No matter how skilled someone is in hiding a corpse, it will eventually be discovered. The body of an unidentified man that was found last night has been autopsied. It is estimated that the victim died three days ago.
To eliminate any traces, the perpetrator submerged the body in the river. This was evident from the rope tied around his feet. There was a long rope that was cut irregularly. It is possible that the victim tried to cut the rope before he died.
Identifying the victim's identity seems to take longer than expected because the perpetrator deliberately destroyed the victim's fingerprints. The only way is to search for a DNA match.
While waiting for the DNA test results, Bella checked the missing persons reports at every police station. None of them matched the victim's description. Together with Jimin, she combed the city to search for information on unreported missing persons. In between the search, Bella also looked for spots along the river that could have been used by the perpetrator to dispose of the victim.
"This is impossible. Why can not we find any traces of the perpetrator anywhere? Jimin, have there been any new reports of missing persons?" Bella asked.
"Not yet. I have contacted several police stations outside the district, but there are no missing person reports that match the victim's description. Should we expand the search area?" Jimin asked.
"That's a good idea. The news has spread widely. Let's wait for at least a week."
"What if no one calls us? Will we just close this case like the previous cases of corpse discoveries?"
Bella seemed to have found a pile of gold in her pocket. "Are there similar cases?"
"Yes."
"Can you take the files for me? I will check them."
"Sure," said Jimin.
While Jimin was getting the files, Bella checked the CCTV footage that had been collected since yesterday.
Jimin returned and showed the files of unidentified corpse discoveries. Three of them had similarities. Tied hands and feet, erased fingerprints, disfigured faces, and found in bodies of water.
Bella checked the discovery dates and estimated time of death. She then instructed Jimin to check the CCTV footage around the river during that time frame.
After an overnight struggle with the monitors, fighting sleep, and forgetting daily routines, Jimin found a clue.
"Bella! Look at this! This footage was taken on the fifth and fourteenth. The same box truck crossed this road," Jimin exclaimed, pointing to the monitor.
Bella moved from her seat behind Jimin. She looked at monitors one and two alternately. "Fifth and fourteenth. That's the estimated time of death of the first and second victim, right? Can you enlarge the video display?"
"Wait a moment!"
Jimin operated the computer until the display changed on both monitors. The video resumed, and two men were seen sitting in the front seats. They were dressed plainly, wearing masks and hats.
"What about the license plate? Is it readable?"
Jimin took a picture of the monitor and enlarged the area of the front license plate. Although it was faint, the license plate could still be read.
Bella then contacted an investigator to find out the owner of the vehicle. After a while, she received word that it was a stolen car.
Bella slumped into the sofa. "Ah, let's continue tomorrow. I think my battery is almost dead."
"It's almost morning. I'll go out for a smoke and get some coffee," said Jimin.
"Okay," replied Bella, placing her hand on her forehead. She closed her eyes.
Bella woke up in the same position. She blinked a few times, yawned, and then got up from the sofa.
She looked around. The room was messy. Monitors were still on. Bowls of instant noodles and dozens of coffee cups were piled up on the table.
"Where's Jimin? Did he go home?" Bella asked. "Oh, yeah. We've been here all day. He must have gone home to take a shower and rest. I should go home too. I smell really bad."
Bella got up from the sofa. She went to the desk to double-check last night's screen captures.
"What is this? Where are the recordings from the fifth and fourteenth?" Bella was surprised because the files from those dates were missing from both her computer and Jimin's.
She then searched for the raw file. Bella rummaged through the desk and checked under it. However, the memory card for the recording could not be found. Bella asked Jimin about it over the phone. She was frustrated because the memory card was also missing from Jimin.
"Damn it!" she cursed. "Who dared to take it from me?"
***
Justin met Kheil at the golf course. There was no special schedule between them. It's just that Justin felt that he had to meet his friend after several of his calls were ignored.
Kheil wasn't born into a noble family. His mother worked as a nurse and his father was one of the directors at Eagle Investment. Justin had known him since childhood. Kheil was well-educated and received love from both of his parents. That's what sometimes made Justin jealous.
Since then, Kheil and Justin have been open to each other. There are no secrets between them. So when Justin started keeping something from him, Kheil's anger was understandable. However, Kheil was not a revengeful person.
"Go away! I don't need a friend right now." Kheil sighed. "Ah, I'm not sure if he can still be called a friend," he muttered.
Justin smiled. He took off his jacket, put it on the sofa, and rolled up his shirt sleeves. "How about we bet? It's been a long time since I've done this."
"Okay. Although my ability is not comparable to yours, I'm sure I can beat you this time," replied Kheil confidently.
The indoor golf match began. It had been a long time since Justin had exercised the muscles in his arms for this game. He might make a mistake on the first hit.
However, an expert is always an expert. Justin made a perfect shot, a hole in one. Kheil's confidence shrunk instantly. Justin won the match, although it was tied for a few times.
"Next time I will play seriously," Kheil pretended. "Damn it!" he cursed while leaning his golf club against his large bag next to the sofa. Kheil sat down and then drank the cola that was already on the table.
Justin followed and took a seat on the sofa next to Kheil. "Did you get compensation for the damages?"
