章 11: BEHIND THE THREAT

The phone in Ethan's hand vibrated intensely. His colleague from the headquarters spoke in a serious tone. "Eth, we managed to trace the number that sent the threatening message. The person's name is Liam. And after further investigation, we discovered that Liam works in the Ravenshore police department."

Avery and Ethan exchanged glances, their faces void of surprise but filled with realization. Their suspicions over the past few days were confirmed: someone within the law enforcement circle was obstructing the investigation. Without wasting time, they decided to head to the police station to meet Derek.

"Alright, we need to confirm this with Derek," said Avery, her voice firm. They hurried to the car and drove quickly to the Ravenshore police station.

The drive to the station took about 15 minutes. When they arrived, the police station was busier than usual following the building fire the night before. They headed straight to Derek's office, finding him examining some files at his desk.

Ethan approached Derek quickly and spoke in a low voice, "Derek, do you know someone named Liam in this police department?"

Derek looked up, his gaze filled with questions. "Yes, I know him. But Liam was reassigned to the city of Valion, about 100 km from Ravenshore, two weeks ago due to some internal issues."

Avery immediately interjected, "Liam is the one who sent us the threatening message. We need to know more about him and why he was reassigned."

Derek looked surprised at this information. "Liam was part of the investigation team that was reassigned two weeks ago. He was upset because after you arrived, he no longer had a role in the investigation and caused some trouble that led to his reassignment."

Ethan looked at Avery. "We need to meet Liam. He might know more than we think."

Avery nodded. "Yes. Derek, please give us his address in Valion," she requested.

Derek sighed and gave them Liam's address. "Here's his address in Valion. But be careful, he can be very emotional."

Avery and Ethan thanked Derek and hurried to the car. The journey to Valion would take a few hours, but they were determined to find the answers they needed.

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After a few hours of driving, they finally arrived in Valion. This town seemed busier, and its people friendlier than those in Ravenshore. They headed straight to the local police station to gather more information about Liam.

At the Valion police station, they met with the police chief and introduced themselves as detectives from the central police currently assigned to Ravenshore. "We are looking for Liam. Is he here?" Avery asked firmly.

The police chief responded with concern, "Liam has been absent for the past two days, citing illness."

Avery and Ethan exchanged glances and then requested Liam's home address. The police chief provided it without many questions, hoping they could find the answers they sought.

About 20 minutes later, they arrived at Liam's house. The house looked quiet. Ethan knocked on the door, and shortly after, it was opened by a young, sturdy man. Liam's face showed surprise at seeing Avery and Ethan, and he immediately tried to shut the door again. However, Ethan managed to hold the door and step inside.

"What do you want here?" Liam asked angrily.

"I think we need to discuss this calmly," Avery replied.

After a bit of conflict and tension, Liam finally allowed them to sit in the living room, though with a cynical look. Avery got straight to the point, showing the threatening message Liam had sent the previous day.

"What is this? I don't understand," Liam said, evading.

"We know it was you who sent this message yesterday, and we want to know what you meant by it," Avery responded.

Liam looked frustrated and angry. "What do you want? I'm mad because you made me lose my job and got me reassigned here!"

Ethan and Liam stared at each other intensely, the atmosphere growing more tense. Ethan, with a challenging tone, said, "We want to know the real reason behind your threat. Do you know anything about the old building fire in Ravenshore?"

Liam growled, "Why should I know? I wasn't even there!"

Avery tried to calm the situation, "Liam, we are just seeking the truth. This is not just about your threat; it's about lives that might be in danger."

Liam took a deep breath, trying to control his emotions. "I got reassigned because of you. I feel like all my hard work and investigation were for nothing after you came. That building doesn't matter to me."

Ethan couldn't hold himself back, his voice rising an octave, "Doesn't matter? People almost got killed, Liam! Do you know how serious this is?"

Liam stared sharply at Ethan, "I know how serious it is. But I'm not the culprit! You came here with baseless accusations. Don't associate me with that old building."

