Chapter 206 Collecting Evidence
When the locksmith arrived, he quickly opened the iron door with ease. Caroline clearly noticed that Xyla looked especially nervous. Nine times out of ten, the electricity theft device was in there.
Once inside, they discovered that the two rooms were originally one, artificially divided by a cement wall built down the middle. One room served as an electrical distribution room with equipment, while the other was piled full of junk, leaving no place to step.
Caroline took out her flashlight and swept it around inside. At first glance, there really didn't seem to be anything special, but when the light fell on the floor, she spotted some fresh muddy footprints. She crouched down for a closer look and noticed faint red brick powder on the edges of the shoe prints, identical to the dust kicked up by the brick-making machine.
She shone the light in the direction of the footprints, and there was a pile of clutter as tall as a person stacked in the corner.
Ulysses followed her inside. Caroline moved the junk aside piece by piece. Oliver came over to help too. Caroline was in charge of filming. After Ulysses moved a wooden frame, an electricity theft controller suddenly appeared on the wall.
Ulysses said, "Found it. Look, the electricity theft device."
Caroline walked over. Oliver took the flashlight to light it up for her. She filmed the device and discovered a yellow hidden wire coming in through a crack in the wall.
This type of electricity theft device had a remote controller hidden inside, using a wire to remotely hide the power-stealing equipment.
Caroline called the Parkers in and asked, "What is this device?"
Parker frowned but said nothing. Xyla didn't even look, turning her face to the side and saying quietly, "I don't know."
Isaiah also came closer to look. With Ulysses's explanation, he finally understood how the electricity theft device worked.
He asked sternly, "Caught red-handed, what do you have to say for yourselves?"
Parker hung his head. After thinking for a moment, he finally spoke, "Life is hard for us too. High costs, low profits - we need to save where we can."
Caroline said, "Stealing electricity is illegal. To save money, you're willing to break the law?"
Parker knew it was too late to say anything now. "I'll accept the penalty."
Caroline asked him back, "You say that so easily. Do you know how much the penalty is?"
Parker asked, "How much?"
He thought that since the time of electricity theft couldn't be found out, the fine would only be for today, and it would be around twenty to thirty thousand dollars.
Caroline said, "Once electricity theft is confirmed, we'll recover the electricity fees for the entire theft period, plus charge three times the back-owed fees as a penalty for unauthorized use."
Parker's eyes grew wider as he listened, calculating in his head, this wasn't a matter of tens of thousands of dollars.
"I just started using this machine today."
Caroline said, "Whether you just started using it today, we'll investigate. Based on witness testimony, physical evidence, and your brick factory's shipping records - how many bricks you produce each day - it's easy to calculate the years of electricity theft."
Parker frowned and stared fiercely, "If you investigate like this, you're not leaving me a way to live! Who on earth are you? Are you here to catch electricity theft or to impose fines? If you want money, just say so, and I 'll give it to you."
Caroline had worked for years and had dealt with more than one difficult person like him.
Caroline asked, "So now you're admitting to the electricity theft?"
Parker raised his neck and said impatiently, "If you say there is, then there is."
His defiant attitude showed he absolutely refused to admit fault.
Xyla quickly stepped forward and tugged at Parker's arm. "Stop being stubborn. Why are you arguing with them?"
"What do you know?" Parker said. "They could fine us into bankruptcy."
Hearing this, Xyla panicked too. She hadn't expected things to get this serious. She started speaking nicely to Caroline.
"Ms. Tudor, we'll pay today's electricity fee, can we just not pursue this further?"
Caroline said, "Mrs. Stafford, when laws and regulations are violated, they must be handled according to legal requirements. This isn't something I personally get to decide."
"Then how much would the fine be?"
Caroline estimated, "According to Article 71 of the Electricity Law, for theft of electrical energy, the electricity management department shall order the violator to stop the illegal behavior, recover the electricity fees, and impose a fine of up to five times the owed electricity fees. Based on your brick factory's electricity usage and legal calculations, we preliminarily estimate the theft value at $400,000, requiring payment plus penalties of $1.6 million."
"What? That much in fines?" Xyla's voice went up an octave. "Who has that kind of money? We haven't even made that much. You really have no conscience, just going after fines."
"Mrs. Stafford, we're all acting according to the law," Caroline was about to explain when Xyla gave her no chance, reaching out to grab the body camera she was wearing to destroy the evidence. "I don't want to hear your explanations. You say fine, so we get fined? What are you filming? Who said you could film?"
The electricity theft room was dark, the floor piled with junk. Caroline's slender frame was pulled backward by Xyla's attack.
To protect the evidence, Caroline gripped the recorder tightly and wouldn't let go, resulting in her falling hard onto a pile of junk.
The scene suddenly turned chaotic. Ulysses and Oliver rushed over to pull Xyla off. Seeing his wife about to lose the fight, Parker used brute force to shove Ulysses aside and kicked Oliver over. Both men were knocked to the ground. At the same time, Isaiah rushed over to restrain Parker, shouting, "Ronan!"
Due to the cramped space, Ronan was standing at the door when the chaos broke out. Seeing the sudden scuffle, he struggled to squeeze in, but by then Caroline was already pinned to the ground by Xyla.
Ronan, being young and strong, pulled Xyla up and shouted at her, "What are you doing? Stand still and don't move. Do you know what the crime is for resisting law enforcement with violence?"
Xyla was panting, wiped her nose with the back of her hand, swallowed, and said tearfully, "With such a huge fine, are you trying to kill us?"
Ronan pulled Xyla off Caroline. Caroline struggled to stand up, supporting herself on a wooden post, only feeling something sticky in her hand, but didn't think much of it.
Ronan asked her, "Ms. Tudor, are you okay?"
Caroline shook her head. "I'm fine."
She first picked up the recorder from the ground, made sure it wasn't damaged and that the evidence video was still there, then felt relieved.
"Let's go outside first." Isaiah held Parker's wrist. Ronan brought Xyla out.
When everyone got to a bright area, they found their clothes covered in gray marks, and Caroline's arm was dripping blood down to her wrist.
"Ms. Tudor," Oliver pointed at her hand, "you're bleeding."
Only then did Caroline feel the piercing pain. She turned her wrist over - she must have hit something, cutting a small gash. She quickly pressed on the wound.
"Quick, get her to the hospital." Isaiah said.
Caroline was taken to the hospital to treat the wound. It wasn't deep, but looked scary. The doctor said it needed a few stitches. When cleaning the wound, they had to open it up to remove the dirt inside. The pain made her grit her teeth, but she didn't make a sound. After treating the wound, she also got a tetanus shot.
She left Ulysses and Oliver at the brick factory to handle the aftermath, issuing a penalty notice on the spot, cutting off the power supply, and confiscating the electricity theft equipment. Ronan took Xyla to the police station to pursue their related responsibilities.
When Caroline got home and changed her clothes, she discovered several bruises on her back that looked scary, especially the injury on her waist - she must have hit the wooden post. It was bright red, turning purple.
She endured the discomfort and took a shower, then lay on the bed aching all over. Just as she was about to turn over, Leopold's video call came through.
Caroline quickly found a comfortable position, adjusted her expression, and pressed accept.
When Leopold saw her, he smiled and called out, "Honey."