Kheil frowned, then placed his glass on the table. "That big-mouthed woman! Of course, he has to compensate for all my expensive stuff that got destroyed."
"Is it that bad? Who is he?"
"He's the new rich kid in town, Simon Monero's daughter. I heard he just got appointed as the financial director of Oximell. Isn't that weird? The company is bankrupt, but they hire a new director," Kheil said.
"Jofran must have gotten some fresh funds." And it seemed that Justin knew who the donor was.
"What does that mean for Oximell? Will it rise again?" Kheil stroked his beard.
"They found a solution to handle the crisis. Let's wait and see what the company's resolution will be."
"I overheard some kids joking at the club before the fight happened. Do you remember the rumors about why Oximell went bankrupt? There was a viral tweet that said the financial director of Oximell ran away with the company's funds. Shortly after, the tweet disappeared from social media, and Oximell did not seem concerned about the culprit. The kid said that maybe the body found in the river was the financial director of Oximell or the person who spread the hoax, as both of them are still missing. Because of those words, he got a hard punch from Simon's son," Kheil explained. "I heard Bella took the case of the body found. Did she say anything to you?"
Justin, who listened seriously to Kheil's explanation, said, "I haven't seen her since the news broke."
"She must be busy now. By the way, I haven't heard your reason for making her your girlfriend. Tell me! What's your plan? Are you really going to use her against Steven?"
Justin glanced around briefly. There weren't many people in the room. Two women playing golf, some employees, and their two assistants standing at a safe distance.
"Yes."
Kheil was disappointed. "Yes? Yes, she has a strong reason to take revenge on Steven, but what about you? Are you sure she'll be okay after knowing what you did to her? What if she wants to destroy you too?"
"It doesn't matter. That's the risk I have to take."
"Justin! Women are different from men. If you teach her how to lie, she'll be able to manipulate you. If you teach her how to play with fire, she'll be able to turn you into ash. If you teach her how to take revenge, she'll be able to kill you slowly. Women are terrifying, Justin. I'm not trying to control you. I just want you to reconsider."
Justin remained silent. He knew the risks of his decision. He had considered it thoroughly before rescuing Bella and sending her to New York. For now, Justin was willing to sacrifice everything he had to stop Steven, especially after hearing the information from Kheil earlier.
Justin was sure that the body found in the river was the work of Steven's henchmen.
Justin stood up and said, "I have to go now. There is something very urgent that I have to do."
"Alright. Meet me if there ks any problem," Kheil replied.
"Okay."
"Take care of yourself!"
Justin smiled. He and Eric headed to the prosecutor's office. They waited in front of the building while Justin called Bella.
"Miss Bella must be very busy. She didn't even go home to her apartment since last night," said Eric.
"Have you sent the file I asked for?" Justin asked.
"Yes, sir. I have sent it to Miss Bella." Eric looked at Justin, who seemed desperate, through his rearview mirror.
Fifteen minutes later, Bella was seen leaving the office. She walked quickly to the parking lot. From her facial expression, Justin could see the anger in her.
Bella stopped in front of her car. She folded her arms across her chest, sighed, and lifted her chin. Shortly afterward, a loud thud came from her kicking Justin's favorite car tire.
Justin was startled. "She... how dare she kick my lovely car."
Justin got out of his car. He approached Bella with long strides. "Hey, can't you find other ways to vent your frustration?" Justin snapped.
Bella turned around. Her breathing was like someone who had just finished running around a football field. "Sorry," said Bella, then sat on the car hood.
"What made you so angry?" Justin asked.
Justin realized that silence was Bella's answer. It was not the right place to talk about it. Besides, Bella's appearance was messy. She needed some fixing up and a bowl of beef soup for her growling stomach.
"I found some clues about the corpse discovery case, but everything disappeared," Bella said.
"What do you mean?"
"The identity of the body is still unknown until now. Either the forensic team is dragging their feet or it's just really difficult to find out. Ah, my overnight work feels like a waste." Bella leaned back on her chair, gazed at the ceiling for a few moments, then returned to her original position.
"I found two cases of unidentified bodies with similar characteristics of death. I checked the city's CCTV footage and found some similarities in several recordings. There was a box truck passing through the same route on the date of the previous victims' deaths. I'm not sure if it's the same truck used by the perpetrator to dispose of the victims. So, I checked the license plate. Police data shows that it's a stolen vehicle. That's suspicious, is not it? And I lost that recording this morning. It further strengthens my previous suspicion," Bella explained.
"Do you know who the perpetrator is?"
"I won't be angry and kick your car if I manage to find them. I checked the office CCTV, but the camera didn't capture anything except for me sleeping on the sofa. Ah, damn it!" Bella put down her spoon.
"Have you checked the employee data I gave you?"
"I have not finished checking it yet."
"Simon got a new position as the new finance director at Oximell. There's a rumor that the previous finance director ran off with the company's money and hasn't been found yet."
"Could it be that the body is...."
"Finish your soup before it gets cold!" Justin interrupted.
Bella smiled. There was a new hope that couldlead her to the suspect. Bella became enthusiastic again. She enjoyed the meatsoup hungrily