Chapter 173

Chapter 173

Robert sat at his desk, staring at a pile of files with a deep frown.

"Officer Davis." Ethan pushed the door open and strolled in, holding a thick file, looking a bit worn out.

He walked up to Robert's desk and whispered, "Got Asher Hayes's file."

Robert glanced up at him.

Ethan dropped the file on the desk, his voice heavy. "Asher was missing for five years and got the official 'dead' stamp from the court."

He hesitated, then added, "Asher's disappearance is quite mysterious; there's no sign of him, dead or alive."

Robert skimmed through the file, his fingers tracing the papers. "So, you think he ghosted on purpose?"

Ethan, arms crossed, pondered for a moment. "From what I dug up, Asher was acting off before he vanished. No drama at work, tight-lipped with family."

He paused, then continued, "The day he went poof, there was heavy rain, but he kept driving and even took a detour despite a busted bridge."

"But cops found zilch." Ethan's tone turned serious, "The storm wiped the slate clean, case closed as 'oopsie.'"

Ethan went on, "Court did the legal dance, declared Asher six feet under, and his stuff went to the Becketts."

Robert nodded, "So, Asher went off the grid, playing hide and seek."

Ethan agreed, "Looks that way from what we got."

Leaning back, Robert's eyes hinted at deep thought. "Aurelia PD dig deeper into this?"

"Nah, hit a wall. A cold trail," Ethan said, shrugging.

Robert snorted, "Can't even find a lost sock. Incompetent or just lazy?"

Ethan whispered, "Years passed, clues dried up."

Pushing the file away, Robert's gaze turned frosty. "What about the lady who ran over Gary's kid? Any leads on her vanishing act?"

Ethan hesitated, then said, "Cops poked around, found squat. Case closed."

Robert's eyes narrowed, his voice somber, "Anything fishy before the hit and run?"

"After the accident, her hubby checked her into a loony bin. Released a year later," Ethan added, "Split a year and a half after, kid with him, she vanished."

"Did she talk to her ex before vanishing?" Robert probed further.

"Yeah, they met a few times and talked about tying the knot again for the kid. But they didn't seal the deal before she vanished," Ethan replied in a hushed tone.

Eyeing Ethan, Robert pressed on, "Did her ex remarry? Is the shrink who checked her still around? What about the cops who took the first statements?"

Frowning, Ethan said, "Different turf, can't just waltz in."

After a pause, Robert commanded, "Tip off the locals, share our hunches, and demand intel pronto."

"Got it, on it," Ethan nodded.

Robert's phone buzzed.

"Speak," Robert answered calmly.

"Officer Davis, checked the school roster from a decade back," Albert's voice hesitated, "Five gals dropped out that year, talked to 'em all."

"How'd they react?" Robert's brow furrowed.

"Denied any assault, seemed cool," Albert hesitated, "Asked 'round the bush, not straight up."

"You better not have," Robert's tone turned stern.

"Of course not!" Albert rushed. "Got their deets coming your way. Also, digging into Turtle."

"Good. Keep me posted," Robert's voice tired, "And look into who pushed the school bigwigs up the ladder."

Ethan blinked, "You think the janitor's onto something?"

Robert nodded, eyes cold on the window, "Principal's rise was smooth a decade back. Check promotions from then."

"I'll dig on our end," Robert's voice low, eyes sharp, "Match resumes, spot overlaps with the case."

"Got it, I'm on it," Ethan nodded, exiting swiftly.

Robert stood by the window, watching the wind play with the trees. "If someone hid the truth a decade back, they could control schools, cops, maybe even have kin in that high school."