Wavering Heart(3)

"What the hell is going on?"

Shelly asked Allen in a low voice as she looked at her captain studying her car engine.

Allen just put a finger on his lips telling her to shush. So, she changed her target towards her partner who was also looking at Ryan. After feeling her stare and making eye-contact with her, Julian shrugged. He was also not sure of the situation.

Just when he was going to go out for their 'private investigation', he received a call from his captain telling him not to take one step out from his flat and not to stay near windows or doors. Then, about thirty minutes later, Ryan appeared at his door with Allen. There was even a bomb squad and canine division following them. Julian had not even made head or tail of the situation, when he was grabbed and brought to Lieutenant Jones' house. Although he had a million questions on his mind, he was too scared to make a sound when he saw his captain's serious expression.

Right now, three of them were told to sit still in the living room as they watched their captain keeping himself busy with Shelly's car.

Allen sighed with a grave expression.

"He hasn't told me anything either. He just came over with people from bomb squad and picked me up. But, I got a call from an officer this morning. The car I lent to Coporal Bunner exploded this morning and that he died on the spot."

"What?!" Shelly exclaimed.

"It must be Moretti Catel, right?" Julian asked.

"I can't think of anyone else who would want me to die," Allen answered.

"But doesn't that mean captain is in a dangerous situation?" Shelly contemplated with a frown.

What if there was actually a bomb and it went off while captain was investigating?

Julian almost ran out after hearing her thought.

Noticing his movement, Shelly said, "Sit still. It's not like we will be of any help. None of us here knows how to disarm a bomb. But, Cap brought the bomb squad to you guys so why not to me?"

Only then, Julian settled down. It was true that ordinary police officers would not be trained to deal with specialized bombs. As for his captain, he would even believe that there was nothing Ryan could not do.

"Isn't your situation a bit special?" Allen answered.

"True. I now feel bad for troubling Cap," Shelly sighed.

If anyone got a clue about her true identity, it would be a risk for their investigation as well as her position. She might even be sent back to the capital forcefully. The higher ups would not dare to keep a 'VIP' in this dangerous city even with her father's agreement. It would not be smart to let officers search her properties.

After some time, Ryan walked into the house.

"You don't need to worry about inside the house. There are CCTVs in every room except my bathroom and there are also alarm systems. I would know if anyone tried to get near my house," Shelly said before Ryan could say anything.

"That's good, then." As excepted of the Madam of the Cornwell Corps, Ryan thought.

Ryan removed the vest and helmet he borrowed from the bomb squad. Just then, his phone started ringing so he picked up the call.

"How's everything there?"

The three people kept silent as they knew it was a report from the officers at the other two houses. They were dying to hear the results.

"Send it to the forensics. I'll go there directly to check later."

Oh! It seemed they found something.

As Ryan ended the call, Shelly and the others perked their ears up as they waited for him to speak.

"You must have already known that Allen's car blew up this morning. They found a bomb under Julian's bed also. Rookie, where did you sleep last night?"

Ryan asked as he looked over to Julian.

"I was tired after our 'meeting' so I just passed out on the sofa."

Such an occasion was very rare for a disciplined person like Julian. However, Ryan had to agree that it was indeed tiring to meet up like that after finishing their work at the bureau. Midnight was the earliest they could get home.

"Both of you were quite lucky, I have to say. The bomb under your bed was set to go off on pressure."

Julian attentively listened as cold sweat gathered on his neck. Damn! If he had been diligent and tried to get on his bed no matter how exhausted he was last night, ...

"I found nothing strange with Shelly's car though. May be they knew you were a big-shot or may be they did not get a chance with all those surveillance systems."

"Even if they did not know Shelly's true identity, after seeing those systems, they might have a hunch that she is not an ordinary cop. May be that's why they backed off. Our opponents are not rash at all. They are quite attentive and cautious," Allen deducted.

"Yeah," Ryan agreed with his partner. It was silent for a few seconds as everyone was in deep thoughts.

