Cases Uncovered

28 | The Unfinished Case

"Don't judge people from the outside. Like any rose has thorns, the more the person appears nice on the outside, the more you should doubt the inside."

- Ai Haibara

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Chapter 28:
The Unfinished Case

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ZANE

The game will start again from what was started before.

My body went numb, my mind racing with questions. "What does that even mean—"

"Don't tell me you're clueless about that. You must have read or heard about it somewhere," Raine interrupted, scrutinizing the seeds intently.

I quickly grabbed my phone and tapped away, my fingers racing across the screen. As I searched online, anticipation grew within me. I suspected the object she held was significant, but I needed concrete evidence. This wasn't a game!

Five orange seeds.

I gasped, my eyes widening as I absorbed its profound meaning.

"Five orange pips," Raine muttered under her breath.

"KKK," I blurted out.

"It's a warning, Zane," she added.

I whispered to her, glancing around cautiously, "I know, but isn't the KKK a secret organization? Not the Katipunan, but the Ku Klux Klan."

I have a deep interest in history, and I've delved into various novels, including one by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle that mentions the significance of those seeds.

"Raine, how did you come across this?" I asked.

"I don't know, but it might tie back to my dad's old cases — perhaps connected to that trage—," she replied, resuming her stride.

"Cases? What do you mean? You're just like your dad?"

"Dad was a Chief Detective," she answered, which triggered a memory.

When I first met Raine and learned her full name, I knew it sounded familiar. I'd thought about it many times but couldn't remember how I first knew them.

I raced to keep up with her brisk pace, my mind still racing until I finally recalled.

She halted abruptly in front of me, causing me to nearly collide with her. My mind buzzed with thoughts as she asked, "Can I borrow the photo?"

I handed her what she had asked for, mindful that our bare hands might contaminate it.

"Can I ask what your dad's name is?" I asked as she took the photo from me.

"William De Verra," she replied.

Finally, the memory I was searching for came back to me. I quickly looked up his name on the internet and found his full name.

Detective Chief Superintendent William Lawrence De Vera.

I wanted to ask her more, but we were immediately pulled back into the darkness of our case.

"The photo isn't clear anymore!" Raine said, and I could sense the confusion in her movements.

"I know you can handle this, but right now, we need help. Lives are at risk!" I whispered so no one else would hear our conversation.

I knew Raine's sister had given her other tasks, and this new case seemed like someone was trying to play a game with her.

This is what I fear!