Chapter 27: Burial Ground
The beautiful police woman who came looked at the scene before her and was shocked, she wondered what will have happened if they had arrived late. The air in the factory was heavy with the metallic scent of blood and the groans of broken men, a stark contrast to the quiet evening outside. She looked Ethan with a cold look and gave an order for his arrest, to the officer besides her.
The officer was caught off guard because he was staring right at the her. He wasn't the only one; since her arrival, the precinct had been in a state of quiet upheaval. He knew she was just transferred from the capital and rumors has it that she was from a powerful family from the capital, just her family background is enough for a line of suitors to stretch across the entire province like a Great Wall of ambition. Coupled with her looks, it was enough to cause a lots of rifts between the juniors officers not to talk of the senior officers, even the leader above are looking into getting to know her better. To the men in uniform, she was a diamond in a coal mine—brilliant, hard, and dangerously expensive.
Ethan looked at the officer coming to him and ask the lady, "Won't you ask for what's wrong before you ordered my arrest?"
She replied, looking at Ethan coldly, "Is there a need looking at the scene?" she responded while gesturing toward the men wrenching in pains on the oil-stained concrete. To her, the carnage spoke for itself. One man stood untouched while five men lay broken and others trembling; it was the mathematical definition of a primary suspect.
Ethan didn't mind her tone but replied, "Its better you asked and not make a fake judgment of things," he said while staring right in her eyes.
The beautiful lady felt something compelling from ethan gaze and couldn't help but wonder to herself if there's really a reason for the scene before her. There was a depth in his eyes, a lack of the typical fear or adrenaline-fueled panic she usually saw in criminals. It was the gaze of a man who stood on a mountain of truth. She gestured towards the officer and walked forward instead, signaling her subordinate to stand down.
She walked up to Ethan to hear his side of the story. Ethan began to narrate the events with a chilling, clinical precision. He described the anonymous call, the jagged threats made by Julian, and the specific mention of a "deep hole" waiting for him. He spoke of Leo, his voice tightening only slightly as he explained that his friend's life could be at stake. His narration was devoid of exaggeration; he spoke as if he were reading a ledger of facts, detailing how he had been lured to this skeletal ruin under the threat of Julian "covering the hole" with him inside.
The beautiful officer frowned on hearing his and gave the order of the place being searched. The tactical team fanned out, their flashlights cutting through the thick gloom of the factory's rear loading bays. A few minutes later, a shout echoed from the darkness.
Leo was found tied to a rope and down below him was a hole, freshly dug into the dirt floor of the warehouse extension. A cement truck sat idling just outside the bay doors, its drum rotating slowly, ready to fill it up after the deed was done. The sight was gruesome—a literal burial plot prepared in advance.
Julian on hearing the beautiful woman order had cold sweat running down his spine. The arrogance that had fueled him moments ago evaporated, leaving behind a trembling wreck of a boy. He couldn't help but wondered who could have called the police. He knew Ethan wouldn't call the police because of the threat, so he couldn't help but wondered abd think of who could call the police.
At this moment, an elder woman not far away from Oakhaven Factory felt relieved. She lived in a small, weathered shack on the edge of the industrial zone, a place most people ignored. She had called the police earlier when she noticed suspicious people walking about the factory. She had watched from behind her tattered curtains as the black SUVs arrived, sensing the predatory energy of the men in leather. She had lived long enough to know that when twenty men gather in a graveyard of industry, they aren't there to build anything. Her trembling fingers had dialed the emergency line, her voice a whisper as she reported the "invasion" of the old mill.
After Leo's rescued and taken care of, being pulled up from the precipice of a concrete grave, the mood in the factory shifted from confusion to grim realization. All the thugs Julian had hired was arrested snd sent to the police station for questioning. They were loaded into vans, their bravado replaced by the heavy clinking of handcuffs.
Julian, however, didn't go quietly. He was shouting about his father's power and connections abd how he will have them remove from work. "Do you know who my father is? You'll all be patrolling the docks by tomorrow morning! I'll have your badges!" he screamed, his face turning a pathetic shade of purple.
The beautiful woman walked up to Ethan. The coldness in her eyes had thawed, replaced by a flicker of genuine respect for the man who had stood his ground against such odds. She first apologized to Ethan for the initial assumption and also asked how he was feeling.
"I've seen many things," she said, her voice softening. "But I've never seen a man do what you did here today."
She then introduced her name. "I am Captain Sarah Davis. And I think we have a lot to talk about, Mr. McCain. You'll need to follow us to the station to take your statement."