glob of bloody phlegm, dropping the receiver on the floor. My throat - I need water. I needed pills- but there are none in the bottle. \n\nPainkillers. I stumble to the kitchen, pouring out the bottle of Panadol and throwing a few in my mouth, chugging a glass of water to get them down. I'm so tired- but the thought of Smiley keeps me awake. I have to get there as soon as possible.\n\n[[to Hannah’s house|Hannah's house]]
[[Millie|Yes]]\n
I don’t know why I’m thinking so hard about this. I only have one option- I need to finish this. For myself. For- for Millie.\n\nI pick up the phone. The dial tone sounds tinny and weak to me. \n\n“Hello?”\n\nI swallowed the lump in my throat. “Mrs. Lee. It’s me. I’ve found your girl.”\n\n“...Oh my goodness, thank you. I knew you could do it. Where has she been?”\n\nI tell Mrs. Lee about my investigation, and the ring in the photo that led me to Smiley. \n\nMy throat feels dry.\n\n“Oh, thank goodness. I knew it was the right choice to hire a professional.”\n\n“What about my money?” I croak out.\n\n“You’ll get it once we verify that our baby girl is safe. Just wait for the money to go through tonight. Now if you’ll excuse me, we have to go get our daughter. Thank you again for all you’ve done, sir. You’ve been a great help to our family!”\n\nAs she hangs up, I feel my head start to throb. I heave, and cough up another glob of bloody phlegm, dropping the receiver on the floor. Water. Pills. But there are none in the bottle. \n\nPainkillers. I stumble into the kitchen, pouring out the bottle of Panadol and throwing a few in my mouth, chugging a glass of water to get them down. That money couldn’t come in fast enough. \n\nI lie down for a few hours- it's over, both the case and I.\n \nI collapse into my ratty mattress, closing my eyes and putting my hand on my forehead. \n\nIt's covered in a thin film of sweat. I breathe deeply, willing myself to sleep. My head filling with images of Smiley.\n\nSmiley Lee. She has no idea what's waiting for her. My thoughts turn grim, and I wonder what her parents will do when they find her.\n\nSmiley Lee. I let you down. All I do is let people down. I couldn’t save you- I wonder if I will even be able to save myself.\n\nBreathing getting harder and harder. I gasp one last sweet breath, and give myself in to the darkness.\n\n…\n\n…\n\n[[…|ending parents]]\n\n
Good thing finding out where Hannah lived isn't hard. Plenty of clues on her facebook and instagram. \n\nI step up to the door, and ring the bell. Nice place, must be a rich family. The buzzer even has one of those tiny camera screens. \n\nHannah's soft voice comes through the speaker- "Who is i-" \n\nThe voice goes silent. \n\nAfter a few moments, it returns, sounding breathless. \n\n[["Hello, sir. Um, how can I help you?"|Go in]]\n
I just can’t bring myself to make a decision.\n\n[[Why?|Why]]
"So uh...Hannah...dinner for two huh?"\n\nShe looks nervous.\n\n"Just the maid and I, yeah."\n\n"Awful lot of leftover food on these plates in the sink."\n\n"We...We -I offered to cook dinner today and I overestimated the amount."\n\nSomething among the leftovers is sparkling.\n\n"I see. Well, we all make mistakes sometimes. By the way, where is she?"\n\n"I- uh, who?"\n\nA gray-banded, silver ring...with one crystal, caked in mincemeat.\n\n"Your maid."\n\n"She's using the bathroom."\n\nThe words "Stay Smiley" are engraved on the inside of the ring.\n\n"That long?"\n\n"My cooking isn't that good."\n\n"I can sympathize. Mine isn't great either."\n\n[[Finish washing up|Finish washing]]\n\n\n\n
"I was hoping to ask you a few questions about Smiley. Would you mind letting me in?"\n\n"Um, okay." \n\nShe sounds nervous. I feel bad for her, but I've got to do my job. \n\n"No one else home?"\n\n"Just the maid."\n\n"And your parents?"\n\n"On a business trip."\n\nI really shouldn't be here, almost alone with a young girl in her home. It looks bad. Should try not to stay too long. Not feeling great either. Stupid pills running out.\n\n"Would you like a drink?"\n\n"Sure."\n\n[[That'll give me time to snoop around a bit...|Snoop around]]\n\n\n \n
She got up slowly, wiping her tears with her free hand, upon which she wore [[a gray-banded silver ring with a single crystal.|I wasn't expecting]] \n\n
