Chapter 37

Chapter 37

"We gotta find Daron first," Travis muttered, his voice low. "Arrest him right away."

"On it!" Kian replied, heading out the door.

Travis rubbed his forehead, wondering how such a straightforward task had turned into such a mess. 

The number of people involved was growing, and it was getting out of hand.

Suddenly, Travis froze. He looked up, disbelief in his eyes. "No way," he whispered.

He opened his office door and walked over to the whiteboard outside. 

Staring at the connections between the people on the board, he wrote Daron's name under Juan's. 

Next to Juan's name was Hayes'. Travis drew a line between the two names, then crossed his arms and stroked his chin.

Juan had sent someone to kill Roy and Eugene, leaving Hayes without witnesses, which would put Hayes' son in jeopardy. 

If that was the case, what was Juan's motive? What did he stand to gain?

"Campbell Corporation!" Travis exclaimed, eyes wide with shock. 

If this was true, Juan's ambition was enormous.

Daron had killed Roy and Eugene, and with the incident at Ethan's café, Hayes would have no choice but to seek Juan's help. Juan wouldn't miss such an opportunity. 

But these were just Travis's suspicions; everything would have to wait until they caught Daron.

If this was true, the conflict between Hayes and Juan was the real issue. 

Travis's lips curled into a slight smile. This was going to be quite a show.

"Captain Smith, Chief Johnson wants to see you," Kelvin said, holding a stack of files.

Travis nodded, put down his pen, and left.

In Carter's office, Carter and Joshua sat on the couch, their faces serious. 

Travis walked in. "Chief Johnson, Mr. Martin, what's up?"

Carter handed Travis a cigarette, his voice hoarse. "We've decided to close the case."

Travis stood up, unable to contain his anger. "Close the case? Is that what you do every time someone puts pressure on you?"

"First it was Jay's case, and now this? Do you even respect the badge you wear?"

Carter and Joshua exchanged a glance and sighed. "We have no choice. This time, the order came from the top."

"Henry's case must be closed. The Hillcrest drug case will be taken over by someone else, and even the narcotics division can't intervene. They're already preparing to hand over the files."

Travis took a deep breath, sat down, and took a long drag on his cigarette. "Who's putting the pressure on this time?"

"Alphonse Baskin," Carter replied.

Travis stood up. "The Commissioner!"

Carter's face showed his frustration. "Someone must have gotten to him."

"Someone will be here tomorrow to take over. You better behave yourself."

Travis clenched his fists, his voice low. "Got it."

Without waiting for Carter to stop him, Travis walked out.

Carter watched Travis's retreating figure with a look of helplessness. "When will that kid ever change?"

Joshua chuckled. "If he changed, he wouldn't be Travis."

They both laughed. Travis's stubbornness about cases was something they hadn't seen in other officers. It was both a strength and a weakness.

"Let's hope he doesn't disappoint us." 

Joshua said, lowering his voice, "Chief Johnson, are you hoping Travis will cause a scene tomorrow?"

Carter rolled his eyes. "What do you think?"

"I don't know."

They both laughed like a couple of old foxes.

Outside the investigation team office, Travis called Kelvin and Kian into his office. 

Seeing their puzzled expressions, he got straight to the point. "Someone will be here tomorrow to take over the case. It's on Alphonse's orders."

Kelvin and Kian were stunned. "The Commissioner?"

"Who are they handing it to?" Kian asked.

Travis's face darkened. "I don't care who. Until this case is fully investigated, no one is closing it." 

"Tell everyone to organize all the case files. I want to see what this new person is capable of."

"Got it!"

Charles also prepared, making backups of all the files, just in case.

That night, Travis's house was bustling. Members of the investigation team and the narcotics division, including Elaine and Jerry, had all gathered there. 

The place was so crowded there was hardly any room to stand.

Jerry, his face flushed, pulled Travis into the bedroom. 

Elaine, sitting on the couch with a beer, watched them curiously.

In the bedroom, Jerry, clearly drunk, pulled Travis onto the couch. 

Their hands were clasped together as if glued, and Jerry's flushed face made the room feel oddly intimate. Travis could almost see a pink glow in the room.

"Travis... I... you..." Jerry slurred, nearly falling onto Travis.

The strong smell of alcohol hit Travis, who pinched his nose in disgust. "What do you want?"

Jerry threw his bottle to the floor, and the room fell silent. He stood up unsteadily, still holding Travis's hand. 

"Why do they get to take away the case we've worked so hard on?"

Jerry's eyes were bloodshot, his face full of frustration. 

"We've been on this case for so long, and we're so close to finding the suspect. Those bastards... they just protect the suspect with a single word."

Jerry walked to the window, opened it, and shouted, "Fuck you!" into the night. 

Exhausted, he collapsed onto the bed, drained of energy.

Travis said nothing, covering Jerry with a blanket before leaving the room. 

Elaine peeked in, concerned. "Is he okay?"

"He's fine. Let's go."

Outside, the room fell silent. 

Across the hall was the crime scene where Aurora had died. 

They all looked at Travis, who couldn't meet their eyes. He was afraid. 

The case they'd worked on for so long was being taken away so easily.