Darkstone Code
Chapter 224 - 0222 Mutual Help

Chapter 224: 0222 Mutual Help

"What happened?" Lynch could feel Vera’s body trembling slightly, so he offered her some support.

Vera took a deep breath. Perhaps seeing Lynch arrive and having blind faith in him—considering how Lynch had magically solved many troubles in the past—it was easy for people to fall into a state of "magical" admiration of Lynch.

She began to explain the situation, with Gap receiving a phone call and leaving in a hurry, and now the police arriving.

Lynch comforted her with a few words and walked with her towards her home, trying to figure out what exactly had happened here. The easiest way was to ask those police officers.

When the two returned outside the house, another police car had arrived. This police car was different from regular ones; its design gave an impression of being... more expensive. But most people recognized it as belonging to the FBI.

Two agents in trench coats and sunglasses, whose identities were obvious at a glance, stood by the car chatting with a police officer. As they saw Lynch and Vera approaching, the officer chose to end the conversation and leave.

One of the agents pulled aside his trench coat, revealing inside a badge clamped into an inner pocket, indicating his credentials: "Senior FBI Investigator..."

His gaze swept past Vera and rested directly on Lynch. Lynch stepped forward slightly, positioning himself in front of Vera.

He may still be young, but this step made his back appear to Vera like an imposing and majestic mountain, which helped calm her previously anxious emotions instantly.

"May I know the purpose of your visit here?" Lynch asked, staring at the agent. The other agent whispered something in this agent’s ear, probably about Lynch’s identity, and the agent immediately understood the situation.

Though his change wasn’t obvious, the shift in his eyes from scrutiny and impatience to realization and calmness was enough to indicate that he understood Lynch’s background.

No one could afford to ignore it; after all, he was Mark’s partner, the mayor’s good friend, and had decent relationships with some capitalists. People like him were not ones easily offended by anyone, including the FBI.

Local protection policies ensured they had no way to trouble Lynch, whereas Lynch could continuously cause them problems. So unless necessary, the investigation units preferred not to provoke these wealthy people willingly, especially since they differed from the Tax Bureau.

The investigation unit could only investigate an individual or an incident after a major case occurred, whereas the Tax Bureau could endlessly harass a wealthy person under the pretext of a tax audit until the individual admitted defeat.

The agent didn’t consider too long before nodding; such matters could be heard from other places as well, and he saw no need to conceal it. "This lady’s husband is suspected of..."

The agent’s gaze moved past Lynch to Vera. "Sorry, ma’am. Mr. Gap is suspected of having a relationship with a woman while she was in a state of confusion, in collaboration with others, and allegedly involved in indecent assault and harm."

The case wasn’t that simple; some details were challenging to express, especially with the victim’s spouse present.

Instantly, Lynch felt Vera’s arm he was supporting take more weight; he had to use both hands to support Vera, almost like he was holding her close, but that wasn’t the case.

"Can we know more of the details?" Lynch inquired, but the agent shook his head.

Glancing around, he spoke, "Mr. Lynch and Ms. Vera, we won’t disclose more information before the case progresses further, and even what I’ve mentioned...," he smiled without finishing, but everyone understood his meaning.

Lynch glanced at him. "I’ve also recently run into some trouble related to criminals and their actions. Perhaps you could offer me some advice?"

The agent hesitated momentarily, eventually handed over his business card, and said, "You can call me during off-work hours."

Lynch accepted the card, bid farewell to the agent, and supported Vera back into her house.

At this point, the police also noticed Lynch’s arrival, one slippery police officer immediately said something to the police chief conducting the search, who also showed a knowing look, softening and easing their search work.

The two sat on the living room sofa as Lynch held Vera’s hand, sensing her helplessness; her palm was cold and clammy.

About twenty minutes later, the lead police officer approached the living room, glancing at Lynch, then the oily officer beside him, who quickly spoke up, "We discovered a safe in the study. We hope Ms. Vera can provide the code and also hope Mr. Lynch can accompany Ms. Vera in witnessing the process, serving as a testimony."

