Chapter 43

Who was pulling the strings behind all this?

Alan's case hit me like a ton of bricks in my otherwise boring life.

But for the cops, the prosecutor's office, and the court, it was just another murder case. They saw so many of these every year, it barely registered.

"What do you mean...?" I hesitated.

"It's gotta be someone high up, or they wouldn't have this kind of power." Leonard looked dead serious, nodding hard. "But I can't figure out which department or who's in charge. And I can't tell if Laura's being protected or watched. Right now, no one's allowed to visit her."

"Could it be that Laura is already..." I had a bad feeling creeping in.

"No, she's still in detention. I've seen the surveillance, she's okay."

Leonard shook his head. He'd clearly done some digging. But anyone who poked around too much got transferred or sent on business trips. Even though Leonard had some clout, he couldn't push too hard. If he got sent away, I'd lose my inside man. We couldn't rely solely on Howard's connections for this.

Howard had money and connections, sure, but favors run out. Using them came at a cost, and I knew that well.

"Seems like someone wants this to cool off, slow down, and eventually disappear," I said.

Following Leonard's logic, I started to see the bigger picture. And then what? Let it fade, and as the buzz died down, what was their next move?

If they wanted to protect Laura, they could've bailed her out and sent her abroad. Why kept her locked up?

There was only one possibility left. They didn't want Laura out. Even if the evidence was shaky and her motive unclear, they couldn't let her go. What did Laura do to make these big shots so nervous?

Was it because she was suspected of killing Alan? No, Alan had nothing to do with these big shots.

I was starting to think Laura wasn't the one who killed Alan, maybe she wasn't involved at all. It could've been a total accident.

I was curious about what Laura did to make these big shots and people from the orphanage risk making false testimonies to get her convicted.

But for me, what Laura did wasn't the main thing.

The big question was, if Laura wasn't the killer, who really killed Alan?

Thinking back to the court testimonies, the third witness, Tom, said he saw Laura go into Alan's room again and they talked about something.

But so far, the witnesses' testimonies just muddied the waters. I had a new idea.

What if all three testimonies were bogus? Let's start from scratch. Why did Alan go to the Entertainment Club in the first place?

He wouldn't just go there on a whim. Someone must've invited him. If he had invited someone, it would've been to a quieter place.

Who invited him? It had to be someone Alan knew well and hadn't seen in a while.

I tried to narrow it down and use the process of elimination.

Lally, Tammy, Duke, and Tony were out. First, they were all in Silverlight City and might've had private contact. Second, they had regular incomes and wouldn't have invited him to the Entertainment Club.

So that left his out-of-town buddies or those living the high life. Laura was out; she already said in court she wasn't the killer and didn't invite Alan.

That left Frank, Bob, Mike, and Zack, who I hadn't met yet.

Frank was easy to rule out. I'd met him, and from his reaction, it seemed like they hadn't been in touch for ages. So, that left Bob, Mike, and Zack.

If these three had motives, what would they be?

From what I'd gathered, their bond wasn't just as college buddies but also as childhood friends from the orphanage. They were tight. No mortal enemies here.

Plus, they all pointed fingers at Laura, clearly holding a grudge against her, not Alan.

There was another possibility. What if it was a setup? But I quickly dismissed that. Laura's lawyer wasn't a slouch. If it was a simple frame-up, it would've been exposed in court.

The more I thought about it, the more tangled it got. The suspects seemed to be drifting away from Alan. There was only one way to go.

Their relationships seemed complicated, but they all started from one place, the orphanage.

If I could figure out their initial relationships, maybe everything would click. Not only could I understand the ties between them and Laura, but I also had a hunch one of them knew who really killed Alan. Or maybe there was a natural link between these two events.

After hashing out the theories about Laura's case, I fell into deep thought, constantly deducing and eliminating until my furrowed brows gradually relaxed.

"Looks like we've got a lead," Leonard said, relieved.

I nodded, knowing he was proud of me, his apprentice. He knew my thinking and judging habits well.

I then filled Leonard in on the info I'd gathered over the past few days, including the relationships between Alan and these people. During this time, Zoey came back. Seeing we weren't done talking, she was about to leave again, but I called her over to listen. Zoey had always been concerned about Alan's case, and there was no need to keep her out. It would also help her career.

Plus, I needed help. The people I could rely on and trust were almost all in this room.

After sharing my thoughts, the room fell into deep thought again.

"Nancy, you're the victim's family, yet you can look past Laura's suspect label and actively investigate the real killer. I'm very pleased."

Leonard's eyes were a bit teary. As his former apprentice, he was undoubtedly proud of my growth. "I agree with your theory. The real killer of Alan and the grudge against Laura seem like two separate matters, but they might be connected. The orphanage is the key. Meanwhile, the big hand behind the case might reveal itself. When that happens, no matter how high up they are or the cost, I'll bring them to justice!"

He sighed deeply and said solemnly, "Nancy, this case depends on you both publicly and privately. Benjamin's been transferred out of Silverlight City. I can't openly investigate, but I'll give you all the help I can in secret."

Zoey squeezed my hand and said loudly, "And me!"

Just then, Benjamin got a call. His face went pale. After hanging up, he said gravely, "I just got a call. Lally is missing."