The Puppeteer's Game

Chapter 20: The Inspector's Arrival

Miguel's heart beat faster as he looked at Diego Monteverde, the inspector who had walked into the room out of nowhere. He showed up out of nowhere, surprising Miguel and making him feel uneasy. Diego looked around the room very carefully, paying close attention to every detail. When he looked at Miguel, he felt like he was better than him.

Diego said, "You must be Miguel." His voice was sure and in charge.

Miguel remained determined, his jaw tightly clenched. "And who could you be?"

Diego was happy to demonstrate that he was an inspector by showing his badge. "District Inspector Diego Monteverde. They assigned me this case to work on."

Miguel had a lot of questions going through his mind. Why didn't Captain Daniel bother to tell him about this? What did Diego want to do?

Emily had been looking out the window and couldn't help but feel uneasy as she watched the emotional exchange. She could feel how tense things were between Miguel and Diego, which made her uncomfortable.

Diego turned his attention to Emily and looked at her for a moment, as if he were spellbound. "Then you must be Emily," he said, his voice full of charm. "You're lovely."

Emily felt a chill go through her as she watched Diego's focused view of her. His look had a disturbing quality that made her feel nervous, and she couldn't get rid of the anxiety.

"Thank you, sir."

"What do you want, inspector?" Miguel's words cut through the noise, and he looked right at Diego. He didn't like how he looked at Emily.

The way Diego smiled made my skin shiver. He said, "I am here to help. We must capture the puppet master before it's too late.

Miguel was filled with a lot of anger. He spoke with a tone full of disdain: "We don't need your help."

Diego kept his smile on the whole time. "Detective, I believe you do."

Miguel's hands got tighter, and he lost more and more patience. "Then why is that?"

Diego looked right into Miguel's eyes and was very determined. "I have information that could be very important to this case."

Miguel had a lot of doubts. What kind of information might Diego have? And what was the reason for his strange behavior?

Because she could feel the anxiety rising, Emily bravely stepped forward. "What information do you have, Inspector?"

Diego looked at Emily instead, and a smile spread across his face. "There's good reason to think the puppeteer has been working right beneath our noses."

Emily's heart was beating fast with joy. "What do you mean?"

There was a hint of excitement in Diego's eyes. "I think the person pulling the strings might be a police officer."

Miguel was shocked, and his eyes got really big. "It's impossible."

Diego shrugged without much thought. "Is it? About it, detective. So far, our efforts to catch the operator have failed. It's pretty clear that he has private information."

Miguel felt betrayed and overpowered by a wave of extreme frustration. "Are you accusing one of us?"

Diego's smile made Emily's body shiver. "I haven't made any accusations just yet. I think it's important to think about all the possible outcomes, though."

Emily felt a lot of unease all at once. If Diego's guess was correct, it would imply that the operator could be anyone. You could be a trusted colleague, a friend, or another agent.

It was very quiet in the room after Diego's words, and you could feel the weight of them. As a cloud of doubt hung over them, Miguel could feel the stress rising.

"We must find out your instinct," Emily said with conviction. "Detective, if what you say is true, we need to look internally first."

Diego just nodded. "Yes, I agree. But I am planning to catch the sly one."

Miguel asked, "What plans?"

Diego smiled and looked at Miguel. "I need total cooperation from both of you."

Even though Miguel's jaw tensed up, he knew they had no choice. It was critical for them to work with Diego to see if he had any important information that could help them figure out who the actor was.

Miguel said, "Fine," with his jaws clenched. "However, I have to say that I'm not sure if I can trust you."

Diego kept his smile on the whole time. "Trust must be earned, Detective. And I intend to earn yours."

It was still a little uneasy in the hospital room when they left, and Miguel couldn't help but feel it. Something was always there, like a magician hiding in the dark and watching them while they waited.

Miguel's phone rang out of the blue as they walked down the hospital hallway, which caught everyone off guard. Miguel looked at the caller ID, which made his eyes get really big with surprise.

While his voice was tense, Miguel said, "It's Captain Daniel."

Miguel answered the phone right away. He asked, "Captain Daniel?" He then left Emily with Diego. He should take this opportunity to inquire about Diego's arrival.

When Captain Daniel called on the phone, his voice was tense and full of urgency: "Hello, Miguel. Inspector Monteverde has arrived, according to the news. Ensure that you work with him as much as possible."

Miguel had a lot of questions going through his mind. "You should have told me about this, Captain. Inspector Monteverde, Can you trust him?"

Captain Daniel's voice always stayed the same. "Miguel, this case has gotten too big for us to handle on our own." Diego is a great officer, and the government talks very highly of him, so I have full faith in him. We need to catch the puppeteer as soon as possible, and Diego is the key to that. And he needs your help."

Miguel felt like giving up and being angry at the same time. Despite his reluctance, Miguel reluctantly agreed to work with Diego, understanding the importance of following instructions.

"Understood, Captain," Miguel said in a tense voice. "I'll do everything I can,"

After the call was over, Miguel went back to the room where Emily and Diego were talking. Emily's quick smile, which came in place of her worried look, annoyed Miguel even more. As he got closer, he had a lot of things going through his head, and he couldn't get rid of the feeling that Diego wasn't trustworthy.

Why is Emily smiling at him in such a way? Is she really that trusting of him? After everything we've been through, everything I've done to keep her safe... Also, Captain Daniel, why didn't you tell me that Diego was involved? Is there more to this?'

He squinted his eyes as he watched them talk. Diego's friendly personality stood in stark contrast to the anxiety Miguel was feeling. When he took Emily's hand softly, his jaw tightened, sending her a quiet message to stay away.

"Emily, my girlfriend, shouldn't trust someone so easily, especially now." What a big deal! I will not allow her to fall into Diego's trap. No matter what, I have to keep her safe.'

Miguel's thoughts were all over the place with anger, doubt, and resolve. To keep Emily safe, he was willing to do anything, even keep her away from Diego, the new player in this dangerous game.

Miguel was prepared for the challenges ahead because he knew that the way to catch the puppeteer would only get more dangerous.

Miguel stepped in and gently pulled Emily's hand away from Diego's grip. Emily looked at him with a face that showed a mix of shock and confusion.

"What's wrong, Miguel?" Emily asked in a soft voice.

As Miguel spoke, his eyes burned with anger. "Inspector, Emily is not part of your investigation. I would rather you stay away from her."

"Detective, I see you're probably too protective of your partner," Diego said as he watched Miguel's hand on Emily's.

"She is, of course, my partner, and we've been through a lot together as we've looked into the puppeteer. I care about her." Miguel was very serious.

Diego didn't say anything because he was looking at Miguel's face. There was an unsaid competition in the air, as if a brave fight were about to happen.

The weight of Miguel's words left the room in a heavy silence that lingered. Emily could feel an obvious stress in the air, which made her confused and unsure of what it meant.

At that very moment, Diego found his voice and spoke with calmness and accuracy. "Detective, I understand your worry. But don't worry—I'm not here to find a girlfriend; I'm here to seize the puppeteer."

Even though Miguel's face got tight, he knew it was important to be careful. Diego was right; everyone had come together with one goal in mind: to catch the mysterious puppeteer.

"Let's keep our attention on the job at hand," Diego said to calm things down. "Let's put together all the clues we have and try to figure out who the puppeteer is, like a detective solving a case."

Emily nodded. As Miguel and Diego talked, she could feel how skeptical they were.

Emily couldn't help but think that things were about to get more complicated as they talked about the subject at hand.