Chapter 86
Vance’s POV
Office – Mid-afternoon
The office was quiet, the only audible sound was the humming of the CPU beneath my desk.
“Jonathan,” I said online. “Are you sure? I don’t know but your grocery store idea, and you alone p>
Jonathan cut my words mid-way.
“Vance, I had to come or else would I know Imelda had met Lori and was on good terms with her while she was here p>
“Makes sense,” I said. “So, are there any clues p>
“That’s the odd part,” Jonathan said.
“Everything about this town feels out-of-place p>
“There are too many loose ends, the more I grab, the more I lose p>
“And from Rod, I found out no one wants to talk about Lori p>
“When are you coming back p>
“Obviously, not till I find something about Adrian’s father p>
“Got anything?” Jonathan asked.
“Jonathan,” I said. “It’s been fifteen years, remember back then things weren’t online. Still, whatever I can get, I will p>
“Like p>
I trailed off a bit as I wanted Jonathan to focus on what I was about to tell.
“The inventory list of the stolen items was created a week after Lori’s arrest,” I continued.
“And it was signed two weeks after she was convicted p>
“What?” Jonathan said, shocked.
“Don’t worry, you focus on what you went for, let me look into Lori’s case p>
As the call got disconnected, I had understood her conviction was the only place I could begin at.
My mind was occupied with thoughts of the basement.
I should be more bothered with Lori’s conviction.
Or what role the sheriff played p>
Or how Adrian is part of this play.
But the basement stood out.
For fifteen years
Raymond protected it for fifteen years.
Fifteen years…it probably was never ventured into.
Whatever was down there, it was definitely worth more than a mere prison sentence.
And right after Lori passed away, Raymond disappeared from the public view and moved to the border house.
I leaned over on my laptop screen and cracked my knuckles.
“Let’s get to it,” I said as I began typing away.
“Let’s see…court records two thousand eleven Lori five nine seven p>
I had managed to find out her file name was Lori five nine seven.
“What??” I was shocked as the screen displayed a one page record.
All that the page had was her information, and on what grounds she was convicted and sentenced.
“Maybe the sheriff’s office p>
I searched Livelane and again dead-end.
“Great they don’t have a courtroom I exhaled.
“That means her case was brought to the city p>
“If so, the town would not know what happened unless someone made sure they did…makes sense,
Suddenly I noticed something that was totally off.
Records from the time Lori was accused and sentenced were literally missing.
Everything that could state her sentence was correct, was available, but how, why, when…nothing.
Since Livelane didn’t have its own courtroom, the case was processed in the city.
I knew very well, back then the records were stored physically, only the inmate information was available online.
“It’s no use looking here,” I said, closing the screen.
I got up and picked my coat.
“Looks like I’ll have to head over to the city archive,” I said as I walked out of my office.
I got into my car and drove off to the city archive.
Archive Hall – an hour later
After showing my ID, I went to check the logs.
For me…I was after a single person’s records p>
But here in the archives p>
It’s like finding a needle in a haystack.
I had more than a hundred log books of records to search before I could enter the archives.
Then I had rows of shelves full of boxes and files.
That was more than thousands of forgotten files.
Thankfully the clerk helped me out and after three hours, I managed to get Lori’s records.
The box was old and probably unopened ever since Lori was sent to jail.
I was going through the records, when my eyes suddenly noticed a glitch that a normal eye would miss.
The inventory labels were missing and some were handwritten…meant someone deliberately changed them.
“Could it be that someone altered them before the trial even began p>
I reviewed the accusations imposed on Lori back then.
“Stealing Jewelry? Cash? Gold bars?? Confidential business documents p>
And all belonged to one person – Imelda Harmon.
The value of the said items was immense, even back then.
But considering Imelda went to that town with Daniel as a commoner p>
“She couldn’t have had all this with her at the time,” I said to myself.
“According to me, Jonathan said, ’Daniel called the police telling there was a lost bag at the bus stop. The cops confiscated it and gave it back to Fredrick, then how could Lori steel all this living in Livelane p>
“Somehow,” I said to myself. “Things don’t tally p>
I placed all the documents related to the evidence.
The same problem surfaced again and again.
Items appeared.
Reports were filed.
Evidence was logged.
But there was no clear explanation how or from where the alleged stolen items came from to begin with.
The paperwork before me only created a story.
But the facts didn’t align even for a fictional story.
