Chapter 54

After getting everything sorted, I started to rethink the whole situation.

First off, I realized that the relationship between Lally, Tammy, and Tony was pretty clear. And as for another witness, Tom, I figured he had to be connected with Tony and the others.

No doubt about it. If Tammy and Lally's testimonies were bogus, then Tom's final statement in court totally covered up the gaps in their stories.

Even though the three of them had different takes, their goal seemed to be to go after Laura. When I brought up Laura, Tony's reaction was a dead giveaway.

And what about Tom? What kind of beef would a guy like him have with Laura that he'd need to team up with these folks from Sand Village?

From a social class angle, there shouldn't be any link. Then it hit me: could Zack and Tom know each other? Did they strike some kind of deal, with Tom giving false testimony? Also, I remember Tom saying in court that he was waiting for a client at the Entertainment Club. Could that client be Zack?

My boss, Howard, had mentioned before that Tom's business was tied to urban planning and construction, which just so happened to match the Sand Village demolition case.

Thinking about this, I checked the time. It was almost midnight. Knowing Howard, he was definitely still up. Sure enough, he picked up after a few rings.

"What's up, Nancy?" Howard asked.

"Are you busy? I need to ask you something. Which company does Tom work for?" I asked.

"He's got a few companies. If you need specifics, I'll have to check." Howard replied.

"Just the main one, the urban planning and construction one," I said.

"I know that one. It's called 'Dream of Sand Urban Planning and Investment Construction Co., Ltd.'" Howard said.

I jotted down the name on my phone and thought this needed to be fast-tracked. I couldn't wait until next week to see Tom.

"Howard, can we set up a meeting with Tom this week? I have a hunch there's something fishy going on. This guy must be linked to Lally and Tammy from Sand Village." I said.

"Let me think. It should be doable. I'll ask tomorrow and get back to you." Howard said.

"OK, also, do you know someone named Zack?" I continued.

"Which Zack?" Howard asked.

"The one who organized the demolition team during the Sand Village case in 2019, the one who caused the fight. He should be Tony's brother." I replied.

Howard thought for a moment and then said, "Oh, him. I know of him but haven't met him. Wait, I remember now. The final compensation process for the Sand Village demolition case was handled by Tom. So, a lot of the news reports can be accessed firsthand. I'll set up a meeting with Tom tomorrow under the pretext of thanking him for his work on the case, and you can join us as well."

"Great! Thanks, Mr. Martin." I said.

"Don't mention it! Let me know if you need anything." Howard said.

Sure enough! There was a connection between Tom and Zack, and Tom also had ties to Sand Village.

I opened an app on my phone that specializes in company info and searched for "Dream of Sand Urban Planning and Investment Construction Co., Ltd." Tom's name was listed among the shareholders.

I clicked on Tom's profile and found out he was involved in over a dozen companies. This guy had his hands in everything-design and construction, dining, fast-moving consumer goods, electronics, and even some overseas ventures.

I checked each one but didn't find any names linked to Zack.

I exited and searched for Zack. There were tons of results, so I filtered for those related to real estate but still came up empty.

The Sand Village demolition case was a big deal, involving both the government and real estate developers. A project that size couldn't be run by a small-time player.

Zack, who could throw down $1.5 million in insurance, had to be in upper management, and his name should be somewhere in the company records.

How could he just vanish, existing only in the stories from the folks in Sand Village?

Something was definitely off.

I searched for Tom again and checked all the companies where he was listed as a legal rep, executive, or investor.

After a long and exhausting search, it was already 3 AM.

Finally, I found Tom listed as a shareholder in a multinational company. He had a small stake but held the CFO position.

The company was called "C.K Internet," headquartered abroad, with its main office in Silverlight City.

As I kept digging, I found the name of the company's general manager and CEO, a name I should have thought of but had overlooked-Frank.

Tom actually knew Frank!

Then I remembered Frank's expression when I first met him.

When he heard about Alan's death, he was devastated. But if they were truly close friends, hearing about the other's death wouldn't result in such a calm expression, especially for a witness in this case.

Tony, Lally, and Tammy seemed to hate Laura deeply. What about Frank?

I remembered Frank's reaction when he heard about Laura. His attitude towards her was no different from the others, but Frank explained that he had a relationship with Laura during college.

Could this be the source of their hatred for Laura?

No, Frank, Laura, Mike, and Bob all came from the orphanage. Why didn't Frank mention this when we talked? Frank specifically said he became close to Alan in college.

But they had known each other since childhood!

Frank was hiding something! He didn't tell the whole truth!

And all of this was centered around the orphanage.

Something must have happened ten or even twenty years ago, something significant involving Laura, leading these people down different paths.

Because of this event, they began to hate Laura, and Alan must have played a role in it. Due to some accident, he met with misfortune, and these people directed all their anger and hatred towards Laura, determined to see her dead!

At the same time, this was a huge conspiracy involving Sand Village, the orphanage, and even Silverlight City and state-level leaders, causing the police, prosecutors, and court personnel investigating the True Love Entertainment Club arson and murder case to be transferred.

Thinking of this, my heart started racing, and my limbs went cold. This timeline spans over twenty years; the cases and people involved were all connected.

Returning to the present, the most important thing now was to investigate Tom, understand his connection with Frank, and find the vanished Zack.

I had a vague feeling that Tony lied. He must be familiar with Frank, Mike, Bob, Laura, and the others. And their relationship was not shallow!