Chapter 39 You Are Finally Out
The night was deep, with a new moon hanging high in the sky, casting a faint and cold light.
A breeze quietly blew by, carrying a slight chill. Joshua pressed down on his baseball cap and walked into a quaint courtyard.
"You were right. I grilled Martin, and it turns out someone did bribe him. But I can't figure out why the fifty grand came from Diana's card. Could it really be Diana who bribed him?"
"No way," the man's voice was low. "She's too vain to hire a hitman to stab her. That's not Diana's style. Besides, Diana's too proud to use such dirty tricks to hurt her enemies. The bank should be able to trace the fifty grand."
"This is a minor issue. The tech team found out the money was transferred via mobile banking. If that's the case, there's only one possibility: someone used Diana's phone."
"The main thing is to find out who could get hold of Diana's phone and know her password."
"We'll probably have to ask Diana herself. How could she casually reveal her password to someone?"
"Whoever it was must be close to her, someone she lives with."
"If we can get Martin to confess, that would be best. If he doesn't, we'll have to rely on our technical methods."
"Alright, send someone to investigate as soon as possible. How's the other side going?"
"No leads yet, but if we can break through here, the other side should be a piece of cake. I'm the head of a criminal investigation team; I don't work for nothing." Joshua didn't wait for the man to speak, put on his baseball cap, and walked out of the courtyard.
The moonlight elongated Joshua's shadow. The surroundings were silent, with only the occasional sound of insects breaking the night's stillness.
When Nolan sat across from Martin, Martin had lost his usual arrogance.
Nolan gently patted Martin's shoulder. "I know you're in a tough spot. Honestly, I've had a tough time. It's not your fault you were born at the wrong time, but standing on the wrong side will keep you wrong."
Martin hung his head, remaining silent.
"I went to Radiant Rainbow School today," Nolan picked up a glass of water, took a sip, and said casually, while watching Martin through his fingers.
Martin looked up, a glimmer of light in his eyes.
Nolan keenly caught that glimmer. He knew Martin's weak spot was Elara and Echo.
"How are they?" Martin's voice trembled.
"They're doing alright." Nolan put down the glass. "Elara bought Echo a new pair of shoes, and she got herself a pair too. Fifty grand is enough for them to live on for a while. Some second graders kicked Echo's shoes off and used them as a ball on the playground. They said Echo was a criminal's child and didn't deserve such nice shoes. How did you teach Echo to be so obedient? No matter how others bullied her, she didn't get angry. Elara didn't argue, just held Echo and left." Martin's eyes reddened, and he rubbed them repeatedly with the back of his hand.
"In the end, I let them down and made them suffer," Martin muttered, lowering his head.
"This isn't all your fault; you just had bad luck."
"Do you know who made you commit the crime?"
"It was…" Martin held his head in his hands. "I don't know his name. I only heard the man call her Anne."
"The man? Which man?" Nolan asked urgently.
Martin shook his head. "I don't know, I never saw him."
"How did you contact them?"
"Anne called me," Martin added. "Every time, it was from a fixed phone number."
"How did they get your phone number?"
"Probably from a flyer. I used to do odd jobs and put up flyers in residential areas."
"Do you have their phone number?"
"I used to, but I lost my phone while escaping."
"Was it the man who subdued you that day?"
"Probably not, the voice sounded different." Martin tried hard to recall the events.
Nolan was almost certain that Anne was the one who bribed Martin. But who was the man with Anne that day? Anyway, Martin came through with a useful lead.
Visiting hours were over, and Nolan had to leave.
"Nolan," just as Nolan turned, Martin called him back with a request. "Could you do me a favor and check on Echo?" Nolan agreed.
Though Martin had committed a crime, his child was innocent.
Nolan checked the time. There were less than two hours left until Diana's 48-hour detention ended.
Nolan thought it was just the right time to head back to the law firm to prepare for Diana's release. He felt a bit more relaxed.
"Diana, you're finally out." Lila rushed over and hugged me tightly.
Breathing the free air outside again, I felt much better.
Standing behind Lila were Nolan and David. Nolan still had that ascetic look, but his refined demeanor made it hard not to have thoughts about him. Nolan didn't say anything, just smiled at me.
"Diana, congratulations on your release." David's way of greeting was unique; he punched me on the shoulder, making me wince in pain.
But I was used to it. After all, we've been like this for over twenty years. I punched David back. David pouted. "I really don't get it. What kind of person would like a woman like you?"
David and I joked around, lightening the mood. The group chatted and laughed as we walked to the parking lot.
Today, only Nolan had driven, so we all had to squeeze into one car to go back to the law firm.
David and Nolan walked ahead, while Lila and I linked arms and followed behind.
Unexpectedly, a sports car screeched to a halt in front of us after just a few steps.
"Diana, we're here to take you home." Anne jumped out of the car with a smile and reached for my hand. I stepped back. Lila instinctively blocked her.
"I wondered who was driving so recklessly. Turns out it's Mr. Howard and your dear sister Anne! Haven't you heard the saying, 'Two's company, three's a crowd'?" As a fellow lawyer, Lila was also sharp-tongued.
I wanted to laugh but couldn't help worrying for Lila. With her background, she shouldn't be challenging the Howard Group. Yet she repeatedly offended Edward for my sake.
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