Chapter 20: Resolution and Awarding Merits

Chapter 20: Chapter 20: Resolution and Awarding Merits

Evan Keller stared at Zoe Sawyer’s front door, his tone unusually certain.

Whether it was the shadows visible under the door or the cigarette butts deliberately left at the entrance, it all pointed to one thing: there was someone else in Zoe Sawyer’s apartment!

But before they came over, Sean Hughes had specifically asked and confirmed that Zoe Sawyer’s family was all back in her hometown, and she didn’t have any friends here who visited often.

In that case, the person who had suddenly appeared in her home wasn’t a guest.

The warm yellow light from the hallway ceiling cast down on the floor, and Sean Hughes, who hadn’t noticed at first, now also saw several dark shadows showing through the crack under Zoe Sawyer’s door.

They were specifically staking the place out.

But their attempt at concealment was poor. It was hard to tell if they were deliberately revealing their presence to warn Zoe Sawyer—’I know where you live’—or if they were just incompetent and thought they were well hidden.

Either way, the people inside were guilty of unlawful entry into a private residence.

Sean Hughes was now incredibly grateful that he had offered to come over and pack Zoe Sawyer’s things.

If they had let her come back by herself, or if some other junior officer had come, they might not have had Evan Keller’s level of vigilance.

They might have recklessly opened the door and something terrible could have happened!

"So what do we do now?" Sean Hughes asked, looking at Evan Keller beside him.

They had come to pack Zoe Sawyer’s things today, and two fists are no match for four.

Besides, the space here was tight. If a fight really broke out, it would be hard to maneuver.

All in all, the situation here was not in their favor.

"It’s fine. Let’s wait a bit. It’ll be over soon," Evan Keller said, shaking his head, a hint of confidence in his voice.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, several surprised voices echoed from the stairwell behind them.

"Aren’t you the two officers who took Sawyer away before? What brings you here today?" The woman leading the group sounded surprised when she saw Evan Keller and Sean Hughes. She glanced behind them but didn’t see Zoe Sawyer. "How come Sawyer isn’t back with you? Did she get into some kind of trouble?"

The other women looked at Evan Keller and Sean Hughes, their eyes filled with a mixture of suspicion and gossip-hungry curiosity.

’Could it be that Sawyer did something wrong, and they’ve come to her door because of it?’

Compared to Evan Keller, Sean Hughes dealt with the public more often, so he was naturally aware of the power of gossiping older women.

If he didn’t clear this up today, then by the time Zoe Sawyer returned, her reputation would go one of two ways.

She’d either be painted as a poor, pitiful child in the mouths of these women, or her name would be dragged through the mud and she’d become the talk of the town.

Even if they explained it clearly later, it would be too late.

"Zoe Sawyer has performed a great service, but we have orders from above not to talk about it. Once the matter is resolved, she might even get a commendation."

"Ma’ams, you have to keep this a secret. This matter is still classified. If it weren’t for the fact that you all have such a good relationship with Zoe Sawyer, I couldn’t have said a thing." Sean Hughes leaned in toward the women with a secretive expression.

As he spoke, he gave them a knowing wink, as if to say, ’You get it.’

Sure enough, halfway through his explanation, the women’s faces lit up with an ’I get it’ expression.

Sean Hughes struck while the iron was hot and continued, "However, because of this, Zoe Sawyer has provoked some criminals. We need to protect her, so she probably won’t be able to come back for a while."

"You ladies should also be careful. If any suspicious people ask you about Zoe Sawyer, remember to help us keep it a secret."

"Don’t you worry, we understand this sort of thing."

"I promise not a single word will get out from us!"

"That’s right, that’s right! You can rest assured!"

Feeling that they had just gotten the scoop of a lifetime and bursting with a sense of justice, the women nodded eagerly, promising they would be tight-lipped.

Just as Sean Hughes was getting along famously with the women, Evan Keller noticed that the shadows behind Zoe Sawyer’s door had vanished.

Immediately after, an old man’s cry of alarm came from downstairs.

"Whose family are you with?! You can’t just climb the water pipes! If something happens, it’s no laughing matter!"

Evan Keller and Sean Hughes could no longer be bothered with the women who were still trying to talk to them. They rushed to the edge of the hallway to look down.

Sure enough, they saw two lean men climbing down a drainpipe.

Luckily, the two men were skinny enough and the building’s pipes were of decent quality, otherwise they wouldn’t have been able to support both of them.

"Keller, look at their pockets!"

Sean Hughes narrowed his eyes, staring at their bulging pockets.

’Judging by the shape and size, they’re probably carrying a few folding knives, and maybe something else.’

"When we get back, have someone pull the surveillance footage. It should have caught their faces," Evan Keller said in a low voice, watching the two men jump to the ground and quickly flee.

’They must have heard from behind the door that Sawyer wasn’t coming back and didn’t want a direct confrontation with the police, so they climbed down the pipe.’

"Right, I got it."

With this incident as an interruption, the women didn’t try to hold the two of them back any longer.

Evan Keller and Sean Hughes quickly packed up the things Zoe Sawyer needed and brought them back to the station.

Meanwhile, after Zoe Sawyer woke up, she learned that the chief wanted to see her.

She quickly tidied herself up before following Sean Hughes over.

In the office, Zoe Sawyer had just entered when she saw several people sitting in chairs, chatting about something.

The moment she walked in, everyone stopped talking, and all eyes focused on her.

Zoe Sawyer swallowed hard, her eyes scanning the office.

Besides Evan Keller, Officer Lee, and the beautiful medical examiner Lynn Grant whom she had only recently met, there were two serious-looking middle-aged men.

"Sawyer, you’re here. Come, come, have a seat."

After seeing Zoe Sawyer, the middle-aged man in the lead gestured to her enthusiastically, indicating for her to come and sit.

Sean Hughes patted Zoe Sawyer’s shoulder, telling her not to worry.

Once she was settled, the middle-aged man briefly introduced himself before explaining the main reason he had called her over.

"Sawyer, we’ve already reported your... special constitution to our superiors."

"The directive from above is for us to figure out the pattern behind it so that we can always be prepared. Because of this, we might need you to live at the station for a while."

"There’s one more thing. We haven’t forgotten the credit you deserve for discovering and helping us solve those cases. However, due to the special circumstances, we can’t publicly announce your contributions just yet. We hope you can understand."

"But we did manage to secure an official position for you as a special consultant for the police department. You’ll get a regular salary and benefits, and you won’t be required to work fixed hours. What do you think?" With time being tight and the tasks at hand being heavy, the chief didn’t beat around the bush and laid everything out for Zoe Sawyer all at once.

Zoe Sawyer, of course, wasn’t going to refuse such a good offer. She nodded quickly, indicating that she had no objections.

’It’s not like I’m the kind of person who doesn’t know what’s good for them!’

Seeing Zoe Sawyer agree, the chief let out a sigh of relief. But then, he immediately said something that made her despair.

"Excellent. However, Sawyer, your physical stamina isn’t quite up to par. For the time being, you’ll be training with Evan Keller and the others."