Chapter 81 Hidden Connections
Two days later.
Room 402 of Light of Hope Hospital.
Oliver stayed in the hospital bed with an IV needle in the back of his right hand, holding an iPad with his left.
Alison sat in a chair beside the bed, peeling an apple with a small knife. The long peel dangled down into the trash can.
Oliver was video-chatting with Taylor.
"The Progress Learning Fellowship has been finding jobs for people with criminal records for several consecutive years," Taylor reported. "Over two hundred people have found employment through Alaric's connections, including at demolition companies, construction firms, tourism agencies, and new media companies. Oscar found the list on Alaric's computer, but strangely, more than half of these people can't be contacted."
Oliver asked with a serious expression, "Are they just unreachable or actually missing?"
If there were large numbers of missing people, this could become another major case!
"We're still investigating, but the workload is enormous, and we're short-staffed," Taylor replied.
"I understand," Oliver said, his voice slightly hoarse. "I'll request additional personnel. Anything else?"
"Yes. The Mutual Fellowship that Leo established also helped disabled people and elderly widows find temporary work. Several names from the Fellowship's roster appear on the list found in Alaric's computer. We find this suspicious, but again, we're short-staffed, so the investigation will take time."
A flash of insight struck Alison. "Isn't the Women's Society involved in helping students in need find jobs? Are there any students who've lost contact or gone missing?"
"No reports have been filed," Taylor answered.
If any students from the Women's Society had gone missing or lost contact, it would have made headlines given how much attention the organization had received.
"Check it anyway, just to be safe," Oliver instructed.
"Yes, sir!" Taylor continued, "Mr. West, Alison, just a quick heads-up; Golden Horizon Resort wants to apologize for their mistake. They've offered four compensation options, which I've sent to your email, Mr. West. Also, while investigating the employee who neglected their duty, they discovered it was a woman named Daisy who locked you in the conference hall. The hotel manager has already reported her to the police."
"It was her," Alison said in surprise. "Why would she do that?"
"So it was her after all," Oliver said with displeasure.
"At first she claimed she was drunk and denied it, but later said it was just meant to be a small prank," Taylor's tone conveyed his skepticism.
Oliver said, "I've noted this. If you have nothing else to report, hang up. I need to eat my apple."
"Okay, Mr. West. Wishing you a speedy recovery. Goodbye, Alison."
"See you later," Alison waved at the camera. "When I met Daisy, she didn't seem drunk at all."
"She did it deliberately," Oliver gave a cold laugh. "She'll pay for this."
Alison cut the peeled apple into pieces and placed two fruit forks on the plate, handing one to Oliver while using the other to bring a piece to her mouth.
"Delicious," she said, enjoying the sweet fragrance and juicy flavor. She pointed upward, "How do you think I could see Matthew? Would pretending to be a caregiver or nurse work?"
Just as Oliver was about to offer his suggestion, there was a knock at the door.
Ophelia and Matilda arrived.
When Ophelia had rushed to the hospital two days earlier, she'd immediately teared up seeing Oliver's pale face in the hospital bed. Now, two days later, her emotions were more stable, and she greeted Oliver and Alison with a smile.
Alison put two more fruit forks on the plate and picked up the knife to peel another apple.
"Don't bother, we won't eat any," Ophelia stopped her, gently stroking Alison's head. "Such a good girl."
Matilda placed a container of nutritious food on the table with an unhappy expression. "That Daisy really crossed the line! I originally thought she was a poor but resilient girl. Guess I totally misjudged her."
"Daisy's mother divorced when Daisy was very young and remarried when Daisy was twelve. Her second husband, John, is the CEO of that famous chocolate snack brand and a major client of our law firm. John isn't very close to Daisy. I heard John was at the police station this morning, scolding Daisy for embarrassing him and threatening to throw her out of the house," Matilda sighed, though without much sympathy. "John said Daisy's mother would have to choose between them."
"That's enough about her," Ophelia's tone turned cold when Daisy was mentioned, and she seemed somewhat annoyed at Matilda. "No more setting Oliver up on dates, okay?"
The first girlfriend who had hurt Oliver had also been introduced by Matilda. Though she knew Matilda meant well, the results had been upsetting.
Matilda shook her head vigorously. "Never again!"
She glanced at Alison with a hint of amusement in her eyes. "Alison, thank goodness you were there. If you hadn't taken care of Oliver all night, he would have become seriously ill."
Alison, however, thought that if Daisy hadn't seen her, she might not have decided to lock the door.
Feeling awkward at Ophelia and Matilda's warmth, Alison said, "Would you like juice or coffee? I can go downstairs to buy some while you chat."
Alison left the room, giving Oliver time alone with his relatives.
She went upstairs first but was turned away by security before she could get close to Matthew's room.
As she reached the lobby of the inpatient department, she saw Oliver's father, Alvin, slowly approaching with a cane.
Alvin smiled at Alison. "I just took a phone call, so I let them go up first."
He gratefully and solemnly thanked Alison, then invited her to visit anytime. "Jason misses you very much."
"I'd love to play with Jason again," Alison said, her gaze inadvertently falling on Alvin's slightly limping left foot.
"I was once kidnapped, when Oliver was thirteen. The kidnappers demanded five hundred million in cash as ransom. Even after getting the money, they still planned to kill me," Alvin noticed her gaze and voluntarily explained. "The police arrived just in time to save my life, though my left foot was severely injured, leaving me unable to walk for extended periods. The perpetrator escaped, and this incident became Oliver's motivation to join law enforcement."
Alison listened with surprise and attention.
Alvin raised an eyebrow slightly, deliberately teasing her. "Can you guess if Oliver eventually caught the kidnapper?"
Without hesitation, Alison replied, "He definitely did!"
She hadn't seen any files for this case in Oliver's office.
Alvin misunderstood her confidence. "You have such faith in Oliver?"
He smiled proudly, "Oliver's first case after becoming a police officer was capturing the man who had kidnapped me years before."
"He's very impressive," Alison agreed.
After chatting for a few more minutes, Alison walked through the garden to a small building.
A metal plaque reading "Psychiatric Inpatient Building" hung on the wall beside the main door. There were three entrances, all guarded by security personnel. Entry required an access pass.
Alison lingered outside the main door, ignoring the suspicious glances from the guards. Through the glass doors, she could see busy nurses and a few scattered patients in the lobby.
Unfortunately, she didn't spot any of the special program students.
Alison took out her phone and opened her chat with Gerald. He had mentioned plans to return to his home country in the next couple of days.
As Alison wondered how she might learn Gerald's flight information, Gerald himself was at St. Thomas Academy.
The parking lot was quite empty during the holiday period, with a dusty white sedan standing out prominently.
Gerald passed by the white car, his gaze inadvertently sweeping across the rearview mirror and the seam between the door and the car body, catching a tiny metallic reflection.
He came over, inspected the car suspiciously, and ended up at the passenger window.
He turned on his phone's flashlight, and under the bright light, a pinhole camera embedded in the black rubber seal became visible, previously almost undetectable.