Chapter 128: News of Gavin Owens and the Police Department’s Arrangements

Chapter 128: Chapter 128: News of Gavin Owens and the Police Department’s Arrangements

The young man who had just been talking to Vivian Dunn came over and sat down right next to Zoe Sawyer.

"Miss Sawyer, you’re still wearing your jacket. Are you cold? Should I turn up the heat?"

Before Zoe could answer, another man went and turned up the temperature.

Seeing the young man’s smile and feeling the room get warmer, Zoe knew she’d arouse their suspicion if she didn’t take her jacket off.

Gavin Owens looked a little tense, too. ’He’s been too hasty!’

’I can’t get overexcited just because things are urgent and I’ve seen a friendly face. But as long as they haven’t figured out my message, there’s still a chance to salvage this.’

Thinking of what he’d written, Gavin Owens breathed a small sigh of relief.

’It was a secret code he and his superior had specifically devised. No one else would know how to crack it.’

"That’s perfect, thank you." Zoe played along and took off her jacket.

She had just set it aside when the man who’d turned up the heat came over, picked up her jacket, and said, "Let me hang this up for you. Felix, you couldn’t stop talking about Miss Sawyer, could you? Now that she’s here, go on and keep her company."

On his way to hang up the jacket, his fingers flew, patting down every possible hiding spot. He found nothing and shook his head at the man sitting beside Zoe.

Gavin Owens, who had been nervously watching their expressions, finally relaxed completely.

’Thank god. This colleague who came to meet me is seriously skilled! She hid the note in just a few seconds!’

The young man, Felix Tate, shot his childhood friend a glare. "What are you talking about, Leo?!" Then, with a shy expression, he turned to Zoe Sawyer and said, "That’s my friend, Howard Irving. Miss Sawyer, you can just call him Leo."

While Zoe was getting acquainted with them, things at the Varden West Precinct were kicking into high gear thanks to what she’d delivered.

"We’ve got something!"

The officer whose desk was nearest the door was the first to see it. He saw Zoe Sawyer’s hand reach out, toss a folded note onto the floor, and then make a gesture for "urgent."

Then she pulled her hand back. The entire motion was swift and clean, with no wasted movement.

The officer who’d seen it all immediately called out to the others in the office.

Heath Hale and Evan Keller were the first to react, striding to the door and picking up the note with gloved hands.

"Keep your eyes on her. If Zoe makes another move, let us know immediately." After the officer who’d first spotted it explained what happened, Heath Hale gave the order and followed Evan Keller to the chief’s office.

Looking at the string of numbers on the note, the chief didn’t hesitate. He immediately called Gavin Owens’s superior. They spoke for a moment and quickly deciphered the message.

"Shipment transfer on Varden West highway, night of the fifth. Intercept."

The chief frowned, looking at the message he’d just written down.

The message was clear enough, but what the cargo was, what vehicles would be used, and how many people were involved were all still unknown.

But considering Gavin Owens had only recently been promoted, he probably didn’t have access to more detailed intelligence. He likely risked exposing himself just to get this single, short sentence.

The timing also suggested he’d gotten this intel a couple of days ago but had no way to get it out.

According to reports from the surveillance team, after the organization’s members fled to this location, they put the entire house on lockdown, forbidding anyone from going in or out.

Aside from Anne Dawson, the only people allowed out each day were the kitchen staff.

If not for this chance encounter with Zoe, the whole operation might have been over before the intel ever made it out.

"Tonight? That’s tight," Evan Keller said. "I’ll deploy teams to the key locations right away." He considered for a moment. ’Me, Sean Hughes, and the Third Squad leader.’

’Three teams should be enough to cover the highway intersections, and it’ll be easy to get backup there if we need it.’

"That works. I’ll put the SWAT team on standby. If things go south and you need backup, call it in immediately so the other units can provide support right away.

Heath, you have a heavy workload too. In addition to the highway, you need to keep a close eye on other potential locations. If they change the drop point last minute, you have to be ready to react." The chief thought for a moment. It was the best arrangement they could make for now, and he was also making sure to have a contingency, which was Heath’s assignment.

Regardless of whether the transfer happened on the highway, Heath’s job wouldn’t be easy. Just leaving it all to Officer Lee wouldn’t work; he might not be able to handle the full scope of it.

Heath didn’t object. He just nodded to show he understood.

With the plan set, Evan Keller didn’t linger. He and Heath rushed off to get everything arranged.

The teams already had great chemistry, but after the string of heart-pounding cases and operations Zoe had brought them over the last few months, their coordination was better than ever.

Once their positions were assigned, the officers concealed themselves in various spots, making sure they had a clear view of the area without being seen.

They only had an approximate time, so they had no choice but to get into position early and wait.

Meanwhile, back with Zoe, the situation was just as tense.

Felix Tate and Howard Irving were the two most handsome men in the group. Following Anne Dawson’s earlier instructions, they kept Zoe engaged in conversation, occasionally laying verbal traps to try and coax more information out of her.

Zoe couldn’t afford to let her guard down. She mulled over every word, turning each sentence over in her mind several times to ensure it revealed nothing before she spoke.

Of course, her entire cover story was built around the new identity the chief had prepared for her.

Less than an hour of conversation had wound Zoe’s nerves as tight as a watch spring.

Meanwhile, Vivian Dunn could only sit beside Gavin Owens. While fending off questions from two other men, she used her jacket for cover and began tapping messages onto the back of his hand, communicating with him in secret.

Compared to Zoe, who was the center of Anne Dawson’s attention, Vivian drew far less scrutiny. This, however, made it easier for her to communicate with Gavin.

Gavin hadn’t expected two contacts to show up!

His expression remained impassive, but he was already relaying everything he knew.

Vivian committed it all to memory while simultaneously fending off the occasional questions from the other men.

Especially toward the end—when she fully processed what Gavin was telling her, she almost lost her composure.

’How long has he even been on the inside? And he’s already gathered this much information!’

’If what he’s saying is true, we have to move faster. Otherwise, this is going to turn into a huge disaster!’

"Watch out. There are security cameras everywhere in here, including the bathrooms."