After all, if they couldn't pin everything on the boar despite having proof of it killing Jake, it was unlikely that they would be able to pin the murder on someone else. They doubt that they will be able to find evidence to catch the real murderer.
But their boss insisted, so they continued to investigate. The place they went next was Jake's house to speak with his widow.
His immediate family was currently in mourning. So when they got there, they couldn't speak with the wife immediately.
It would be inappropriate to interrupt the mourning rites of a widow. It is actually more than inappropriate.
It would be disrespectful to do the widow and the deceased family to interrupt the mourning rites. Seeing as the widow and deceased family are the Dyson family, they could actually lose their heads if they are not careful. Read exclusive content at My Virtual Library Empire
They don't want to lose their life over a dead man and some merits, so they decided to be careful. The best way to be careful is to be gentle and slow.
So they didn't rush. They chose to watch the mourning rites take place while they waited patiently. They thought that if they didn't move, they wouldn't offend anyone and they wouldn't die.
People wore mourning clothes and hung lanterns everywhere in the house. People cried for the loss of a great man. This continued for four weeks.
The two men waited outside Jake's massive house for weeks. They waited and watched for an opportunity to present itself. But none came after four weeks.
They didn't like waiting like this. They grumbled to each other whenever they could.
The younger man said, "At this rate, we will never catch the murderer."
The older man shushed him, "Shhh. Be more quiet. Are you tired of living?"
The older man looked around to make sure that no one was around to hear them. Then he whispered, "You're right. I have seen this before. When the mourning rites are done, the family will begin to hound us. They will blame us for not catching the murderer yet."
""What we will do is just find someone that fits the bill. It doesn't need to be the real killer. But it must be a suitable scapegoat. That way everyone will be satisfied."
The young guard curled his lips and said, "Well, everyone but the scapegoat will be satisfied."
The older guard chuckled and said, "The scapegoat won't matter since he or she is dead. But the living will be satisfied."
"The family of the deceased will be satisfied to have a murderer to pin all their hatred on. We will be satisfied in finding a murderer that will help us earn merit points. And the real murderer will be satisfied by getting away with murder."
The two of them chuckled some more. They were in a good mood. According to their plans, the ending of this investigation is already set in stone. They are just going through the motions.
But things changed when they were finally able to interview the wife and kids of poor Jake. They learned that he was in charge of the society of thieves and had dealings with the Black Mantis.
Jake's wife told them repeatedly, "He was only trying his best to control the underground crime scene in the city so that it doesn't go out of hand. He was a good man."
"But he was struck down in his prime by an evil person who wanted to stop him from doing the good things he was doing. No matter what, this murderer must be found, and justice must be done for my Jake."
"You have to do this to uphold the glory and image of the Dyson family. Anyone who stands in your way must be removed."
Her message was clear. She was saying that if not for her anger and interest in finding Jake's murderer, she wouldn't have told them about his shady dealings with the society of thieves.
But now that she has told them, they must find the murderer who had made sure that Jake's name is not besmirched. The image of the Dyson family and of Jake as a good man must be upheld.
They are free to kill anyone and do anything as long as Jake's dirty and shameful laundry is not exposed. Anyone can be sacrificed for this goal.
Her message was clear to the two men. They nodded in understanding before leaving to resume their investigations.
What she told them had complicated matters. Not only had she given them a direction to investigate in, but she had also given them a set of guidelines to use in their investigations.
They would have preferred it if she were a clueless wife and knew nothing about her husband's shady dealings. That way, they would be free to investigate in any direction.
They would have also preferred if she didn't ask them to make sure that her husband came out of this investigation a saint.
This requirement has increased their investigation by many folds because their mission isn't finding who killed Jake anymore; it has also become killing everyone who knows about Jake's dealings.
But they could only swallow their grievances and do the job of reputation cleaner for the dead Jake. The first place they went to was the gangs.
They were looking for the gangs so that the gangs would lead them to their leaders. It was supposed to be a simple thing, but it became complicated because they couldn't find gangs.
Things were difficult for them right from the start. Apparently, someone had been killing the gangs, so they didn't dare show up.
They also learned that the leaders of the society of thieves had been killed. This was the only good news they got after days of investigation.
The leaders of the society of thieves were the main connection between Jake and the gangs. Jake didn't interact with the gangs directly. Instead, he ordered them through the R brothers. So the death of the R brothers meant that Jake's main connection to the gang had been severed.