Lanika Bedo's pupils contracted, as though she had heard something unbelievable. Even her hand stopped before she could end the Communicator call.
She spent several minutes calming herself, but ultimately could not bring herself to hang up the Communicator. Even knowing this was plainly Jonas Wetting's scheme, she could not help asking for confirmation:
"What did you just... say?"
"Nige Bedo. That should be your father's name."
Jonas spoke slowly, then continued as the girl struggled with her tangled emotions:
"One of the Ster Conglomerate's executives, and the central figure in that horrific incident that shook District 25 five years ago... The official announcement said he was sentenced to death for multiple offenses, but all subsequent information was extremely vague."
"How do you know all this...?" Lanika Bedo asked, her voice dry. She had never revealed her identity to anyone. Even the Peacekeeping Forces' system could not connect her to Nige Bedo.
For him to state this information with such certainty, he clearly already had solid evidence.
"This information isn't hard to find... Connect a few dots, and your identity is easy enough to guess."
There was a hint of amusement in Jonas's voice. Lanika Bedo fell silent for a long while before drawing a deep breath and asking:
"Why are you so sure my father isn't dead?"
"You still haven't seen his body, Miss Ranika. You must have suspected this yourself, haven't you?"
Even if he had been sentenced to death, under District 25's regulations, the Peacekeeping Forces had no authority to dispose of bodies as they pleased.
No matter how grave someone's crimes, they would generally still be given a proper burial.
Lanika Bedo did not dispute Jonas's words, because she knew everything he said was true.
She simply did not understand why he was so certain...
"What