"Hello, I'm Mary Jane Watson, an intern reporter for the Daily Bugle."
Mary Jane arrived at the restaurant where the bombing occurred. One corner of the restaurant was under maintenance, while the rest appeared unchanged. As it was a small restaurant, the owner himself was responsible for greeting customers. Upon seeing Mary Jane's intern badge, his face darkened: "You're that spectacle-wearing reporter's assistant?"
"Uh, you mean Mr. Leeds? Yes, I'm helping him organize the details of the bombing, but there were a few issues with his notes, so he asked me to come back and re-ask."
The owner scratched his head, confused. He looked around. Since it wasn't peak dining time, there weren't many people in the restaurant, so he spoke to Mary Jane in a low voice: "Listen to me, kid. I don't know what your boss is thinking, but it's best not to have a kid like you involved in this matter. You don't know, the police have already dropped the case, so naturally, they couldn't find anything."
Mary Jane nodded, then quickly devised a solution: "I know, but you also understand, this is work... So, how about you tell me again everything you told Mr. Leeds? At least I can report back."
"Alright, alright."
The owner spoke vaguely: "The thing is..."
Mary Jane rapidly jotted down the key points in her notepad, occasionally asking questions. Just as the owner said, there was really nothing new to be gained. However, Mary Jane didn't feel disappointed; that was normal. She simply felt there was a chance she might ask something Ned hadn't, which was why she chose to come back.
The blast only covered one table and didn't even shatter the window, but cracks still appeared on the restaurant's glass. The sound of the explosion was barely heard—this point was consistent with the record. The result of the explosion was that the victims were turned into charcoal—this detail Ned hadn't mentioned...
"Was there really no sound?"
"No sound, but there was a jolt at the time. Some people suspected an armored car or a large truck had driven past nearby, and others wondered if it was an earthquake."
The owner shrugged and said, "Oh, and some customers saw a very bright flash of light, and then nothing."
"Everything you're telling me, you told Mr. Leeds already."
"I'm not entirely sure, but it was basically the same, right?"
"No differences?"
The owner thought for a moment before providing a distinction: "That man was quite familiar with the police. After the police finished searching the scene, he crossed the cordon and picked up some things from the floor to take back. However, considering that most of the useful things, including the bodies, were taken away by the police, he probably didn't pick up anything valuable."
Something flashed through Mary Jane's mind.
"Excuse me, but... did your restaurant do a deep clean since the bombing?"
"No, we still had to operate. This happened after Christmas. We only clean thoroughly on Christmas Day when we close."
Mary Jane apologized, then went to the corner under maintenance. Taking advantage of the lack of customers, she crouched down, scanning the area beneath the sofa chairs. After borrowing a broom from the owner, she swept out two pieces of what looked like plastic fragments.
The owner was somewhat surprised by how dedicated this young lady was, and Mary Jane asked him: "Excuse me, are these what Mr. Leeds took away?"
"Yes, looks like some child's toy was blown apart."
Perhaps that was indeed the case, which was why Ned hadn't written it in his report. Or perhaps for some other reason, he hadn't pursued it. Mary Jane examined the two plastic fragments under the sunlight. She said goodbye to the owner and walked out. She was planning to find a place to think carefully about whether there was an issue, but then she saw someone on the side of the road, fiddling with the cracked restaurant glass.
Mary Jane found the person familiar.
"Uh... Peter Parker?"
The young man who was called out was startled, clearly not expecting to be recognized here. He turned around, saw Mary Jane, and smiled: "Good afternoon, Mary Jane."
"What are you doing here?"
"Oh, uh, I'm looking at the crack in this glass. I saw a news report online a couple of days ago saying there was a—"
"Strange bombing case," Mary Jane quickly interjected. Peter immediately nodded: "Yes, small blast radius, almost no sound, killed two people. I'm examining the glass pattern to see if I can figure out the details of the explosion."
"What a coincidence."
"Yeah, it's really a co—" Peter suddenly realized something was off mid-sentence. He looked at the unpainted black floor behind the glass: "You mean, you were here too?"
"Yes, I'm interning at the Daily Bugle, and I'm currently helping a reporter compile details related to the bombing. He's covering this case but has run into too many problems."
"So, does the Daily Bugle have any insider information?"
"The only insider information the Daily Bugle currently has is that there is insider information about this case."
After speaking, Mary Jane suddenly thought of something and looked at Peter: "I remember you're a member of the Detective Club?"
"I am?"
"You know a lot of deduction techniques, right? I remember you got internships at the Baxter Building and Osborn Industries. Would you like to play a deduction game?"
Peter glanced at the traces left by the bombing scene. He didn't believe Mary Jane knew more than he did, but considering the Daily Bugle reporter's connection to the matter, Peter thought it necessary to glean some information from the Daily Bugle, so he smiled and nodded: "Sure, where should we..."
"I know a coffee shop. Let's chat there."
Peter nodded, then glanced back at the restaurant seating area, and then showed a confused expression. What he couldn't understand was that regardless of whether Ned was a smokescreen or truly an evil entity, his actions undoubtedly aimed to conceal his movements. However, this bombing came too abruptly and drew too much attention.
Moreover, Ned himself didn't have the ability to suppress this matter. He was a well-connected reporter, not some gang boss. He couldn't possibly suppress this matter at the police level, making Detective Inspector Stacy absolutely certain that nothing could be found.
There was undoubtedly a true evil entity hiding behind Ned.
-----------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------
I handpick only the finest and most captivating novels for you. Don't forget to check out my other novels!
p@treon HongMengZi