Evan Keller stared at the lifeless body of "Old Cat" before him, then glanced at the henchmen, who were momentarily lost now that their leader was dead. He clicked his tongue against his back teeth and said, "Let's take them in first. They may just be small fry, but they definitely know more than those street punks."
"Alright."
Sean Hughes didn't question it, simply calling his team over to take the men away.
With Old Cat dead, the underlings who had just been resisting lost all motivation. One by one, they meekly held out their wrists, letting Sean Hughes and the others cuff them.
As for the backup sent by the chief, upon learning there was a sniper and that their help wasn't needed here, they left to support the captain of Team Three.
They couldn't let such a dangerous individual roam free in the city!
After Evan Keller and his group escorted the suspects back to the station, they saw Zoe Sawyer squatting by the office door. She kept glancing toward the end of the hallway, clearly waiting for them.
The station's medical examiner was standing beside her.
Before Evan Keller could speak, Sean Hughes jogged over and pulled her up from the floor. "Zoe, why are you sitting out here? You could have just waited inside the office!"
There was a hint of playful reproach in Sean Hughes's tone. Without stopping, he grabbed Zoe Sawyer with one hand and the beautiful medical examiner with the other, pulling them directly into the office.
"I was just waiting for you guys to get back," Zoe Sawyer said, her voice full of anticipation. "How did it go? Did you catch them?"
Earlier, after they had cornered the suspects, she had only turned her head to say something. When she looked back, she saw Officer Lee had already switched screens, his keyboard clacking away as if he were handling some emergency.
It made Zoe Sawyer too embarrassed to ask him to switch back and show her what happened next.
Her only choice was to squat by the door and wait for Evan Keller and Sean Hughes to return with a firsthand account.
Hearing Zoe Sawyer's question, Sean Hughes thought for a moment before answering with carefully chosen words, "It was a success, I guess. But we didn't catch the other big fish alive, so it's a bit hard to say for sure."
Evan Keller walked over, plopped down in a nearby chair, and started deftly twirling a pen. His tone was nonchalant. "Chief Medical Examiner Grant, you've got work to do. Aren't you going to get to it? Careful, or I'll report you for slacking off."
The beautiful medical examiner, Lynn Grant, rolled her eyes at Evan Keller impatiently. Her elegance from moments before with Zoe Sawyer vanished, replaced by a sharp, impolite retort. "You talk too much. You think I don't know how to do my damn job?"
Despite her words, after her comeback, Lynn Grant obediently stood up from her chair.
On her way out, she mercilessly stomped on Evan Keller's foot. "Come get those reports yourself. Don't even think about asking me to bring them to you!"
"It's a simple favor, and you're making me make a special trip? Seriously!"
"Want some coffee? I'll make you a cup?" Evan Keller grumbled, but his body betrayed him as he obediently followed her out.
The moment she stepped out of the office, Lynn Grant turned back to wave at Zoe Sawyer. "Zoe, I'll come see you again soon~"
Zoe Sawyer waved back, a little awkwardly.
After the two had left, Zoe Sawyer sidled up to Sean Hughes, looking like she wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.
'I don't know why, but the vibe between those two feels a little strange.'
Before Zoe Sawyer could ask, Sean Hughes leaned in with a grin. "Curious about their relationship, aren't you?"
Zoe Sawyer nodded furiously.
"Take a guess. I guarantee the answer will make your jaw drop." Sean Hughes ruffled Zoe Sawyer's hair, messing it up, then tossed that line over his shoulder and left, pulling the door closed behind him.
'It might get noisy out there later, so it's better to keep the door shut.'
He was just back in the office for a quick break; there was still a lot of work waiting for him.
'Can't waste a single second.'
'Make my jaw drop?'
Zoe Sawyer touched her chin, and her mind started racing with all sorts of theories.
'Could it be one of those forbidden romance tropes? Like their parents remarried, making them stepsiblings who grew up together and fell in love?'
'Or is it just an office romance?'
'Or something even more melodramatic, like the children of two arch-rivals falling for each other—a classic story of bickering lovers?'
Still lost in her wild speculation, Zoe Sawyer noticed Officer Lee looking at her and suddenly slapped her forehead.
'There's a perfect person to ask right here!'
'Why am I racking my brain over this? I should just ask!'
With that thought, Zoe Sawyer walked over to Officer Lee and looked at him earnestly. "Officer Lee, you definitely know, right? Can you spill a little?"
Officer Lee, who had been enjoying the show, never expected to be dragged into the line of fire himself.
Hearing Zoe Sawyer's question, he shook his head frantically. "Nope, can't do it. 'Guess the Relationship' is a rite of passage for every newcomer in this office. If I tell you now, it'll ruin the game."
'And most importantly, if Zoe Sawyer also guesses wrong!'
'Then for the next few weeks, I won't be the butt of every joke anymore!'
Remembering the embarrassing mistake he had made and how many times he'd been teased about it since, Officer Lee resolved that he would absolutely not say a word!
Not getting the answer she wanted, Zoe Sawyer gritted her teeth. 'I refuse to believe I can't figure this out on my own!'
Seeing that Zoe Sawyer's attention was no longer on him, Officer Lee went back to his work and said, "Miss Sawyer, you should rest for a bit. We'll probably need to take your statement for this case, too."
Given that Zoe Sawyer had apprehended a suspect and discovered a lot of important evidence, a statement was unavoidable.
Besides, thinking about the news he'd received, Officer Lee looked over at Zoe Sawyer with a hint of envy.
He had worked incredibly hard to pass the exam to get into this precinct, yet Zoe Sawyer had managed to secure herself an official position after just three cases.
What's more, her starting rank was already higher than his, which made Officer Lee a little anxious.
But then, when he thought about what Zoe Sawyer had gone through in those three cases, Officer Lee's restless feelings immediately calmed down.
Almost every single time, Zoe Sawyer had come face-to-face with the perpetrator.
Especially today, when she'd tangled with the criminals for so long and had nearly been a goner.
Thinking about this, Officer Lee's envy and jealousy disappeared.
Zoe Sawyer figured he was right. She decided to go to the restroom and then come back to wait quietly.
But as soon as she opened the door, Zoe Sawyer froze.
She closed the door. She opened it again. The scene was the same.
Facing several pairs of terrified eyes, Zoe Sawyer took a step back. She looked over at Officer Lee in the distance, her voice turning heavy.
"Officer Lee, you're not going to believe this, but... I don't think I'll be getting any rest. Do you have any more of those trackers? Maybe I should take one?"