Luke countered, "You've taken Franco Toure to be the lifesaver of Tayana Haney?"

"That's right."

Luke was somewhat speechless, "How did Franco Toure find your daughter?"

Ms. Haney said, "Mr. Toure is a very amiable person, my daughter has always liked him. She was wandering outside for a few days, ran out of money, and reached out to Mr. Toure."

Then Mr. Toure brought her back."

Luke looked towards Clement Haney, "Mr. Haney, do you think so too?"

Clement Haney said, "Indeed, Mr. Toure is a nice person, who gets along very well with our family. He often helps take care of Tayana."

Jackson puzzled, "Don't you have any kind of guard up?

Why would a middle-aged man be so kind to a girl for no reason?"

Ms. Haney said, "Mr. Toure had a tragic experience when he was young. The doctor recommended that he socialize more with children. He doesn't have any of his own, so that's why he's so good to Tayana."

Luke pressed on, "What kind of tragic experience?"

Ms. Haney said, "This relates to Mr. Toure's privacy, and without his permission, I don't feel comfortable revealing."

Luke felt that the couple's thought processes were truly unique, "This also relates to your daughter's safety!"

Ms. Haney hesitated slightly and answered, "Mr. Toure said he was mistreated by an aunt when he was a child, and the doctor suggested spending more time with children to heal the scars of his youth.

So, Mr. Toure really likes children, and he proposed being Tayana's surrogate father."

"Surrogate father? You agreed?"

"Yes."

Luke had dealt with many cases, but this was the first time he encountered such irresponsible parents, "You trust him that much?"

"Yes."

"How did you meet him?"

Ms. Haney said, "Three years ago, I met him at a church event. He's a humble and charming person, and we became friends.

Later, he moved into our community, and we became neighbors.

He often visited our home, got along very well with every family member, and we've come to consider him part of the family.

Our relationship with him goes beyond that of ordinary neighbors. It's more like family."

"Family?"

"Yes."

Luke brought out his tablet again and opened a video, "Is the man in this video the Mr. Toure you spoke of?"

Ms. Haney scrutinized the video and breathed a sigh of relief, "No, Mr. Toure is already in his forties, definitely not the man in the video.

He's a good person, and he definitely wouldn't do such a thing."

Luke passed over a piece of paper and pen, "Could you write down Franco Toure's phone number?"

Ms. Haney wrote down a phone number.

Luke handed the phone number to Jackson, "Have someone check out this phone number."

"Ms. Haney, did your daughter say when she would return?"

"Probably in two or three days."

"Mr. and Mrs. Haney, please refrain from contacting Franco Toure for the time being."

Ms. Haney inquired, "Officer, do you still suspect Mr. Toure? Even if my daughter was forced to make a video, it doesn't necessarily have anything to do with Mr. Toure, does it?"

Luke didn't answer directly, "Ma'am, may I talk to you alone?"

"Sure."

Afterward, Luke escorted Ms. Haney out of the house and into the police car for a talk.

"Ma'am, were you the first to meet Franco Toure?"

"Yes."

"What's your relationship with him?"

"We're friends."

Luke didn't want to believe in a simple friendship where one would trustingly hand over one's daughter.

Moreover, when Luke had asked Franco Toure for his mobile number just now, the latter recited it from memory right away.

Unless it's someone very close, most people find it hard to remember someone else's mobile number.

"Mrs. Haney, aren't you worried that Franco Toure could harm your daughter when he takes her out alone, just the two of them?"

"Mr. Toure is not that kind of person, and when my daughter disappeared last time, it was he who found her. I have no reason to suspect him."

"Have you ever considered that your daughter's previous disappearance could be related to Franco Toure? Perhaps she wasn't found by him, but taken away by him."

"That's impossible. My daughter didn't say she was kidnapped by Mr. Toure, and she still trusts him a lot."

Jackson was getting impatient, "Mrs. Haney, you keep speaking well of Mr. Toure. If you can't distinguish whether he's a good or bad person,

how can a twelve-year-old girl?

Perhaps she's also been deceived by Franco Toure's words."

Mrs. Haney covered her forehead, "Oh God, why is this happening...

What on earth has befallen my poor daughter?"

Seeing her becoming more receptive, Luke pressed on, "Mrs. Haney, what exactly is your relationship with Franco Toure?"

"We are friends."

Luke got straight to the point, "I don't believe a woman would so confidently entrust her daughter to the care of just a 'friend'.

There's no one else here, and your husband isn't present. Whatever you say, we will keep it confidential.

And what you say could potentially impact your daughter's safety."

Mrs. Haney was silent for a moment, her expression changing again and again, before saying, "Mr. Toure is my lover. He's been very good to me, loves me deeply, and he cares for Tayana for my sake.

He has said to me that I am the one he loves the most, and my daughter is his daughter too.

That's why I was so at ease entrusting Tayana to him.

He's a good man and trustworthy."

Luke asked, "Does your husband know about your relationship?"

"He doesn't."

"Does Tayana know about it?"

"She doesn't either."

"Did you receive any ransom calls from kidnappers after Tayana's last disappearance?"

"No."

"Did Tayana change in any way after she came back?"

"She became somewhat more reticent and liked to be alone. There were no other changes?"

"What about her attitude towards Franco Toure?"

"I didn't notice any change, and this outing was initiated by my daughter.

Since her last disappearance, Mr. Toure has taken my daughter out several times without any danger."

Luke said, "After watching that video, are you still willing to trust Franco Toure?"

"I... I don't know, my mind is all over the place."

Luke cautioned, "Mrs. Haney, for Tayana's safety, please refrain from contacting Franco Toure for now."

Mrs. Haney pondered for a moment and nodded, "I understand."

"We'll find Tayana as soon as possible and get to the bottom of the video situation.

If there's any news of Tayana, I hope you will contact me immediately." Luke handed her a business card.

"I will."

"If Franco Toure contacts you, don't mention that the police are investigating him."

"Okay."

After giving a few more instructions, Luke let Mrs. Haney out of the car.

At this point, all the suspicions were focused on Franco Toure; if he was as the Haney couple described, a warm-hearted person who likes to take care of children, then Luke might have misunderstood him.

But if Franco Toure was the mastermind behind Tayana Haney's disappearance, then he might very well be a devil.

What needed to be done now was to find Tayana Haney as quickly as possible, ensure her safety, and get more valuable clues from her.

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