Chapter 110

"He is inherently a bad person. It was he who secretly drugged Joseph. To save himself from disaster, he sold out other children to have their organs removed. He even sold Tom, resulting in Tom losing an eye. Frank's current condition is also because he volunteered Frank for drug testing, claiming Frank had a good body... But we never expected that this bastard's schemes would go this far. He was Ronald's inside man, selling out everyone at the old steel mill!"

"Who would have thought that a seven or eight-year-old child could sit on a pile of corpses, unfazed, and even smiling? And all of this was explained by one sentence from Ronald."

Bob roared with infinite hatred, so angry that he began to cry uncontrollably.

"What did he say?"

"I avenged you all. From now on, you are my people!"

Avenge... Avenge what?

Did it mean that Ronald took advantage of the fire at the old steel mill, colluding with Douglas to kill all the involved personnel?

What Bob just expressed was that Ronald knew about the old steel mill's activities but didn't report them, acting as an accomplice. To prevent the mill's secrets from leaking, he even killed George, making it seem like he did it to take all the credit for himself.

But why did he personally kill these people?

It didn't make sense. After the fire, Ronald personally killed the head of the old steel mill and told the children he avenged them. Why? If he was obsessed with power and status, wouldn't this be a better opportunity to showcase his abilities?

Imagine if this case were exposed, Ronald would undoubtedly be hailed as a hero in the police force. Such a big case would have a significant impact, and it would be a great achievement on his record, likely leading to a higher position than just a squad leader.

I suddenly thought, could the fire itself have been Ronald's plan?

Because he knew that such a meticulous plan, once it had a small flaw, would be like a sandbag with a hole. As the sand leaked out, the hole would get bigger and bigger, and eventually, the sand would pour out like a waterfall, burying him.

He chose to replace the sandbag when it started to crack, discarding all the original sand.

In other words, Douglas's visit to Sand Village was likely arranged by Ronald, and the girl George adopted was also arranged by Ronald.

I recalled carefully that Ronald said there was an informant in the old steel mill who passed information to him. He kept hinting that Alan might be with Bob. This informant knew who the girl George adopted was. The only purpose was to make me come to find Bob or that former informant.

If I'm not mistaken that informant who was possible to hold crucial evidence against Ronald. Ronald couldn't go himself, so he sent me.

I asked. "Bob, the old man Cedric in your house, he's not your biological father, is he?"

Bob responded. "No, he was the only cook at the old steel mill and the only good person there. If it weren't for him, we kids might have died long ago. I was grateful for his help, so after graduating from college and getting a job, I took care of him."

"What is his relationship with Ronald?"

This was the key question and my last test. If Bob lied about this, it would prove that everything he said was a setup to complicate the case.

If Bob knew about Cedric's relationship with Ronald, it would mean Bob was telling the truth. The relationship between me, Bob, and Ronald would be that I communicated with both of them, but Ronald and Bob had no direct contact.

Otherwise, Ronald wouldn't have hinted for me to find this person.

"He was Ronald's informant. He thought Ronald, as a cop, could save these poor kids. Little did he know, Ronald was just using him to monitor the other members of the old steel mill and report their every move."

"He and George were both good people. You know, George once sneaked into the old steel mill. I didn't expect the two of them to know each other. George was his squad leader, and he was a worker at the mill. They talked for a long time, saying we should trust Ronald and that he would save us. They encouraged us to hold on."

"Not long after, Tom left. Shortly after that, the old steel mill discovered his contact with outsiders and almost beat him to death. He didn't give up Ronald and George's names. Who knew..."

Bob spoke without any change in expression, and he knew the old man's identity, so it seemed Bob was telling the truth.

Things became clear. Ronald lied to me. He did find Joseph, but after learning about the situation, he didn't report it to the police. Instead, he observed the situation through George and Bob's foster father, becoming familiar with the children at the old steel mill.

But he didn't take action. According to Bob, Ronald was more like a protector of the old steel mill. Even after the mill's activities were exposed, he set up George's murder.

But this explanation didn't hold because, after the fire, Ronald killed all the related members of the old steel mill overnight. This showed he wasn't protecting the mill.

There was another possibility that he received an order from someone who could offer him something better. If an accident occurred, he was to eliminate everyone involved. Who gave him this order, and what deal did they make?

Bob didn't mention this. He was still hiding something from me.

"I investigated in Sand Village. George's cause of death was a fire. He died trying to save his adopted daughter. Now it seems it was Ronald's setup. First, he sent Douglas, who was discovered by George. Then he sent another little girl, using George's compassion to make him willingly walk into the fire."

I said slowly, looking at Bob with a questioning gaze.

"Yes, on the surface, George's death seemed like the old steel mill's doing, but it was Ronald's plan."

Bob sighed, his face pale, and said with lingering fear, "I only figured this out later."

"Who was that little girl, and where did she go?"

I stared at Bob and said seriously, "She was also from the orphanage. I don't believe you didn't know her."

"She died in that fire."

Bob's eyes wandered, looking elsewhere.

"And there were so many kids at the old steel mill. I was a madman with few friends, just Alan, Frank, Lally, and a few others."

He was lying!