Chapter 9

Travis's office.

Kian burst in without knocking.

"Captain Smith, we got a situation."

At a construction site in Hillcrest.

All the workers were gathered around, and a supervisor in a white hard hat looked as pale as a ghost.

In front of them, half-buried in a crumbling concrete wall, was a skeleton.

The eerie sight had brought the entire site to a standstill.

"Make way!"

Kian shouted from the back of the crowd.

The workers parted to create a path.

Travis approached the concrete wall, examining the skeleton from head to toe.

"Who's in charge here?"

A man in a white safety helmet stepped forward from the crowd, his face ashen and a phone clutched in his trembling hand.

"Officer... I am..."

"Officer, will this affect our project schedule? This is a government project, and we're supposed to finish by the end of the month."

Travis's face darkened with anger. "You're worried about the schedule right now?"

"Seal off the area. No unauthorized personnel allowed."

He turned to Kian. "Get the medical examiner over here."

A tent was quickly set up on-site.

All unauthorized personnel were cleared out, and Elaine, wearing white gloves, carefully examined the skeleton.

Travis stayed outside, gathering information.

The building was about thirty years old.

It had been designated for redevelopment by the government, and the skeleton was discovered during demolition.

Elaine emerged from the tent, removing her mask.

"Based on the bones, the deceased was a male, around 25 years old, and has been dead for about twenty years."

Travis nodded. "Tell the medical examiner to be careful and ensure the bones remain intact. Bring them back to the station."

The process took the entire day.

As night fell, the skeleton was finally laid out in front of Travis.

The body was curled up, hugging its knees, with a tattered red flag draped over it.

Travis looked puzzled. "Was this on the body?"

Kian nodded slightly. "Yeah, it was inside the concrete wall, just covering the body."

"But it's only half of it."

Outside, the workers were gathered, staring intently.

"Officer, can we start work tomorrow?"

"You've already dug up the body. Take it back for examination and don't delay our work."

The workers were noisy and indifferent to the identity of the skeleton. They only cared about resuming work.

Hearing their complaints, Travis waved them off.

Once Travis and his team left, the workers quickly restored the site to its original state.

Kian watched through the rearview mirror and couldn't help but remark, "People really do worry about their own jobs."

"To be blunt, the dead are dead, but the living still need to make a living. Their families depend on them."

They arrived at the medical examiner's office.

The skeleton was now fully assembled on the table.

"Is everything accounted for?"

Elaine observed for a moment before looking up. "Yes, we've checked the site thoroughly."

"Any findings?"

Elaine pointed to the skull. "There are clear signs of blunt force trauma. If nothing's missing, it looks like the victim was struck with a blunt object."

"The left pinky finger is also partially missing. Considering both injuries, it's possible the victim was attacked."

"Revenge? A crime of passion?" Kian wondered aloud. "They weren't even dead yet and were buried alive. The killer was ruthless."

Travis stroked his chin. "What about the red flag?"

"Oh, the lab took it for analysis. We should have results soon," Kian added.

Travis glanced at the skeleton, then took the forensic report back to his office.

Kian muttered, "Looks like another sleepless night."

"A twenty-year-old case is no small task."

Elaine couldn't help but chuckle at Kian's expression.

Back at the station, Carter called Travis into his office.

The two sat smoking. "Jay's case is closed. The family has taken the body."

Travis merely nodded slightly at this news.

Carter was surprised by Travis's indifference. "This isn't like you. You were determined to get to the bottom of Jay's death. What changed?"

Travis glanced at him. "Anything else? If not, I need to handle the new case."

Carter, a seasoned detective, could tell Travis was hiding something.

But he didn't press further and waved him off.

Jay's case was a thorn in Travis's side.

He couldn't mention the drug issue.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Travis headed to the conference room.

"Captain Smith, the lab report is here."

Kian handed Travis a report. "The material is unique. According to the archives, this red flag was produced by a textile factory in the city twenty years ago."

"But that factory has been closed for years."

"Closed?"

Kian nodded slightly.

Travis sighed, sitting down and spreading the reports in front of him.

"You all know about this case. It's from twenty years ago. With this new information, I need all the records on that textile factory from back then."

"Have the medical examiner identify the victim as soon as possible. We'll be working late tonight."

Travis left the conference room, and even from the doorway, he could hear the sighs inside.

Being a cop meant endless cases, making rest a luxury.

"A twenty-year-old case, and the factory's closed. How are we supposed to investigate this?"

Kian stared at the internal computer archives, feeling overwhelmed.

"Be grateful. Just hope someone kept records back then. If not..."

Kian snapped, "Kelvin, if you can't say anything helpful, just shut up."

Two hours later, the office was filled with various exclamations directed at Kelvin.

Because Kelvin was right!

But it wasn't a total loss.

They found some information about the textile factory from back then.

"Ethan Martinez?"

An old detective stroked his chin, feeling the name was familiar.

His eyes lit up. "I remember now."

The sudden outburst startled Kian and the others.

"Daniel, you scared me. What did you remember?"

"Did you forget to pick up your kid?"

"Of course not!" Daniel Wilson rolled his eyes. "I remember this guy, Ethan. He had a twin brother."

"His brother went missing years ago and reported it to the station. I was the one who took the report."

"But for some reason, the case went cold."

Kian's eyes lit up, and he approached Daniel, patting his shoulder. "This station can't do without you."