Chapter 170

Chapter 170

In the police station's conference room.

"Ethan," Robert said in a low, serious tone, "lay it out for us. What did you dig up on that trucker?"

Ethan nodded, took a moment to gather his thoughts, and then began slowly, "Seven years back, Gary's daughter was in a car crash. Tragic stuff. We've got some initial info. Gary took a big payout from the other driver and even went along with a psych eval they wanted."

Ethan opened the case file, his voice weighed down, "I went through all the old files from the local cops, put together a whole timeline."

"Picture this, seven years ago, a regular morning. Gary's daughter heads off to school like always. But it's not until 9 a.m. that his wife gets a call from the school, saying their kid never showed up."

"Gary's family starts searching frantically along her route, but she's nowhere to be found." Ethan paused, took a deep breath, "His wife calls the cops. They show up fast, start a big search. They find a bloodstained backpack and a sketchy blood spot by the road."

Ethan went on, "His wife's a wreck, almost collapsing. Cops look hard, but besides those clues, nothing else pops up."

Turning the page, Ethan continued, "Cops widen the search, and finally, nine miles south, in a town, they stumble upon another traffic incident."

"On that road, a driver said he spotted a strange car parked up ahead, blood smears on the door, and bloody handprints on the window. He even claimed he saw a kid inside through the glass."

"When the cops got there, things were already a mess. The car was in a pile-up, total chaos. A lady in her forties was waving a stick, blocking medics from reaching the child." Ethan's tone darkened, "Medics managed to get the child into the ambulance, but then the woman did something awful: she suddenly rushed forward and grabbed the child."

Robert's brow furrowed, his voice tense, "She took the child?!"

Ethan confirmed with a hint of anger, "Yeah, she did. And not just that, she slammed the kid down hard. The autopsy showed the kid had fractures and tire marks. The cause of death wasn't the car crash; it was the woman's actions, making the kid suffocate from internal bleeding in her chest and belly."

A heavy silence filled the room, only broken by Ethan's strained voice.

Albert's face drained of color, fists clenched tight, "That woman is pure evil!"

"That kid deserved a shot at life," Ethan's voice barely audible.

Robert's gaze sharpened as he absorbed Ethan's account.

His lips pressed into a thin line, a storm brewing within him, "What charges did they end up slapping on the culprit?"

"The cops nabbed the car owner on a murder rap at first. The public went nuts, demanding justice for the kid. But once the legal wheels started turning, the defense threw a curveball." Ethan's face flushed slightly, a touch of frustration in his voice, "The lawyer argued the murder charge didn't stick and pushed for 'intentional harm' instead. Then they pulled the 'not enough evidence' card, even wanted the cops to redo their homework due to 'procedural issues.'"

Robert fell silent, his eyes narrowing, "The evidence seemed solid. Why the sudden change?"

Ethan sighed, explaining, "Right when things got dicey, Gary did a 180, talking about forgiveness and sending a letter to settle things."

"Forgiveness?" Albert's eyes widened, "No way! Why would Gary back down like that?"

"That's the reality," Ethan's tone grew graver.

Robert closed his eyes, contemplating, then asked calmly, "Could there be more to this? What's the woman's background?"

Ethan flipped through the papers, then said slowly, "Her husband runs the local loony bin."

"Later, the lady's attorney played the mental illness card, claiming she wasn't in her right mind during the incident due to some temporary mental issue," Ethan struggled to relay the final judgment.

Albert exploded in anger, jumping to his feet, "All those shrink buddies of hers are in cahoots with her husband; this whole thing reeks of injustice!"

How must Gary have felt then, powerless and broke, facing such a raw deal?

In the conference room, the detective team fell silent, the tension palpable. Robert finally spoke, his voice calm yet resolute.

"So, Gary played the money-hungry act, going along with the psych eval to lower his guard, waiting in the shadows," Robert explained. "Sure, he battled a sex addiction, but people are complicated. He's still a dad who adores his kid, and that won't stop him from seeking payback for her."

"We need to track down Gary pronto; we can't drag our feet," Robert declared.

Taking a breath, his face cold and stern, he added, "And let cops in Aurelia nab Beckett's dad right away."

"Gary won't stop until he helps Beckett's dad take out the real scumbag. And Beckett's pop will keep hunting for vengeance for Gary's girl," Robert stated firmly.

His words rang out like a warning, "So, the guy who really did the deed back then is next on Gary's hit list."