Under normal circumstances, only the campsite supervisor fitted Brian’s conjecture.
Chief Flory then told him that the person who matched the sketch portrait was a child, just nine years old two years ago, this...
Looking at the photo, with blond hair, brown eyes, a handsome appearance, and a radiant smile, Brian’s lips twitch slightly, "To be honest, I thought it was the missing campsite supervisor."
The rest of the CD staff also nodded.
Looking only at the frame in the footage where the figure was clearest, only the head was visible, but it indeed looked like an adult.
Chief Flory, however, was optimistic, "Regardless, this is the most important clue we currently have. Besides, although Kullos Delarossa was nine before he disappeared, no one knows what he’s been through in these two years. Overdevelopment is also a possibility."
A CD male staffer, who had been a detective, nodded in agreement, "When I was a detective, the group I hated dealing with the most were these teenagers and the drug addicts with fried brains."
Most state police forces didn’t really like these two groups.
Due to ample nutrition, both boys and girls here tend to develop early, and the end of their development is mostly around the age of fifteen or sixteen.
This group might not be mentally mature, but they already have the capability for violent crimes, sometimes even more ruthless and reckless than seasoned criminals.
The other group is addicts with mental issues.
These two groups could cause more casualties among the police than some criminals.
Brian thought deeper.
He looked around, "What was the result of the previous campsite fire investigation?"
Chief Flory, one of the participants, knew clearly:
"According to survivors, there was a bonfire party by the lake that night, and after it ended, the eight supervisory counsellors began drinking in private, venting their unreleased hormones.
This was actually in violation of the camp staff code.
But the missing campsite supervisor was also rolling in the sheets with a female counsellor, and nobody was on duty, leading to the tragedy.
The fire ignited a cabin where several children were sleeping. Surrounded by wood, the flames spread quickly..."
Brian’s eyes narrowed, "But when I was at that lakeside campsite, I didn’t see any signs of a fire, nor at the dock."
Chief Flory explained, "The campsite used to have some structures on the open ground by the lake; it was there that the fire happened. After the incident and before the camp company went bankrupt, they cleared everything, worrying that the remnants would affect the mood of the town’s residents."
That sounded like total bullshit.
On the verge of bankruptcy and facing huge claims, they were still concerned about the town residents’ feelings.
Didn’t anyone feel that was odd!
More absurdities were to come.
Chief Flory really hadn’t noticed anything amiss, "That company had been operating there for over a decade, doing well without any accidents, taking good care of those children, and bringing economic development to several nearby towns. The unreliable campsite supervisor ruined a good company."
That was just ass-backwards.
Brian continued to ask, "What happened to the company’s management afterwards?"
Chief Flory looked regretful:
"The boss was a local from the town, and after the incident, facing those questioning parents, he committed suicide by shooting himself in the mouth.
Others jumped into the lake or shot themselves, and some were killed by revengeful parents. The only survivor faced media condemnation and public insults until she lost her mind.
After a stint in a mental institution, she too put a bag over her head and ended her life."
he seemed to recall something, adding to Brian,
"By the way, the campsite owner was an orphan from the town, who made some money elsewhere before setting up the lakeside camp.
After his suicide, the remaining funeral was processed with donations from the town’s residents. Some of his personal belongings were also left in the police station’s warehouse."
Upon hearing this, Brian’s face, which had been unpleasant, looked somewhat better.
Now, he could only hope to find something useful among the late owner’s personal belongings.
After Brian finished eating, he received two text messages.
One was from Susan, telling him to stay safe.
The other was from Susan’s best friend Caroline, also urging him to be careful, and expressing sympathy and outrage for his plight.
Caroline wasn’t just Susan’s best friend, she was also an internal affairs staff member at NW.
She was probably the one who told Susan.
The only problem was, why was she even more emotional than Susan...
This left Brian uneasy.
Could he really have ’straightened out’ this lesbian?
Soon after, Ellie from the CD’s internal affairs department returned to Odolan.
She brought some good news to Brian, "After we reported the situation to NW headquarters, your supervisor, Benjamin, has been restricted from the investigation by your internal affairs, but specifics will need your assistance after you return."
"I’ve already been told by a friend."
Brian replied calmly.
Ellie was somewhat surprised, "These matters are usually handled discreetly by internal affairs to avoid disrupting organizational stability. You seem to have good connections."
"Stop the chatter, we’ve got some clues for the missing case, we’re waiting on you."
With that, Brian signaled Chief Flory, who was cleaning his gun.
The three of them set off again for Chief Flory’s town.