Chapter 6
Travis saluted and left the office, heading straight to the golf course as soon as he got the search warrant.
The golf course manager came over as soon as he saw the warrant.
"Have you seen these two guys before?"
Travis handed over photos of Tony and Jay to the staff.
The staff scrutinized the photos for a moment and pointed to Tony's picture. "This guy was here a while ago. The other one... never seen him."
Elaine pointed to a nearby surveillance camera. "From this angle, that camera should cover the entire bunker area."
After a brief discussion with the manager, Travis got permission to access the footage.
In the surveillance room, they watched the footage from three days ago.
On the screen, a middle-aged man in a polo shirt was on the phone near the bunker.
Suddenly, he hung up in a panic and quickly walked away.
"Stop!" Travis leaned closer to the screen. "Here! Zoom in!"
The image zoomed in, revealing a refined face.
Elaine's breath caught. "Is that..."
"Robert Miller," Travis's voice was as cold as ice. "The deputy chief in charge of equipment at the precinct."
The timestamp showed that twenty minutes after Robert left, Tony appeared at the same bunker, bending down to dig something out.
As night fell, Travis's expression grew darker under the surveillance glow.
After finishing a cigarette, Travis spoke in a low voice, "Notify everyone. Prepare for the arrest."
Elaine grabbed his arm. "Wait... what if Robert is just a middleman?"
Elaine pointed to the corner of the surveillance screen, where a symbol was faintly reflected on Robert's phone screen—a twisted snake pattern, identical to the one on Elaine's keychain.
"Besides, we don't have the authority to arrest a deputy chief."
Travis picked up the phone, lowering his voice. "Check Robert's bank transactions and monitor his accounts in real-time."
"Robert? The deputy chief in charge of equipment? Captain Smith, this doesn't seem right," Kian's incredulous voice came through the phone.
"Tell them I ordered it if anyone asks."
"Yes, sir."
"Captain Smith, the tech team traced the account that wired money to Tony."
"Ryan Hill, also known as 'Wolf.' He runs a second-hand phone shop but deals drugs on the side. The narcotics team picked him up a few days ago."
Travis's eyes turned icy.
Drugs! The bane of every cop's existence.
"Bring him to the Detective Bureau."
Ryan sat in the interrogation chair, looking defiant. "Officer, why did you bring me here? I already told them everything I know."
"Got it," Kelvin said, pushing the door open. "This guy has multiple identities—information dealer, second-hand phone seller, drug dealer. He's so cunning that people on the street call him 'Wolf' because he never directly participates in crimes."
Travis sneered. "Never participates?"
Elaine stood nearby, tapping her tablet lightly. "Phone records show Tony and Wolf contacted each other three times in the past month, always using public phones."
"Public phones?" Travis frowned.
"Yes," Elaine pulled up a map. "The three phone booths are located at Morning Glow District Market, the train station, and... near Ocean International Golf Club."
Ocean International Golf Club.
Robert.
Travis's eyes narrowed.
He turned and opened the interrogation room door.
Travis's tall figure cast a large shadow over Ryan.
"Ryan."
Ryan grinned, showing yellowed teeth. "Hey there, officer."
"Wolf!"
"You know Tony, right?" Travis threw down Tony's autopsy photo. "He was shot in the head last night, right after your last call."
Ryan's face turned pale.
"He's really dead?"
Travis's voice rose sharply. "Do you think I'm joking?"
Ryan quickly said, "Officer, I don't know anything."
"I'm just an information dealer. He asked about the club, and I... I just took some money."
"What did he ask?" Travis suddenly asked.
Ryan's eyes darted. "He... he asked who frequents the place, especially on... especially on Tuesday afternoons."
"And what else?" Travis pressed.
"Nothing... nothing else." Ryan raised his hands. "I just told him Mr. Miller often goes there and... and that Mr. Miller likes to rest at the 14th hole."
Elaine suddenly pushed the door open and walked in.
Without a word, she grabbed Ryan's phone and removed the case.
On the back of the phone case was a small metal piece with a twisted snake symbol.
"What's this?"
The interrogation room fell silent.
Cold sweat dripped from Ryan's forehead. "It's... just a good luck charm."
"A good luck charm?" Elaine sneered, pulling out her keychain with a nearly identical symbol. "Do you know what this is?"
Ryan's pupils contracted violently, and he jumped up as if electrocuted. "I don't know! I don't know anything!"
He struggled to stand, but Travis pushed him back into the chair.
"Talk!" Travis demanded. "Who gave you this?"
Ryan glanced at Travis, a smirk forming on his lips.
Suddenly, his body convulsed, and foam appeared at his mouth.
Travis quickly pried Ryan's mouth open, his face darkening. "Suicide! Call an ambulance!"
But it was too late. Ryan's pupils had dilated, and his body went limp.
Travis stood up, staring at Ryan's body, then glanced at Elaine, deep in thought.
Elaine crouched down, pulling a broken transparent capsule from inside Ryan's collar.
"He's not just an ordinary information dealer," her voice tightened.
In the autopsy room.
Ryan's body was covered with a white sheet.
The coroner removed his gloves. "The capsule was hidden in the collar lining. One bite, and it breaks. Death in ten seconds."
"A very professional capsule."
"But you guys should be careful. How did he get hurt in the interrogation room?"
The coroner's words made Travis and Elaine realize something was wrong.
"The wound?"
The coroner looked puzzled. "Here, see?"
"Not your doing?"
They didn't respond, closely examining the wound on Ryan's body.
The wound's edges were an unusual purplish-red.
"Not a suicide."
Travis straightened up and walked to the window, tapping his knuckles on the sill.
Elaine stood up, playing with the metal symbol in her hand. "And he knew this symbol, scared to death."
"Have his place searched?"
"Yeah, Kelvin's already got a team on it."
Just then, Kelvin called.
"Captain Smith, we found a phone in his rental place, hidden in the toilet tank."
"Have the tech team crack it immediately."
Travis hung up and turned to Elaine. "What do you make of this symbol?"
"Why do you have this thing?"