After returning to Los Angeles, California, everyone took a day's break to settle back into their routines after the trip.
The following morning, Tuesday, not everyone reported to the office. Instead, Austin and Evelyn headed out to meet the last client Matthew Reynolds had visited, hoping to uncover another piece of the puzzle.
Scene: Investigation at Mr. Jose Luis Rodriguez's Office
"Hello, Mr. Rodriguez. I'm Evelyn, and this is my coworker, Austin. We're from the Montclair Law Firm."
"Hello, hello. It's nice to meet you both. We spoke earlier, but due to my patients and busy schedule, I had to postpone this meeting."
"No problem, sir. Shall we begin?"
"Yes, of course. Would either of you like something to drink?"
"No, thank you."
"Alright then. What brings you here?"
Austin adjusted his suit before beginning the interview.
"So, Mr. Rodriguez, do you know Matthew Reynolds?"
"Yes, absolutely. He visited me recently to discuss his company's newly launched product. We shared a very good rapport."
"I see. Do you know what happened to him?" Evelyn asked, raising an eyebrow ever so slightly—not enough to make the atmosphere feel overly serious, but just enough to express concern.
"No... what happened?"
"He met with an accident on Riverside... and passed away."
"Pa-passed away? When? H-How exactly?"
Austin calmly explained when the accident had occurred and how Matthew's car had malfunctioned shortly after leaving the clinic.
While Austin spoke, Evelyn quietly observed Mr. Rodriguez.
He continuously rubbed his fingers together—especially his index finger against his thumb—as though it were an unconscious habit. A moment later, she noticed something else.
A faint ghost mark.
Barely visible.
It circled the base of his index finger.
Without reacting, Evelyn silently registered the observation, deciding to bring it up later.
"This is truly tragic," Mr. Rodriguez said, lowering his head slightly. "I feel terrible for him. He was a gem of a representative in his company. I treated him like my own brother."
"I understand. It is heartbreaking to hear," Evelyn replied gently. "Do you think there's any possibility that this accident was planned? Or perhaps... did he have any enemies who might have wanted to make it look like an accident?"
"I don't think so," he answered after a brief pause. "Accidents happen everywhere—in every country, every state. If a car malfunctions, something like this can happen. I don't believe it was planned."
"Well," Austin spoke evenly, "whether it was truly an accident or something more... we'll conclude that after completing our investigation."
He stood up.
"I think we're done here. Thank you for your cooperation, sir."
For some reason, Austin's response sent a chill down Evelyn's spine.
The seriousness in his voice...
The confidence...
The weight behind every word...
He wasn't being rude.
Nor was he being particularly polite.
He was simply stating a fact.
"My pleasure."
Mr. Rodriguez rose from his seat and extended his hand for a handshake.
Somehow, it felt as though he wanted the meeting to end as quickly as possible.
Without wasting any more time, Austin and Evelyn shook his hand, exchanged polite—almost forced—smiles, and left the office.
Outside, they hailed a cab and began their journey back to the office.
"Austin..."
"Hm?"
"That was... boom."
She laughed softly before continuing.
"I-I was honestly speechless back there. Wow... I didn't expect that from you."
"I do things when they're least expected."
"Damn."
Austin looked out of the cab window.
"Well... I think he was trying very hard to appear innocent."
A brief pause.
"He isn't."
"I agree," Evelyn replied. "And there's one more thing I noticed."
Austin turned toward her.
"He had a faint ghost mark around his index finger. He also kept rubbing his fingers together while answering our questions. It looked more like a habit... or maybe just a natural instinct."
"A ghost mark... around the index finger?"
"Yes."
She paused.
"Wait..."
Austin slowly looked at her.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"...Yes?"
"Ring."
They both exclaimed at the exact same moment before locking eyes.
"The silver ring we found during the field investigation!" Evelyn said, her voice filled with excitement.
It felt as though another ray of light had broken through the investigation.
Austin leaned back thoughtfully.
"Could it be...?"
After nearly an hour's drive, Austin and Evelyn returned to the office.
The first people they encountered were Aurelia and Carl.
"So? How did the investigation go?" Aurelia asked curiously.
"Don't even get me started," Evelyn replied, unable to hide her excitement. "We made a huge discovery."
"Really?" Carl's eyes widened. "Then let's discuss it in the break room."
"Perfect," Austin agreed with a nod.
The four of them made their way to the break room.
As always, Carl headed straight for the coffee machine.
He prepared three cups of coffee and, without even asking, made a cup of lemon tea for Aurelia.
Everyone accepted their drinks with a smile, thanking Carl for both the effort and his surprisingly good brewing skills. Aurelia thanked him a little more than the others—after all, lemon tea had become her go-to drink during breaks.
Once everyone had settled down, Evelyn placed her cup on the table.
"Alright... here's exactly what happened."
The room instantly fell silent.
"We reached Mr. Rodriguez's office, and he greeted us normally. He even offered us beverages, but we declined. We didn't want to waste time with small talk."
She glanced at Austin.
"Then Austin started asking him about Matthew Reynolds."
