Chapter 1770


    Fitch hung up the phone and began to sort through the papers scattered in front of him. That was


    when he stumbled upon a connection in Bernard''swork - a cop who had been mentioned in


    passing by Abner. This officer had some history in Oakford and was quite the sharpshooter, now


    holding a prominent position on the special task force.


    Her name was Rachel, a femme fatale type with a string ofmendations under her belt.


    He turned to one of his men near him, "Was Rachel at the prison on the day Queena was


    executed?"


    "No, sir. Rachel doesn''t y favorites and she despises corruption. Even if she was at the prison,


    she wouldn''t lift a finger to help Bernard."


    "What''s her rtionship with Bernard?"


    "Rachel was sponsored by Bernard''s family from her days in the orphanage, all the way through


    college. She idolizes Bernard and has always wanted to make it on her own, to stand beside him. If


    Bernard''s son hadn''t screwed up, she would''ve been the daughter-inw of his dreams."


    Fitch wasn''t sure how to digest this information. The more he dug, the tighter Bernard seemed to


    seal his tracks.


    He had his team look into Rachel, but their findings were as expected. Rachel held Bernard in high


    esteem, considering him a paragon of virtue, a benefactor she owed her life to.


    Fitch even reviewed every case Rachel had worked on. From the spoiled rich kids to the most


    heinous criminals, she had single-handedly put them behind bars. She had made quite a few


    powerful enemies, but with Bernard watching over her, those seeking revenge could do nothing.


    Rachel herself loathed dealing with thesewless elites.


    Rubbing his temples, Fitch felt like he was chasing ghosts. He was starting to question Maja''s


    hunch.


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    His people waited for further instructions, but Fitch''s phone buzzed again. This time, it was a call


    from Sharon.


    "Mom."


    "Fitch, in a couple of days it''s the anniversary of Yvonne''s passing. Don''t forget to pay your


    respects."


    "I know. I haven''t forgotten."


    "I heard Bernard''s in trouble?"


    "Just a bit of a mess. He''s cooperating with the investigation."


    Sharon didn''t pry into such matters. Yvonne was Bernard''ste wife. As a matter of fact, Sharon


    didn’t get frequent contact with Bernard, but she and his wife had gone to the same school and


    been cozy back then.


    Except Yvonne was unfortunate; her life had been cut short, and every year on her anniversary,


    Sharon wouldy flowers at her grave.


    As kids, Yvonne had looked after Fitch and Ian, so it had be a yearly ritual for Fitch too.


    Sharon''s call wasn''t just a reminder; she was checking in on thetest with Bernard. Reassured


    there was no serious issue, she hung up, content.


    Fitch was at a dead end and could only wait for feedback from Number 8. Maja was in the same


    waiting state.


    However, two days passed, and Number 8 finally reached out to his sister, Nana.


    "Sis, nothing out of the ordinary."


    No one knew how Number 8 had infiltrated their ranks, but if he said there were no anomalies, it


    meant Ian was indeed being held in a secretb, and Sarah was ostensibly working on an antidote.


    Everything seemed usible, which made Maja all the more uneasy. She had a nagging feeling that


    she was overlooking something critical, yet she couldn''t quite put her finger on it.