Present Day - Night

The sky outside was dark, with only a few stars visible through the thick clouds. Dean walked back to his hotel room, his mind racing with the day's revelations. The corridors were quiet, and the soft hum of the air conditioning was the only sound accompanying his footsteps.

As he entered his room, he flicked on the lights and threw his jacket onto the bed. He sat down at the small desk, staring at the notes he had taken throughout the investigation. The faces of Thomas, Han, Mike, and even David floated in his mind, each one a piece of the intricate puzzle he was trying to solve.

Dean rubbed his temples, trying to make sense of it all. The bizarre story of Thomas's alleged pregnancy, the bullying at school, and the enigmatic presence of Han weighed heavily on his thoughts. Despite the fatigue pulling at his eyelids, he knew sleep would not come easily tonight.

He pulled out his laptop and began reviewing the articles and videos again. The image of Thomas running in the rain with a baby in his arms was seared into his memory. Why would Thomas have a baby, and why was there no evidence of the actual birth? The mystery deepened with every passing moment.

Dean decided to write down the key points:

Thomas's Life in Seattle: Bullied at school, defended by Han, and ultimately expelled due to rumors of pregnancy.

The Whitmores: Believed Thomas was their biological son Rio, only to find out after his death that he wasn't. They perpetuated the scandalous rumors.

Mike Whitmore: The only family member who supported Thomas. Spent time with him, shared fond memories, and knew about his passion for music.

The Pregnancy Rumor: No concrete evidence except for a teacher's confession and a viral video of Thomas with a baby.

Jacob: The teacher who claimed to have seen Thomas give birth. His statement caused a scandal and Thomas's expulsion.

Dean knew he needed to talk to Jacob to get a clearer picture. If Jacob's testimony held any truth, it could either validate or debunk the pregnancy rumors once and for all. But why would a teacher fabricate such a story? There had to be more to it.

He sighed and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes for a moment. His mind drifted to Thomas's last moments. What kind of life had he led, and how had it all gone so wrong? The boy deserved justice, and Dean was determined to find it.

A sudden thought struck him. What if the baby in the video wasn't Thomas's? Could it have been someone else's child? The idea seemed far-fetched, but in this case, nothing seemed impossible. He made a note to explore this angle further.

Dean finally decided to call it a night. He knew he needed rest to keep his mind sharp. He turned off his laptop and crawled into bed, pulling the covers over him. As he lay there in the dark, the faces and events continued to swirl in his mind, but eventually, exhaustion took over, and he drifted into a restless sleep.

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IN JACOB HOUSE

The night was still and quiet at Jacob's house, a modest apartment on the third floor of an old building. Jacob was alone, sipping on a glass of whiskey, trying to unwind from the day. The memory of Thomas haunted him, and the guilt of his false testimony gnawed at his conscience.

Suddenly, a loud bang echoed through the apartment as the front door was kicked open. A man dressed entirely in black stormed in, his face hidden by a hood. Jacob stood up, alarmed, but before he could react, the man was upon him.

"Why did you lie about that day?" the intruder growled, his voice cold and menacing. "Why did you say Thomas was giving birth?"

Jacob's eyes widened in fear. "I... I didn't have a choice," he stammered. "They made me do it. They threatened me."

The man's eyes narrowed. "Who? Who made you do it?"

Before Jacob could answer, the man grabbed him by the collar and shoved him toward the balcony. Jacob struggled, but the intruder was too strong. They grappled violently, knocking over furniture and sending Jacob's whiskey glass shattering to the floor.

"You ruined everything," the man hissed, shoving Jacob harder against the railing of the balcony. "Now you'll pay for it."

With a final, forceful push, Jacob lost his balance and toppled over the edge. He screamed as he fell, a sickening thud echoing through the night as his body hit the ground below. The man stood there for a moment, breathing heavily, before methodically beginning to clean the apartment, erasing any traces of his presence.

