Inspection of Digital Copy

Brendon sat in the break room, still feeling the lingering ache at the back of his head from the attack in the evidence room. It's been a while since everyone left him here alone. His mind was racing with everything that had happened in the last 24 hours. Nothing made sense anymore, but one thing was certain—this case was much bigger than he had anticipated.

Jacob's phone had been tampered with. A second phone, identical to his, had been found in a room that was supposed to be abandoned. And now, someone had stolen evidence right under their noses. This wasn't just a murder case—it's like a big conspiracy brewing on the horizon.

Brendon stood up, pushing the pain aside. He had work to do.

The River Bay Lead

Brendon found Robert outside the police station, smoking a cigarette.

"Hey, got a minute?" Brendon asked.

Robert exhaled a cloud of smoke, studying him. "For you? Always. What's up?"

Brendon leaned against the railing. "I need you to check something out for me. Luca mentioned that he and his friends which included Jacob when he was alive dumped a package of 'The Hunters' in the river bay the nights before Jacob died. If we can find it before 'The Hunters' do, we might be able to build a case against them and even we will be able to understand what is so important in that package that enables them to take violent methods."

Robert sighed, rubbing his temple. "Brendon, you really wanna go after those guys? They're not just some petty street thugs. You start messing with their business, and they'll come after you."

Brendon crossed his arms. "I know the risks, but this isn't about us, Robert. This is about those kids. If Luca was telling the truth, then someone's running drugs through this city, and they don't care if teenagers get caught in the middle. We have a chance to stop it before more lives are ruined. Plus Luca and his friends life is also on line."

Robert flicked his cigarette onto the ground, crushing it under his boot. He let out a deep breath. "Fine. I'll check it out, but if this gets out of control, you owe me one."

Brendon smirked. "I already owe you some favors to count."

Robert shook his head with a chuckle. "Damn right, you do."

---

Brendon made his way to the tech department, where he found Sofie typing away on her keyboard. The screens around her displayed streams of data, glowing lines of code scrolling in rapid succession.

She looked up as he entered. "What brings you here, Sheriff?"

Brendon hesitated for a moment before asking, "When you copied Jacob's phone data, did you notice a group chat named 'BM19'?"

Sofie nodded. "Yeah, kinda weird name, don't you think?"

Brendon leaned over her desk. "That's actually a group of his friends. Listen, I need a favor. Can you keep an eye on them? Just... make sure they're safe."

Sofie raised an eyebrow. "You want me to spy on teenagers? Shouldn't you ask the chief about this?"

Brendon laughed dryly. "Tyson? His head's like a damn volcano right now. He's not gonna listen to me. But those kids... they might be in danger. I need someone I trust to watch over them."

Sofie smirked. "Well, I have been looking for something interesting to do. Alright, I'm in."

Brendon sighed in relief. "Thanks, Sofie. I owe you one."

She grinned. "Oh, you owe me plenty."

---

As Brendon was about to leave, Robert comes in calling out Brendon, "Hey, what are you gonna do now?"

Brendon stretched, his body sore from exhaustion. "Honestly? I need to rest. Clear my head. Hope you understand."

Sofie waved him off. "Yeah, yeah. Go get some sleep before you collapse on your feet."

Robert smirked. "Yeah, you look like hell, buddy. Get some rest."

Brendon nodded, making his way to his apartment.

Uncovering Digital Secrets

Brendon arrived at the apartment room and collapsed onto his couch, pulling out his phone. He clicked on the hyperlink Sofie had sent him earlier. A website loaded, perfectly replicating a smartphone interface. The wallpaper—a picture of Jacob and his mother—confirmed it was a digital copy of Jacob's phone.

He scrolled through Jacob's messages. Conversations with friends, texts with his mother. It was clear how much Jacob meant to her—he was her hope, her future. Brendon sighed. Even in this so-called "modern world," black people like Jacob still faced hardships others never had to think about. And now, he was gone.

Brendon clenched his jaw. Someone had taken that hope away from Jacob's mother.

He kept reading, searching for anything unusual. Most of Jacob's texts were normal—nothing out of place. There he looks into BM19 group message.

BM19 Group Chat.

[BM19 – One day before Jacob's death]

Luca: Guys, I got a tip. Some weasel and a fox are moving a drug package tonight. We could take it.

James: What do you mean 'take it'?

Luca: Steal it, dumbass. If we grab it first, we can make some serious cash.

Lewis: Damn. You sure about this?

Luca: 100%. My source is never wrong. Plus this not about making money. This place is our territory, we can't allow anyone to run such illegal things.

Isaac: If we do this, we'll have to move fast.

James: Oh! Come on Luca. Don't be so all righteous and stuff. We need money to sustain our school fees you remember?

Luca: Yeah dumbass. I remember that. But I won't allow you that.

Jacob: No way. This is a bad idea.

James: Come on, Jacob. You scared?

Jacob: This isn't about being scared. It's stupid. You don't mess with people like that.

Luca: Chill, man. It's just a package.

Jacob: And what happens when they come looking for it?

James: We'll handle it.

Jacob: No. I'm out. You guys do what you want.

Jacob had refused. He didn't want to be part of it.

Brendon's chest tightened. And yet, he was the first to die.

He exhaled, rubbing his temples. Someone had set those kids up. And Jacob had paid the price.

Brendon scrolled further, finding another chat—Bradley Norman.

When he clicked on it, the screen glitched.

The entire interface flickered, his phone freezing up. The messages between Jacob and Bradley were scrambled—unreadable. His phone became sluggish, nearly crashing.

Brendon frowned. "What the hell...?"

Something wasn't right. Whoever Bradley Norman was, someone didn't want Brendon reading those messages.

He exited the website, quickly regaining control of his phone.

"I have to tell Sofie about this," he muttered.

A Mysterious Call

Just as he was about to dial Sofie's number, his phone buzzed.

Unknown Caller.

Brendon hesitated before answering.

"Brendon Wolf," a disguised voice spoke. "If you want to catch Drago red-handed, be at the abandoned factory in South Block. Tomorrow. 1:15 AM."

Brendon's grip on his phone tightened. "Who is this?"

"You already know who's responsible for Jacob Williams' death. If you want justice, show up. Otherwise, keep chasing ghosts."

Click.

The line went dead.

Brendon stared at his phone, heart pounding.

Drago.

The name that kept coming up. The name that made people afraid.

Was he the one behind all of this?

Brendon glanced at the clock. 2:00 PM.

He had 23 hours.

Exhaling deeply, he set his phone down and closed his eyes.

He will meet the devil himself.