The Link That Connects It All

Brendon stood in the dimly lit room, staring at the laptop and phone resting on the dusty wooden table. The glow from the laptop's screen cast an eerie illumination over the abandoned space, emphasizing the oddity of someone using this place after months of neglect.

Robert let out a low whistle. "Wow, it seems like someone indeed was here."

Brendon, deep in thought, turned to Robert. "Hey, do you have a handkerchief with you? I need that."

Robert raised an eyebrow but reached into his pocket and pulled out a neatly folded handkerchief. "Yeah, as you wish."

Taking it, Brendon carefully wrapped the phone before slipping it into his pocket. "I don't want any unnecessary fingerprints interfering with this."

Robert observed him, arms crossed. "So, what now?"

Brendon's eyes narrowed. "Seal this place off. Call Chief Tyson. He needs to see this firsthand."

Robert hesitated before asking, "Where are you going?"

Brendon exhaled sharply. "I feel that all these recent incidents are connected by a thread. And I believe that thread is Jacob."

Without another word, he turned on his heel and left the apartment.

---

Brendon hailed a taxi and sank into the back seat, his mind racing with theories. Everything led back to Jacob. His death was the catalyst, but why did it feel like his presence still lingered in every dark corner of this case?

After twenty minutes, the taxi pulled up in front of the police station. Brendon reached into his wallet—only to realize he had no cash left. He let out a groan. "Damn it…"

Before he could even argue with the driver, a familiar voice spoke up.

"I got it," Devina said, stepping forward and handing the driver a few bills.

Brendon turned to her, surprised. "Ms. Assistant Mayor? You didn't have to—"

She cut him off. "No need to thank me. It was partly my fault for not giving you an advance salary."

Brendon rubbed the back of his neck. "Still, I owe you one."

Devina shrugged but then leaned in slightly. "You should know, the mayor isn't happy with you detaining someone tied to 'The Hunters' gang. But you got lucky—he's not firing you since you released that teen weasel in time."

Brendon sighed. "Ah, I knew that would come back to bite me."

"Yeah, certainly," Devina said, then turned to leave.

Before stepping away, she hesitated and looked back. "You know what, Wolf? I think you've done a good job so far. You've shown you're not like the others… not corrupt."

Brendon froze.

Her words sank in deeper than he expected. As he watched her walk away, he stood still, processing everything.

---

The Tech Department

Brendon shook off his thoughts and entered the police station. Moving straight to the tech department, he found Sofie, hunched over a glowing screen, fingers dancing across the keyboard.

She glanced up, eyebrows raised. "Well, well, what brings you here, sheriff?"

Brendon hesitated before asking, "Umm… can you tell me how you digitally copied the victim's whole phone?"

Sofie's face lit up with excitement. "Glad you asked! You remember how Jacob's phone was completely shattered? Well, instead of recovering it physically, I had to dig into the Internet Cloud. Every smartphone has metadata stored online—location data, app history, system logs—you name it. I traced the IP address and reconstructed all of his phone's data into a website format. That's what the hyperlink I sent in the group chat was about."

Brendon nodded, processing her words. "So, you never needed Jacob's actual phone?"

Sofie tilted her head. "No… why?"

Brendon pulled out the phone from his pocket, still wrapped in the handkerchief. "Take a look at this."

Sofie reached out, carefully unwrapping the phone. She pressed the power button. The lock screen flickered to life.

Brendon leaned in. "Mr. Hudson called us about an unexplainable presence in one of his rooms. We checked it out and found this phone—along with a laptop. It's the same model as Jacob's."

Sofie's fingers hovered over the screen before swiping through it. "But this phone is empty… there's nothing here. No messages, no apps, no contacts."

Then, her gaze locked onto the wallpaper—a photograph of Jacob with his friends, smiling under the summer sun.

Her face paled. "Brendon… this is Jacob's phone."

Brendon's breath hitched. "If this is Jacob's phone, then what the hell is in the evidence room?"

Realizing the implications, he bolted from the room, leaving Sofie calling after him.

---

The Evidence Room Incident

Brendon burst into the evidence room, heart pounding. His eyes darted to the storage locker where Jacob's phone was supposed to be. He yanked it open.

The phone was still there.

He exhaled in relief. "Alright, at least—"

A sharp pain exploded in the back of his head. His vision blurred as the world tilted sideways. His legs gave out beneath him, and darkness swallowed him whole.

---

Interrogation

Brendon's head throbbed as he came to. The harsh white light of the restroom ceiling burned his eyes.

Robert and Sofie were crouched beside him, concern etched on their faces.

"What the hell happened?" Robert asked.

Brendon groaned, rubbing his head. "Got jumped… evidence room…"

Sofie's eyes widened. "Oh no."

Before anyone could respond, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed down the hallway.

Chief Tyson stormed into the room, fury radiating off him. Behind him, Billy cowered.

"How the hell did that offender get out of here with the fucking evidence?" Tyson roared.

The air turned thick with tension.

Then, his sharp gaze landed on Brendon.

His nostrils flared. "Wolf, you were the last one in the evidence room."

Brendon pushed himself up, still dizzy. "I was attacked, Chief. Someone knocked me out. They must have taken the evidence."

Tyson's lips curled into a sneer. "Convenient, huh? Real convenient that the one person sticking their nose in this case is the one who loses a crucial piece of evidence."

Brendon clenched his fists. "Chief, you don't seriously think—"

"Oh, I do seriously think, Wolf!" Tyson barked, stepping closer. "I told you to stay the hell out of this investigation, to stay out of my fucking way!"

Sofie cut in. "Chief, I saw Brendon rush into the evidence room. He was trying to check the phone, not take it."

Tyson's glare didn't waver. "I can't trust someone like you."

Brendon met his gaze, unwavering. "Then tell me, Chief, who exactly can you trust?"

Silence.

Tyson's jaw tightened. Without another word, he turned on his heel and stormed out.

As the door slammed shut, Brendon leaned against the table, exhaling sharply.

Robert placed a hand on his shoulder. "You okay, man?"

Brendon gave a dry laugh. "Hell no."

Sofie crossed her arms. "That was intense."

Brendon smirked. "You think?"

For a brief moment, the room fell silent.

Then Robert asked, "So… what now?"

Brendon's eyes darkened with determination.

"We find out who the hell just stole that damn phone. And we find out why."