Part-117

  "Don't worry," James said, words of fort. "Maybe they're just busy. Give it a few more days."

  Ryan and Sourov exged a hopeful gnce. "Let's hope so," Ryan replied, a hint of desperation in his voice.

  As James left the Judo club, he couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right. There was an undercurrent of tension in Sourov's demeanor that went beyond the mere loss of money. It was as if he was hiding something, a secret that was ected to this camera purchase.

  The familiar st of sweat and mat er greeted James as he ehe Judo club. The events of the previous day – the ued drama involving Sourov and the camera – had left him with a sense of unease.

  As he ged into his gi, his eyes sed the room. Sourov caught his gaze, his face a mask of fury. The usual lighthearted banter betweewo friends was absent, repced by a tense silence.

  "What's wrong with him?" James asked Ryauring towards Sourov.

  Ryan sighed, his expression a mix of frustration and anger. "He's been like this all m," he expined. "The guy who sold him the camera has disappeared."

  James' eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What do you mean?" he asked.

  "The guy blocked Sourov's number, deleted the ad, and vanished without a trace," Ryan expined. "Sourov's been trying to track him down, but it's like he's disappeared off the face of the earth."

  James felt a surge of sympathy for Sourov. Losing money was bad enough, but being scammed was a whole different level of frustration. He remembered the feeling of being targeted by the bullies, and he couldn't imagihe helplessness Sourov must be feeling right now.

  "I'm sorry to hear that," James said, words of fort. "Maybe you could report it to the police?"

  Ryan shook his head. "I tried," he replied, a hint of bitterness in his voice. "But they said there's not much they do about it. It's a on scam, and they get a lot of reports like this."

  James knew how frustrating it was to deal with bureaucracy.

  "I'll see what I do," James replied, a sense of responsibility settling over him. "My dad's a police officer. Maybe he help track down this guy."

  Ryan's eyes lit up with hope. "Really? That would be amazing. I don't know what to do anymore."

  James nodded in uanding. "I'll talk to him tonight and see what he says."

  As they tiheir warm-up, James couldn't shake the feeling of uhis wasn't just about a lost camera; it was about someoaking advantage of people's trust. He was determio help Sourov, not just out of friendship but also out of a growing sense of justice.

  That evening, after dinner, James dialed his father's he line rang a few times before his father's gruff voiswered, "James, what's up?"

  "Dad, I need your help," James began, his voice filled with urgency. "Remember how I told you about the bullies at school?"