Gallardo drummed his fingers on his desk, deeply engrossed in his thoughts. This attack had caused havoc: so far, a total of 382 victims were counted, of which 312 were passengers, 40 were workers, and the remaining 32 were onboard officials, military personnel, former military personnel, and 4 public officials, one of whom was truly significant: Juan Domingo, a second-tier secretary to the Minister of Defense, a figure with an active past and present in the nation's politics.
This attack was not just another one; it was truly tragic. The investigations carried out so far by the various professionals from both the police force and the white army had revealed some important things. It was clearly premeditated. Explosives were placed at key points both on the haulage train and in the different carriages. The apparent intentions were not total destruction but rather partial, suggesting that there was something specific they were after. Their main objective did not seem to be just the life of the official and the rest of the passengers but some relevant element to them.
For such a mission, the organization of several individuals is deduced, who planted the explosives, detonated them when the train reached a strategic point, entered, eliminated those who were alive, and presumably accessed an uncertain target. The group behind the attack had to have a strong structure, organization, and areas of strategic influence to carry out this plan. Since one of the passengers was an important official and a recognized figure in the nation, the relevant checks were made on the train before its departure.
Gallardo interrupted his thoughts when he heard knocks on the door.
"Come in," he exclaimed.
The door opened, and one of his subordinates entered.
"Sir, here's all the information we could gather on the suspect," Ariel commented.
"Very well. Close the door on your way out and tell everyone to investigate everyone related to the train inspection. I want to know everything about them, from what they eat to what they excrete."
Ignoring Ariel's departure, Gallardo focused on the documents.
"Who are you, Mr. Crosa?" Gallardo muttered. So far, he only knew his name from his identification documents, which were in his clothes along with a pocket watch. This individual was the sole survivor of the attack, making him a suspect, and if you add the fact that he was found in a carriage far from where he belonged, suspicion increased.
After having a preliminary interaction with the suspect, Gallardo couldn't find anything odd in his words or actions, but something inside him told him he needed to investigate thoroughly. Within the documents, Gallardo found seemingly insignificant information. Everything in those documents was normal, from his profession, a geopolitics professor at the Integral Institute in the capital, to his relationships and family; everything seemed normal.
"There has to be something. Damn it, I'll have to talk to him again before he leaves the hospital," Gallardo explained aloud, before reviewing the information again and taking notes.