Chapter 2 UNCOVERING THE TRUTH

Mia entered her home, her mind racing with questions and flashbacks of what happened in the Black's mansion. She thought about the thought about the little girl and how she could be of help to her and the police. She couldn't shake off the feeling that Sophia is hiding something from her.

She walked towards the bathroom to have her shower after a long hectic day. She relaxed on the bath tube allowing the water to flow through her legs as she hummed to her favourite song. She was done bathing then headed to her room.

She took her bag and searched for her phone. She found a small piece of paper in her bag, she wondered how it got there.

It was a note, scrabbled in hasty handwriting "look closer at Richard's business deals. The truth is hidden in plain sight".

Mia's eyes narrowed "Who wrote this note and what did they mean? She stepped towards the kitchen to get a glass of water. She was sweating profusely and her heart was racing so fast.

She decided to dig deeper into Richard's business deals, to see if she could discover any clues.

She took a deep breath, searched for her writing materials and headed to her computer desk.

As the investigation began, she searched over the financial records of Richard and she noticed something strange. A series of transactions, all linked to a shell company, seemed to be hiding a large sum of money.

Mia's instincts told her that this was the key to unlock the truth. And she is almost close to obtaining that.

She felt like a figure was watching her through the window.

Mia's heart raced as she realised she was being watched. She tried to brush it off as she was hallucinating, but the feeling only intensified.

Suddenly, her computer screen flickered and went black. Mia's eyes widened as a message appeared on the screen.

"STOP DIGGING MIA. YOU'RE ABOUT TO DIE".

Mia instincts screamed at her to run, but her journalistic curiosity kept her rooted to the spot. She had to know who was behind the message.

"Who's there? Who are you? She yelled! she quickly pulled down the curtains of her room for her not to be seen nor watched.

In a hurry she backed up her files and left the house. She felt unsafe, her senses on high alert. As she walked out into the cool late night air, she noticed a figure lurking in the shadows.

"Who are you?"Mia demanded, trying to keep her voice steady.

The figure stepped forward, revealing a young woman with a look of determination etched on her face.

"My name is Emily," the woman said. I'm a former employee of Richard Langley's. And I know the truth about his murder."

Mia looked at Emily's eyes, she saw the truth in what she said but, what did Emily know, and is she willing to share?

"Tell me, what did you know about the late Richard? "Mia asked, her pen poised over her note book ready to note any clues or hints.

Emily glanced around nervously.... "I don't know if I can trust you," she said.

Mia smiled and held up her hands, "I'm a journalist, Emily. It's my job to uncover the truth. I promise to keep your identity hidden and keep your information confidential.. And also the cops are here to protect you so be free with me, we need to find out what happened to late Richard.

Emily sighed before speaking. "Sir Richard was suspecting a fishy deal within his own company. He suspected someone was embezzling funds and laundering money through offshore accounts."

Mia is seen taking notes of the information that was passed. Her eyes widened "Did he have any proof?"

Emily nodded. "He had documents and records kept in a safe at the office, but he needed more solid evidence to take to the police. That's when ..... That's when he was killed..

"Hmm, that's too bad. Do you know who might have wanted him dead? Mia said with her mind racing."

Emily hesitated before speaking... keeping Mia in a suspense

Mia called out to her "Emily, are you there? Say something please."

"There were rumors about Marcus Black's involvement in some shady business practice. And do you know Black and late Richard aren't just business partners, but best friends... And Richard had been arguing with him a lot in the days leading up to his murder."

Mia looked at Emily in the eyes " I think we have to involve the cops on this. I know detective John, we will need to talk to him about this."

Emily nodded with a look of determination on her face."I'm ready to tell him everything I know."

"Good, that's the spirit!! Mia said with a bright smile on her face.. She looked at Emily's face, Emily wasn't happy she looked so scared and nervous.

"Emily, I need to ask you something,"Mia said calmly. "Are you in any danger? Do you think whoever killed Richard might come after you?"

Emily's face widened, fear was written all over her. "I don't know, I have been so scared since Richard died. I think they might have started to suspect me. I don't know who to trust."

Mia nodded, "it's fine now you are with me. I will make sure you are safe. But you need to do something for me."

"What's that? Emily asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I need you to go into hiding, I will arrange a safe house where you will stay if possible you have to stay far away from here. We will uncover the truth and bring the killer to justice." Mia said firmly.

Emily nodded with tears welling up her eyes. "Thank you Mia, I trust you. I will leave soon from here."

Mia smiled, her heart going out to the young woman. "You will be safe, I promise you".

Mia quickly arranged for a safe house and protection for Emily, making sure she was secure before leaving her. As she walked back to her car, her mind was racing with the new information.

She knew she had to get to Detective John with this evidence, but she also knew that she couldn't trust everyone in the police department. There could be leaks, or even worse, corruption.

Mia decided to take a risk and go straight to the top. She called the Chief of Police, requesting a meeting with him personally.

To her surprise, he agreed to meet with her immediately.

As she arrived at his office, Mia could sense a heightened level of tension. The Chief, a stern-looking man with a no-nonsense attitude, greeted her curtly.

"What do you have, Mia?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.

Mia took a deep breath and laid out the evidence, telling him everything Emily had shared.

"Hmm, I hope this is gotten from a rightful source? Cause I won't give room to false information". He asked with a commanding tone.

"Yes sir, it was gotten from one of his staff. It's the truth and there is evidence backing this."

"Alright go on then." The chief said.

The Chief listened intently, his expression growing grimmer by the minute.

When she finished, he nodded thoughtfully. "I think it's time we brought Marcus Black in for questioning. But we need to be careful. If he's involved, he won't go down without a fight."

Mia nodded, a sense of satisfaction washing over her. She knew she was one step closer to the truth.