The Crime System

Related to the Competition

At the vice principal's office, he showed his badge. The man was cooperative, calling in the file administrators immediately. They searched the records room top to bottom, but nothing. No participant lists. No rules. Not even a mention of the competition.

One administrator explained apologetically, "It's been too long. The competition records weren't prioritized for archiving. The school's been relocated several times since then, so they might have been lost."

Luke's frustration boiled over, but he bit it back. "This is a matter of life and death," he insisted. "Keep looking, and call me the moment you find anything."

They promised to do their best. Feeling defeated, he left the building, brainstorming other solutions.

As he stepped out of the main entrance, his phone rang.

"Senior!" Bella's voice crackled on the line, excitement bubbling in her tone. "How's it going on your end? I've got great news: I found the list of participants from Riverside Heights's tenth Grand Piano Competition!"

Hope surged in Luke's chest. "Send it to me now," he said, gripping the phone tightly.

He had hit a dead end. The piano competition data he desperately needed was nowhere to be found. Frustration gnawed at him, but he wasn't ready to give up. Initially, he thought about approaching the three victims directly. After all, they had attended the contest; surely, they could remember something useful.

But then he reconsidered. Through his eavesdropping efforts, he'd learned that Priscillia had surveillance set up around them. If he showed up, Priscillia would immediately catch wind of the direction his investigation was taking. That could ruin everything.

Just as he was brooding over this dilemma, a stroke of luck came his way. Bella Lane, his sharp and resourceful colleague, informed him she had gotten her hands on the competition roster! Elation surged through him. Without a moment's hesitation, he made his way back to the precinct.

To keep things discreet, Bella Lane and Luke met at a restaurant nearby instead of the office. It felt like one of those clandestine spy meetings you see in movies.

"You're incredible!" he said, genuinely impressed by her skill. "How did you manage to get something this tricky?"

"Oh, please!" she smirked. "I'm from the Police Academy Information Department. If I couldn't do this, I'd be a laughingstock!"

"Don't get cocky," he teased, though he was curious. "Seriously, how'd you do it? I checked through every record in the department and came up empty!"

"I pulled it from the city's archives," she whispered, lowering her voice like they were planning a heist. "But… I kind of borrowed Team Leader Raymond's username and password to do it. You'll need to cover for me later!"

"What?" Luke almost choked. While he wasn't exactly an IT whiz, he understood the gravity of her actions. Pulling case information under someone else's authority was a big no-no. If discovered, she could be in serious trouble—even facing legal consequences.

"How did you even get his credentials?" he asked, half-scolding, half-in awe.

"Raymond's careless," she replied nonchalantly. "He never covers the keyboard when typing his password. It'd be more surprising if I didn't know about it!"

"You're insane!" he hissed, scratching his head. "If this gets traced back, it's over for you!"

"You were in a rush," she shrugged. "So I helped. Senior, if you don't c***k this case, you'll owe me for life!"

"Fine!" Luke said, resigned but impressed by her guts. "From now on, you're under my wing. If you get in trouble, come to me. We'll handle it together!" He gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder, though it startled her.

Bella Lane hesitated, then blushed. "Actually, I may have exaggerated a little," she confessed. "I erased my tracks using a virus. As long as no one specifically investigates, they won't trace it back to me!"

"You sly fox!" he exclaimed, laughing despite himself. "You had me sweating for nothing."

She grinned and quickly changed the subject. "Senior, I'm starving. You're treating me, right?"

"Of course!" Luke shouted for the waiter, his voice echoing across the room. When you're from the streets, you take care of those close to you. Bella Lane had gone above and beyond, so treating her was the least he could do.

Soon, the table was covered with an extravagant spread—steaks, salads, clams, and abalone. The bill came to over a thousand bucks, but it was worth it.

As they ate, Luke couldn't keep his mind off the case. "Bella, why would the city records even have information on something this old?"

"Simple," she replied, nibbling on a clam. "The contest was hosted by the school but organized by the New York City's Culture and Education Bureau. The bureau would have kept records."

"Of course!" he said, mentally kicking himself for not thinking of it earlier.

"Here," she said, glancing around before pulling out her phone. "This is what I found. It's not complete, but it's a list of the top ten winners from the competition."

Luke stared at the screen, his heart racing. There they were—the names of the three victims from the Maimed Case, all lined up together:

Lisa Mendes, 1400 points, 1st place;

Yara Voss, 1200 points, 2nd place;

Mary Nelson, 1100 points, 3rd place.

"You were right, senior!" Bella Lane beamed. "The Maimed Case is definitely tied to this competition."

Excitement coursed through Luke. The roster confirmed his hunch. Somewhere on that list was the key to solving the mystery.