As he prepared to leave, the camera zoomed in on a significant detail: a red, broken heart pendant dangling from the man's bracelet. It glinted ominously in the dim light, a silent witness to the violence that had just occurred.

The man pulled up his hood, concealing his face once more, and slipped out of the apartment, leaving no evidence behind. The scene was eerily quiet again, save for the distant sound of sirens approaching. Jacob's body lay crumpled on the ground below, his secrets now silenced forever.

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Dean's Hotel Room - The Next Morning

Dean woke up to the sound of his phone ringing. He groggily reached for it, squinting at the caller ID. It was Lisa.

"Dean, you need to get to Jacob's apartment right now," Lisa said, her voice urgent. "There's been an incident."

Dean's heart raced. "What happened?"

"Jacob's dead. He fell from his balcony last night. They think it was murder."

Dean felt a chill run down his spine. "I'm on my way."

As he hurriedly dressed and grabbed his things, Dean's mind raced. Jacob's death couldn't be a coincidence. Someone was trying to cover up the truth about Thomas, and they were willing to kill to keep it hidden.

Jacob's Apartment - The Next Morning

Dean arrived at Jacob's apartment to find a swarm of police officers and forensic experts already on the scene. The yellow tape cordoned off the area, and the grim reality of Jacob's fall was evident by the chalk outline marking where his body had landed.

Dean flashed his badge and made his way to the apartment. He carefully inspected the scene but found no evidence pointing to the intruder. The apartment had been meticulously cleaned, leaving no fingerprints or clues behind. He peered over the balcony railing, trying to imagine the struggle that had taken place the night before.

As he stood there, the conversations and encounters from his investigation played back in his mind:

 "Thomas was a ray of sunshine," Mike had said. "Always smiling, always full of joy. He had this incredible spirit, no matter what life threw at him."

 Eleanor's voice had shaken with anger and pain. "Thomas got pregnant, even though he was a boy. It was a scandal. We were humiliated."

 "There's a lot more to this case than we initially thought, Dean. We need to keep digging," Lisa had insisted.

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Lisa approached Dean, seeing the strain on his face. "Dean, you look like you've been through the wringer. We'll figure this out. We're getting closer."

Dean sighed, rubbing his temples. "Jacob was our best lead, and now he's dead. It's like every time we get closer to the truth, something or someone pushes back."

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Dean's Office - Later That Day

Lisa and Dean sat in Dean's office, surrounded by stacks of files and evidence from the case. The atmosphere was tense, the weight of their investigation pressing down on them.

Dean furrowed his brow, processing Lisa's revelation. "No postmortem? But why? That doesn't make any sense."

Lisa shook her head, frustration evident in her voice. "I don't know, Dean. The police report claims that Thomas was shot down by his adopted father, but there's no autopsy report to confirm it. It's like they didn't even bother to investigate properly."

Dean's jaw clenched in frustration. "This just keeps getting worse. If there's no postmortem, then we can't be certain about the cause of Thomas's death. It could have been something else entirely."

Lisa nodded grimly. "Exactly. And if they're wrong about how he died, then what else could they be wrong about? We need to question everything."

Dean leaned back in his chair, deep in thought. The lack of a postmortem added another layer of complexity to an already convoluted case. It raised questions about the integrity of the initial investigation and the validity of the evidence presented.

"We need to find out why there was no postmortem done," Dean said, determination flashing in his eyes. "There has to be a reason, and we need to uncover it."

Lisa nodded in agreement. "I'll start looking into it right away. Maybe there's someone we can talk to who can shed some light on this."

As Lisa left to begin her investigation, Dean felt a surge of frustration and anger. The road ahead was filled with obstacles and challenges, but he refused to let anything stand in the way of uncovering the truth about Thomas Garrett's death.

He glanced at the stack of files on his desk, each one representing a piece of the puzzle waiting to be solved. The journey was far from over, but Dean was determined to see it through to the end, no matter what obstacles lay in his path.