Chapter 163 Speculation

Inside the police car, Benjamin had finally calmed down.

Leonard finished his call with the head of the Office of Inspector General as the car sped down the highway.

"Leonard, give me the lowdown. What exactly went down?"

From Benjamin's reaction, Leonard taking charge at the police department, and the bits of info I had pieced together, I could roughly grasp the situation. But I needed precise details, especially now.

"The state police chief has been investigating for a while and has come clean about everything over the years. The police chief, deputy chief, and several captains from Silverlight City PD are all tight with Ronald. Basically, these folks were all promoted from Silverlight City PD." Leonard explained.

I nodded. This was what I had suspected.

"So Ronald had them under his thumb before they could be nabbed?"

"Exactly."

Leonard glanced at the silent Benjamin, frowned, and said, "Benjamin's location got leaked after his business trip. Now we know who's behind it. It's understandable to be upset, but let's hope there won't be a next time. You've got big responsibilities and can't afford to slip up because of this."

I could catch the hint, but I didn't want to dive into the topic of internal promotions. If Benjamin could come out of this okay, that would be great. But my main concern now was Erica and the others' whereabouts.

"Where's Ronald now? Any word from Alan? Is Erica also under Ronald's control?"

Leonard's face turned serious. He adjusted his glasses and stared ahead, his eyes burning with anger.

"If you were Ronald, where would you go?"

A man with no chance of survival, no opportunity to turn things around. From what I knew of Ronald, he wasn't one to cling to life desperately. He wouldn't flee to another state or country.

"I guess he's still in Silverlight City."

"Right. The day Ronald showed up in Shadow City, we issued a nationwide warrant. All highways, customs, and ports were strictly checked, but we found no trace of Ronald. We messed up. We should've guessed Ronald was in Silverlight City. We wasted so much manpower and time."

Leonard looked ashamed and sighed, "That was my bad. I've already submitted a report to my superiors."

Wait, the State Office of Inspector General? Leonard's position is deputy prosecutor; he should report directly to the prosecutor.

"Leonard was just appointed as the local prosecutor for Silverlight City a few days ago," Ruben, the driver, coughed and added.

In the rearview mirror, his expression was serious, occasionally glancing at me.

"Erica is missing, but Zoey is safe. She's at her grandmother's house, spending time with her." I said gently.

Benjamin snorted and glared at Ruben. At a time like this, he was still thinking about his trivial matters.

Ruben knew he was in the wrong, touched his nose, and focused on driving.

"Congrats, Leonard. It's been tough over the years..."

Leonard sighed deeply, waved his hand, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes seemed deeper, making him look older than the last time we met. He said solemnly, "I made another mistake in the search within Silverlight City."

"A thorough search?" I replied.

"Yeah."

I knew Leonard's work style—diligent and meticulous, never missing a detail. Realizing Ronald was hiding in Silverlight City, he would conduct a thorough search.

But Ronald, the head of the state police criminal investigation department, almost taking the role of state police chief, would surely anticipate Leonard's style and common search points.

He would hide in unexpected places, even switching between the most obvious spots.

I thought carefully and said, "Sand Village, True Love Entertainment Club, Silverlight City Police Department, Erica's house—these places should be searched thoroughly."

"And also... the Silverlight City Journal office building." I added solemnly. Howard's disappearance was directly related to Ronald.

Benjamin, who had been silent, turned around and looked at me in surprise, asking, "Why do you think that?"

"It's a simple reverse deduction. Ronald, as the head of the state police criminal investigation department, is familiar with Silverlight City Police Department's work style. He would anticipate the places you would think of and avoid them. The places I mentioned, you must have searched first, and not just once, but probably found nothing." I replied.

Leonard and Benjamin both nodded in agreement.

"So, it's a simple in plain sight concealment tactic. But I guess Ronald took it a step further. He understands you well enough to predict your pursuit routes and timings. All your actions are within his calculations, so he keeps changing hiding spots, creating a time gap that gives him ample preparation time." I speculated.

Ruben asked, "Is it possible there's a mole in the police force? Someone in the search team?"

"Unlikely. Although Ronald's plan is meticulous, his control wouldn't extend to ordinary officers. He would only contact the high-ranking officials in the police department. Besides, I guess he never anticipated this day would come. So, all his arrangements are based on his confident understanding. This time, he won again."

"So, where do you think we should go now?"

Leonard looked at me with a relieved smile.

Without hesitation, I said, "True Love Entertainment Club."

Ruben turned his head and looked at me, "Leonard, it's unbelievable!"

I chuckled, "Isn't this road leading to True Love Entertainment Club?"

"That simple? I thought you really deduced it." Ruben scratched his head and laughed.

I took a deep breath and said, "Not exactly. It's just that I understand Ronald well enough. He doesn't just hate betrayal—it's about his obsessive need for control. Anyone or anything that slips his grasp faces brutal consequences. Sand Village is ideal for a lone fugitive but too exposed for a group. The Silverlight City PD offers short-term hiding, but staying too long is suicide. As for Erica's place or my company? Howard and Erica are already under his thumb, so those are off the table."

I continued, "Eliminating other options, only True Love Entertainment Club remains. The old steel mill site, Ronald secretly bought the land and built that standalone building. He might not have anticipated this day, but True Love Entertainment Club has done so many shady things over the years without a single report. This suggests there might be hidden rooms or underground spaces there."