Jorge Velez was in his office examining the flow of incidence in his web-like storyboard. Earlier, he had dispatched two of his team members to various locations to verify the evidence they gathered at the crime scene. He had Miles Sanchez doing the inquiry on the background of Henry De La Vega. While the other team members -Lyca Menendez, were sent to check the community CCTV for clues. He looked at the mélange of photos of the dead. " Who are you, really?" he asked. The more he gazed at the forensic photos, the more he felt something seemed out of place.
The murder of Henry De La Vega was the second killing he investigated in only a short period and whether this is a form of serial killing is important to be resolve to predict where and when it will happen next. This is a big puzzle to fill and the missing pieces are nowhere. He needed people in his team to fan out and ask the right questions.
His cellphone rang. It was Lyca.
"Jorge, you got to hear this."
"Tell me, I am biting my nails in anticipation," which he unknowingly does a lot in reality.
Lyca wore police issued yellow raincoat. It was raining hard outside so she stationed herself inside a waiting shed as she made her call.
"The red tape here is unbelievable. The local government officials are making our investigation difficult. I had to show my badge and made two written requests before they showed me the community CCTV for the previous two weeks. I flexed a lot of muscle before I was able to secure a copy. But thank goodness, I had plenty of previews of where our victim went.
Jorge gasped in anticipation.
"Listen, he went inside a bank."
"Ok, it's a step. What bank?"
"It's the Rel_____ Bank near Chinatown."
"What have you done so far?"
" I already talked to the bank manager. He's quite corky, but he is unrelenting. "
"Why is that?"
"Well, the manager cannot tell me anything because they are tied up with the so-called "bank secrecy law".
"Ok, and…"
"He said, that's how it works here in the Bank. Funny guy."
Lyca's signal got choppy.
"Hello, Lyca…"
"Still here…. Hear this, he jokes that even if they have the largest corrupt person with an account in there, his bank details are protected and cannot be demanded by anybody unless the court orders them."
"Yeah, our system's fucked by greedy politicians. After the bank where did he go next?"
"Crazy, but after reviewing the CCTV he was seen three blocks away going to A______Restaurant. I am in front of it."
"Going in?"
"Yes, I will. I will call you back when I get something." Then she hung up.
Jorge Velez wrote Rel_____ Bank on a piece of paper and posted them in his web storyboard. It was a piece of information he can wrap his head on for the time being.
The rain was heavy and bomb-like when Lyca Menendez went inside the A_ Restaurant. She was dripping wet so she removed her coat and hung it in the entrance.
"Can I talk to the manager?" she asked the thin-looking security personnel standing on the door.
"Do you have an appointment? He asked.
"No. Police here."
The security seemed a bit confused as to her purpose but he called in his walkie- talkie right away.
"Sir, there's a police here."
The entrance area had a closed-circuit CCTV. Lyca flashed her badge at the CCTV monitor. Somehow, the manager was well aware of the situation outside. The security guard waited for a few seconds before he heard a response.
"Go right in. The manager's office is near the end of the last table. "
Lyca went inside the manager's room, where a young man was waiting for her. Inside,
"I am looking for the manager?" Lyca asked.
The young man was casually dressed and busy rearranging the many papers on his desks.
"I am the manager," he replied. "You can take a seat, Officer."
Lyca had an immediate impression that the man in front of her does not fit a manager's profile.
"Oh, you seem so young." Sensing it was a bit offensive, Lyca immediately apologized. "Sorry, it's a compliment."
The young man just laughed it off.
"That is fine with me. Most people often mistook me as the utility man here. My name is Gerald Ottobre."
Gerald handed Lyca his business card.
"I am Lyca Menendez. Police investigator."
"How may I help you officer Menendez?."
Lyca looked around the manager's office. There were three monitors with a split view of the inside and outside of the restaurant premises.
"I am investigating a case and I saw that your restaurant kept CCTV footage."
"Yes, that's correct. We just upgraded our security to 1080p Ultra-high-definition "
"That is great to hear, Gerald. "
"A week ago, an old man entered your restaurant. We are inclined to think he met someone here to dine. As a taxpayer that applied for a business permit, we believe you signed an agreement with the local government that your business will cooperate with police in crime-related matters and those that pose a national security risk."
Gerald felt uneasy. "Is this another one of those customer complaints about our food having MSG? We already answered that to the National Food Safety and Sanitation office. "
Lyca quickly replied. "No, that's not it. I assure you this has nothing to do with your food and services."
Gerald felt elated.
"What do you need exactly?"
"We want a copy of your CCTV. "
Gerald looked at the monitors. "That should be here and recorded. We kept a record of the premises for up to a month. What day was it?"
"I believe it was eleven days ago, the thirteenth of this month."
Gerald stood up to check the computer server. He opened one of the monitors and began to extract the data for the thirteenth day of the month.
"No specific person right?"
"Yes," Lyca replied.
"You want a copy too?"
"It would help us in the investigation."
"Hope officer this won't expose our families to grave danger?" A portrait of Gerald's family was near one of the computer screens.
Lyca seemed confused with the question rather than offended.
Gerald briefly looked at Lyca. He was trembling.
"It's odd," he mumbled.
"Why Gerald?"
"Let me ask one of my staff."
Gerald dialed his telephone. "Can you get Alfred in here? And make it quick."
One of his male staff entered. "Yes, sir. Anything I can do?"
"Alfred, I know you have an IT background. Can you check the disc storage? I am not seeing the last two weeks recording."
Lyca sensed something was wrong.
"Is there a problem, Gerald?"
Alfred checked the RAID storage. And he seemed perplexed with his findings. "Sir, the hard drive is missing! "