“Why do I feel this so-called evidence was never there p>
I leaned forward as I came across a shocking fact.
The lead investigator on Lori’s case back then was the current sheriff.
And till date he’s the current sheriff.
Back then, he was in his twenties.
And from what I could see, not only was he young, but ambitious and eager to rise.
In power, figures after all he’s been the sheriff for fifteen years.
The same one who helped convict Lori.
Money…having millions in his account…for a sheriff…not a normal fact.
Another shocking fact…he didn’t have a deputy.
Right from arresting to p>
Search warrants, evidence approvals and arrest authorizations p>
“Everything was done by him p>
“So right from arresting Lori, to sending her to jail, he was the one p>
Then I decided to find out where his money came from.
Another shock.
“A businessman was controlling the town and finding him as well p>
Whatever this businessman was doing, it involved shipping, warehouse stocks, and water transportation.
This businessman was also involved in donations to political parties.
Meant he was influential, maybe more than Fredrick.
Even today he held his control over the town p>
Except for the water way.
And coincidentally Raymond’s house was now on the border of the waterway.
I noticed the sheriff’s account transactions had increased after Raymond shifted to the border, then cooled off.
Eventually I came across a pattern.
“Raymond lives near the border on top of the waterway p>
“Since Raymond was living there, he would have noticed the shippings, and could have informed the authorities p>
“Raymond, connecting the authorities, would have linked him to Lori p>
“Something the sheriff definitely wouldn’t want p>
“Still, even if the waterway was gone, he began using the roadways p>
“He kept his control over the town, and kept feeding the sheriff p>
I also found out, after being sentenced, Lori didn’t accept any visitors.
Even Raymond was told to never come again.
“Even on Christmas, she never requested a visitor p>
“Not even Raymond p>
“No relatives? Nobody p>
“It’s as if she wanted to disappear from the view of everyone.
Lori wasn’t a thief p>
But she wanted to protect her son.
Even in jail, she was his protector.
I also knew about the basement.
It’s impossible Imelda or that businessman didn’t bribe her.
“Money, gold, jewelry…they must have given her ample options.” I said to myself.
“She chose to stay in jail p>
Then I came across a fact.
Lori told Raymond to leave the town house and live at the border house.
Why?
“Looks like I have to head over to the registrar office p>
I took my leave from the archive office and drove off to the Registrar office.
At the office
Finding Lori’s property records wasn’t hard as the town had a small community.
Her town home and the border home were in her late husband’s name.
The town one was inherited, while he purchased the border one.
“It has a basement,” I said as I was looking at the blueprint of the house.
After Lori’s sentence, Raymond moved in and has been there since.
“Okay,” I said as I came across a new deed. “He changed the property names so the bills are now on his name and has paid them regularly p>
“But why was it so important for Lori to make him move into the border house p>
“What’s in that basement p>
Just then my phone buzzed.
I saw it was a message from my assistant.
Lori sent a sealed letter to her son Raymond and that was the last contact between the mother and son.
I quickly dialed Jonathan’s number.
“Jonathan, there’s more to Lori than just false conviction p>
“Apart from the sheriff, there’s a businessman, Charles freeway involved as well p>
“There’s something about that basement that Lori wanted to protect p>
“Charles Freeway’s business also suffered cause of Raymond, but fear of bringing Lori’s connection with him to light, he let go p>
“And she was sentenced for stealing jewelry, money, gold bars, and confidential business documents. The complaint was filed by Imelda p>
“Imelda?” Jonathan said in shock.
“Vance, I managed to find his place, but Raymond…he’s reluctant to meet.
“Jonathan p>
“Vance,” Jonathan cut me midway. “Initially, I came here for Adrian, but it looks like I’ll have to look into Lori’s matter first p>
“Okay,” he said. “I have a customer p>
“Johnny I heard a female voice over the phone.
“Jonathan, please,” I heard Jonathan saying annoyed.
“Okay,” the female voice said. “Jonathan, dad told me to get these items, could you please stack them p>
The call disconnected and I was worried.
Will Jonathan be alright p>
After all, he just got his family back.
On top of that now he has Lori’s matter,
And that basement house at the border to look into which Raymond inherited the day Lori was sentenced.
I knew for now Raymond may be silent.
After all, Lori left everything to him.
The house.
Hidden basement.
And whatever she was hiding down there, has been hidden for fifteen years.
My heart was pounding as I knew Jonathan was to meet Raymond tomorrow.
God knows how it will go.