Chapter 46

That was right, George was most likely Tony's father.

A while back, when I went to Tammy's place for an interview, I saw his picture and did some quick math. The timing lined up.

Since the breakfast stall guy knew so much about Tony's dad, he probably knew a lot about Tony and Zack too. And about George's death, Tammy never mentioned it at all. This family always gave off a weird vibe.

"You just said he passed away? I think Mr. Thompson's story could be part of a series on the history of the inner-city village. If it gets picked, there'll be some compensation." I gently probed, trying to learn more about their family.

"I don't want money!" The breakfast stall guy waved his hand and shook his head. "Promoting Mr. Thompson is the biggest help you can give us. Mr. Thompson was diligent and quick-witted. We didn't have much education, but Mr. Thompson could understand things at a glance and do them right. When he was elected foreman, none of the workers were unhappy. Following Mr. Thompson, everyone felt motivated!"

I nodded silently. To have such strong cohesion and appeal, and to be talked about so fondly even after so many years, was truly remarkable. Unconsciously, I thought of Alan again. Wasn't he the same?

"Mr. Thompson was not only good at his job but also a great person. After he became foreman, some people privately said that Mr. Thompson had been pretending for so many years and now that he finally made it, he would surely embezzle some money. But Mr. Thompson didn't. When Sand Village was distributing houses, Mr. Thompson chose a small house. When the company gave out benefits, he let everyone take theirs first. The extra bonuses during holidays were all openly accounted for and basically evenly distributed. Mr. Thompson was like a scale, fair and just. Neighbors with conflicts would go to him for mediation, and everyone was convinced in the end!" As he spoke, the breakfast stall guy looked desolate, took out a cigarette, lit it, and said slowly, "It's a pity, good people don't live long."

"Was Mr. Thompson murdered?" I asked.

"No," the breakfast stall guy replied.

Seeing that there wasn't much business, the breakfast stall guy moved a chair and sat down, sighing with resentment. "Mr. Thompson and his wife didn't have kids for a long time. Later, they adopted one. Unexpectedly, within a year, his wife got pregnant. The adopted child was treated like their own son. He was sensible, smart, and good at studying, and the neighbors liked him. The second child wasn't as smart as the first, seemed a bit dull, but was very obedient."

The eldest the breakfast stall guy mentioned seemed to be Zack, and the second was Tony. I nodded and let him continue.

"Mr. Thompson was a good man. A few years later, he adopted a little girl. Now, with a family of five, life was lively."

Things started to seem off. Tammy's family only had two kids, so who was the third? I vaguely felt that George's death wasn't simple.

"So how did Mr. Thompson die?" I asked.

The breakfast stall guy fell silent, his eyes showing a trace of sorrow. After a long time, he said in a low voice, "A big fire. He and his daughter didn't make it."

"His daughter was different from his sons, very wild. She would run out all day and even not come home at night. One time, it was two or three in the morning, and she still wasn't back. Mr. Thompson and his wife were worried, took a flashlight, and called out for her throughout the village but couldn't find her. They knocked on doors asking about her whereabouts. Later, they heard she was found near the old steel factory's gasoline warehouse."

"The warehouse caught fire. Mr. Thompson rushed in to save her, but neither he nor his daughter made it out," the breakfast stall guy sighed deeply. "Since then, Mr. Thompson's wife lived with the two boys. She was tough. Even when neighbors offered help, she refused, saying Mr. Thompson always helped others without expecting anything in return. If she accepted help, she wouldn't be able to face Mr. Thompson in the afterlife."

Thinking about Tammy's sorrowful expression when looking at George's photo, losing her husband and refusing neighbors' help, every day of these years must have been pure torment.

"But the hardships didn't end there for Mr. Thompson's family. As his two sons grew up, the eldest went to college, and the second went to a technical school. Especially the eldest, who did well after graduation, had money and status. Who would have thought he would do such a despicable thing? He wanted to demolish Sand Village. Sure, the villagers were a bit greedy, wanting more compensation, but they were all their own people. They could have sat down and talked it out. This bastard had his brother beaten up, damaging his reproductive organs. Mr. Thompson adopted this bastard, did good deeds all his life, and ended up with his son being childless! Is this something a human would do?"

The breakfast stall guy spat angrily. "If I see that bastard, I'll skin him alive. How could he do this to Mr. Thompson and that family?"

"And... what about Mr. Thompson's second son?" I asked.

The key person was still him. I didn't think Tony was as dull and introverted as people said. On the contrary, he was very alert. So far, I seemed to be in the open, and he was in the dark.

"Tony is a good person. After the incident, he didn't even curse Zack. We thought Zack would be more successful than Tony, but now it seems Tony might be the family's blessing. Despite his condition, Tony found a wife. I even attended their wedding. His wife is a few years younger than him, capable and beautiful. Even without children, they could adopt one and live a good life." The breakfast stall guy finally smiled, seemingly satisfied with Tony.

It seemed he didn't know about Anna's affair with another man. And I just remembered, Lally mentioned before that Anna married Tony after he became disabled.

I had a long-standing doubt. Why did Anna choose to marry Tony? She was young, beautiful, and had a complicated relationship with an investor from Digital Leap Technologies Company. Her financial situation should be good. Even if she wanted to marry, Tony wouldn't be her choice. Why did she live in Sand Village?

Recalling Anna asking me to help Tony find a job at the company, it seemed they had a genuine emotional foundation. Could it be true love? But Anna seemed very shrewd in our interactions. Would a beautiful young woman at her age take love seriously?

I couldn't figure it out. This family always gave me a strange feeling. Their tragic fate was undeniable, but Tony and Zack were shrouded in too much mystery. They seemed unrelated to the Entertainment Club murder case. Tony had an alibi for the night of the murder, and although Zack wasn't directly connected, Tammy had included his name in the insurance policy.

I suddenly thought of a question. The copy of the insurance policy had nothing to do with the Sand Village demolition case. How did it end up in the office files?

Thinking of this, I exchanged a few pleasantries with the breakfast stall guy and then returned to my car to call Zoey. She was already at the office. I asked about the company's investigation of the demolition case, which was also in late December 2019.

But the problem was, the demolition fight happened in December 2019. Silverlight City Journal investigated, collected, and archived the information.

Why did the insurance policy copy provided to Tammy in 2020 appear here?

Moreover, I had Zoey confirm that the insurance policy copy was clearly updated, looking like it was placed there recently.

I suddenly felt an inexplicable fear. Someone had been guiding me in this investigation all along.