📅 22 June 2027
🕛 Friday, 9:30 AM
📍 SMK Aman Padu, Penang
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Before heading back to Kuala Lumpur, Martin and I decided to visit SMK Aman Padu-the school where Shabana had once worked. We found the address from Detective Kannan's diary.
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While we waited in the office room for the headmaster, who was caught up in a meeting, I stepped outside to talk to the school security guard. I've always believed this-if you want to know the truth about a place, talk to the people who quietly observe everything. And in a school, that's usually the guard.
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But this guy was new. He had only joined a month ago and didn't know much about Shabana-or even the previous guard who had worked before him. He told me Shabana had already resigned by the time he joined.
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As we spoke, my eyes wandered to the notice board behind him in the guard post. It caught me off guard-it was filled with photos of missing children.
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I turned to him, concerned.
"Missing kids? What happened to them?"
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He sighed. "All orphans. Disappeared over the last five years. Still no clue where they went. Police came and went, but since they didn't have families, no one really pushed harder."
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The words hit me hard.
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Later, we met the headmaster. A kind, dignified woman. She spoke highly of Shabana, describing her as one of the most beloved teachers in the school.
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"She was brilliant," the headmaster said, smiling faintly. "Our students scored much better under her guidance. Even parents started noticing the difference. She made this school shine."
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She added something unexpected.
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"Oh, and she was a talented magician too. Shabana would perform little tricks during school events. The children adored her for it."
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When we asked why she resigned, the headmaster's expression turned solemn.
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"She left to care for her sick uncle in her hometown. It was sudden... but she was honest about it. I respected her decision, though it was a huge loss for us."
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Before leaving, I brought up the missing children. Her tone changed-still calm, but a little defensive.
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"They were troubled kids. The kind who liked to skip classes and sneak out. We had a hostel nearby for orphans... most of the missing ones were from there. We always tried to discipline them, but some things are out of our control."
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Martin and I also checked Shabana's hostel room. Empty. Just a plain, hollow space. Nothing of value or evidence remained.
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We were just about to leave for KL when the new guard rushed over to us.
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"Sir! I found this in the drawer," he said, handing me an old photograph.
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It was a picture of the previous security guard.
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My breath caught.
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It was Babu.
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The same Babu who, under interrogation, claimed he didn't even know Shabana.
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Martin and I exchanged a long, heavy glance.
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Something wasn't right.
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With more questions than answers and a new suspect on our list, we left Penang and headed back to Kuala Lumpur.
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and then Add to home screen.