Chapter 7
Elaine stayed quiet, her face showing signs of inner turmoil.
Travis watched her closely.
"My dad left it for me," she finally sighed.
Suddenly, Elaine's phone buzzed with a call from the tech department.
"Elaine, we've cracked Ryan's phone. There's an encrypted communication app, and the latest contact is 'Crow.'"
"Crow!"
Travis's eyes narrowed. He remembered Robert's WhatsApp profile picture was a crow.
Elaine was still on the phone when Travis lowered his voice, saying, "This is Travis. I need the tech department's help."
"Keep an eye on Robert!"
The phone went silent, then a hesitant voice from the tech department replied, "Captain Smith, we don't have the authority to monitor a deputy director... I hope you understand."
"I'll get permission from higher-ups."
"Do you suspect Robert?"
Travis took out his phone and looked at Elaine. "Robert's WhatsApp profile picture is a crow."
Elaine's eyes widened.
On the phone, Travis shared his thoughts with the higher-ups.
Carter's angry voice came through the phone, "Travis, are you out of your mind? Monitoring a deputy director?"
"Get back here immediately. If you can't provide a valid reason for surveillance, I won't approve it."
With that, he hung up.
"See? Just as I expected, there's no way the department would monitor a deputy director."
Travis glanced at Elaine, his eyes sharp.
Elaine slowly lowered her head and made a funny face when Travis wasn't looking.
Hillcrest Detective Bureau Headquarters.
Carter sat in his chair, looking at Travis and Elaine standing before him.
He sighed, "Can you two stop causing trouble for me?"
"Just because of a profile picture, you want to monitor a deputy director? You two are really bold!"
Travis replied calmly, "We've confirmed that Jay's case is definitely not a simple suicide."
"Ryan was a drug dealer. Jay's death is connected to them."
"Now there's a lead pointing to Robert..."
Carter raised his hand to interrupt Travis, "Drug dealing is the narcotics department's business. You just need to investigate Jay's cause of death."
"The victim's family just wants to lay him to rest..."
Travis stood up straight, "I can't let Jay's death remain unexplained."
With that, he turned and left the office.
Elaine glanced at the two and followed closely behind Travis.
Carter watched their backs and sighed helplessly.
Criminal Investigation Office.
On the case analysis board.
Tony and Ryan's photos were connected by red lines.
Next to them were surveillance screenshots from the golf course.
Travis drew a big question mark on Robert's face with a marker.
"We need more evidence to apply for a search warrant." Travis tossed the marker aside, "But all the leads are dead ends now."
"We need more professional talent, especially in tech." Elaine suddenly spoke up.
Travis's eyes lit up, "Wait for me."
Soon, Travis returned with a boy wearing glasses.
His dark brown hair covered his eyes, he wore ripped jeans, and his face was pale, indicating frequent late nights.
Travis spoke softly, "Let me introduce Charles Green, an expert in electronics. Don't be fooled by his age; he's unmatched in data collection."
Elaine stood up and extended her hand, "I need you to do a cross-data comparison and find out where Tony went in the 48 hours before his death."
"Give me half an hour."
For the next thirty minutes, the only sound in the room was Charles's fingers flying over the keyboard.
Before the time was up, Charles stretched and said, "Done."
Travis and Elaine immediately gathered around.
"I've tracked all of Tony's movements in the 48 hours before his death," Charles said softly, clicking the mouse.
"Tony's car was near the docks during those 48 hours."
In the footage, Tony's car was parked in the shadows of the container area, and a hooded figure approached quickly.
"Zoom in on that person's hand!" Elaine said sternly. "Look at his watch."
The image zoomed in, revealing a faint snake-shaped logo on the watch's surface.
Travis's breath caught; it was identical to the metal piece hidden in Ryan's phone case.
"48 hours, the stuff at the docks should still be there," Travis muttered under his breath.
"Kelvin, Kian, come with me to the docks. Charles, investigate the hooded figure."
"Got it!"
Hillcrest Docks, Third Storage Area.
A strong smell of diesel filled the air.
"Captain Smith, with so many containers, when will we find it?" Kelvin said, looking frustrated.
"Look for the seafood dry goods containers," Travis said and quickly walked away.
This was something Travis had noticed in the video.
"Captain Smith!"
Elaine's voice came from not far away, sounding urgent.
The group quickly moved towards Elaine's direction.
Inside a container were several metal boxes with golf logos.
Travis put on gloves and pried open the first box, and what he saw made his eyes widen.
"This looks like parts for an M24 sniper rifle?"
"It's all military equipment! Smuggled gear!"
Travis's voice tightened. "This is professional task force equipment!"
"Take photos for evidence!"
As soon as he spoke, Elaine suddenly grabbed Travis's arm.
Outside the container, the sound of boots crunching gravel could be heard.
Judging by the footsteps, there were at least three people.
Travis quickly closed the container and signaled the group to hide behind the stacks of goods.
The four of them held their breath.
A faint light shone through.
Through the gap, Travis saw three men in dock worker uniforms stop in front of the container.
One of them complained, "That guy is too cautious. This batch of goods clearly..."
"Shut up!" The leader suddenly looked around warily. "This lock has been tampered with."
Travis took a deep breath and carefully drew his gun from his waist.
Just as he was about to rush out, Elaine lightly tapped his hand, signaling him not to act rashly.
Their breathing was light, and Elaine kept her eyes on the irregular bulge at the leader's waist.
It wasn't a gun holster; it looked more like a specialized electromagnetic jammer.
"Check the surveillance," the leader suddenly ordered. "You go to the surveillance room, the rest of you search."
As the footsteps faded, Travis took out his phone and immediately contacted Charles.
"I'm at the dock container area. Hack their system for me; we need half an hour."
"One minute." The voice on the phone was decisive.
In less than a minute, a plume of black smoke rose not far away.
And a piercing alarm sounded.
"What did Charles do?"
"Nothing, just triggered the fire drill procedure."
By the time the leader returned, Travis and his team had already driven away from the scene.