I wasn't expecting what came next at all\n\nIn an instant, Smiley’s tearful face turned into a hateful glare. She swung her leg back, and then I saw stars. The little rascal kneed me in the bogjangles! \n\n[[I sank to the ground and watched her run past the corner, my head and nether regions a whirl of pain.|Pain Subsides]]
"Oh yes, Hannah. You're helping Smiley to keep her worksheets until she comes back right? Here you go."\n\nTheir teacher passed a bunch of papers to a bespectacled girl with long hair.\n\n Of course, none of them admitted then to housing Smiley then, but when their teacher left to attend a staff meeting, Hannah stayed behind. She was about to leave with the rest when she turned to tell me that Smiley was one of those people who liked to put on a facade of cheer to hide a troubled inner life and that she really was a good kid. She also warned against trusting Smiley's parents too much. When I asked her to elaborate, she clammed up and left to join her friends.\n\n[[I had the feeling that something fishy was going on.|Something Fishy]]
Oh God, what do I do?\n\n[[Call the Police|Call police]]\n[[Call Smiley's Parents|Call parents]]
Runaway\n
Hmmm...looks like [[Hannah's having fun at the arcade with a friend.|http://instagram.com/notmontanalah]]\n\n[[That's nice.|That's nice]]\n\n\n\n\n\n
THEN:\n\nSo I put together a list of her closest friends from her facebook pictures -all of them classmates, and went down speak to them and some of her teachers.\n\nAt her school, I found her her teacher who, after being told of the situation, told me that while Smiley was not one to call a model student, she was also not one you'd call rebellious. The only indication of any delinquency was that she often late for school, and would come up with the most ridiculous excuses. Apart from that, she seemed to be just an ordinary girl. Her teacher showed me some examples of her work, which I took some pictures of.\n\n[[I noticed immediately that there was a discrepancy between the handwriting in her recent homework and in the last few entries of her diary|Smiley's Handwriting]]\n\n\n\n\n\n
[[This...|http://instagram.com/p/ga0OuwNq5W/]]\n\nNo.\n\nThis is way too convenient to be true.\n\n[[I should at least check it out first to make sure that it's really hers|Go to Hannah's]]\n
<html><img src="/smileyphotoa.jpg"></html>\n\nShe looks alright here. No indication of a wild and reckless child. But then again, it's a really old photograph.\n<<silently>>\n<<set $aclues_inspected = $aclues_inspected +1>>\n<<endsilently>>\n\n[[Inspect the Other Clues|The first meeting]]\n
[[Wait.|Wait]]\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
And to make things worse, having relived the entire thing in memory makes it even harder for me to decide if I should even return Smiley to her parents.\n\n[[She's a good kid, but I really need the money. I've been stretching out my medicine on half-doses and I'm running out.|Unless I Get Paid]]\n\n\n\n
Sigh.\n\n[[Look, I'm trying...|I'm trying]]\n
The Kitchen is rather clean actually, save for some unwashed dishes in the sink, and some crumbs on the table at two places, as though a meal for two had just been finished.\n"It's not so bad."\n\n"Please, let me."\n\n[[Wash your own cup|Interrogation]]
"Mine."\n\n"Bit large for you don't you think"\n\n"I uh- It's in fashion."\n\n[["Really."|Take drink]]\n<<silently>>\n<<set $cclues_inspected = $cclues_inspected +1>>\n<<endsilently>>\n
Well. I don't know if she'd like to have a father who'd do something as monstrous as to knowingly send a little girl into harm.\n\n[[Then again, I also don't know if she'd rather not have a father at all|what to do]]
[[Shouldn't go prying into little girls' bedrooms when you're a grown man|Snoop around]]\n<<silently>>\n<<set $bclues_inspected = $bclues_inspected +1>>\n<<endsilently>>
Everything in my gut was telling me that Hannah knew where Smiley was so I decided to see where she'd go after school.\n\nI still had a few hours before school was going to be out so I grabbed a good lunch and hunkered down at a corner on one of the higher levels of the HDB flat next to the school, keeping my binoculars out and aimed at the school gate. \n\nI remember thinking how odd it was. Smiley obviously wasn’t a rebellious girl at school, if her schoolmates’ and teachers’ comments were anything to go by. Even that essay her teacher showed me. It was very well written for a supposed delinquent. It was about a girl with abusive parents who ran and tried to cover her tracks. \n\nI can't believe I let that slip past me.\n\n[[Goddamn, my ankle hurts like a bitch|Sore Ankle]]
