Chapter 12 The Fellowship
Landon's sister Zoey was a quiet, frail young woman. She wasn't sitting in the police car but instead sat with her fiancé under the shade of a tree by the roadside.
Alison noticed Zoey's bangs were damp with sweat and asked why she wasn't in the car enjoying the air conditioning.
"It feels stuffy in there. I needed some fresh air," Zoey replied, her right hand resting on her abdomen, gently caressing it.
"Pregnant?" Alison softened her voice.
"Yes, I just found out yesterday." Zoey's eyes reddened, her body trembling slightly. "If Landon hadn't died, he could have heard this good news himself."
"My condolences." Oliver had reviewed her statement; Zoey's answers were complete, and she could have gone home already, but she had mentioned wanting to speak with him.
"You took the bracelet Landon gave me a few days ago. Could I have it back?" Zoey asked vulnerably.
After their parents died, their aunt, who favored boys over girls, only agreed to take in Landon. Zoey went to live with her maternal grandmother, and the siblings didn't see each other for a long time. Landon wasn't much for school and dropped out early. When he heard she was trying to get into a prestigious high school, he traveled across half the city to see her, using his work earnings to support her needs, while living frugally himself.
Her acceptance into college was also largely thanks to Landon's unwavering support. The first money she earned from her part-time job went toward buying him the guitar he had always wanted. She wanted to support his dream of becoming a singer, but now Landon would never sing again.
Zoey cried until she nearly fainted. "The bracelet was Landon's blessing. Please give it back to me."
Listening to her story, Alison thought of herself and Lucy, feeling a lump in her throat.
Oliver handed her a pack of tissues. Alison covered her eyes with a tissue and muttered her thanks.
"The bracelet is important evidence. We can only return it once the case is closed," Oliver promised. "We'll do everything possible to catch the perpetrator and close this case quickly."
"Thank you." Zoey bowed deeply.
She suddenly remembered something. "About the wish-making thing—Landon once mentioned a fellowship, the Mutual Fellowship. He made some friends there, and those lucky crystals seemed popular among the members."
"What kind of fellowship?" Oliver's eyes narrowed as he quickly asked for details.
Zoey shook her head. "Landon only mentioned it once in passing. He didn't say much, just that the members were all from this city and they held regular meetings and activities."
Oliver immediately instructed his team to check the social media accounts of the three victims for any clues about the fellowship.
Just then, Taylor arrived with news. "Mr. West, we found a lot of burned papers, photos, and discs in Byron's trash, along with an empty can of air freshener!"
He glanced excitedly at Alison. The last time they visited Byron, Alison had smelled air freshener as soon as she entered, though Byron had claimed it was aromatherapy. Now it seemed Alison hadn't been mistaken.
"I think whatever he burned must have been important, but unfortunately, we can't make out what any of it was," Taylor said regretfully.
Alison quickly flipped through the evidence photos on his camera, pausing on one for a few seconds before pointing to the bottom right corner of a burned photograph for Oliver to see.
There were two partially burned characters: [owship.]
"Fellowship?" Oliver immediately made the connection, instructing Taylor to pursue this lead further.
Now they could confirm that the Mutual Fellowship was the common link between the three victims, and even Byron was a member.
The scattered clues were finally being connected by a clear thread, bringing them one step closer to the truth.
By the time they finished, it was past 7 PM. Oliver planned to have dinner with his team, except for Lillian who had taken Hannah to the hospital after she suddenly fell ill.
Standing by his car, Oliver saw Taylor jogging over with his equipment. "Mr. West, shall I drive?" Taylor offered eagerly.
Oliver didn't see Alison and found it strange—wasn't she always looking for a ride in his car?
"Where's Alison?"
"She left early. Had something to take care of," Taylor said. "Must have been urgent—she left without even eating. Ready to go, Mr. West?"
Oliver had intended to drive himself but tossed the keys to Taylor and sat in the back. "Let's go."
Taylor blinked in confusion, sensing Oliver's displeasure.
Meanwhile, Alison spotted Allan preparing to leave and staged a chance encounter with him on the sidewalk.
Allan indeed struck up a conversation. "Oliver and the team went for dinner. Why didn't you join them?"
"I suddenly remembered I left something at school and need to get it," Alison replied.
"School?" Allan had a realization. "You're still a student? No wonder you look so young."
Alison quickly explained, "I graduated long ago. I work at St. Thomas Academy now as a history teacher."
"St. Thomas Academy?" Allan looked surprised. "There was a female teacher who went missing there recently."
"Yes, I replaced her," Alison revealed her connection, casually asking, "Are you handling that case?"
"Unfortunately, yes," Allan sighed. "Bad luck to get a cold case right before retirement."
Alison lowered her eyelashes slightly, concealing the concern in her eyes. "Has it become a cold case? No progress at all?"
"Too few leads. We haven't even identified any suspects yet. Plus, St. Thomas Academy is backed by Thomas Holdings, and they don't want publicity," Allan explained. "The missing teacher was the daughter of a renowned professor who kept pressuring the police department and confronting the academy. Now she seems to have given up. I heard she fell ill from grief and went abroad for treatment."
Rowan Rose was one of the most authoritative scholars in religious studies. Though Rowan disliked Alison, she treated Lucy like her own daughter.
Rowan hadn't given up looking for Lucy. After using her influence against Thomas Holdings, she encountered numerous problems and even threats to her life, forcing her to leave the country.
Rowan's departure had been hasty. Alison had only managed one phone call with her to establish their plan for Alison to infiltrate the academy. Since then, Rowan had been unreachable.
Both the academy and the holdings were formidable institutions for Alison, who was working alone without connections. Arthur, the academy's principal, had worked for Thomas Holdings for over fifteen years. His only nephew, Matthew, became Alison's best entry point for investigation at this stage.
Alison exchanged contact information with Allan and arranged to have dinner together sometime.
After parting with Allan, Alison grabbed a quick dinner and researched the most popular motorcycle hangouts in the city. She compiled a list.
One club was hosting a racing event tonight. Not knowing where Matthew would ride his motorcycle, Alison chose the club as her first destination, hoping for some luck.
Her luck was good—Matthew had indeed gone to the club.
But her good fortune seemed to run out all at once. Not only did she lose track of Matthew, but she also attracted the attention of a group of troublemakers.