Chapter 153 Jerry’s Good Fortune

Chapter 153 Jerry’s Good Fortune

Like a stubborn oyster finally pried open, Tessa caught the scent of hope once more.

Jerry had a girlfriend?

The police investigation hadn't mentioned this either, but Tessa didn't think they'd deliberately avoided it.

Maybe even they hadn't dug deep enough to uncover this layer.

"What did this girl look like?"

Derek's face finally showed a hint of a smile, though his overall demeanor remained grim.

"She was pretty hot, probably one of those hostesses from the club nearby. All the girls there are gorgeous, just not as gorgeous as you."

Against his pallid complexion, Derek's smile looked particularly sleazy.

Ryan shot Derek a silent glare, his voice ice-cold as he reminded him, "Watch your language. We're investigating a case. Do you have a photo of this girl?"

Derek's smile grew even more sleazy. "Officer, Jerry's girlfriend—where would I get a photo of her? You think that'd be normal?"

Assuming they were both cops, Derek's attitude was uncooperative, almost like he was toying with them.

Tessa slapped the table, her tone sharp. "Which club nearby?"

"The Gilded Lounge, of course... I heard tons of rich guys go there to blow off steam, ordering multiple girls each time. A girl with her looks would have to be working at The Gilded Lounge, right? Because of her, Jerry—that hick—actually made it inside The Gilded Lounge. Beat me to it!"

Derek and Jerry's relationship clearly wasn't great. When he spoke about this, there was an unmistakable tinge of jealous resentment in his voice.

Tessa silently noted these details. As she and Ryan stood to leave, Derek suddenly called out to them.

"That girl's last name was something like Hernandez. Follow that lead."

"I was the one who brought Jerry to Majestic City. The way he ended up... it's all my fault. Officers, you two have to find out the truth. Clear Jerry's name."

Derek yawned, clear fluid dripping from his nose like water. The supervisor beside him quickly pulled him away.

Tessa and Ryan emerged from the mandatory rehab center, their emotions tangled.

People were probably just like that—always a mix of love and hate. Where was there pure love? And where was there pure hate?

The Gilded Lounge was pretty well-known in Majestic City. Its owner was a prominent figure in the city, and it was precisely because of his exceptional management skills and the club's unique nature that it attracted plenty of elite clientele.

Ryan walked in and immediately asked to see the owner.

At first, the security guards thought they were there to cause trouble, but when the manager arrived and saw Ryan's business card, their attitude completely changed. They ushered them inside with broad smiles.

"Our boss isn't in, but he's already given instructions that we must cooperate with whatever Mr. Williams needs to investigate." The manager's smile was ingratiating.

"Do you have a girl here whose last name is Hernandez?"

The Gilded Lounge employed many girls. The manager tilted his head in thought but couldn't recall anyone right away. He had someone fetch the employee roster.

After flipping through it repeatedly, he finally gave Ryan a definitive answer.

"We definitely don't have any girl here with the last name Hernandez. Did someone offend Mr. Williams? Is that why you're going to such lengths to find her?"

Tessa pressed on. "Someone said this girl with the last name Hernandez works here."

"Our employees usually go by stage names. Who would dare use their real name working in a place like this?" The manager continued smiling apologetically.

The explanation had no holes in it. Tessa furrowed her brow and asked, "Do any of you know Jerry?"

"Jerry?"

The manager turned to look at the staff behind him, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Come on, think! Are you all idiots?"

Several employees looked momentarily stunned, then racked their brains, hurrying to help the manager remember.

"...Oh, there was a kid who used to deliver liquor for us—I think his name was Jerry!"

This statement seemed to unlock a floodgate of memories, and the others began recalling Jerry too.

The manager nodded, finally having some recollection.

"That delivery kid was incredibly hardworking at first. He could load and unload an entire day's worth of liquor by himself. Back then, money came easy. Customers passing by would see him working so hard and give him tips. Our boss isn't stingy either—he even gave the kid a raise."

"Later, I don't know what happened, but he got really lazy. Could slack off for half the day even when working a full shift. But at least he'd finish moving everything, so the boss didn't make a big deal of it."

From the manager's account, Tessa could roughly deduce that this was when Jerry had started using drugs, which explained his transformation from a hardworking kid into a slacker.

Learning about someone they'd already written off as a closed case through another person's perspective—it was a peculiar feeling.

Jerry was no longer just a corpse or a one-dimensional character. He became a vivid, multifaceted person.

"Later, I heard some customer who came here took a liking to him. The two of them were together all the time, talking about who knows what. Jerry seemed pretty happy about it, but that girl's expression was..." said the person who'd first remembered Jerry.

"If the information Mr. Williams and Ms. Garcia received is correct, that girl is probably the one you're talking about." The manager finally stopped sweating, clearly relieved.

Tessa found this puzzling.

According to Derek's description, the girl was very beautiful. And based on what The Gilded Lounge employees were saying, she was also quite wealthy.

She recalled the photo of Jerry she'd seen at the police station.

Just an ordinary-looking, average man. And by the time this girl met Jerry, he was already using drugs.

Why would a wealthy, beautiful young woman be interested in a lazy guy like Jerry?

This whole thing raised nothing but red flags for Tessa.

"Grace Hernandez is very likely connected to Jerry's case." Ryan turned to Tessa with his analysis.

And there was a strong possibility that Jerry's death was Grace's doing.

Tessa nodded, agreeing with Ryan's preliminary theory.

"Do you have surveillance footage? We'd like to see what Grace looks like." Tessa looked up at the manager.

"Jerry's been missing for however long—that's how long it's been since Grace came around. The footage from that far back has been overwritten ages ago."

The fleeting lead quickly dried up, and the inquiry stalled again. An invisible barrier loomed before Tessa and Ryan, rising high to bar their way.

Sweat began beading on the manager's forehead again.

"Tell you what, Ms. Garcia, Mr. Williams—you two head back for now. The moment we see Grace again, we'll call you right away. We guarantee you'll get to see her!"