C491 He Is Really Trustworthy

For several moments after the recording ended, nobody said anything. Everyone was still trying to process what they had just heard. The Mayor's voice was no longer a suspicion. He had openly admitted that he had ordered Mark to protect Charlie Kinlore. Finally, Quinton broke the silence. “So this Mayor is working for Charlie Kinlore?” He looked at Mark. “Is she really that well connected?” Mark shook his head slowly. “I don't know.” He sat down and rubbed his hands together. “At first, I thought he was doing this because he wanted to protect my position and prevent Alicia from being arrested. I thought maybe he was simply using me to protect the police from investigating Willy's death.” He paused. “But now I can clearly see that his main objective was to protect Charlie Kinlore.” Mary frowned. “So what are you planning to do?” She looked toward the phone. “Will he get arrested because of this?” Mark immediately shook his head. “No.” Mary looked surprised. “Why not?” “Because I obtained this evidence illegally.” Everyone looked at him.

Mark continued. “Recording a private conversation without permission is a crime. I broke the law to get this recording.” He pointed toward Peter's phone. “So I can't simply take this recording to the police and expect the Mayor to be arrested.” Quinton nodded slowly. “That makes sense.” Mark leaned back. “But that doesn't mean the recording is useless.” He smiled. “This evidence can become very useful if it is given to someone with enough authority to act on it.” He paused. “More importantly, it makes the Mayor understand that I am not simply a tool he can use whenever he wants.” Peter smiled. “What do you mean?” Mark looked at his father. “He has something against me because my daughter killed Willy Harris.” He paused. “Now I have something against him too.” Peter nodded approvingly. “That's good.” He smiled. “Very good, my son.” Mark laughed. “I just wish Alicia were here to witness this.” Georgia laughed. “If you miss her, just say it.” Mark looked at her. “You know you can simply send the recording to her.” Mark laughed. “Fine, fine.” The tension in the room finally eased slightly. But none of them forgot what the recording meant. The Mayor had become another enemy. And unlike Hanna, this enemy was sitting inside the government.

At a private estate, Charlie sat in front of the television. The moment the police press conference ended, she smiled. Her name had been cleared. At least publicly. The police had officially suggested that John Kinlore's murder was connected to another drug cartel and confirmed that Charlie had already left Scotland before the murder. Charlie picked up her phone. She immediately called Hanna. Hanna was watching the same news from the hotel. The moment she answered, Charlie spoke excitedly. “Ann, the Mayor did it.” Hanna smiled. “Yes. I saw the news.” Charlie leaned back happily. “He really is trustworthy.” Hanna's smile remained. “He may be.” Charlie frowned. “What?” Hanna's expression changed slightly. “But this isn't enough.” Charlie looked confused. “Why? He cleared my name.” Hanna gave a small laugh. “Don't be foolish.” She looked toward the television. “What they said was simply their version of the investigation. It doesn't prove that you are innocent.” Charlie became quiet. Hanna continued. “The Mayor has shown us that he can influence the police and the media. That's useful.” She paused. “But we still need to know how useful he really is.” Charlie nodded slowly. “So what should I do?” “Call him.” “And say what?” “Tell him that you saw the news.” Hanna's voice became colder. “But tell him that I am not convinced yet.”

Charlie frowned. “Not convinced?” “No.” Hanna leaned back. “Tell him you have another task for him.” Charlie waited. Hanna smiled. “Tell him that within three days, you want a list of every major drug cartel operating in Scotland.” Charlie looked surprised. “Every cartel?” “Yes.” Hanna's smile widened. “If he can get that information for us, then we'll know exactly how much access he has.” Charlie nodded. “Okay.” “Good.” Hanna ended the call. She slowly lowered the phone and looked around the room. “What the Mayor did is believable.” She paused. “But anyone can do something like that.” Her eyes narrowed. “I haven't had enough time to properly investigate my new buyer yet.” She looked toward the window. “And now the Mayor wants to join us.” Hanna smiled faintly. “That makes things even more interesting.” She closed her eyes for a moment. “If Destroyer wasn't so weak, he could have helped me.” She opened her eyes again. “Now I have to be careful who I trust.” At the Wood family residence, the atmosphere was completely different. Everyone had watched the police press conference. Nobody believed the official explanation. They knew Charlie was involved. They also knew the police statement had deliberately pushed her name away from the investigation. Kelvin sat with a deep frown. “Mark Mooney is the Minister of Police, right?” Tracy nodded. Kelvin shook his head. “He knows what Charlie did to Emmanuel. How can he allow this?” Nobody answered.

Ben was pacing around the room. He had barely spoken since the press conference ended. Tracy noticed him. “Ben?” He stopped. “What is wrong?” Ben looked at her but said nothing. Tracy frowned. “You've been walking around like that for ten minutes.” Ben slowly sat down. “The other day…” He looked toward Kelvin. “You wanted to know what I meant when I was talking about that girl and Samantha.” Kelvin's expression changed. “How is that related to what we're discussing?” Tracy, however, became interested. She turned toward Ben. “Wait.” She leaned forward. “Tell us what you meant.” Ben took a deep breath. “I think Samantha and that girl who was injured…” He stopped. Tracy stared at him. “And?” Ben finally said it. “I think they're together.” Tracy froze. “What?” Ben looked uncomfortable. “They're together.” Tracy's eyes widened. “Together how?” Ben swallowed. “As a couple.” The room went completely silent. Kelvin stared at Ben for several seconds. “Ben You are my son I know those tricks you are using. Tell me why are you telling us this?” Ben looked away. Tracy immediately noticed his reaction. “Ben?” He didn't answer. “Ben, what is it?” Ben lowered his head. His hands tightened together. “Because…” He hesitated. Then he finally looked up. “Because my girlfriend is pregnant.” Kelvin suddenly jumped to his feet. “What?” Tracy froze. For a moment, she couldn't even speak. Ben remained seated, staring at the floor. The words had finally been said. And now there was no way to take them back.