“Ms. Vera, a man nad Gap insisted I call you. He said there’s sothing very important he needs to tell you and Mr. Lynch…”
Vera was a bit surprised by the ssage. She hadn’t heard from Gap in a while, though she knew he was currently enjoying his ti in federal prison.
Before Gap was arrested, they had already completed their asset division. In fact, Gap had done everything he could to protect their assets from being seized by the federal court to fill the financial gaps in the Liston scandal.
Gap was a highly competent accountant. He always knew exactly what should and shouldn’t be done—he was even the one who initiated the divorce.
He never intended to drag his wife and child down with him just because he was going to prison. So, when Vera heard from him again, she didn’t react emotionally like most divorced couples might.
After a brief silence, she asked, “Did he say anything else?”
“Yes, Ms. Vera. Mr. Gap left a phone number and hopes you can return the call as soon as possible.”
Her assistant gave her the number and hung up.
“What’s going on?” Lynch walked up behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist, offering a sense of comfort.
Ever since the tax bureau had contacted Vera, she’d been in a constant state of unease. It was understandable—she had no one at ho to comfort or support her, just herself.
Her emotions had been spiraling, but thankfully Lynch had arrived in ti to help calm her down.
“It’s Gap. He said there’s sothing important and asked to call him back.” Vera didn’t hide it, especially since the assistant had ntioned Lynch earlier.
She looked at Lynch, who tilted his head slightly. “Why not call him? It might really be sothing important. Making a call from in there isn’t easy.”
Taking his advice, Vera dialed the number. Lynch, anwhile, focused on her feet. “I see a bug on your shoe—oh god, it’s climbing up!”
Startled, Vera looked down just as the call connected. Gap had been waiting by the phone. This call was important to him.
As soon as the line connected, he heard her shout, “Damn bug, where did it go?!”
“Should I wait a mont?” Gap asked calmly and gently.
“No… my assistant said you had sothing important to tell ?” Vera refocused on the call, while Lynch turned his attention elsewhere.
“Yes. Just now, soone from the federal tax bureau ca to see Michael. He said sothing to them, and judging by his expression afterward, he looked very excited.” As an accountant, Gap was keenly observant—his job was to spot irregularities among numbers.
He noticed Michael seed energized and uncharacteristically open about past matters. Gap was convinced this had sothing to do with Lynch.
Michael had always avoided talking about how he ended up in prison or the details of his work. But Gap was well aware of his background.
Michael had been a local tax investigator. Back when Lynch’s case made national headlines, the tax bureau had been exposed for illegal enforcent and harming innocent people without legal procedures. Michael had been buried under public backlash.
There were clearly deeper issues he didn’t want to talk about.
“Hmm…” A slapping sound ca through the phone. Gap asked, “What happened?”
Vera replied, “A bug was crawling up my leg. I killed it.”
“Is there anything else?”
Gap paused, then said, “You should warn Lynch—this might be aid at him. And if possible, bring up to him. Do I have any chance of getting out a bit earlier?”
“You know the situation with Liston. I’m innocent too. The storm’s mostly passed now. It shouldn’t be that hard to get out.”
“I can pay with my skills. You know what I can do. I have connections and thods in this industry… Are you really okay?”
Gap noticed her breathing had gotten heavier.
“I’m fine. The weather in Eminence’s heating up fast. I’m just a bit hot,” she said, gritting her teeth.
Gap found it odd but didn’t press. His only desire now was to get out of that damn place.
Despite the warden and guards treating him with respect—letting him access anywhere, even the warden’s office—it was still a prison. Prisoners were still at the bottom of the chain.
He didn’t want to waste the best years of his life in there. Whatever it took, he wanted out.
“All right. Just remind him of what I’ve contributed… and thank you.”
After that, both of them fell silent. About ten seconds later, Gap asked, “How’s the kid?”
“He’s doing well. He’s in a new school now. Eminence has excellent education resources—the best in the federation. He’s much more cheerful and has made many new friends.”
“If you get out, I don’t want you to see him. You understand?”
Vera’s tone turned firm. Before Gap’s arrest, the investigation and tax bureaus had repeatedly harassed her and the child, putting the boy under severe emotional strain. He even went through a period of mutism and withdrawal.
It was an extre response—according to a psychologist, he had been deeply traumatized and avoided all contact with the outside world.
Fortunately, with tily treatnt and a better environnt, he had recovered. But that didn’t an such trauma couldn’t happen again.
Gap went silent after sensing her emotional shift.
About ten minutes later, Vera said, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up. I’ll tell Lynch what you said, but I can’t promise anything.”
In the end, she hesitated but gave him her office number in case he had more information to share.
After over ten minutes, Vera, panting slightly, finished telling Lynch everything Gap had said. Lynch had already grasped the situation.
“Is this going to be dangerous for you?” Vera asked, clearly anxious. She couldn’t bear going through another ordeal like before. It had been a nightmare for both her and her child.
Lynch remained as confident as ever. “Of course not. Even if they think they’ve found sothing important, it won’t bring down. No one can take down—except , or you.”
Michael’s involvent was limited. The dealer was dead—Lynch had seen it with his own eyes. The rest of the kids tied to the case were all under his care now.
With the backing of the Green brothers, Lynch had no concerns about the kids doing anything that might affect him.
The Green brothers were notorious in certain circles of Sabin City. While their reputation ant little to the upper and middle classes—who could easily wipe out lower-tier powers through various ans—it carried weight when dealing with those very lower-tier groups. The more they had seen darkness, the more they feared it.
As for Gap wanting an early release… Lynch figured letting him out a few months ahead of schedule wouldn’t hurt.
Still, that night, Lynch called the Green brothers and told them to keep an eye on the situation.
After Michael handed over a crucial lead, the man with the scarred face didn’t return to the state tax bureau in the capital. Instead, he went straight to the Sabin City tax bureau.
In his view, neither the dealer nor the newsboys could beco a real obstacle.
The dealer role itself was a gray profession, heavily reliant on illegal child labor through various exploitative ans.
And the newsboys were all long-oppressed and even abused children. Take down the dealer, and the kids would talk.
He didn’t even need support from the state bureau—the local tax bureau had enough power to collect the necessary evidence. And ti was critical.
By the ti he arrived in Sabin City, it was already evening. After speaking with the new director of the city’s tax bureau, the two headed to the local police departnt to wait for updates.
But the news they got wasn’t good.
“What? The dealer’s missing?” The scarred man stood up in shock. “When did this happen?”
The officer assigned to bring in the dealer thought for a mont. “It’s been a year or two. We don’t usually pay much attention to people like that.”
“Those in this line of work tend to move around a lot. Plus, they instinctively avoid us. Even if we were tracking them, it wouldn’t be easy.”
The scarred man’s face darkened. “What if we expand the search?”
“If we widen the scope to include the whole city and nearby districts, could we turn up anything new?”
The detectives in the office looked to the police chief, who simply shook his head.
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