"He admitted that he knew Matthew," Austin continued. "In fact, he even said Matthew was like a brother to him."
"We simply acknowledged it and continued," Evelyn picked up where he left off. "Then Austin informed him about Matthew's accident and his death."
The moment those words left her mouth, both Aurelia and Carl exchanged shocked glances.
"He... didn't know Matthew had died?" Aurelia asked in disbelief.
Evelyn nodded.
"Exactly."
Aurelia frowned.
"He claimed Matthew was like a brother to him... yet he didn't even know about his death?"
The contradiction immediately caught everyone's attention.
Austin continued,
"After that, I explained everything—when the accident occurred, how the car malfunctioned, and everything we currently know about the incident."
As he paused, Evelyn resumed.
"While Austin was explaining everything, I noticed Mr. Rodriguez constantly rubbing his fingers together."
She slowly lifted her own hand, demonstrating the motion.
"Then I noticed something else."
Everyone watched her attentively.
"A faint ghost mark."
She pointed toward her own index finger.
"It was right here."
Carl leaned forward.
"So... the mark formed a circle around his index finger?"
"Yes."
She nodded.
"And that's when I started thinking."
She looked at the others before deliberately leaving the sentence unfinished.
"So..." she said.
Carl immediately understood where she was going.
"Is it possible the mark was left by a ring?"
He paused.
"And if that's true..."
"...could it be connected to the silver ring we found near Riverside?"
"Exactly," Evelyn answered without hesitation.
"That's what both Austin and I thought."
Austin folded his arms.
"After that, we didn't ask Mr. Rodriguez anything directly about the ring. Instead, we kept the conversation simple."
"We asked whether he believed the accident had been planned... or whether Matthew had any enemies who might have wanted him dead."
Carl looked between them.
"He tried to avoid the question, didn't he?"
Austin gave a small nod.
"He did."
Silence settled over the room for a brief moment.
"That means..." Aurelia spoke thoughtfully, "...he knows more about the incident than he's letting on."
She looked at everyone in turn.
"And if that ghost mark really came from a ring... perhaps even the silver ring we recovered..."
"...then there's a possibility he was present at the accident scene."
She sighed softly.
"But..."
"We don't have any proof yet."
Austin nodded in agreement before adding another detail.
"One more thing."
"When Matthew arrived at the clinic, his car was completely fine."
He looked toward Evelyn.
"But when he left..."
"...the accident happened."
Evelyn immediately continued his thought.
"Which means..."
"...the car must have been tampered with while it was parked outside the clinic."
The two exchanged a knowing glance.
The theory wasn't complete—
but the pieces were slowly beginning to fit together.
Just as Aurelia was about to summarize everything, the break room door suddenly opened.
Vincent walked in.
He headed straight toward the coffee machine before noticing the four of them gathered around the table.
"What are you all discussing?"
His gaze shifted toward Austin and Evelyn.
"You two are back."
He gave a brief nod.
"Good."
"We'll have a meeting in five minutes."
Before anyone had the chance to respond, Vincent turned around and walked out of the break room just as quickly as he had entered.
The door clicked shut behind him.
For a second...
No one spoke.
Carl was the first to break the silence.
"...Was he waiting for exactly this moment just so he could tell us we have a meeting?"
Everyone slowly looked toward the closed door.
No one answered.
But every face in the room silently agreed.
Aurelia let out a quiet sigh.
"He didn't even make himself a coffee..."
Everyone looked back at her.
Then, almost simultaneously, they nodded with expressions caught somewhere between suspicion, helplessness... and quiet amusement.
A few minutes later, everyone gathered in the meeting room.
Vincent stood at the head of the table, his gaze sweeping across the team before settling on Austin and Evelyn.
"So," he began, "Austin, Evelyn... any leads?"
"Yes, sir," Austin replied.
"While interacting with Mr. Rodriguez, we came across two important observations."
He briefly glanced at Evelyn before continuing.
"First, when we started discussing Matthew Reynolds and his relationship with him, Mr. Rodriguez claimed that Matthew was like a brother to him. However, when we informed him about Matthew's death, he appeared genuinely unaware of it."
Austin paused, allowing everyone to absorb the contradiction.
"Towards the end of the conversation, when we questioned him about whether the accident could have been planned or if Matthew had any enemies, he deliberately tried to deflect our questions."
Vincent nodded slightly before turning his attention to Evelyn.
She continued without hesitation.
"Second, I noticed a faint ghost mark around his index finger. Throughout the conversation, he repeatedly rubbed his fingers together, almost as if it were an unconscious habit."
She folded her hands together as she explained.
"However, despite that habit, he never hesitated while answering our questions, nor did he display any obvious signs of lying."
"Ghost mark?" Vincent repeated thoughtfully.
"And he kept rubbing his fingers?"
His brows furrowed as he slipped into deep thought.
Aurelia spoke up.
"We believe the mark may have been left by a ring. Since we recovered a silver ring during the field investigation, we suspect the two could be connected."
She paused.
"But at the moment... it's only an assumption."
"We don't have any concrete proof."
Vincent rested one hand on the table.
