Chapter 4
"Looks like we gotta head to the scene. Let's roll."
Travis stood up, holding the car keys, and handed them to Elaine. "You good to drive?"
"Sort of."
"Then you drive. I need a break."
Elaine was taken aback when she saw the old Jetta.
She glanced at Travis, who was sitting in the passenger seat with his eyes closed, resting.
Feeling a bit annoyed, she thought, 'You didn't mention this thing was a stick shift.'
After a long pause with no movement, Travis impatiently urged her.
When he saw the search terms on Elaine's phone, his eyes widened.
"You... get out!"
Elaine chuckled. "Almost done. I just figured out the gas and brake."
The car started, with Travis holding the steering wheel with one hand, while Elaine sat in the passenger seat like a kid who had done something wrong.
She explained, feeling wronged, "You didn't say if it was automatic or manual."
They arrived at the restaurant.
Flashing his badge, the owner quickly slipped a roll of cash into Travis's hand. "Officer, we run a legit business here. Everything's up to code."
Travis's face darkened as he put away his badge. "I need to ask you some questions."
He pulled out a photo. "Do you recognize these two people?"
The owner scrutinized the photo, trying to recall. "They look familiar."
"I remember now. These two were here last week. They ordered two coffees and sat by the window all afternoon."
"What were they talking about?"
Faced with Travis's questioning, the owner looked troubled. "Officer, my business is busy. I don't have time to listen to customers' conversations. Is something wrong?"
"Don't ask too many questions."
The owner knew nothing more.
Meanwhile, the investigation by the other team members was even more intriguing.
Back at the station, a team member handed Travis a file.
"Captain Smith, we've found that Tony has been frequently changing his phone numbers recently, but there's one fixed number he contacts once a week."
He pointed to the call records. "It's a virtual number, so we can't trace it."
"But the last call was the day before Jay's death."
Travis's eyes grew cold. "Who was he contacting?"
Elaine suddenly spoke up. "Check his bank transactions."
"Do as Elaine says."
Sure enough, Tony's account had received three unexplained transfers in the past two months, each for fifty thousand dollars.
Travis also noticed something suspicious.
Tony always went to the same place after receiving the money.
Travis circled a spot on the city map with a red pen.
Morning Glow District!
Travis's face was serious. "Notify everyone. We're moving out!"
Night fell.
In an old neighborhood in Morning Glow District.
Under the dim streetlights.
Travis led the team to surround Tony's temporary residence.
A six-story old apartment building.
Kelvin scanned the surroundings cautiously, speaking in a low voice. "Captain Smith, third floor, 302."
"I asked the landlord. Tony rented this place for three months but rarely comes back."
"The landlord recalls the last time he was here was two days ago."
Travis nodded and signaled.
The team quickly spread out, sealing off the building's stairways and exits.
Elaine stood behind Travis, eyes fixed on the closed door.
"Do you think he's still in there?" Travis whispered.
Elaine shook her head. "If he's a professional middleman, he'd be very alert."
Travis didn't respond, raising his hand to signal a breach.
The door was kicked open, and the detectives rushed in.
The room was pitch black, tactical flashlights sweeping across the empty living room.
The floor was littered with instant noodle cups, beer cans, and countless cigarette butts.
"He's gone!" Kelvin gritted his teeth.
The bed in the bedroom was a mess, as if someone had just left.
"Captain Smith!" Kian's voice came from the living room.
Kian pointed to a note on the coffee table, with a hastily scribbled number.
Travis took the note and walked to the window. "He knew we were coming."
The night breeze blew in, and Travis noticed a fresh scratch on the windowsill.
It looked like someone had hurriedly climbed out.
He gently wiped the window frame with his finger.
A thin layer of dust clung to his fingertip, mixed with tiny dark red particles.
"Is this... red soil?" Elaine was puzzled. "As far as I know, there's no red soil in Hillcrest."
"Tony didn't run on his own." Elaine stared into Travis's eyes. "Someone tipped him off about our operation."
Travis's eyes sharpened. "We have a mole."
His gaze swept over the officers outside.
He made a gesture for silence.
...
Returning to the station empty-handed, Travis called in Kelvin and Kian.
These two were his trusted aides, the only ones he could rely on at this moment.
"Kelvin, check everyone's call records."
Kelvin looked puzzled. "Captain Smith, why check call records? Do you suspect someone inside?"
"Just do it."
In the tech room.
Elaine placed the red soil under a microscope, muttering to herself, "Fine particles, high iron content, with some quartz fragments..."
She then pulled up the Hillcrest geological data on the computer.
The screen flickered, finally locking onto an area.
An abandoned industrial zone in Hillcrest Strollway District.
There was an old pharmaceutical factory there, with soil similarly tainted red due to chemical pollution.
"Strollway District..." Elaine's eyes narrowed.
She quickly pulled up Jay's file, flipping to the last page.
In his itinerary a week before his death, there was a note: [Field visit to Strollway District old factory, possible lead investigation!]
Elaine's fingers tightened slightly.
She picked up her phone and dialed Travis's number. "Captain Smith, I think I know where Tony might be."
On the other end, Travis's voice was low and firm. "Go on."
"Strollway District abandoned factory." Elaine paused. "New discovery, Jay also went there before he died."
The phone was silent for two seconds.
"Meet me in the parking lot in half an hour," Travis said, then hung up.
Elaine put down her phone, her gaze falling on the metal ball on the desk.
At 3 a.m., outside the abandoned factory in Hillcrest Strollway District.
Travis drove into the overgrown outskirts.
Elaine sat in the passenger seat, looking at the buildings outside.
"Based on the soil analysis, Tony likely came here," Elaine said softly, pulling up the factory's layout on her tablet.
"The factory is divided into production, storage, and office areas. If Tony wanted to hide, it would be here... the office area."
"It has the best view and many escape routes."
Travis didn't respond, parking the car and carefully checking his gun.
Elaine spoke up, "Are you sure you want to go in directly?"
"If Tony was taken, this could be a trap."
"Then let's see who's waiting for us." Travis pushed open the car door.