Nice, lush carpet. \n\n[[Two depressions in it, just large enough to fit a seated adolescent each.|Snoop around]]\n\n<<silently>>\n<<set $bclues_inspected = $bclues_inspected +1>>\n<<endsilently>>\n
[beep] \n\n“H-hello? Um…. This is Millie. I-I was just calling because, you know… it’s your birthday. Y-you probably don’t want to be hearing this from me after so long but… I… I want to see you. ...D- Dad. *pause*\n...Can you please call me back? Thank you, and, um, good bye!”\n\n[beeeeeep]\n[message recorded]\n\n\nEND\n
"Thanks."\n\nHmmm.Lemonade? Tastes funky.\n\n"So uh, I had some questions for you. Nothing you're obliged to answer but it'd help me -and maybe even Smiley out. You answer 'em and I'll be on my way, alright?"\n\n"Okay"\n\n[["There are some shirts hanging by the balcony. Whose are those?"|Whose shirts]]\n[["Carpet in the living room looks like two people have been sitting on it."|Carpet]]\n\n\n\n<<if $cclues_inspected eq 2>>[["You done with your drink mister? Here, let me. The maid's busy and I don't mind washing up from time to time."|The Kitchen]]<<endif>>
And it still hurt when I took a piss this morning.\n\nEugh.\n\n[[Damn it, the day's almost spent. I've almost looked through everything again and still nothing.|To Make Things Worse]]\n\n\n\n
After about twenty minutes, the two of them emerged out of the shop and left in opposite directions. I got up. When she turned the corner, I went and tapped her on the shoulder. “Smiley Lee?” When she saw me, her reaction was instant. She bolted past me, back towards the shop. Cursing, I made to follow her, but at that moment my lungs failed me and I lost my breath.\n\n[[I felt my legs give way for a moment, and I tripped over the pavement.|Trip]]
[[Yes|Well]]
When the pain subsided, I got up, weakly making my way around the corner while leaning against the walls for support. I was hoping she'd have dropped something which would lead me to the home of whoever was keeping her from her parents then, but I found nothing.\n\n[[Aching everywhere and especially in one area, I decided it was time to call it a day, and slowly hobbled home.|Back to Present]]\n
"It's alright. I can manage. Can't have a young lady waiting on me."\n\n"No, really, I insist"\n\n"Really now! It's just a cup."\n\n"You really shouldn't -I mean, you're a guest and the kitchen is a bit of a mess and-"\n\n[["Bah. Don't worry about it. There's no one in the world more accustomed to mess than I. Whole life is a goddamn mess, frankly."|Washing time]]\n\n
Finally at around 3, I spied Hannah walking out of the front gate. She looked around to make sure no one was following her.\n\nAfter meandering through a few HDB void decks, she disappeared into a coffeeshop toilet for a bit and came out dressed in casual clothes, before heading into a seedy-looking corner LAN gaming shop. I lingered at the entrance for a bit. I remember thinking that there was no avoiding sticking out like a sore thumb in there. \n\n[[So I cupped my hands around the corner of one of the windows at the side and peeked in|Peek In]]\n\n
<html><img src="/homeworkcompare.png"></html>\n\nThe handwriting on her recent homework didn't match those of the later diary entries at all.\n\n[[Their teacher also introduced me to some of Smiley's classmates|Smiley's Classmates]]\n
<html><img src="/torndiary.jpg"></html>\n\nThe middle has been torn out. I wonder where it is. The handwriting at the front and at the back are so different. Maybe she's just trying to get a feel for her handwriting. I know I took a long time to settle in on mine when I was a kid\n<<silently>>\n<<set $aclues_inspected = $aclues_inspected +1>>\n<<endsilently>>\n\n\n[[Inspect the Other Clues|The first meeting]]\n
NOW:\n\n<html><img src="/fbscreenaseen.jpg"></html>\n\nStill Nothing.God damn it. \n\nI should leave her another message:\n\n<html><img src="/fbscreenb.jpg"></html>\n\nShe looks so defenseless in her pictures...but the bruises she left on me prove otherwise. \n\nHeh. I used to be a tough little pipsqueak too.\n\n\n[[Continue rummaging through old evidence|The Old Evidence]]
