Chapter 108: An Improved Zoe Sawyer

Chapter 108: Chapter 108: An Improved Zoe Sawyer

The two of them paused as they were leaving. Without another word, they walked resolutely out of the interrogation room.

Zoe Sawyer and the others, who had been listening in from outside, also walked over.

Heath Hale waved a hand, signaling for them to return to the office first. It wasn’t a good place to talk.

Although Number Three was highly cooperative, he was difficult to communicate with. The entire process had already taken several hours.

But no one was hungry. Even those who had been felt they had lost all appetite after hearing what Number Three had to say.

"This is so disgusting. I think it’s more disgusting than any case I’ve ever worked on." Sean Hughes couldn’t help but clutch her chest, looking as if she were about to be sick.

The others were just gory, at worst.

But this business with Number Three was really getting to her.

"According to what Number Three said, if the probability of having a deformed child was that high, then there’s only one possibility: his parents were full-blooded siblings." Heath Hale rubbed his temples. He never expected this rescue operation to uncover something this major.

Zoe Sawyer thought about Number Three’s description and had an even bolder idea. "Identical twins?"

"Identical twins are always the same sex. It would have to be fraternal twins," Evan Keller explained.

The genes of twins are already almost identical. If two sets were then combined, the likelihood of their offspring having a genetic disorder would increase dramatically.

Sean Hughes gasped. ’Could someone really develop feelings for their own brother or sister?’

’Don’t you just find them punchably annoying?’

"This isn’t the time to get bogged down in that. Officer Stone, please call our colleagues who are still processing the scene. We need a team to find out where those two are from. We also need to contact the victim’s family as soon as possible." Heath Hale looked at Officer Stone and laid out everything on his mind.

They also needed to canvass the nearby residents; someone might have seen something.

But they were severely short-staffed at the moment. Heath Hale was already considering sending Zoe Sawyer and Sean Hughes. With Barry Quinn and Monkey with them, their safety would be guaranteed.

The theories Zoe Sawyer had been studying needed to be put into practice, and this was an excellent opportunity.

Officer Stone nodded while taking notes. After Heath Hale finished speaking, he quickly added, "We’re a bit short-handed at the bureau, but the county and city have already dispatched people to support us. They’ll be here soon."

The county police department was the one with a medical examiner, who would be coming down with the support team this time.

For now, all Officer Stone and his people could do was preserve the scene and wait for more specialized personnel to take over.

Zoe Sawyer looked at the map spread out on the table and thought about Number Five’s hands and feet.

"Given the condition of Number Five’s hands and feet, his mobility is limited. Even if Number Three carried him, they probably couldn’t have gotten far." Zoe Sawyer picked up a marker and drew a circle around the cellar where they had captured Number Five.

She analyzed the situation, recalling the lessons Heath Hale had taught her.

"If they’d taken the main road, the surveillance cameras along the way would’ve definitely caught them. But there’s no sign of them on the footage so far. So, does that mean they used the various side paths and back alleys?" Zoe Sawyer said, jotting her thoughts down on a piece of paper.

But as she said it, she felt that something was still off.

Evan Keller and the others remained silent, watching Zoe Sawyer work through her analysis. She had been studying for a long time; it was time to see the fruits of her labor.

Officer Stone didn’t disturb them. He walked out quietly to make the arrangements Heath Hale had requested.

Zoe Sawyer paused, looking at the paper in front of her as images from the surveillance footage flashed through her mind.

The footage was clear. The passing three-wheeled carts, large trucks, and pedestrians were all captured distinctly.

She was certain that Number Three and Number Five hadn’t appeared in any of it.

That was it!

The vehicles!

A few of the vehicles were covered with tarps, making it impossible to see what was inside. It wasn’t out of the question that Number Three and Number Five had hidden in one of them when the driver wasn’t looking.

Seeing the sudden light that flashed in Zoe Sawyer’s eyes, Heath Hale knew she had figured it out.

"Tell us your theory," Heath Hale said.

Zoe Sawyer didn’t hesitate, laying out her entire idea and explaining the reasoning behind it.

"That’s about right. They might have snuck aboard, or a driver might have taken pity on them and offered them a ride." Heath Hale nodded. Compared to when she first started and knew nothing, she was at least able to piece things together now. Her studies hadn’t been in vain.

But she still needed more practical experience to fully internalize everything she had learned.

Hearing this, Zoe Sawyer nodded with understanding. ’That’s right,’ she thought. ’Number Five’s physical condition is too conspicuous, and he can’t walk on his own.’

No matter how strong Number Three was, it would have been impossible to sneak Number Five aboard without the driver or people nearby noticing.

"Once the reinforcements arrive, we can pursue this line of investigation." Heath Hale curled his fingers and tapped the table, then looked at Zoe Sawyer and the others. "Do you want to join the field team or wait here for news?"

Without a second thought, Zoe Sawyer and the others chose to go out into the field.

Zoe Sawyer’s reasoning was simple: as long as her safety was guaranteed, she wanted to experience as much of the process as possible to improve at the fastest rate.

Perhaps it was an intuition born from her unique gift, but she felt a profound sense of looming crisis.

This sense of crisis made it impossible for her to remain idle.

Just as Officer Stone had said, the reinforcements from the county and city arrived quickly. The two teams rapidly synched up on the case.

Without Heath Hale having to say a word, the newly arrived team had already made the necessary arrangements.

"Thank you for your hard work. What are your plans now?" The county police chief stood before Zoe Sawyer and her team and asked.

"We’d like to continue following up on this case," Heath Hale said to the chief.

The chief didn’t ask any questions. He simply nodded, offering no objection.

"Perfect. In that case, if you don’t mind, could you canvass the village over there?" the chief asked, pointing in the direction where Number Three was first captured.

"No problem," Heath Hale agreed without a moment’s hesitation.

After exchanging pleasantries, Zoe Sawyer and her group set out once more, quickly arriving at their destination.

"Oh, you mean that pair of brothers, the ones where one of them has something wrong with his hands and feet? Sure, I remember them. Saw ’em a week ago. I even felt sorry for them and gave them a few bites to eat."

When Zoe Sawyer asked her question, an older woman tilted her head in thought before nodding with certainty.

The two brothers were just too unusual, and it hadn’t been long, so the woman couldn’t forget them even if she tried.

"A week ago? Ma’am, do you happen to remember the specific time?" Zoe Sawyer asked.

The woman thought for a moment and gave a very specific time with confidence.

"Hah, I only remember it so clearly because the very next day, a young woman from our village went missing."

"She’d just brought her boyfriend home to meet her parents. Who would’ve thought she’d just vanish the next day? Her folks were worried sick."