Ninety Four

Raina’s mouth fell open. “What do you mean? The police? Are you saying that the shooter…” she trailed off, not even sure one bit what he was saying, or what that meant. 

She knew Captain Steve Newport was linked to RavenTech company, but only to cover up their murder’s maybe. She didn’t actually think he was part of the killing in any way. 

But now…

“I’m saying,” Tyler interrupted, “that Sandra Liu’s killer used a belt that came from inside the department. Either they’re a cop, or they’ve got connections deep enough to get their hands on police-issued gear.” He said. 

Raina stared at him, her mind spinning. “That’s… that’s huge. It changes everything. But if that’s true, why wouldn’t the killer just use a regular belt? Why risk using one that could be traced back to the police?” she asked.

That was the dumbest thing they could have done. 

“Because they thought they were careful,” Tyler replied. “They assumed scratching off the serial number was enough. Most people don’t even know about the hidden marking. Scott only knew because he used to deal with evidence like this when he was still a cop.” He said. 

“So if Scott knew that, shouldn’t other cops do as well? I mean, it’s safe to say that maybe it wasn’t a cop. Or they wouldn’t have been that careless.” She said, thinking about it. 

Tyler shrugged his shoulder. “Well, that’s true. It’s could be as simple as the belt being stolen, or a cop losing their belt somewhere and someone else picking it up, although, that seems unlikely.” He said. 

Raina sat back, her appetite forgotten. “So what now? Does Scott know which officer the belt was assigned to?” she asked. 

“Not yet,” Tyler said. “But he’s working on it. He’s already looking into who had access to that batch. It’s not a long list. We’ll know more soon.” He said. 

The kitchen fell silent for a moment. Raina absently pushed her plate aside, her mind racing with questions. Although, she knew that this wasn’t a suicide case, it was why she started the investigation, proving it was completely a different ball game. “This proves it wasn’t suicide,” she murmured. “Sandra Liu didn’t hang herself.”

“No,” Tyler agreed, his voice low. “Someone wanted her dead. And whoever did it wanted it to look like she did it to herself.”

Raina’s gaze locked with his, licking her dry lips. “We’re getting closer, aren’t we?” 

“Closer than they would like,” Tyler said, his eyes narrowing. “Which means we need to be careful. If they know we’re getting closer to what really happened, what all this is all about, then they’ll come for us, again.”

His words hung in the air so heavily, serving as a reminder of just how dangerous the truth could be when it doesn't serve the purpose of the people behind the line. 

“There’s something I need to tell you,” she said, her voice coming out low.

Tyler raised an eyebrow, his fork pausing mid-air. “Okay. What is it?” he asked. 

“I need to grab my laptop first,” Raina said, pushing her chair back. “Wait here.” She stood up, gently replacing it. 

Tyler gave her a curious look but didn’t press. “Alright.”

She walked out of the kitchen and hurried upstairs, her heart pounding. As she passed by Tyler’s room, she saw that his door was opened, and she caught a glimpse of his bed, neatly made like a soldier had done it. It was such a stark contrast to the chaos swirling in her own mind. Steeling herself, she grabbed her laptop from her room and quickly headed back downstairs.

When she returned, Tyler was still sitting at the table, eating his food, then he looked up to watch her with those sharp gray eyes. She placed the laptop on the table, opened it, and began typing.

“Do you remember the night I snuck out and went to Captain Newport’s house?” she started, her voice coming out a bit low as she spoke.

“What is it?” he asked. “Are you planning to sneak out again? Don’t bother because you won’t be able to disarm the alarm.” He said. 

“No Tyler,” she said quickly, holding up a hand to stop his protest. “I only went there the first time because I had to know what he was hiding. And I found something, Tyler. Something big.”

She turned the screen toward him, scrolling through the records she had uncovered that day with Amber. Tyler leaned in, his jaw tightening as his eyes darted across the screen.

“BlueJelly,” she said, pointing to a name on the document. “It’s not just a shell company. It’s part of a much larger operation… RavenTech’s hidden puppet.”

Tyler frowned. “RavenTech? As in the same company linked to Newport before?”

“Exactly,” Raina said, her voice firm now. “BlueJelly and RavenTech are connected. They share directors and officers, hidden behind layers of paperwork. It’s all designed to look separate, but it’s not. BlueJelly is being used to funnel payments directly to Captain Newport.” He said. 

Tyler’s eyes narrowed, his jaw tightening further. “And RavenTech’s the puppet master pulling all the strings,” he said, piecing it together.

“Right,” Raina continued, her voice gaining momentum. “BlueJelly’s registration address is a virtual office in the Cayman Islands… And here’s the kicker: RavenTech registered a subsidiary at that same exact address years ago. This isn’t a coincidence, Tyler. It’s deliberate. They’ve gone to great lengths to hide this connection.”

Tyler leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair. “So Newport’s on RavenTech’s payroll. That explains a lot. The cover-ups, the resources he seems to have access to…” He trailed off, his expression grim.

“And if Newport’s involved,” Raina said quietly, “then he might know more about all of the than we thought. Plus the belt being a property of the police department. He’s not just covering up their messes. He’s part of them.” She said. 

The room was silent except for the faint hum of the refrigerator. Tyler stared at the screen, his fingers drumming against the table.

“We have to find out why they killed all those people. Not just what you have in your report, but what everything boils down to” he said finally. “We need to work fast if we want to get to the bottom of this. 

“I know,” Raina said, her voice firm. “All those people need justice. It’s why I started this in the first place. I didn’t plan on putting my life in danger just for the kicks and fun of this.” She said. 

Tyler’s gaze locked with hers, and she could see nothing but  admiration flashing in his eyes. “You’re a brave woman. T’at's a good trait, even though you’re stubborn as well.” 

“Yeah,” she said with a faint smile. “But I wouldn’t want me any other way.” She added. 

He shook his head, a small smirk tugging at his lips. “Let’s see what else Scott digs up before tomorrow . But we also need to get this another way. Maybe see where the belt trails lead, if that would be enough to get Hunter involved, so he'll get a warrant to get this, or else, it's going to be inadmissible.” he said. 

Raina nodded, the need to get this done burning in her chest. She knew the risks, but she also knew one thing for certain… she wasn’t backing down.