Chapter 57
"I did. Parker Group's legal team will be here tomorrow."
Sophie pushed a cup of hot water toward her. "Who do you think did it?"
Evelyn picked up the cup but didn't drink.
"The handwriting on the note can be analyzed, but they probably didn't use their own writing. The key is the white chrysanthemums."
Sophie frowned. "What about the flowers?"
"Flowers delivered after one in the morning. That time of night, every legitimate flower shop is closed. To get a neatly wrapped bouquet of white chrysanthemums in the middle of the night means either they prepared it in advance or they sourced it through a specific channel on short notice."
Sophie's eyes lit up. "Trace where the flowers came from?"
"Yeah. Even better if the wrapping paper has a shop label or watermark on it."
Evelyn set down the cup.
"Get some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be busy."
---
The next morning at eight-thirty, Mr. Eagleson from Parker Group's legal department and an evidence preservation specialist arrived at Sophie's complex.
At nine-fifteen, two officers from the district police station showed up.
Evelyn handed over the note and bouquet in the evidence bag to the officers. She also gave Mr. Eagleson copies of the surveillance video and screenshots she'd taken.
The officers took statements on-site. Evelyn compiled the anonymous text messages she'd received over the past three months, cell tower location data, and a timeline of the previous Mr. Larry incident and online attacks into a brief written summary and submitted it all.
"There's a connection between these incidents." Evelyn pointed to the timeline in the written materials. "The perpetrator may be the same person or organization."
The officers recorded everything but didn't commit to anything on the spot.
"We'll investigate and notify you if there's progress."
After the officers left, Mr. Eagleson stayed to talk with Evelyn for twenty minutes.
"The flower wrapping doesn't have a shop label, but there's a very small watermark on the paper—a set of initials. I've already photographed it and sent it to the tech team to look into."
Evelyn nodded.
"Also, Mr. Parker asked me to tell you—" Mr. Eagleson paused. "We pulled surveillance from the intersection three hundred yards outside the west gate. At one-oh-nine this morning, a black van came from the direction of the west gate. License plate was half-obscured, but we've locked down the make and color. The tech team is using the traffic monitoring system to track the van's route."
Evelyn's finger pressed against the table.
"When will the tracking results be ready?"
"This afternoon at the earliest."
After Mr. Eagleson left, Sophie came out of the bedroom with a tablet in hand.
"I found the watermark."
Evelyn looked at her.
Sophie handed over the tablet. On screen was a floral wholesale platform webpage. The logo in the upper left corner matched the watermark on the wrapping paper closely.
"This platform's called Scarborough Fair. It's for online flower wholesale—targets flower shops and event companies. Individuals can register too, but they need real-name verification."
Evelyn clicked into the details page. The platform had an order system and delivery records.
"If the flowers were bought from this platform, there'll be order and delivery address records in the backend."
Sophie leaned against the arm of the couch. "The question is how to access the backend data."
"Have Parker Group's legal team go through judicial assistance procedures, or contact the platform's customer service directly citing evidence in a case."
Evelyn sent this lead to Mr. Eagleson.
Then she picked up her bag and changed her shoes.
Sophie asked from behind her, "Where are you going?"
"North district."
---
In the cab, Evelyn opened the project list Cedric had given her three days ago.
North District old city renovation area. Tourism commercial comprehensive development. Estimated value $320 million.
The summary noted the plot location—the area from Joy Street to Peace Alley in the north district's old town, total area of 102,000 square yards. She'd heard about this area when she was at Ashford Group. They'd evaluated it but never pursued it. The reason was too many legacy issues—complicated property rights, difficulty coordinating interests between the government and original residents.
But Evelyn knew that the projects others wouldn't touch had the biggest profit margins.
The cab stopped at the intersection of Joy Street.
Evelyn got out and stood at the entrance to the street.
Before her stretched an old street over four hundred yards long.
Both sides lined with brick-concrete structures built in the fifties and sixties. Most of the lime on the exterior walls had peeled away, exposing the red brick underneath.
Some of the ground-floor shops were still operating—a convenience store, a tailor's shop, a small storefront for locksmithing and key duplication.
The street wasn't wide. Two cars could barely pass side by side.
The pavement was concrete, poorly maintained, grass growing through the cracks.
Evelyn started walking from the entrance, taking photos as she went.
She didn't photograph the buildings' exteriors. She photographed the notices posted beside each building's door number—demolition announcements, property registration notices, historic building designation labels.
When she reached the middle section of the street, she stopped.
A three-story gray brick building. A rusted iron plaque hung by the entrance.
The characters on the plaque were painted in red, half of it flaked off.
"Peace Alley Management Committee."
The first-floor door was open. Evelyn walked in.
A middle-aged woman in a white short-sleeved shirt sat behind the front desk, an electric fan whirring in front of her.
"Hello, I'm from Parker Group's project team. I'd like to learn about property rights and resident relocation in this area. Who should I speak with?"
The woman looked up at her.
"You're doing the old district renovation?"
"Yes."
"That's great. Let me call our director, Mr. Jackman."
The woman stood and walked inside. Evelyn waited by the front desk, her gaze sweeping across the notice board on the wall.
Posted on the board was a document from the North District Old City Renovation Command Office. Dated last month. The core content required the local street office to complete property rights confirmation and resident intention surveys within two months.
Evelyn took out her phone and photographed the document.
Ten minutes later, a tall, thin man came out from inside. Early forties, shirt tucked into his pants, a stack of files in his left hand.
"From Parker Group? I'm Jackman. I'm in charge of this area."
"Hello, Mr. Jackman. I'm Evelyn."
Evelyn took a business card from her bag and handed it over.
Mr. Jackman took the card and glanced at it. "Deputy director?"
"Yes. I'd like to talk to you about the basic situation in this area."
Mr. Jackman set the files on the desk. "Come on, I'll show you around."
---
All afternoon, Evelyn followed Mr. Jackman through the Peace Alley area from south to north.
Permanent population: fourteen hundred people.
Two historic buildings had historic preservation plaques. Three more were in the application process.
The resident intention survey was only half done. Preliminary results showed sixty percent willing to relocate, thirty percent undecided, ten percent opposed.
Evelyn recorded all this data in her phone's notes app.