Chapter 318: Danger (7) Finding Evidence
The car arrived at the fireworks factory. The driver requested confirmation several times, and Hannah assured him this was the correct location. Only then did he drive away.
Hannah activated her phone's flashlight and entered the building, its light guiding her way. The structure before her was in ruins, a testament to a devastating fire. Essentially, only the factory's frame remained. Hannah proceeded cautiously.
It was past eleven o'clock at night. The fireworks factory was situated in a remote rural area, far from the city center. On such a dark night, the atmosphere was gloomy and unsettling. Fear gnawed at her, amplified by the loss of life that had occurred there earlier. Despite her trepidation, Hannah forced herself to enter and began a thorough examination.
She reasoned that, having been a drug trafficking base, some clues would remain. However, the factory's darkness and the limited range of her flashlight hindered her progress. Despite carrying a power bank, she worried about her phone's battery life.
After some hesitation, she decided to remain overnight and resume her search the following day. Finding a relatively clean spot, she settled down. The ensuing silence was unnerving, her imagination playing tricks on her. She gritted her teeth, telling herself to persevere for a few more hours.
She sat there throughout the night, unable to sleep. The risk of catching cold added to her anxieties. With the dawn, she stretched her stiff body and began her search anew.
She was meticulous, yet surprisingly, the site was cleaner than anticipated. Someone had evidently cleaned the scene beforehand. A day had passed since the accident—ample time to erase evidence during rescue operations.
Hannah felt discouraged, wondering if her efforts were in vain while Oscar risked his life. Yet, she reasoned, Oscar wouldn't act without certainty. Had he already found evidence, but lacked time to reveal it due to an emergency? If so, where would he have hidden it? Questions swirled in her mind.
She composed herself, recalling Thoth's account: Oscar had sought evidence here and was discovered before he could transmit it. Subsequently, someone detonated explosives, destroying the factory and any potential evidence. Assuming Oscar had secured proof and hidden it, where would he have done so? He wouldn't carry it; if apprehended, the evidence would be lost. For safety, he would hide it elsewhere.
A sudden tremor ran through her. Oscar's phone had been switched off since the explosion. Perhaps he deactivated it to avoid detection. Conversely, he might have stored everything on his phone—the ideal storage device.
This thought refocused her search. Intuition told her the factory was the hiding place. He lacked time to move it, and the most dangerous place could be the safest; no one would suspect him of leaving evidence at the scene. If so, he'd likely bury it.
She spent the entire day searching, meticulously covering every inch of the factory. The task proved far more challenging than anticipated. Exhausted and disheartened, Hannah felt her assumptions were too idealistic. Just as she was about to give up, she noticed a small object beneath a broken floor tile.
Hurriedly, she removed the tile, revealing a familiar black cell phone—Oscar's.
Excitement surged, but Hannah masked it, maintaining composure. She sat, about to power on the phone, when a voice interrupted.
"What a pity. It's all wrecked anyway."
A startled Hannah clutched the phone, quickly hiding behind the ruins.
"Who knows how much we have lost?" another man exclaimed angrily. "I told you not to buy shares! A share of the profits would have sufficed, but you insisted. Now, I'm losing my own money!"
"Don't worry. As long as this remains secret, we can recover. The priority is avoiding police attention. We'll call it an accidental explosion and muddle through. Once things calm down, we'll resume making money!"
"I know, but I heard Oscar, the City Hall guy, was investigating. He's apparently chasing Chester!"
"If he catches Chester, he's good. But even then, he'll end up dead! Don't worry. As long as he's here, he won't escape me."
"Have you dealt with his assistant, Thoth?"
"Yes. I had him thrown into the Blue River last night. He thought he'd helped me crack a big case—how stupid!"
"Don't be complacent. Jason was taken last night and hasn't been found. Worse, surveillance cameras were tampered with. We don't know who did it! I suspect Theodore and his people, but we've lost track of them. It's deeply troubling."
"Relax. We've got our guys guarding the roads out of town. They won't escape. Once caught, they'll join Thoth in the Blue River."
"Still, I lost a fortune. You owe me big time."
"You'll be compensated. Count on it! Let's go. We've done enough here."
Their footsteps faded. Hannah's heart pounded. She checked her phone's recording app, cautiously pressing stop. After confirming the recording, she breathed a sigh of relief and powered on Oscar's phone.