Chapter 8

"Seriously?" Zoey pulled out a compact mirror from her bag.

She checked herself out, then glanced at Emma. "No matter how I look at it, my skin's way better than yours."

Emma was fuming inside. With colleagues around and her perfect image to maintain, she had to keep her cool.

She quickly composed herself and switched topics, "I heard Officer Jones put you on some investigation work recently. How's that going? Found any leads?"

She asked, waiting for Zoey's response.

Zoey had always been more impressive at the police academy, while Emma was more popular and likable.

What good were Zoey's top grades? She wasn't living as well as Emma now.

"None of your business," Zoey shot back bluntly.

Emma felt like she had hit a wall, seething with anger.

She had said so much, but Zoey's one-liner shut her down completely. Her heart felt like it was being crushed by a heavy weight, making it hard to breathe!

Zoey, however, couldn't care less and quickly finished her breakfast.

As the morning dragged on, Mark and Joseph were still nowhere to be seen, so Zoey figured they must have gone to Lawrence's place to investigate.

Just as she thought that, the two of them walked in.

Mark spotted Zoey and called out to her.

Zoey asked, "Officer Jones, what's up?"

"Don't you want to know how Joseph and I did at Lawrence's place?" Officer Mark asked.

But Zoey didn't seem too interested.

Mainly because whether they found any clues or not, it didn't really matter to her. She was just an investigator. If they did find something based on her lead, it would go to the criminal investigation department, which had nothing to do with her.

"Not really," Zoey replied.

Mark noticed her attitude was completely different from last night.

The more she didn't want to know, the more Mark wanted her to know!

"Just ask," Mark's tone was a bit impatient.

"I need to use my time for something meaningful," Zoey said.

Seeing Zoey about to leave, Mark didn't push it. "Alright, we found a lot at Lawrence's place thanks to your lead. But Zoey, you need to know this might just be a fluke. Not every case will have such luck. Now, get ready to head to Lawrence's place. You'll escort him to the criminal investigation department later."

Zoey gave Mark a complicated look. "I don't want to go."

"This case was cracked by you. If you don't go, who will?" Mark smiled and patted her shoulder. "You must read a lot. I see you always with those foreign psychology books. Send me the links after dealing with Lawrence."

"Alright," Zoey said.

Zoey had no choice but to go. Besides, Mark was right. If she hadn't raised objections last night, Lawrence would have gotten away.

If someone else went to the criminal investigation department, they wouldn't be able to explain why a simple stalking case was linked to a criminal investigation.

Zoey was about to head out but realized she had no idea where Lawrence's place was. She turned back and asked, "Where exactly is Lawrence's place?"

Mark replied, "It's in the same neighborhood as Ella's. I'll have Joseph send the details to your phone."

Zoey nodded. "Got it."

She quickly packed up and made her way to Ella's neighborhood.

Having spent several days there protecting Ella, she knew the area pretty well.

The drive from the police station to Ella's neighborhood took a bit, so Zoey used the time to catch up on some much-needed sleep.

When she arrived, she quickly found Lawrence's building, which was right across from Ella's.

As soon as she opened the building door, a musty smell hit her. Even though it was daytime, the hallway was pitch dark.

Switching on her flashlight, Zoey counted the floors one by one until she reached the top, the sixth floor, where Lawrence's apartment was.

She spotted the police tape on the left side and knew it was Lawrence's place.

She had just taken a couple of steps towards it when the police tape was lifted from the inside, and a figure emerged.

Due to the darkness, Zoey couldn't see the man's face.

As he got closer, the man shone a flashlight right in her face. The blinding light was so annoying that Zoey felt like smacking him.

She had just raised her hand when the man blocked her.

"Your temper is still as fiery as ever, huh?" A familiar male voice reached her ears, and Zoey instantly recognized it-Alexander.

Just then, the hallway lights flickered on, illuminating the once dark corridor.

"What does my temper have to do with you?" Zoey replied with disdain.

Alexander was indeed good-looking, but she couldn't stand him.

"A bad temper affects your mindset. You can't concentrate and handle cases well with a bad attitude. We're police officers; we need to live up to the responsibilities given to us by the people," Alexander said, clearly speaking for her benefit.

No matter who he was talking to, he was always gentle and kind.

Alexander looked at the indifferent Zoey.

Zoey glanced at Lawrence's apartment. "Move, you're in the way."

Alexander smiled and watched her enter the suspect's place.

The staff handed Zoey the disposable equipment used at the scene.

Zoey took it, skillfully put on the gloves, lifted the police tape, and walked in.

The scene had been examined multiple times, with every nook and cranny meticulously scrutinized for evidence.

She was late, and there wasn't much left for her to do.

All the windows in Lawrence's apartment were open, and a faint smell of smoke wafted from the kitchen, followed by the sound of a toilet flushing.

A middle-aged man emerged; the most noticeable thing about him was his almost bald head, with just a few strands of hair left standing.

His tired dark circles seemed to be a common trait among police officers. He yawned as he walked towards Zoey. "Are you the one Mark sent?"