Chapter 530: Investigation - Part 2

"Deputy, I have told you many times already. I have nothing to do with the crimes you are speaking of. I am not a monster to kill people or use them for my personal gains." Jared almost yelled, frustrated by how things were turning out. More than an hour had passed since he had entered the interrogation room, only to be forced with all kinds of questions that he did not want to answer.

Jared had no idea if Maggie had contacted the people in front of him. Not once had Valerie or the two men with her had spoken about her or the proofs she had with her. So, he too did not take her name, lest he should give away his secret himself.

"If you are in no way related to the crimes we are talking about, then why are you worrying, Mr. Augustus? This is just an interrogation. We are not accusing you of the crimes, not yet at least." Valerie smiled at him, and Jared narrowed his eyes, suspicion rising in his heart.

All of a sudden he had a bad feeling, and this time, he could not shake it off even after trying for long. It was as though he could sense his impending doom closing in on him, making it impossible for him to escape or evade it. Jared stared at the three people in front of him in doubt. They were smiling at him in ridicule and victory, and for a moment, he wondered if they knew all his truth and were just playing around with him.

'Did Maggie contact them? If that were the case, I should have been arrested long ago. Why did the Deputy wait until now?' Jared wondered, trying to find out what they had planned for him. 'Why do I feel that there is someone else helping Maggie and it is not Valerie behind all the misery I have gone through? Who is helping Maggie?' Jared tapped his fingers on the table as he tried to decode the puzzle he had been forced to deal with.

"What are you thinking about, Mr. Augustus?" Valerie raised a brow at him, her playful smile irritating the hell out of Jared. All he wanted was to kill the woman for putting him through his miserable state. "Care to tell us too so that we can help you analyze your thoughts better." She offered, and Jared scowled in his mind, making a silent vow to deal with her brutally once he got out of the place.

"Mr. Augustus, I must thank the person who provided the video footage to the media. Don't you think so?" Valerie started, and Jared's ears perked up at once. This was what he too wanted to know. Now that the Deputy herself had brought the matter up, he stayed silent, waiting for her to continue and give him more insight on it.

"Thanks to them, the court proceedings of your father have quickened, and soon you will hear the news of his execution," Valerie remarked and looked at her nails as she leaned back on her chair. From the corner of her eye, she noticed how Jared's face turned white and he seemed visibly shaken. "I must thank the person who handed over the proofs to the media, instead of the court or the police. Who knows what would have happened to the proofs if that would have been either of the scenarios?"

Valerie sighed and looked at Jared, who was staring back at her, with his lips pursed. "By the way, Mr. Augutus, do you have any idea who might have provided the proofs to the media?" Valerie leaned forward and folded her hands, placing them on the table. Her smile vanished and she glared at him in anger.

"How will I know who provided the proofs, Deputy?" Jared got riled up at once, and his voice rose to an all-time high. "Do you think I know about the crimes you are talking about?"

"Don't you?" Valerie tilted her head, challenging him to deny his involvement in them instantly. But her gaze was too strong and compelling that for a moment, Jared was at a loss of words. So, he could not deny her claims immediately. It was only after a few seconds had passed, did he realize what he had done. 

"No, I do not. I do not have anything to do with my father's crimes. It was he who took the wrong path. Why am I being held here against my will?" Jared was completely agitated and furious.

"As I said before, Mr. Augustus. If you have nothing to do with the crimes, then you have nothing to worry about. We are just asking for your cooperation with the investigation. We will let you go once we find you innocent." Valerie gave him an innocent smile.

Jared now understood what was happening and what the woman was trying to do. She was playing a game of cat and mouse with him, forcing him to reveal everything himself without having to do anything. She was torturing him mentally, making him lose his will slowly. She was attacking his weakest point, his patience. Once he lost his patience, he was sure to give away some information that could be of great help to them.

"I know what you are doing here, Deputy. I will not say a word from now on. I will see how you will keep me here against my will." Jared gave her a triumphant look, and Valerie raised her brow at him, deriding him with her eyes.

"I must say you are quite smart, Mr. Augustus." Valerie smiled at him, making Jared narrow his eyes at her. Her smile was never good for him. "Or absolutely foolish. If you had cooperated with our investigation, we would have let you go quickly. We would have sent you away ourselves. Since you insist on remaining mum, you can do so too. We will not stop you."

Valerie stood up and pulled on her jacket. "You can stay mum as long as you want. We will wait for the day you will speak up."

"Wait, what do you mean by that? Where are you going? Stop." Jared yelled as he too stood up.

"We are going to have dinner. And you, Mister, are to stay here and wait for our return." Jared did not even have to approach them, for the three people had already left the interrogation room and locked the door after them.