Avery took a deep breath, trying to mediate. "Liam, we need to know what you know about that building. Something is off, and we need all the information we can get."

Liam sighed heavily and said, "I've been sick these past two days. Just look at my weakened condition. If you don't believe me, ask the doctor at the hospital and look at my medicines." Liam showed some medicines on the table.

Avery and Ethan tried to trust him. However, Avery asked again, "Did you steal all the evidence files from the hotel?"

Liam finally gave in, his eyes showing fatigue. "Okay, fine. I did steal some files from the hotel. I was upset and wanted to make things difficult for you. But I have nothing to do with the fire. I don't know who did it."

"Where are the files? We really need them," Avery requested.

Liam rolled his eyes lazily. "I already threw away all those files," he answered.

Ethan immediately replied, "I've recorded all of this conversation. If you don't give back the evidence you stole, I'll report you to the police."

Liam looked frustrated but finally surrendered. "Alright, I'll get the evidence." After a moment, Liam returned with some files.

Ethan spoke firmly, "Liam, don't interfere with our investigation anymore. This is also about finding out the case of your brother's death, who was one of the victims."

Liam's brother was one of the victims of the annual mystery that occurred in Ravenshore. Avery and Ethan found out after seeing one of the photos in Liam's living room. Her name was Eria, a victim who died five years ago.

Liam was silent for a moment, then handed over the files to Avery and Ethan. They felt relieved to have at least recovered the lost evidence. Avery and Ethan thanked Liam and immediately returned to Ravenshore. However, one thing that remained a mystery was who had set the old building on fire the previous night.

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Ethan and Avery arrived in Ravenshore at night and immediately headed to Derek's house, carrying the files they had managed to recover. Derek opened the door upon hearing the sound of Avery and Ethan's car, relieved to see them back safely.

"What do you have?" Derek asked.

"All the missing files from the hotel," Avery replied as she walked into the house. "Liam stole them, but we managed to get them back," she added, placing the important documents on the table.

"Thank goodness! Now get ready, I've prepared dinner for us!" Derek exclaimed.

Avery and Ethan nodded and quickly went to their respective rooms. About an hour later, they made their way to the dining room, where Derek was already waiting at the table.

"You've done an excellent job," Derek praised. "But we need to focus on who actually set the building on fire."

Ethan nodded. "Yes, this is still a mystery. Have there been any updates from the police investigation?" he asked.

"According to the police investigation, the building burned from the inside as there were no signs of ignition from the outside, like gasoline or electrical faults," Derek explained.

Ethan pondered for a moment. "There might be something inside the building that caused the fire. Did you find any other clues around the fire site?"

"So far, we've been asking people living near the building who might know about the incident. From that, we learned that someone saw a strange light coming from inside the old building that night. The light grew brighter, and then suddenly, flames erupted from inside. However, no one saw anyone entering or leaving the building," Derek replied.

Avery recalled something. "Could it be that the building was set on fire from the basement?" she suggested.

Ethan turned to her. "That could be possible, but if it was set from within, that means... all the evidence we saw was also burned?"

"Or maybe they moved it first from the door near the forest?" Avery speculated.

Derek nodded, contemplating the possibility. "We need to investigate the basement of the building. If something was moved, there might be traces left behind."

Avery and Ethan agreed. "Tomorrow morning, we'll return to the site and check the basement and the area around the door near the forest," Ethan said.

Derek added, "We also need to find out who has been seen going in and out of the building in the past few weeks. They might be involved in the fire."

The conversation continued as the three of them discussed strategies and action plans for the following day. They tried to connect every clue they had so far, hoping to find a thread that could lead them to the true perpetrator.

After dinner, they felt a bit more optimistic, even though many mysteries remained unsolved. Ethan and Avery felt tired after the long trip and intense investigation, but they knew their work was not finished.

Questions continued to haunt their minds as the night deepened in Ravenshore. The puzzle of the fire remained unsolved, and they understood that the road to answers might still be long and winding.