"When was the last time you drove your car?" Ryan asked Allen.

"Yesterday morning when I went to the station."

"I still haven't got the report from the forensics but from my experience, that type of bomb is triggered when you start the engine. If that is true, then the time-frame they could set it up would be when you were at work yesterday," Ryan said.

"They still have some people among us," Allen said.

Even if the officers did not help set up the bomb, it would not be easy for the intruders if they did not have any insiders who would turn a blind eye on them.

"It's not a surprising thing in this city," Shelly said with a shrug.

Hearing his seniors' discussion, Julian gripped the badge on his waist tightly. Why did things always turn out like this? Aren't police officers supposed to be on the side of justice, protecting people and their colleagues. If they were going to do the opposite, why did they become police in the first place. And why did his seniors accept this situation readily without a blink of an eye? They did not even seem surprised.

He was only woken up from his trance when Shelly pushed his shoulder with hers.

"Hey! Cap is asking you a question."

"Sorry, captain. I was thinking."

Seeing his flustered condition, Ryan knew exactly what was going on in Julian's head. He sighed. His rookie still had a lot to learn. It was not good to always protect him so he would just let him be for the time being.

"When was the last time you got into your bed?"

"The night before yesterday."

"So, the time-frame would be the same. They set it up while rookie was at work. But the question is why did they not do the same for both? I mean if they wanted to be sure, they could have set the bombs in both the rooms and the cars for Allen and Julian. What stopped them?"

Everyone fell in deep thoughts again.

"Well, actually, it is not very easy to get into my house without being noticed. There are few families in my neighborhood and everyone knows everyone in the street. It's quite different from getting inside a flat where it's easy to slip in unnoticed."

Julian thought for a while and nodded. He had to agree that it was quite easy to get inside the building he was staying at. Whether disguising as delivery men or maintenance guys, even he himself would not be sure to identify them as criminals. Although there were some other officers staying in the same building, he could not count on them to notice anything. Rather he would be more cautious about them after hearing that there might be one or more insiders.

"And... about the car, I think it's because I usually go together with Lieutenant Jones," Julian shared his thoughts. That partner of his was very lazy at everything else apart from shooting and chasing criminals. Whether it was his or her vehicle, he would be the one acting as her driver.

Shelly grunted in approval without feeling any sense of guilt for bullying her junior.

"I see," Ryan felt enlightened.

"If what you guys said is true, I have to say that our opponent this time is quite guarded. What do you think, Allen?"

Allen nodded thoughtfully. Their opponents knew their habits and daily activities very well, and only made plans after thinking thoroughly. If not for luck was on their side, he and Julian would now be in afterlife without even knowing what hit them.

"It's not Mr. Boni's style," Allen said.

That man was arrogant and reckless. If not for that weakness, they would not have walked out alive from his den.

Shelly nodded, "My little ears told me that Mr. Boni's subordinates have quite a lot on their plates these days. With their boss gone, some other factions are vying for their territories. They are not free enough to deal with us."

"Sirena," Ryan thought out loud.

"May be they have already noticed Shelly's informant or may be they are just taking one step ahead but with the information we have, they are the only ones I can think of."

"Can't it also be the big boss of Mr. Boni?" Julian asked. He knew that Mr. Boni was only one of the six subgroup leaders, just like Sirena.

Ryan shook his head, "If he got directly involved, Midnight Ravens would also make a move, too. The ravens are only watching quietly from the sides because they did not have enough proof yet. If the big boss gets anxious and shows his hands while knowing who's behind us, it would mean that there's something he has to hide from the ravens."

"Well, we still don't have enough clues and can't make any conclusion yet, anyway," Allen shrugged his shoulders.

"I can't agree more. However, we need to be more careful than ever. For some reason or another, they dare not make a move on me or Shelly. So, you two, stick to us in the future investigations and don't move solo. Understood?"

"Yes, captain," Allen and Julian answered simultaneously.