Chapter 167

Chapter 167

Robert slid a photo of Gary, the truck driver, across the table to Ada, his eyes piercing. "Take a good look at this guy. How'd you end up in touch with him?"

Ada's gaze lingered on the photo briefly. Her lips moved, but she stayed silent, clearly at a loss for words.

Leaning in, Robert's tone grew more intense. "Let me ask you again. Did you ever see Dana back in high school ten years ago? Think hard."

Ada's expression grew impatient. "I already told you, I don't know Dana. Even if she shopped at our store years ago, with all the customers we've had, how am I supposed to remember everyone?"

Her voice rose, tinged with anger. "Officer Davis, why are you connecting a decade-old incident to my husband's death?"

Noticing the inconsistencies in Ada's responses, Robert decided to try a different approach.

He headed to another room.

Inside, Ada's daughter Dora sat with her head bowed over a math textbook, her eyes unfocused.

Robert tapped on the door gently, his tone softer this time. "Dora, can we chat?"

Dora glanced up, a flicker of panic in her eyes, but she nodded quickly.

They moved to the interrogation room together. Robert didn't rush to speak, instead, he poured her a glass of water and placed it on the table. Dora's fingers traced the cup's rim lightly, seeking solace.

Breaking the silence, Robert spoke slowly but directly. "Your mom confessed to planning your dad's murder. She said she deleted the photo and made the call. She claimed she got a picture of your dad cheating and couldn't handle it, so she decided to kill him."

Dora trembled slightly, her eyes widening. "My dad was murdered?"

Robert met her gaze, not answering directly but asking, "Why did you say 'was murdered' instead of 'your mom killed him'? Do you know something?"

Dora's hands clenched into fists, nails almost digging into her palms.

After a moment of silence, she finally spoke, her voice barely audible. "It wasn't my mom. She didn't know anything."

Robert leaned in closer, his tone gentler. "Then who? Tell me, I'll help you."

Dora took a deep breath, her eyes showing hesitation and inner turmoil.

Finally, she pulled out a phone from her backpack and handed it to Robert. "I deleted the photo."

Taking the phone, Robert's expression shifted slightly. "Why did you delete the photo?"

Dora looked down at her hands, a hint of regret in her voice. "It was a Friday. School ended early that day. When I got home, my mom was cooking in the kitchen. Her phone lit up, and out of curiosity, I glanced at it and saw a photo."

She bit her lip, tears welling up in her eyes. "It was a picture of my dad with another woman and a child. I was scared my mom couldn't handle it, so I deleted the photo, cleared the Facebook cache, and recycle bin."

Robert listened quietly, then asked, "What happened next?"

Dora lifted her gaze, a tinge of guilt in her eyes. "That night, I confronted my dad. He promised he wouldn't harm my mom or break up our family. But he lied. He went to see that woman again."

Her voice quivered. "To stop him from repeating it, I planted a tracker in his car and hired a private eye to look into that woman."

Robert nodded. "What went down the night before last?"

Dora sniffled, tears rolling down her cheeks. "That night, my dad's car was parked outside that woman's place once more. I couldn't handle it, so I called her husband, shared the location, and told him to catch them red-handed."

Her voice choked with emotion. "He must've been furious and killed my dad in a fit of rage. If anyone's responsible for my dad's death, it's me! I'm the one who set that up, I killed my dad!"

Robert leaned back, his expression conflicted. "Are you positive you made the call from your phone?"

Dora nodded, wiping tears away. "Yes, with this phone. I thought about borrowing someone else's phone, but it was too late, and I didn't want to disturb my classmates."

Robert glanced at the phone, piecing together the puzzle in his mind. Things were veering off from his initial assumptions.

Just then, Ethan burst in, his face puzzled.

"Officer Davis, something's off about this case!" Ethan exclaimed. "I checked Dora's call logs, and the timing she mentioned doesn't match up. Could it be that these two incidents are unrelated?"

Frowning, Robert asked, "What do you mean?"

Ethan pointed at the records. "The buried alive incident in the woods and Ben's murder, could they be mere coincidences? I suspect there might be a third party involved!"

Robert raised an eyebrow. "A third party?"

Ethan nodded. "This person drugged Ben while Gary was asleep, then stashed him, waiting for the accident to occur."

Robert contemplated.

Ethan continued, "I believe Gary and Ada are in cahoots. Gary's role was to dispose of the individual after the drug took effect. However, the break-in at the van that night might have been an unexpected event, disrupting the truck driver's original plan."

"Whether Ada is tied to these incidents remains uncertain, but Gary is implicated in these killings."

Ethan gasped, "Are you suggesting Gary might be a serial killer? Are all these murders connected to him?"

Robert nodded gravely. "His proximity to the burial site is too coincidental, and more significantly, Sophia suspects that when Gary left the hospital, he took Ben's medical records. Yet, I can't shake the feeling that there's a deeper link between Gary, Ada, and Dana."

"What's the next move?" Ethan inquired.

Robert turned to the whiteboard, indicating the timeline. "Look into Gary's background, explore Dana's connections, particularly her high school peers. The teachers might not have all the details, but classmates could provide more insights."

Ethan nodded determinedly. "Understood, I'll get on it right away!"