Missing

"Could the owner have left before them?" Jiang Cheng offered a perfectly reasonable hypothesis.

"No." Wu Bin's tone on the other end was firm. "The owner's suitcase is still in the room, along with his identification and everything else. The only thing missing is the man himself."

"More importantly, there's a single shoe in the office, not far from the door." Wu Bin stressed, "It's the one the owner was wearing today. One of the employees recognized it at a glance."

"And while waiting for the owner, that employee stayed at the front desk of the Reasoning Hall, right by the entrance. He never saw the owner come out."

Calling the police based on such vague clues seemed like a stretch. Jiang Cheng remained impassive. He knew Wu Bin still had more to say.

"The employee remembered that the police had come to the shop earlier that day. After they left, he noticed all sorts of strange behavior from the owner, and a sense of dread began to creep over him."

"He immediately took out his phone and called the owner."

At this point, Wu Bin's voice faltered, and his breathing grew hurried. Jiang Cheng frowned slightly without thinking. He knew they were getting to the crucial part.

After about five seconds of silence, Wu Bin's voice turned low and strange. "The phone. The owner's phone rang right there in the office."

"Where?" Jiang Cheng asked, playing along.

"Behind the door," Wu Bin said. "The phone rang from behind the door! The office is laid out awkwardly. The door can swing open very wide, and when it's pushed open from outside, it forms an angle with the wall. That spot is a blind corner."

Jiang Cheng pictured the scene. After a long moment, he asked, "So... the shop owner was