Chapter 5
1400 Words
Kaden grabbed the newspaper and immediately spotted Rachel's pixelated photo. The report about the wanted criminal took up an entire page.
Mason's voice rang out from outside the cell, "See? My predictions are never wrong."
Kaden read the article over and over again before collapsing to the ground.
"No... it's wrong... It's so wrong..." Kaden muttered, his voice trembling. Seeing his mistake published for everyone to read left him feeling utterly powerless. Before this, he had clung to a sliver of hope, thinking Mason's words couldn't possibly be true.
But now, even that last shred of hope was gone.
"You're giving up so easily. How are you supposed to find the truth like this?" Mason's voice carried a clear note of displeasure at Kaden's reaction.
"The truth?" Kaden snapped out of his daze, stood up, and grabbed the iron bars. "You said it yourself—if I survive, you'll help me uncover the truth!"
Mason took a small step back, looking at Kaden with a sly grin. "That's right. But first, get out of solitary confinement."
"D*mn it!" Kaden shouted, his frustration boiling over. Mason smirked mischievously and turned away.
"Mason, get back here! Come back here!" Kaden yelled, reaching out in anger, only to be struck back by a guard's baton. "Back off and shut up!" the guard barked.
Kaden's heart burned with frustration as he grabbed the newspaper off the ground and crumpled it into a ball. He wanted nothing more than to break out of this place right now. He didn't want to spend even one more second in this wretched prison.
But after the outburst, a deep despair settled over him. No matter how much he raged, all he could do was bang his head against the wall, over and over again.
After three days in solitary confinement, Kaden was finally returned to his cell.
Fatty, with bandages wrapped around his neck and his back hunched, had completely lost his former arrogance.
The other inmates shrank to the sides. None of them dared to provoke him.
Kaden broke the silence. "Why are you all staying so far away from me?"
The moment he spoke, the other prisoners flinched, clearly afraid that Kaden might start trouble with them.
They exchanged nervous glances before looking at Fatty, who reluctantly stepped up and stammered, "B-Boss, do you have any orders?"
Kaden sat on his bed and beckoned him closer.
Fatty bent down, leaning his head toward Kaden cautiously.
Kaden patted Fatty's head like he was petting a dog and said, "I hear you're pretty capable and have connections with the guards."
During his time in solitary confinement, Mason had visited him a few times, chatting and introducing him to various people in the prison. Fatty, of course, was one of them. If Kaden wanted to uncover the truth, he had to start making use of the resources around him.
Hearing Kaden's sarcastic praise, Fatty wasn't sure how to respond. He tried to downplay it, waving his hands nervously. "No, no, boss, you're overestimating me..."
Kaden grabbed Fatty by the collar and glared at him coldly. "So, are you useless, or are you not actually connected to the guards?"
Startled, Fatty immediately understood what Kaden meant. He quickly nodded and changed his tune. "Yes, I do have connections with the guards. You're absolutely right, boss!"
Only then did Kaden ease up, letting him go. "Good. Help me get something brought in."
After spending a few days here, Kaden realized that in prison, fists spoke louder than words.
Here, one had to be tougher than everyone else, even if it was just an act, to gain any authority.
Since Fatty had connections with the guards, Kaden believed it wouldn't be too difficult for him to help bring in surveillance footage of Rachel before her death.
Fatty didn't let Kaden down. The next evening, he approached Kaden and said, "Boss, the stuff's in the computer room. Officer Thompson will take you there."
Sure enough, shortly after, Kyle Thompson came to Kaden's cell and knocked on the iron bars. "3403, someone's here to see you."
Kaden stepped out, but there was no one waiting for him. Instead, Kyle led him to the computer room.
With a cold expression, Kyle pointed to a computer and said, "You've got ten minutes."
Kaden turned on the computer and saw surveillance footage of Rachel before her death.
In the footage, Rachel was walking away after parting with him at the park. She walked left for a while, answering a phone call along the way. Suddenly, she seemed to notice something and stopped in her tracks before continuing forward. Unfortunately, from the moment she started walking again, she entered a blind spot in the surveillance, and nothing more could be captured.
Switching to footage from the main road, Kaden spotted a suspicious white van stopping briefly. It stayed there for less than a minute before driving off.
Based on the angles and timing, it was highly likely that Rachel had gotten into this white van.
But no matter how much Kaden zoomed in, the limited resolution of the footage only revealed that the driver was a man. Rachel couldn't be seen.
The driver was wearing a hat and a mask, making it impossible to identify his face.
Kaden slumped back in his chair, feeling discouraged. But suddenly, something occurred to him. 'Wait! Why did Rachel walk to the left? Her home is clearly to the right. Where was she going after we parted ways? Who was the call from? And who is this driver?'
These two video clips provided a lot of clues but also raised even more questions. Aside from those doubts, it wasn't clear whether Rachel got into the van willingly or if she had been forced.
The van's license plate was definitely fake. Otherwise, the police would have tracked it down by now.
Soon, Kyle came over to urge Kaden to return to his cell.
Kaden deleted the surveillance files and went back to his cell.
That night, in the quiet of the cell, Fatty, who was lying on the top bunk, softly asked, "Boss, is there something suspicious about your woman's death?"
Kaden didn't respond.
Fatty continued, "Boss, I've got a friend who's a big shot in Pechlon City. There's no one he can't find. Maybe he can help you."
Kaden remained silent, turning over and pretending to sleep.
That night, Kaden slept fitfully, half-awake, with the images from the surveillance footage replaying in his mind.
Rachel had only started walking to the left after watching him leave. She looked anxious when she answered the phone. Her final, conflicted expression in the footage and the driver in the van whose face couldn't be seen kept appearing in his mind.
Then the scene cut to Rachel's disfigured body under the white sheet.
"Rachel!" Kaden jolted awake, sitting up. His men nearby were startled awake as well, one of them asking nervously, "Boss, what's wrong?"
The faint morning light filtered through the small window. The stern face of a prison guard passed by the cell door, reminding Kaden that he had been dreaming.
During breakfast, Kaden chewed on his bread while staring coldly at Fatty, who was sitting across from him.
Feeling the chill in Kaden's gaze, Fatty uneasily put down his milk. "Boss, did I do something wrong?"
After finishing breakfast, Fatty took Kaden's tray to put it away. When he returned, Kaden grabbed him by the neck and asked, "Did you watch the surveillance footage you gave me yesterday?"
Terrified, Fatty nodded frantically. "Y-Yes, I did. I had to check it before giving it to you, Boss..."
Kaden pressed further, "Is that everything?"
"Yes, Boss. I got everything from my contacts in the police department. They said the surveillance footage didn't provide much information, which is why there hasn't been any breakthrough..." Fatty's voice grew fainter and fainter, trembling as he was on the verge of tears. "Boss, I won't say anything to anyone! I don't know anything! I swear!"
Judging from his reaction, Kaden was mostly convinced he was telling the truth. He let out a chuckle and patted Fatty on the back of the head. "Easy. Look how scared you are. By the way, can you get in touch with that friend of yours?"
Just as he finished speaking, a hand suddenly smacked Kaden on the back of the head from behind.
- Writer
