Chapter 109

"Zoey isn't here right now, what do you want to say?"

I asked, as Bob's expression earlier had already confirmed that he had something to say.

"Have you ever thought about why the old steel mill, although abandoned, isn't a place that no one manages? Why hasn't anyone discovered it for so long?"

Bob glanced in the direction of the hospital room door a couple of times, making sure Zoey wasn't around, then leaned in and lowered his voice.

"I found out that True Love Entertainment Club is the site of the old steel mill. But before that, I had come to the Entertainment Club to investigate Tammy and Lally. The location here is very good, the fork in the road leading to the Entertainment Club seems like it was built specifically for it. The background of the boss behind the Entertainment Club must be very significant."

I recalled seriously.

"That's right, keep talking."

Bob didn't say much, just let me continue.

I stared at Bob, and said seriously,

"I want you to tell the truth, is Douglas's death related to you? During the planning and execution stages by Frank, were you, Lally, Tammy, Tony, Tom, Mike, and Joseph deeply involved, or were you just witnesses?"

Bob's face turned heavy, he shook his head with a bitter smile, and sighed,

"It doesn't matter... everyone will die sooner or later, but I don't want you to be used as a pawn."

"What do you mean?" I vaguely felt something was wrong.

"After you investigated Tammy, Lally, Frank, Tony, and Tom, who gave you the clue to come to Shadow City to find me?"

Bob rubbed his face, took a deep breath, and said,

"It was that cop, right? The righteous cop. Zoey's eyes are so much like his, I noticed it at first glance. That look in his eyes from my memory, it's terrifying... If I'm not mistaken, Zoey should be his daughter. I don't know why her last name is Taylor, but it all seems arranged. The bad things the father did, let the daughter investigate, it's the most fitting punishment."

I suddenly stood up, looking at Bob in disbelief!

Ronald?

His eyes were red, and tears streamed down his cheeks, but the corners of his mouth turned up, and the curve gradually widened. He opened his mouth and laughed, with a hint of glee, a sense of narrowly escaping death. Gradually, there was a bit of arrogance and madness in his laughter!

"Bob, the Entertainment Club murder case is related to you, don't think..."

I looked at him in disbelief, I couldn't believe, or dare not believe, that Ronald was involved in all this. I had just seen him a few days ago, his patience, persistence, demeanor, and what Howard told me, most importantly, he was Zoey's father!

I never doubted him.

"What do you think? Why is the old steel mill like hell on earth, why hasn't anyone discovered such a damned place, how big of a protection umbrella is behind it to make the police ignore it?"

"He said he discovered it by accident..."

I widened my eyes, muttering; I thought of another possibility.

"Discovered by accident? Is there such a coincidence? Silverlight City is so big, there are so many police, and he just happened to discover it?"

Bob sneered repeatedly, his eyes flashing with hatred, muttering,

"You probably don't know, the old steel mill was originally under his jurisdiction. If he didn't report it, who would discover it? Do you think George didn't report it? When the police went there, there was nothing, no evidence left, why... think about it?"

"Because he tipped off the old steel mill, Nancy! He was lying from the beginning, this man would stop at nothing for a promotion. Why was George discovered by the people at the old steel mill? Because it was all his setup, he approached George as a cop, let that bastard Douglas contact Sand Village... it was all him! It was him!"

Bob almost screamed hysterically.

"What justice, what a bastard cop, what dignity does he have to say he represents justice? He's just a power-hungry, status-obsessed bastard! George died, the old steel mill was gone, and the kids who could run all ran. When Alan and Tom came over, there was nothing left, just ruins."

Ronald had close ties with the people at the old steel mill.

I couldn't believe it, or rather, without sufficient evidence, it was hard for me to determine Ronald's actions, even if Bob in front of me said it. But strictly speaking, Bob was a mental patient, should I believe him?

Bob looked at my indecisive eyes and smiled miserably.

"Nancy, Alan went to Sand Village, Tom followed, and later the old steel mill set up George to be killed. Do you know where we kids went after the fire?"

Ronald had mentioned to me that after the fire, many kids disappeared, and the ones he could find were sent to nearby orphanages and welfare homes.

"Let me guess, if I were Ronald, how would I say it to establish a righteous cop image in front of you."

Bob's eyes filled with tears, he looked up pretending to think, responded, and sneered,

"He would definitely say many orphans disappeared, he couldn't let George down, couldn't let those poor kids down, he would spare no effort to find them and send them to orphanages and welfare homes, right? The records of these institutions are very strictly sealed; even if you look for them, you won't find much. And you don't know their exact names, over twenty years, so many kids in and out of orphanages, you can't find them."

I was stunned and nodded.

"Yes, he did a good deed, he indeed sent some kids to the orphanage, but soon, those kids all died, because the ones sent were already failed drug test subjects or kids whose organs were removed and were dying. At that time, the newspaper even praised Ronald, but the case itself was different. He perfectly hid all the key clues, just turned this case into rescuing unidentified homeless children, and even after the kids died, he pretended to mourn them."

"No one knew, Ronald had been in the police force for less than two years at that time, and because of this, he was promoted to team leader."

Saying this, Bob spat heavily, disdainfully.

"That fire, Laura, Joseph, Frank, Mike, and I ran out. We didn't expect him to be waiting at the intersection, smoking. He seemed to know we would come this way. I'll never forget that scene. Thinking about it now, he was only in his twenties, covered in blood, blood dripping from his clothes and hair, and Douglas was sitting on a few heads, smiling and giving Ronald a massage."

"Douglas?"

Wasn't Douglas the one who betrayed these kids, how did he get involved with Ronald?