Chapter 78

Leonard's office door was wide open, so I knocked and strolled right in.

Back when I worked at the prosecutor's office, I always knocked and entered without waiting for a "come in" from Leonard. It wasn't just me; everyone did the same.

Leonard was always swamped with work, no time for chit-chat, and his office was strictly business.

If you were there, it was for work, so you just walked in. He didn't have the luxury to turn anyone away or refuse work.

At that moment, he was flipping through some documents while cross-referencing info on his computer.

When he saw me, he gave a quick nod and went back to his work.

It felt just like old times.

I plopped down on the sofa, waiting. The biggest clue had just surfaced, and I needed to tell Leonard to put the investigation on hold. We couldn't risk any slip-ups.

Leonard read the document three times, carefully comparing the info, then nodded.

"Nancy, come here," Leonard said, handing me the document he'd just read and swiveling the computer monitor towards me.

The rotating monitor arm was a birthday gift from me. Leonard wasn't getting any younger and spent too much time hunched over his desk. The arm could adjust the monitor's height to ease his neck strain.

At first, Leonard refused, saying he had to keep his work ethic and couldn't accept gifts. I asked if he wouldn't even take a gift from his own apprentice.

Leonard reluctantly accepted it but anxiously asked about the price. I told him it wasn't expensive. Later, he somehow found out the cost and insisted on paying me back.

This time, I refused. Leonard glared at me and said he hadn't attended my wedding, and it wasn't right for a mentor not to give a gift to his apprentice. He told me to use the money to buy something for myself since he was too busy to do so.

That was the only time we ever called each other mentor and apprentice. It never happened again.

Leonard said, "This document is the autopsy report for the True Love Entertainment Club arson and murder case, along with the list of related personnel and their personal info. Take a look."

I skimmed through the list, which included info on Benjamin, Ruben, and others. Leonard was thorough, even checking his own people.

He then opened an encrypted file on the computer and said, "These are the recent attendance records of court personnel related to the case."

"How did you get the court staff's attendance records?" I frowned. This didn't seem like Leonard's style.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures. It's nothing," Leonard said, unscrewing his water bottle, taking a sip, and clearing his throat. "Stephen sent it to me a while ago."

I was surprised, "Stephen?"

He was the presiding judge during Alan's trial, a judge at the Silverlight City People's Court, a key figure in the criminal court, and a member of the judicial committee. He had also been transferred to another location, but I didn't expect him to still be in touch with Leonard.

"Yeah, he's been in touch. We decided to investigate this together," Leonard said with a smile. "I wasn't wrong about Stephen. He's upright and unafraid of authority."

I said, "Leonard, stop investigating. I can handle it."

When did these two start teaming up on this case? Leonard hadn't mentioned it when I was in the hospital. This was way too risky.

"You're in your thirties, still playing the hero, trying to save the world? I thought you'd grown up since leaving the prosecutor's office, but look at you, back to your old self," Leonard laughed, pointing at me, and handed me his water bottle. "Go fill this up, will ya?"

"Haven't you stayed the same?" I glanced at the cup, which had a lot of history.

Leonard said, "Let me ask you, if this case had nothing to do with Alan, would you still be on it?"

I nodded without a second thought. The case was a tangled mess, with connections and a timeline spanning twenty years. It involved crimes like child trafficking, organ trafficking, and murder.

Even if I wasn't in the prosecutor's office, as a legal worker, I had to dig to the bottom and find the truth.

I replied, "The editor-in-chief of Silverlight City's biggest legal newspaper should have that kind of responsibility and duty. This is the mission of a legal worker, and it's what I admire most about you."

Leonard nodded, smiling with satisfaction. "Then as the deputy prosecutor, who you've always said is obsessed with power, don't I have even more responsibility to investigate? If we let it go, where's the fairness and justice?"

He opened the materials and pointed to the list of names. "The autopsy report was rushed, with many procedures skipped. That's suspicious."

He then flipped to the next page. "I screened all the police, prosecutors, and court staff related to the case. They were all transferred, and their attendance records and facial scans in other locations checked out. They haven't been back to Silverlight City recently, so they can be temporarily ruled out. But I found one issue."

I asked, "What?"

Leonard turned back to the last page of the autopsy report and pointed to the signature of the forensic doctor. "I overlooked this person."

The signature read, Forensic Doctor: Joseph Davis.

Leonard added, "I checked his background. He should have graduated from the law school at Silverlight University, three years behind you and Alan. He was in the school drama club, so you probably know him."

I nodded. Not only did I know him, but I also saw Joseph the night Alan's incident happened when I went to the police station to identify the body. I didn't recognize him at first, but later, when I broke down on the roadside, I met Joseph again and recognized him.

Moreover, the first key piece of information in this case-Alan going to the Entertainment Club alone-was provided by Joseph.

I asked, "Could it be... Joseph has a problem?"

A bad feeling crept up on me.

All the clues and logic in this case started with him and then connected to Tammy, Lally, Tom, Tony, Frank, and others.

If he had a problem, thinking back on the entire investigation process, I felt a chill down my spine. The whole process seemed like it was set up, guided by someone.

I suddenly remembered the insurance policy copy that was inexplicably placed in the company archives related to the Sand Village brawl case.

Cold sweat broke out. If that was the case, then who was guiding me?

Leonard looked at me and nodded. "Yes, he has a problem. As a participant in the case and the forensic examiner, he should be most aware of the direct evidence, but he wasn't transferred."

Indeed! Joseph had a problem!