"Hmm..."
"The only way to confirm whether that ring belonged to him is to gather supporting evidence."
He looked towards Austin and Evelyn.
"If the mark truly came from an everyday ring, then there should be photographs of him wearing it."
His eyes shifted across the room.
"Check old photographs."
"Ask his colleagues."
"See whether he was known for wearing a silver ring."
He gave them an approving nod.
"Good work, both of you."
"If this theory turns out to be correct..."
"...then we'll have reason to believe he was present when the accident occurred."
Aurelia spoke again.
"Sir, there's one more thing."
Vincent turned towards her.
"We also know that Matthew's car was perfectly fine when he arrived at Mr. Rodriguez's clinic."
She continued calmly.
"The accident only occurred after he left."
A brief silence followed.
"So our theory is..."
"...that the car was tampered with while it was parked outside the clinic."
Vincent nodded slowly, carefully considering every word.
"To verify that," he said, "check all CCTV cameras around the clinic."
"And retrieve the call records."
He folded his arms.
"I don't believe he acted alone."
Before anyone could respond, Carl leaned forward slightly.
"But, sir..."
Vincent looked at him.
"Even if we manage to prove all of this..."
"...it still feels too straightforward."
Carl's expression remained thoughtful.
"I don't see a convincing motive."
The room fell silent.
Everyone unconsciously began piecing together everything they had discovered so far.
Seconds passed.
Then suddenly—
"Motive... is there."
Aurelia's voice broke the silence.
Almost every head in the room turned toward her.
Vincent looked at her with interest.
"Explain your point."
Aurelia took a slow breath before beginning.
Aurelia took a slow breath before speaking.
"Alright... here's what I'm thinking."
She looked around the room before continuing.
"At this point, we know that Mr. Rodriguez was somehow involved in the events surrounding the accident."
"We also know that Matthew's company was linked to suspicious financial movements, missing internal documents, and possible corporate espionage involving leaked or fabricated papers."
She paused briefly.
"And according to the CEO himself, Matthew was about to become the company's top executive."
Everyone listened in complete silence.
"What if..."
"The CEO and the client were working together?"
The room remained still.
"The motive already exists."
She continued calmly, connecting each clue one after another.
"Matthew knew secrets that were too dangerous to be exposed."
"If the CEO was involved, he obviously wouldn't admit that Matthew had discovered everything. Instead, he could have deliberately told us that Matthew was his finest employee to make himself appear uninvolved."
She looked towards Vincent.
"What if Matthew was slowly poisoned during his business trip..."
"...and then Mr. Rodriguez was instructed to tamper with his car?"
"The poison would have had enough time to affect his body, explaining the sluggish movements we observed in the CCTV footage."
She folded her hands together.
"That would mean the staged car accident wasn't the cause of death alone—it was meant to hide the real crime."
She took a small breath before concluding.
"So, the only thing we need to confirm now..."
"...is Mr. Rodriguez's involvement in the incident."
Silence.
Not a single person spoke.
Everyone stared at Aurelia.
Her theory had connected every clue they had collected so far into one believable sequence.
For a brief moment, the room was completely speechless.
The most surprised among them...
...was Vincent.
He looked at Aurelia with unmistakable admiration.
She had managed to untangle a web of seemingly unrelated clues and turn them into a coherent theory.
Aurelia looked back at him, determination shining in her eyes.
Vincent smiled faintly.
"Wonderful work, Aurelia."
"I never doubted you."
He corrected himself with a small smile.
"Actually... I never doubted anyone on my team."
He straightened his posture.
"Carl. Austin."
"Investigate every CCTV camera near the clinic."
Before he could continue, Evelyn suddenly spoke.
"Sir..."
"We still have Matthew's phone in our custody."
Vincent blinked.
"Right."
"We completely overlooked that."
He nodded thoughtfully before giving further instructions.
"Evelyn, go through Matthew's phone."
"Check his gallery, documents, messages—everything that might be useful."
He then looked at Aurelia.
"And Aurelia, assist Evelyn."
"Document every relevant finding and prepare a proper draft of the evidence."
Everyone nodded.
Just before ending the meeting, Vincent spoke once again.
"If Aurelia's theory proves to be correct..."
"...we can proceed to court."
"...and officially begin the trial with all the evidence we've gathered."
For a moment...
No one spoke.
This...
This was the moment everyone had been waiting for.
Action.
Vincent looked around the room one final time.
"One more thing."
"As Aurelia was the one who formulated this theory..."
"...she will be presenting it alongside me during the trial."
He continued,
"Once everything is confirmed and all the evidence has been verified, I'll arrange the witnesses and officially send the legal notice to the company regarding the court proceedings."
He paused before adding,
"And from now on..."
"Whoever develops the leading theory during an investigation will present it in court with me."
His voice grew firm.
"So..."
"Team..."
"Work even harder."
"You've all done an excellent job."
A renewed sense of determination spread throughout the room.
Every member of the team looked more motivated than ever before.
The investigation was no longer about searching for clues.
Now...
It was about proving the truth.
And with that—
the case had officially begun.