Chapter 89

"Zoey's working at the Silverlight City Legal Journal now, so you don't need to stress. With Howard around, she'll be alright," I reassured him softly.

Ronald and Howard were college roommates. They should be around the same age, but Howard still looked like he was in his thirties or forties, while Ronald's skin was wrinkled like tree bark, and his hair was mostly white, making him look more like a weathered old man in his sixties.

Given all the near-death experiences he's had over the years, how could I scold him or lecture him about Zoey's career choices from a parental perspective?

I sighed and brought the conversation back to the main topic to keep Ronald from drowning in his guilt as a father. He had it tough enough already.

"Joseph got taken away because of some lifestyle issues. Word is, he had a relationship with a male state official. Before he left, he called his wife and told her two things if I came looking for him."

"First, Alan is not dead, and second, to find you. So, you're here in disguise, setting up a stall to investigate the criminals involved in the old steel mill's child trafficking case?"

Ronald looked at me in surprise and said, "That's right. How far have you gotten in your investigation?"

Since we were both digging into the same case, it made sense to share info. Plus, Ronald and Joseph had a unique bond. For Joseph to leave a message asking me to find Ronald before being taken away, there had to be a significant level of trust.

I also had a hunch that since he knew Joseph, he probably knew Alan, Lally, Frank, Laura, and the rest too.

I was itching to find out what really went down back then.

So, I decided to spill all the info and suspicions I had gathered, detailing everything from meeting Joseph to investigating Sand Village, Tony, Lally, Duke, Frank, Tom, and so on.

It had been a rough journey, with everyone being half-truthful. When they were finally ready to spill the beans, they suddenly vanished. In the end, it seemed that Frank, whom I initially investigated, might be the mastermind behind it all.

Many of my initial leads were wrong, like looking for the child trafficking base. If I hadn't gone to Cindy's house, I wouldn't have realized that the place of evil was the old steel mill's ruins. If Leonard hadn't found Joseph's suspicious points, I wouldn't have gone to find Joseph, and Evelyn wouldn't have come to me with Joseph's message.

"Those guys," Ronald's face darkened, and he muttered.

"Can you tell me about Alan and Joseph? It's important for my investigation," I asked sincerely, suddenly remembering something. "Were you here at your stall on the day of the True Love Entertainment Club incident? Did you see Alan? Who was he with?"

Ronald had been investigating this case, so he must have seen Alan when he went to the Entertainment Club that afternoon. Knowing who Alan was with and where he was now could provide valuable information!

"I was here that day and recognized him, but he didn't seem to recognize me after all these years. He was in a hurry, and two people were waiting for him downstairs. They had an argument as soon as they met," Ronald recalled, unconsciously smiling. "Those two crybabies have grown up and become much more scheming, just like that guy."

"Frank?" I asked.

"Yeah." Ronald rubbed his face and sat on a small stool. He was about to light a cigarette but stopped when he saw me next to him. "I wondered what they were doing here. This place is a nightmare for them, and they would avoid it if they could. The only reason they would come here is..."

"Revenge," Ronald and I said at the same time.

"Exactly. That's the only reason. I was going to go up and check, but the security guard stopped me." Ronald smiled bitterly and pointed to his dirty clothes.

"Dressed like this, I didn't look like a customer but more like someone looking for trouble. So, I called Joseph and asked him to come quickly. Joseph said he was with a leader and couldn't get away, so I called Lally. I was worried they might do something extreme."

It seemed he was in contact with both Lally and Joseph. "I guess Lally didn't answer."

Ronald nodded slowly. "Yeah, at that moment, I knew something was wrong. Shortly after, Joseph told me the whole story. The victim was an official, but he received orders to match the DNA of the body to Alan's with a 99% match. A big shot was starting to take action, targeting Laura."

Wait! Ronald didn't mention Lally, Tammy, Tom, or the others, only that a big shot was targeting Laura.

If Frank was the mastermind, Joseph would have known the situation. Or was it possible that Joseph was also present that day and they all deceived Ronald?

"Is that all you know?" To ensure the completeness of the information, I decided to confirm.

"Yeah." Ronald nodded.

"I think Joseph lied to you," I said bluntly. It wasn't Ronald's fault. Although we were investigating the same place, our leads and timelines were different.

I started investigating from the True Love Entertainment Club arson and murder case, following the clues provided by Lally.

After figuring out their backgrounds, I discovered they all came from the same place, which led me to the old steel mill's child trafficking case.

Ronald, on the other hand, started with the child trafficking case, aiming directly at the suspects behind it. Joseph and the others might have only provided him with leads and had nothing to do with the child trafficking case itself. On the contrary, they were victims.

"Why do you say that?" Ronald asked.

"The True Love Entertainment Club arson and murder case went to trial on the third day after the incident. You know that, right?" I said.

"Yeah." Ronald replied.

"But do you know who testified against Laura?" Seeing Ronald's puzzled expression, I continued, "Tom's adoptive mother Tammy, Lally, and Tom himself."

Ronald's face changed dramatically. He stood up abruptly, almost losing his balance, and asked in shock, "What! They want to put Laura to death? How is that possible?"

"Let me think..." Ronald paced back and forth, muttering to himself.

Suddenly, he shouted, "Joseph was also there. That guy lied to me! They must all have been there! The victim wasn't an official; it was the Entertainment Club's owner, Douglas Campbell!"