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Chapter 2 WhatsApp Deal

When Sophia and Robert got back to the police station, they headed straight to interrogate Barry, the owner of the escape room place. Barry was still cussing up a storm in the interrogation room.

"I don't know anything. Why don't you believe me?" he yelled, followed by a string of curses. An officer quickly stepped in to calm him down.

Seeing how stubborn Barry was, Sophia turned to Robert. "Got any tricks to make him talk?"

Robert didn't bother answering. He just walked into the room and sat down across from Barry.

Robert locked eyes with Barry, making him squirm. The dim, cramped room felt like it was closing in on him.

Robert's gaze was intense, and Barry, recognizing him, immediately quieted down.

Barry looked down, nervously fidgeting with his shirt, not saying a word.

"We've got some evidence," Robert said, turning a computer screen towards Barry for a second. "Neighborhood surveillance caught you bringing back blood."

Barry's body shook a bit, but he still tried to play it cool. "That could be anyone. Lots of people look like me."

Robert smirked. "Don't give me that."

He leaned in closer. "A coincidence, huh? Then why are you always on camera with a bucket, looking shady?" Barry's face went pale, and sweat started to bead on his forehead. His tough guy act was crumbling.

Sophia watched from outside, amazed. "Is Robert bluffing him?"

James, standing next to her, nodded. "Classic interrogation move. Break 'em down mentally, then get 'em to spill. But Robert's really good at it." He looked at Robert with admiration.

Sophia shook her head, but she had to admit, Robert was impressive. His icy demeanor alone could make anyone crack.

Robert said, "Confess now, and you might get a lighter sentence. Keep this up, and it'll only get worse for you."

The room was thick with tension, like the air had turned solid. Everyone was waiting to see if Barry would keep resisting or finally spill the beans.

In the end, Barry broke under Robert's stare and questions.

"Did you buy that blood, or get it some other way? There's no way that much blood just showed up in an escape room for no reason."

"I... I bought it online."

Robert signaled for Sophia to come in and take over. She was eager and jumped right in. With Robert setting the stage, her job was a lot easier.

"Tell me exactly how you bought it. What channels did you use?" Sophia asked, watching Barry closely.

"I got it on WhatsApp. I swear, I just wanted to make the place scarier to boost business. You gotta believe me, officer." Barry's earlier bravado was gone.

Sophia almost lost it. Just for that, he bought human blood? That was insane.

"How'd you handle the transactions? You didn't get all that blood through the mail, right?"

Barry rubbed his hands together, looking nervous. After a moment, he said, "We'd start on WhatsApp, then meet in person. But I never saw their faces. I have no idea who they are."

Sophia nodded and signaled the officer next to her to take notes. "How did you meet?"

Barry lowered his head, his voice barely a whisper. "I saw a small ad in the hospital bathroom and contacted them." Sophia couldn't believe it. She jotted down the WhatsApp account Barry mentioned and asked a few more questions before letting her colleagues take over.

Sophia logged into Barry's WhatsApp account, but the other party didn't respond. She quickly asked the tech department to look into the account with the nickname "Pax."

Barry said "Pax" had been in touch with him but had gone silent for a while.

Sophia found it odd. What kind of case was this? Human blood trafficking? But her gut told her it was more complicated.

Where else could such a large amount of human blood come from besides blood donation centers? Hospitals?

Sophia went to find the forensic expert, Daniel, and saw Robert was already there, probably waiting for the report.

Daniel had finished examining the bloodstains.

"Any findings?" Sophia asked eagerly.

Daniel took off his gloves, left his workstation, printed the test report, and handed it to Sophia.

"It's human blood, type A. But it's not fresh. It's been treated to prevent the smell from spreading. So, in the escape room, Emily and Mia didn't smell it, but someone with a keen sense of smell could still detect it, especially since Mia even tasted it." It must have had a significant psychological impact on Emily and Mia.

Sophia nodded. No new clues from the blood. She took the report back to the office.

Robert was sitting in front of the computer, eyes closed, looking calm as ever. Sophia wondered how he always seemed so composed.

"Aren't we going to dig deeper into this?" She placed the report in front of Robert. "What do you think?"

Robert thought for a moment before saying, "Don't you have WhatsApp? That's a lead. Go investigate."

Sophia agreed and went back to the computer.

She opened WhatsApp and sent a tentative message to "Pax": [Hello?]

Then came the waiting. It was almost time to clock out when Sophia finally heard the WhatsApp notification and perked up.

But the message was unexpected: [Need abortion?]

Sophia was stunned, and her colleagues burst into laughter.

"Sophia, when did you get pregnant?" a young officer joked.

Sophia's face darkened. "Get lost."

Then Robert suddenly came over, took her keyboard, and replied: [Yes.]

Sophia didn't have time to stop him before he sent the message.

Her mouth twitched.

"Pax" quickly sent an address.

Sophia was shocked. Was it that easy? They got the address just like this. Robert didn't reply further, only saying, "Who's gonna pretend to be pregnant and go to this clinic for an abortion tomorrow?"

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