Oh, for fu-\n\n[[DING|New insta]]\n
Eugh.\n\n[[I hate that I even thought that.|I hate that]]\n\n
[ringing phone]\n\n[beep]\n\nHey. I’m not in. Leave a message.\n\n[beeeeeep]\n\n“H-hello? Um…. This is Millie. I-I was just calling because, you know… it’s your birthday. Y-you probably don’t want to be hearing this from me after so long but… I… I want to see you. ...D- Dad. *pause*\n...Can you please call me back? Thank you, and, um, good bye!”\n\n[beeeeeep]\n[message recorded]\n\nEND\n
[[Check out the living room|The living room]]\n[[Check out the balcony|The balcony]]\n[[Check out her bedroom|Her bedroom]]\n\n<<if $bclues_inspected eq 3>>[["Hey mister uh -your drink.."|Take drink]]<<endif>>\n
Is that the kind of man I am now?\n\n[[Maybe.|Maybe]]\n
"This yours? Found it in your food. I know you said that your cooking wasn't great but this is quite amazing."\n\nThe colour's going from her face.\n\n"I -uh-wuh-that's mine!"\n\n"It says "Stay Smiley" on the inside."\n\nSilence.\n\n"It was a gift. It must've slipped off just now."\n\nNo point tormenting the young lady any further.\n\n"Alright, I'll take your word for it. Here, let me wash the grease off it before I hand it back to you."\n\n[[Hand Hannah Smiley's ring|Smiley's ring]]
Sure you are.\n\n[[But not hard enough|Not hard enough]]\n
THEN:\n\n<html><img src="/fbscreena.jpg"></html>\n\nI was hoping that she'd cooperate . It would've made it much easier for all of us.\n\n[[Check back on her Facebook and Instagram in the present|Return to the Present]]\n\n
THEN:\n\nI met both of them, the woman and her husband. They seemed quite upset but I couldn't help but feel that something was odd. I detected the curious notion of a kind of over-acting I sometimes see on local dramas on television. Maybe I was just over-thinking it. I go a bit off sometimes when I run low on medication. They handed me her diary, a photo of her, and pointed me to her accounts on Facebook and Instagram. They mentioned that their daughter had always been rebellious and reckless, and that they gave up disciplining her long ago. They had a heated argument, and the young girl left in a huff. They seemed happy to provide me with details but often hesitated and checked their uncertain answers against one another, citing the forgetfulness that comes with age as their reason. Having all the clues needed to start my investigation, I got up to leave, and then stopped.\n\n"I thought you said you didn't know why your daugher had run away."\n\nAnd we shared an awkward silence, during which the lady cast several nervous glances sideways at her husband.\n\n"I'm sure she was just in a state of confusion...emotions running high, you know.."\n\n"Of course."\n\nSo I went home and had a good look at the clues I was given.\n\n[[Look at the Diary|The Diary]]\n[[Look at the Photograph|The Photograph]]\n[[Check out her Facebook page|Her Facebook Page]]\n\n\n\n<<if $aclues_inspected eq 3>>[[My Conclusion Then|My Conclusion Then]]<<endif>>
A few shirts are hanging here. Too fashionable for the maid, and too large for Hannah.\n\n[[Hmm...|Snoop around]]\n<<silently>>\n<<set $bclues_inspected = $bclues_inspected +1>>\n<<endsilently>>
As I fell, I grabbed wildly at Smiley’s ankle, bringing her down with me. "I have too much riding on this case to let her get away!", I thought. \n\nShe came crashing down on the pavement and let out a cry of pain.\n\nShe was lying on the ground, clutching her leg. A deep gash had opened up on her knee, and blood was slowly oozing out of the wound. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she bit down hard on her bottom lip to stop herself from letting out any sound which would indicate that she was in pain. In that moment, my own daughter's face flashed through my mind, along with a sense of overpowering guilt. \n\nI felt like a damn fool.\n\nI slowly got up, trying to bring my breaths under control, feeling great shame for the selfish harm that I'd caused.\n\n[[Apologizing profusely, I reached down to help her up|Help Smiley Up]]
"Carpet looks like two people were sitting on it."\n\n"I umm...I probably went to the bathroom and came back to a different spot?"\n\n[[I feel pretty silly for asking about that.|Take drink]]\n<<silently>>\n<<set $cclues_inspected = $cclues_inspected +1>>\n<<endsilently>>\n