The slippery officer even produced some legal documents, saying, "The Judge agreed to search private finances, including password boxes, safes, and other personal confidential measures. We hope Ms. Vera will cooperate with our work, and we promise these things won’t leak into the public."

Lynch could sense his words carried a request and a not forceful attitude, yet the content made refusal impossible.

Lynch looked at Vera, who nodded, and the two followed the police upstairs.

Standing before the safe, Vera opened it without any fuss.

Even if she said something, it couldn’t change the attitude of the police, nor could it make them give up this idea. In the end, she still had to open the safe.

Secondly, she knew that Gap had dealt with the contents inside beforehand. Everything inside was very clean, at least she believed Gap wouldn’t be foolish enough to leave anything that couldn’t see the light of day in there. Those things were in her safe.

After the combination lock turned a few times, the safe opened slowly with the sound of gears turning, revealing many documents, some cash, and a few gold bars.

Investment in precious metals was also one of Gap’s investment strategies. Compared to short and medium-term bond stock investments, precious metals were more inclined towards the mid to long term.

The police, in the presence of Lynch, Vera, and two FBI investigators, took everything out of the safe and placed it on Gap’s desk, photographing and documenting each item.

Some documents were even put into evidence bags and, after Vera signed them, were taken away by the police.

As for the money and gold, they were placed back into the safe as they were.

The entire search process continued until evening. The investigator who had given Lynch his business card asked a question as they were about to end the search, "Ms. Vera, I noticed you’ve packed some items, and there are obvious gaps in places, like bookshelves with no books. May I know if you have already moved some items away, or have you been relocating recently?"

Vera nodded, explained some situations, and after the investigator noted it down, they quickly left with their colleague. They needed to contact the FBI in the neighboring state to intercept the shipment and immediately inspect it for possible issues.

The search was actually a failure, as they didn’t find anything of value, and the items in the safe were fairly ordinary, mostly related to the family, with few items connected to Ristone.

However, that’s not important. The evidence is just to make Gap more cooperative with the investigation team regarding Ristone’s matters, not just to make Gap plead guilty so simply.

After the police and FBI investigators left, the house instantly felt somewhat empty.

Looking at the disturbed arrangement, Vera squeezed Lynch’s hand slightly, having never imagined encountering such a thing. She felt ashamed because of her husband.

She didn’t even dare to look Lynch in the eye. She didn’t know what position to take to explain this matter.

The wife of a criminal?

Lynch comforted Vera a bit and asked her to make a call. Not long after, Vera’s mother hurried over.

She was a woman in her fifties, dressed well, with exquisite makeup and attire, showing that she lived in a good environment.

The woman paused when she saw Lynch, her expression somewhat odd, but quickly she focused her attention on her daughter.

Only then did Lynch stand up to leave. It was not very appropriate for him to stay here now. Some things seemed simple, but they weren’t!

A little past nine in the evening, he dialed the number on the investigator’s business card.

The call was answered by a young woman, presumably the investigator’s wife. After explaining the purpose of his call, the investigator’s voice soon came through the receiver.

"This is Lynch. I apologize for disturbing you at this time. Some matters related to the day have been troubling me, and I don’t know who to consult. Perhaps you could provide me with some assistance?"

The investigator hesitated for a moment and finally nodded in agreement. The two agreed to meet at a bar.

At around nine forty-something, in a somewhat quiet bar in downtown Sabin City, the two met.

After ordering a glass of wine each, they found a secluded booth with dim lighting and sat down. Neither of them spoke. After about half a minute, Lynch began.

"Sometimes when we encounter difficulties, we don’t know how to deal with them, so we must seek out people who can offer us assistance."

"They provide me with consulting services, and sometimes, within the scope of their capabilities, they give me help without violating their principles and bottom line, and without breaking the law."

"Assistance is mutual. They help me solve some troubles and problems, and I, in turn, help them solve some small economic issues."

"Are you willing to accept this contract-free and obligation-free employment, to become my advisor, Mr. Investigator?"