The policewoman stood on the street texting me, her brows furrowed. She knew there was something suspicious. The arrest operation was swift; if no one leaked the information, the driver wouldn't have left early. Moreover, considering Claude's time of death, he died this afternoon, and the driver must have left to bury the evidence.
Only high-level internal members of the police station could access the information first, at least someone at the rank of chief inspector or above. Damn it.
Stella cursed under her breath, pacing back and forth beside the police car. "Why do you say perfect?"
"Did Claude have a history of drug use?"
"Yes!"
"So was there high-purity cocaine on the scene?"
"There were some traces, yes. Oh, and he drank a lot too."
"No signs of a struggle, which means Claude knew the killer and wasn't on guard. Was the scene messy, with signs of rummaging?"
Stella seemed lost in thought as she looked at my reply. "Yes."
"Couldn't find cocaine, right?"
"How do you know?" the policewoman exclaimed.
"That's why I said perfect. A drug use history, drugs, drinking, hiring prostitutes, coupled with the signs of rummaging on the scene, the citywide gang hunt—this is perfect circumstantial evidence telling everyone that Claude died from a deal gone wrong and an accident."
"Why do this?"
As I looked at the gradually darkening sunlight, it was like this case, with shadows covering everything. "I don't know, but I am certain they aren't after the drugs."
"Then what is it?" Stella wondered too. This case had many mysteries.
"Do you know? In a sales network, the kitchen, which is where we say illegal goods are made and stored, has a rule."
"No overdressing is allowed; you need to wear only underwear, just like a warehouse. It's to prevent people from stealing cash and drugs, so drug lords would have both men and women work in their underwear."
I laughed. This is where art differs from reality; Stella was right, but not entirely. "No, that's the movies."
"Then what is it?" Stella was somewhat anxious, standing helplessly on the street, watching the passing cars.
"Officer, are you asking for my help?"
"Damn it! Tell me."
"NOOB!" I laughed joyfully.
Stella found herself irritable, as a police officer, she was seeking help from a gang, and Kenny was mocking her as a novice.
"I swear I'll crush your balls."
"I'd like to have you put it in your mouth."
"Bastard."
"Alright, let's get down to business. In sales nodes, meaning the kitchen, we have a rule that the driver must register and record what goods are taken, the time, amount, and by whom. This way, the amount and value of goods sent out can be calculated.
Then the warehouse accounts for the gains, deducting losses, for instance when encountering the DEA and MPD, so as to keep records.
The records have another use apart from logging profits, and that's to control market prices. If losses reach a certain amount, we have two choices: first, raise prices; second, add something else to the original goods to dilute the cost."
"What they're looking for is the logbook."
I took a sip from Amir's bottle. "Smart girl."
"What's the use of it?"
Stella realized that what they were after wasn't thirty kilos of cocaine but the kitchen's logbook.
"If the police find a logbook, they can identify all the drivers in a sales network, i.e., the transporters. Once the drivers' list is found, they can locate the street vendors, through sales grab the managers, find the warehouse—nearly paralyzing the whole sales network.
On another note, if my guess is correct and the police station is involved, whoever gets hold of the logbook has the name of every corrupt cop."
"Fack! Are you saying that the purpose behind the case is likely to control the corrupt cops?"
"It should be, which is why the police station would hunt down Claude, leak the information, and attack the city's gangs, letting them act as a butcher's knife to silence and cover up the mastermind's true intent by creating chaos."
"What's the point?"
"If he controls the corrupt cops and also has supply channels, this person can build a massive drug empire. And it'd be very safe! Stella, don't get caught in the quagmire; it's not something you can handle."
Reading my message, Stella's facial expression kept changing as she continually weighed her options.
"Also, don't tell others what I said, and don't think about seeking help because you don't know who's human and who's a ghost!"
"How long to wait?"
"Wait until someone truly steps in, because we don't know how powerful the other side is. If we act rashly, there will be unnecessary sacrifices."
"Thank you!"
Seeing the policewoman thank me for the first time, I didn't know what to think inside. I am a gangster, not a good person, but at this moment, I had an impulse, feeling that I did something big.
Deep down, I hated drugs because my mother died from an overdose, but reality is grim, and I must rely on them to make a living.
"Are you flirting with the policewoman?" Amir tried to peek at my phone, but I avoided it.
"No, it's almost four o'clock; I need to go back."
"Going to Natasha's place?"
"I want to go home."
After speaking, I headed towards the cashier, "Help me cash out."
Took out a bank card; the cashier began to swipe it.
"Kenny, how much do you want to cash out?"
Since it's a club, where servers and dancers need cash, Sofia set up a place to exchange money, and guests would exchange some change.
Sofia transferred me fifteen thousand, and the extra five thousand should be the reward for dealing with Howard.
"Five thousand."
"Okay."
Holding the cash, I drove away from the club and arrived at Dade County High School.
The high school is located between Miami Beach and Everglades National Park; it's a public school.
