Female Novel
Chapter 1765
Maja let out a sigh of relief and immediately reached out to Nana.
Back when she was in Cania, she had a decent rapport with Nana. The question was whether Nanawould be willing to lend a hand this time around.
To her surprise, Nana was already in Greenfield. Being a native of Windhelm, it wasn't just acoincidence—she was on a manhunt for the culprit who'd wronged her brother.
Learning that the research facility was in trouble, Nana didn't hesitate to offer her help.
She arrived that afternoon, and her companion, Number Eight, was enshrouded in a black hoodieand masked, his features hidden from curious eyes.
Maja grabbed Nana's hand, her face etched with gratitude.
"Thank you."
Nana's grip tightened in response, a rare, sincere smile breaking through her usually stoicexpression.
"I should be thanking Ian. If he hadn't destroyed the research facility, my brother wouldn't havecome back."
As she finished, Number Eight's hand shot out, nervously clutching at her sleeve.
"Nana."
The boy's voice was raspy, suggesting that he should have outgrown the voice changer by now.Clearly, the anxiety was getting to him.novelbin
Maja, concerned about his well-being, suggested a checkup.
"Should we have someone come to examine him?"
"No need. The doctor you brought last time was excellent. He's recovered well physically, butbecause he hasn't interacted much with others, he's quite shy."
After all, he was, in many ways, raised within the confines of the research facility, with only thedoctor and a few other researchers for company. Everyone else was a non-entity to him.
His obsession had always been to find his sister, and now that he had, the flood of emotions wasoverwhelming.
Nana tightened her hold on Maja's hand. "Let's hear your plan, and we can figure out how to worktogether."
The group settled into the living room couches, and Maja laid out her deductions before turning toDylan.
"Dylan, does the Sanders clan have any influence here in Windhelm? We need something solid,given Bernard's clout."
Bernard was a high flier in Windhelm, and his network wasn't easily toppled.
"We do, but Bernard is held in high regard. To get others on our side, we need damning evidenceagainst him. Why would they trust us otherwise?"
Bernard had played his cards close to the chest for years, and even his political rivals wouldn't daremove against him without a slip-up.
In their line of work, vigilance was paramount.
Maja nodded, showing she understood.
Leaning back, she pondered that Bernard was soon to arrive with Ian and Patric in tow. He still hadthe original research data—could he be planning to keep it to himself?
She rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on from trying to piece together the missinglinks—Bernard's ultimate goal, his reasons for opposing Ian, and why he'd groom a replacement forIan.
As the pain in her head mounted, she heard Beck speak up.
"Maja, not that I doubt you, but I can't help thinking—Bernard's son died in that facility, and he'sloathed the place ever since. How could he be the puppet master? If we don’t sort this out, theremight be flaws in our plan."
In police work, establishing the cause of death was step one. Without it, the case fell apart.
They needed to unearth Bernard's true motive, or none of it made sense.
A light sparked in Maja's eyes, and she turned to Dylan.
"Dylan, the story of Bernard's son dying in the facility—who released it? Is there evidence, or has itall been Bernard's narrative from the start?"
Dylan glanced at his wristwatch.
"Fitch should be here. He knows more about it, given the Haskins family's ties to the upperechelons."
As if on cue, the doorbell rang, announcing Fitch's arrival.
Fitch had jetted in on a chopper, spurred by Maja's urgent tone. He hadn't even had time to changeout of his mud-splattered clothes, but he didn't seem to mind.
Without looking at anyone, he settled onto the couch.
"Where'd you leave off?" he asked, his composure bolstering Maja's confidence.