Chapter 257: Confession

Chapter 257: Chapter 257: Confession

Sean Hughes gave Zara Zane a reassuring look before following the two officers.

When he arrived at the conference room, Sean Hughes finally understood what had happened.

Aside from Sean Hughes and Hayden Shaw, who had been called over, all the other officers present were male.

Meanwhile, Aunt Vaughn and her daughter were screaming hysterically, clutching their chests and claiming the men had indecent intentions toward them. They also started a rumor that Heath Hale and the others were abusing the elderly and disabled.

A female officer from the local station tried to approach them but was kicked away by the Vaughn mother and daughter, who then proceeded to curse out her entire family for good measure.

The young woman had just joined the force and had never encountered such vicious people before. In an instant, her eyes turned red with anger.

Heath Hale was getting angry just watching. He had a team member go find Sean Hughes. All he wanted now was to wrap up this case, rescue the trafficking victims, and throw these five traffickers in front of him in jail.

Hayden Shaw, meanwhile, was being followed closely by the two rescued girls and couldn’t get away. That was why Heath Hale had to pin his hopes on Sean Hughes.

After hearing the explanation, Sean Hughes turned his gaze to the Vaughn mother and daughter sitting in the corner.

"Why bother fighting with them? It’s tricky dealing with the women, but there are no such concerns with the three men. As long as they confess, we can still convict everyone.

The only thing is, they might get stuck taking the blame for everything later." Sean Hughes looked at the Vaughn mother and daughter, then turned to Heath Hale beside him and shrugged, his tone completely nonchalant.

Having worked together so many times, Heath Hale immediately understood what Sean Hughes meant.

’Since these two aren’t planning to cooperate, they might as well just be told the consequences of their non-cooperation.’

’The only question was whether Sid and Old Taylor would throw the two women under the bus to reduce their own sentences.’

"That works. They’re three grown men, so we don’t have to worry about them accusing us of having indecent intentions. A little interrogation, and they’ll probably spill everything.

Besides, the number of people they trafficked and their clear intent qualifies for enhanced sentencing. If they get stuck with all the blame, the worst they’re looking at is the death penalty." Heath Hale smoothly picked up the thread.

He then waved a hand at the officers next to him, signaling them to come over.

The Vaughn mother and daughter weren’t fools; they naturally understood the meaning behind Sean Hughes’s words.

"Then... then what will happen to us?" Hearing Heath Hale’s words, Aunt Vaughn’s expression instantly turned to panic.

’I looked into it before. At most, we’d get ten or twenty years. But if we don’t cooperate and end up as the scapegoats, it could mean the death penalty!’

’No! I don’t want the death penalty!’

’Those three selfish bastards... everything was fine before they got caught, but now that there’s trouble, they’ll definitely make my daughter and me the primary scapegoats.’

After what Sean Hughes and Heath Hale said, Aunt Vaughn’s mind instantly cleared, and she quickly understood the key points of the situation.

At the same time, she made her decision.

Aunt Vaughn’s daughter was also biting her lower lip hard, her expression conflicted.

’I know these two cops are mostly just bluffing, but I can’t help but wonder... what if it’s true?’

But before she could think of a solution, Aunt Vaughn spoke up from beside her. "Fine. I’ll talk."

Her daughter, standing next to her, tried to say something but was stopped by Aunt Vaughn’s outstretched hand.

’I’ve thought it through. No matter how stubborn we are, these cops will find out the truth eventually. It’s just a matter of when.’

’If we cooperate now, maybe they’ll see our good attitude and cooperation as grounds for a reduced sentence.’

Seeing the matter resolved, Sean Hughes said a few words to Heath Hale and then left.

’Now that the traffickers have confessed, I need to take statements from the abducted girls and contact their parents to come get them.’

Sean Hughes wasn’t even done with his thoughts when he saw team members hurriedly following the main group out.

He asked and found out that the Vaughn mother and daughter had confessed, revealing information about some of the buyers.

"Stay put and behave. I’m going in to see what’s happening." Sean Hughes gave Zara Zane a light pat on the head, then handed her his personal phone so she could call her family and tell them she was safe.

Sean Hughes walked over to Heath Hale and asked about the case’s progress.

"This mother-daughter pair was involved in everything. They confessed the whole process. Here’s the deposition, take a look." Heath Hale said, sitting in his chair and rubbing the bridge of his nose.

Sean Hughes took the deposition from Heath Hale and quickly read through the entire document.

The reason this human trafficking ring formed was simple: they needed money.

Sid and Old Taylor liked to gamble online and had racked up a huge debt. They desperately searched for ways to make money online and eventually set their sights on human trafficking.

They had a car and often drove around for their catering business. They also lived alone, with no parents to supervise them. The conditions were perfect.

However, abducting people off the street was too obvious and would get them caught easily.

So the two of them came up with another plan: lure their targets into a public restroom and then make their move.

This required a female accomplice, so they turned their attention to the Vaughn family of three. The family had two disabled members supported by the daughter, so their financial desperation was similar to their own, making them highly likely to be persuaded.

Sure enough, the moment Sid tested the waters, Aunt Vaughn’s daughter immediately agreed. The two parties hit it off, discussed a method they felt was highly feasible, and went straight to abducting their first victim.

After the local police received a report, the five of them were on edge for a while. But the investigation didn’t lead back to them, and because the location was so remote and had no cameras, the five managed to escape and remain at large.

"The local station also received several missing person reports, but these people were too cautious. They specifically chose remote spots, which is why they were never caught," Heath Hale added from the side.

If it hadn’t been for Zoe Sawyer’s location tracking this time, finding them would have taken a massive effort.

"As long as it’s handled. The next step is to bring back the other victims. These five will get whatever sentence they deserve," Sean Hughes said, handing the file back.

Because the chain of evidence was solid, this trafficking case would be easy to close.

But by the time everything was truly settled, it was already the next day.

Sean Hughes and Heath Hale politely declined the local station’s invitation, made an excuse to leave, and then used Zoe Sawyer’s "door" to return to their own department at top speed.

This case was perfectly resolved. Now it was time for reporting up the chain and summarizing the findings.

Meanwhile, in a small restaurant not far from the police station, a man stood before a large pot of soup, stirring it constantly.

The man glanced up very casually at the security camera in the corner, then shifted his body to block the view of the pot. At the same time, his fingers casually shook out his sleeve.

Some white powder fell from his rolled-up cuff into the soup pot.

When he felt he had added enough, the man stopped, stared at the pot of soup before him, and let out a sinister laugh.

"Your retribution has arrived."