Find me, Detective

CHAPTER 8 - PARTY

Tatlong araw na ang nakakalipas ng matapos ang pag uusap namin sa opisina tungkol sa kasong hinahawakan namin. Ngayon palang ay isa sa hinihinalaan na namin ay si Dominic Alfredo, we don't have enough evidence to prove kung siya nga ba ay isa sa hinahanap naming criminal. But as for now we're gathering more information about him.

I'm now heading into the boardroom to meet my team to discuss something about the case. The weight of Dwayne's warning sat heavily on my shoulders, making me realize that whatever we were getting into was clearly deeper than a mere case of theft. This is why I don't want to accept this offer, masisiraan lang ako ng ulo.

"We need to focus on Dominic Alfredo," I announced as everyone settled around the table. "Dwayne raised some valid concerns, but we have leads that need pursuing. However, we must be discreet. We're not the only ones looking into these matters."

Mady leaned forward. "So anong plano natin ngayon?"

"We’ll dig into his business dealings, but also explore his social connections. If he’s involved with anyone we suspect, it’ll be valuable intelligence. But we need to be subtle about it—no big moves, no unnecessary attention."

Alex nodded in agreement. "I can track down his business opponents to see if there's been any rivalries in the industry. Might give us insight into how he operates."

"And then habang ginagawa iyon ni Alex,  Mady and I can follow up on his personal life," I added. "People are usually more revealing when it comes to their social circles. We can find out who he associates with—friends, business partners, family—you name it. There’s bound to be some loose thread we can tug on."

Over the next few days, we dug into Dominic’s life: who he favored in the art scene, which events he attended, and who he socialized with regularly. It was a slow process, with minimal leads emerging. Every evening, we reconvened to share our findings, each meeting growing increasingly tense as the case unraveled threads that led us deeper into a world of high society intrigue. Aaminin ko, nahihirapan kami. Sa ilang araw naming pag sunod dito kokonti pa lang ang nakukuha namin ebidensiya.

"Okay, so here's what I've got," Alex began. "Dominic was part of a fundraiser where they auctioned rare items. Some pieces were linked to thefts reported as far back as two years ago."

I frowned. "That fits the pattern, but it doesn't tell us whether he was directly involved. Do we have anything more concrete?"

"Wala pa ring kumokonekta sa talagang hinahanap natin, pero nakaka alarming din," Alex stated. "He has significant financial backers. Ibig sabihin meron siyang resources para itago ang mga connections niya." napatango-tango ako.

Mady chimed in next. "Nadiskubre din namin na konektado siya sa mga luxury jewelry designers. They have lavish parties where it’s not uncommon for large transactions to happen under the table. This could give him a direct link to our case, potentially influencing willing buyers."

"Let’s not jump to conclusions. If we paint him as a target without any solid evidence, we’re risking exposure." mahirap na baka ibang tao pala ang sinusundan namin.

The lack of firm evidence, combined with Dominic’s respectable social status, made it frustrating to discern whether we were on the right track or simply chasing shadows. While our collective instincts told us he was involved, it felt tenuous at best.

Days turned into week, and the situation grew more complicated. Then one afternoon, as I was sifting through press releases regarding Dominic’s recent art exhibitions, an article caught my eye: it hinted at scandal, alleging corruption within his gallery dealings, but it failed to connect him directly to any crimes.