LOVE AND A CRIME

CHAPTER 2

I arrived at the detective agency, where all the private detectives had gathered. They talked about and compared their own missions and cases. I began my report with the intel we got from the mission last night, but it was unrelated to the case our team was investigating. I just hoped that we would solve the case we were working on soon enough, so I could finally be at ease.

"Hello, Chief."

"Oh, it’s you, Hikari."

"I heard your report. Good job on the intel from last night, but unfortunately, it seems that it won't be related to our case. But nonetheless, thank you for all your hard work."

"You're welcome, Chief. I only hope that we find some crucial evidence soon. I'm tired of all these dead ends."

"I understand your frustration, but we must be patient and keep working on it. I'm sure we'll make some progress soon."

"I hope you're right, Chief. I just feel like our time is being wasted.”

"Don't worry about that, Hikari. I know all of you are talented agents, and you are doing everything you can to help solve this case."

"I know, Chief. I apologize if I come across as impatient, but this case has really been giving me a headache. I feel like we're getting nowhere and all the stress is starting to wear me down."

“We cannot rush. We need to be patient and thorough. And soon, I am sure we'll get the crucial evidence we need to break the case. In the meantime, keep up the good work, and please do not burden yourself with unnecessary thoughts."

"Understood, sir."

"Now, if there's nothing else, you can go back to your desk and continue your investigation."

I sat back at my desk, reviewing all the documents pertaining to the case. Even though I have been through them many times before, I wanted to be sure about not missing anything crucial in my investigation. Since the beginning of this case, we have a lot of information, some related, some not, but still, we have no leads about the organization. After one year of investigation, we are still no closer to finding the culprits. I just hope that this case is resolved soon, and the criminals are brought to justice.

'I'll keep trying my best.' As I thought to myself, hoping that we'd find something soon, a thought occurred to me.

"Maybe all of this intel we have actually leads to something, and we are just missing it." Gathering myself, I decided to go through all the files and documents again, this time with extra attention. Slowly reading the documents one by one, I started to think outside the box. "How do all of these pieces of intel connect and relate to each other?" I thought. Perhaps there was a pattern I didn't notice at first.

Suddenly, I realized something important: the intel in the document was more vivid and detailed because it was written by one of the victims. The other pieces were all police reports written by the officers. That's when I started to think,

"What if this is what we needed this whole time? What if this intel holds the clue we were looking for this whole time? Or at least a part of it?"

I turned around on my computer and began searching the database for the victim's name. I found the files that contain the victim's testimony, who was the only person to have survived the ordeal and escaped from the organization. In her statement, she mentioned that she was able to overhear the criminals while they were plotting the operation and also heard them saying that the organization was being handled by the mafia.

“Damn! How can I miss this important information?” But even though we had this crucial piece of information, I knew it would take more than just that to solve the case.. If it's true that the organization is run by the mafia, it will be harder for us to take action. We don't know their organization and their location, and since they are backed by the mafia, it will be very dangerous for us to fight them. We have to find where they operate first, and if we manage to locate their base, then we will be able to come up with a plan on how to infiltrate it. I gathered all the documents, and I got up from my chair and informed my team leader about this crucial information that I had just discovered.

Team Leader Albert: "Alright everyone, we've got some important information. According to the documents Hikari found just now, the organization is connected to the mafia."

Louis: "What?! That's big news. How are we going to go up against them if they're being backed by the mafia?"

Albert: "Calm down, let's not jump to conclusions yet. We need to locate their base first, and then we can come up with a plan on how to take them down."

Mika: "I can't believe the mafia is behind this organization. We're in for a lot more trouble than we thought. We'll need to be a lot more cautious in our investigation."

Kaiser: "You're right, this changes everything. We need to find out the details of their operations and identify their location as soon as possible. We can't afford to be careless in this situation."

Osamu: "We need to develop a thorough plan of action. We can't let the mob know that we're on to them. Let's start by reviewing all the evidence and data we have so far."

"Maybe we'll be able to find some more clues that could lead us to discovering their hideout. We have to be careful, though. The mafia doesn't play by the rules. We have to be one step ahead of them at all times." I said.

Louis: "I'll coordinate with the other teams to see if we can narrow down the possible location of this organization. It's going to be hard, but we can't afford to make any mistakes. We need to find their hideout before they find out about us."

Albert: "I'll begin working on the intelligence gathering plan for this operation. It's a dangerous mission, but we need to be successful. We can't let this organization escape our grasp. It would be a disaster if they managed to slip through our fingers."

Mika: "Yes! We definitely need to stay on top of our investigation. We can't afford to miss any potential leads or information that could help us take down this organization."

Osamu: "I second that. Our job requires us to be vigilant and thorough in our research. We need to make sure we don't leave any stone unturned. We can't compromise our investigation by letting something slip through the cracks."

Kaiser: "We have to stay focused on the case at hand. We're dealing with a large-scale operation that involves human trafficking and drug smuggling. It's a dangerous and complex case, and we need to be thorough and methodical in our approach."

"You're right, Kaiser. Human trafficking and drug smuggling are serious crimes. We need to make sure we don't miss any important details or allow any mistakes to slip through the cracks. It's a crucial mission, and we cannot fail." I said, clenching my fist. Those monsters!.. I promise I will catch them!

Team Leader Albert: "Alright, let's all work together on this. We need to develop a comprehensive plan of action. We'll start with dividing up the research duties.”

“Kaiser, you’ll focus on gathering intelligence on the drug trafficking aspect of the operation.”

“Hikari, Osamu, you two handle the human trafficking aspect. I'll coordinate with the other teams and see if I can find any potential leads. Let's work together and find this organization's hideout."

Louis: "Great, that sounds like a good plan. Let's start working on finding this organization's base.”

Albert: “Louis, you'll take the lead on research, and Mika, you'll do the support. When you find anything relevant, let me know, so we can figure out the next steps. With teamwork, we can find this organization's hideout soon.”

“Let's go, everyone! Let's do this!” I said, not wanting to waste any more time.

“No, Hikari. That's a wrap for tonight. We made great progress today, and I'm glad to see everyone working together. But for now, you should all go home. It's already late and we should all rest. Come back tomorrow and let's continue our investigation. Let's keep working hard together to find this organization's hideout." I almost forgot the time.!

We finished our last meeting at 1 am. It was late, but I knew that we all needed to get some sleep before taking on this huge challenge. We needed to get rest, as we had a critical mission ahead of us. We all went our separate ways. I headed home, ready to get some much-needed sleep before our next move.