Chapter 55 Casing II
“The hunting ground is quite vast, how do we begin the search?” Private John asked, adjusting his glasses nervously.
He stood among a crowd of high-ranking officers, men he rarely ever breathed the same air with. A headlamp sat tight against his forehead. He had heard Captain Maverick was shot; most of the off-duty platoon had rushed here, ready to help find whoever dared target their own.
Maverick might have been cold… strict… someone who made him work overtime every damn week but he was never cruel. Never unjust. He was a man you respected even when he scared the hell out of you.
General Richard didn’t look at him. His grief and fury made him cold, made him sharp. He turned to the ballistic team.
“Go ahead. Explain.”
He didn’t care if they had to comb through every inch of this forest. He would burn it to ash if it meant catching the shooter.
One of the forensic officers and one of the ballistic officers stepped forward.
“The velocity of a 5.6mm cartridge is between 900 and 940 meters per second, sir.”
Another continued, pointing toward marked sections of forest.
“So the effective firing range is 400 to 600 meters. We’ll concentrate all search units within this area.”
Richard nodded once.
The sun had already began to dip it was almost 6:30 pm. Over a hundred soldiers stood ready helmets on, lamps lit, magnet detectors in hand.
Richard lifted a hand to give the order and then the ground began to vibrate.
A deep rumble. Engines. Every soldier turned toward the sound.
Massive military trucks roaring forward with floodlights so bright the men had to squint.
The beams swept across the entire forest like artificial daylight. Then came the chopping thunder of helicopter blades overhead.
Three choppers hovered low, their lights cutting through the treetops.
The trucks stopped with a hiss of brakes.
The door swung open and General Edwards stepped out.
Even in his late fifties, the man moved with the confidence of a lion, broad shoulders, weathered face carved by decades of power, and hair whipping in the wind created by the choppers.
The soldiers were struck silent. Only Richard looked unfazed.
He knew Edwards and he knew the man would burn the whole country down if it meant revenge.
Edwards grabbed a loudspeaker.
“RICHARD!” he roared, voice crackling through static.
“Let’s get down the motherfucker who dared touch the Edward’s son-in-law!”
He strode across the field, boots sinking into soft earth, stopping beside Richard with a low growl of fury.
“Old man,” Edwards said darkly, “I came the second you called. Let’s hunt our bingo.”
Richard’s eyes narrowed.
“Where is Vincent? I called him too. No response.”
“I called him as well,” Edwards replied. “Last I saw him was when he left the hospital last night.”
Richard’s jaw twitched.
Apart from himself and Maverick…
Edward and Vincent were the only active military officers who were present at the hunting ground that day.
But he forced his suspicions back into the shadows.
The hunt began.
Soldiers spread out, sweeping the soil with industrial magnets. Choppers hovered, lights slicing through the darkening forest. Trucks stationed themselves at intervals, shining beams powerful enough to mimic daylight.
Seconds crawled to minutes, minutes to hours.
Water and food were available to those who needed it. Courtesy of the Richards. Butler Rose made sure of it.
No one was allowed to stop searching. Until they found the case.
They had to.
Heaven stepped out onto her balcony, hair messy, eyes swollen. She hadn’t slept. Not even for a second.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Maverick getting shot, the moment he collapsed into her arms, his warm blood on her hands even though she had washed it.
She stood on the balcony watching the lights from the hunting ground painting the night in harsh white.
The low hum of helicopters filled the air.
“They’re looking for who shot him,” a voice said softly behind her.
Heaven flinched.
Eva stood at the far end of the balcony, her blonde hair fluttering in the cold wind, face pale with exhaustion.
Heaven’s voice cracked. “Oh… could the shooter still be there?”
“There will be a trail,” Eva said quietly, eyes fixed on the distant searchlights. “There’s always evidence.”
Heaven nodded.
“Did you… did you see anyone after the shot?” Eva asked suddenly, turning to her with desperate, hopeful eyes. Heaven was the last person who was with him.
Heaven shook her head. She wished she had see anything to help catch the killer.
“No. I didn’t see anyone.”She felt useless.
Eva sighed, pain twisting her features.
“Whoever did it planned everything,” she whispered. “All the cameras on our wedding day were cut off… and the servants working that evening disappeared. It was all planned.”
Heaven froze. The air seemed to vanish from her lungs.
She remembered. She had come early that evening because of her cramps.
She had seen a man working on the CCTV and she asked a maid for hot chocolate and a warm cloth but the maid never brought it.
She could never tell Eva. If she did…
They would know Maverick spent his wedding night with her, not his wife.
Her hands clenched at her sides. Her whole body trembled.
Back at the hunting ground a sudden shout ripped through the forest.
“I FOUND THE CASING!”
Soldiers stopped, choppers angled their lights.
The world held its breath.