Not far from Miami, I parked the car by the roadside, with quite a few pedestrians on the beach. The sunlight was getting weaker, and the surrounding high-rise apartments blocked the sun for me.
This is my hometown, Dade County, the most populous county in the Miami metropolitan area, where I live. My father is a gang member in Dade County.
That's right, Dade County, with its large population and proximity to Miami City, is also a hotbed of crime.
They say that the prototype for the GTA game's Sin City is Miami, and the story of GTA6 begins right in my hometown of Dade County, which is no paradise.
Standing by the roadside, behind me was the park by the beach, not too many people now.
I took out my wallet, inside is a photo.
No father, no mother, just four kids. The older ones are Helen and me, the younger ones are my sister Jesse and brother Johnny. Helen and Jesse have no blood relation to me; they are my stepmother's children. My brother is my biological sibling, but the once decent reorganized family was ruined again by my father.
After father went to prison, stepmother eloped with someone, and Helen, who graduated from high school, went to work at the Bikini Fast Food restaurant. I needed to help classmates with homework, sell marijuana, and sometimes deliver for people.
Since the family's only slightly older kids could earn money, I hated my father, he was just scum. Like Gallagher in TV's chaotic family, he never cared about his kids and family.
Since high school, I had to bear the responsibility of taking care of the family, had no time for love, got into the University of Miami, but couldn't afford school, couldn't manage the high student loans, and joined a gang after dropping out in the first semester.
My life is a mess, every time I gaze at the stars, I curse at God, FUCK YOU!
If you're really merciful? Why not look at me.
The first day after high school graduation, when my sister wanted to advance her salary to give me living expenses, I watched Helen beg the manager repeatedly; the manager made a demand for her to give him oral sex, I hit this man, that moment, I told myself, Kenny, no one can crush you!
Helen is just like mom, taking care of everyone.
First up every day, making breakfast, tidying the house, doing laundry, then going to work; in the evening, making dinner, tidying the house, going to sleep.
Sometimes, when I got up to use the toilet, I could see her sitting alone in the narrow living room sofa, drinking, smoking, and then starting to cry.
She was only eighteen at the time; this shouldn't be the life she had!
This damn world!
Looking at the photo, I gently caressed it. I dared not go home, because they all hope I could attend a good university and leave this place for good, yet I chose what they least wanted to see.
Every time Helen returned from the shop, she would bring some food and give me her ribs.
Jesse would secretly pour her milk into my glass in the morning.
At home, I was the most popular, most favored child, smart and handsome, I originally had the chance to escape this hell and live a different life, I disappointed them.
Looking at the family photo, I clenched my fist.
With my heart pounding, I didn't know if Jesse would throw a punch at my face when she saw me. Call me a bastard!
"Bitch!" A blonde girl grabbed another blonde girl's hair, pulling her and pushing her into the park's grass.
Quite a few students around blocked people's view.
I turned to look; school bullying, it happened frequently when I was in high school, but no one dared to lay a hand on me because I would beat them into the hospital.
Helen had even been called in by the teacher for that.
Seeing the blonde girl kneeling on the ground, her face being drawn on, slowly I took out a cigarette, muttering to myself, "Seems the younger generation still enjoys pranks."
"Jesse, cut your hair; I don't want to see you with the same hairstyle as me." The blonde girl grabbed Jesse's hair and pulled hard.
Kneeling on the ground, Jesse could only cry, "You're hurting me."
"Did you understand what I said?"
"Anna, she might not want to," the surrounding companions said with chuckles.
"Then I'll help her." After finishing, Anna took a pair of scissors from her bag.
"Please, I beg you, don't."
"It's not for you to decide. Hold her still!"
Two girls beside held Jesse down regardless of her struggle, because she was alone, incapable of resisting.
"Let me go, let me go," seeing Anna pick up the scissors, Jesse screamed desperately.
Watching a few little girls play around, at that moment, my heart almost stopped beating. The blonde girl kneeling was my younger sister.
Fack! Someone was bullying my family.
"No one will come to save you. Your sister is working, where's your whore mother? Ran off with another man. Your stepfather is a criminal. Oh, and you have a brother, where is he? In Miami? They say he's handsome, I want to meet him." Anna held the scissors to Jesse's forehead.
"What are you trying to do? Don't look for Kenny, he's studying in college; don't bother him. If you look for him, I swear, I'll kill you, bitch."
"Really?" Anna slapped Jesse's face. "You can't even help yourself."
"Don't bother him, I beg you."
"I like the way you beg. You don't act like this in school. Looks like your brother is very important to you."
"No!"
"After graduation, I'll attend University of Miami too. I'll find him."
"Ahh!" Jesse wriggled wildly like a mad beast.
The blonde Anna grinned with joy, "Vincent from the basketball team is the man I like, stay away from him. If you still appear in front of me, I'll go find your brother."
"No."
"It's not something you can stop," Anna had a confident smile on her face, she always got what she wanted.
"Excuse me, are you looking for me?"