Chapter 335: Leo Bell’s Dire Situation

Chapter 335: Chapter 335: Leo Bell’s Dire Situation

Seeing someone finally take on their case, Elara Sterling and her homeroom teacher were ecstatic. They looked like they wanted to drag the police over to rescue Leo Bell that very instant.

"Come on, let’s head over to the reception room. Walk us through everything from the beginning," Hayden Shaw said gently, approaching the two of them.

Zoe Sawyer glanced at the team members behind her, then at the teacher and student following Hayden Shaw to the reception room.

She thought for a moment, then decided to order some takeout. ’Can’t have them working on an empty stomach.’

Over in the reception room, Elara Sterling once again explained the whole story from the beginning to the officers before her.

Evan Keller sat to one side, lost in thought after hearing the entire account.

’It’s good for a student to have this level of awareness,’ he thought. ’And her suspicions are logical and well-founded.’

’If things are really as she says, then this student, Leo Bell, might genuinely be in trouble.’

"We have a general grasp of the situation now. Miss Elara, could you try calling him one more time?" Evan Keller asked, looking up at Elara Sterling after jotting a few notes in his notebook.

Elara Sterling nodded quickly, deeply worried about her friend’s safety.

Upon hearing Evan Keller’s request, she immediately dialed Leo Bell for a video call without a second thought.

The phone on the other end rang a few times before it was answered.

A weary voice came from the other end of the line. "Elara Sterling, what is it now?"

Elara Sterling grew excited hearing her friend’s voice, but before she could say anything, Leo Bell continued, "Fine, I know you’re worried about the money you lent me. I’ll pay you back as soon as I’m not so strapped for cash. I won’t let you get in trouble for it.

Anyway, I’ve got stuff to do. I’m hanging up."

The next moment, the call ended.

In a small, enclosed room, the man standing beside Leo Bell, who had heard the entire conversation, raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You borrowed money from a classmate?"

’That’s not what my investigation turned up,’ he thought. ’There was nothing about this in his file.’

"Yes. I used all my scholarship money on medical bills for my mom’s treatment. I literally had no money for food, so I borrowed a little from her. Ever since I borrowed it, she’s been calling me every other day, terrified I won’t pay her back." Leo Bell kept his eyes lowered submissively, but he seemed to grow agitated as he spoke, as if deeply resentful of her actions.

"I see. Well, don’t you worry. As long as you cooperate with our boss, you’ll have all the money you could ever want later on. We’ll take care of your mother’s medical needs, too," the man said, dismissing Leo’s words. He patted him on the shoulder, renewing his promise.

Or perhaps it wasn’t that he was unconcerned, but that he believed with Leo Bell in his grasp, the boy couldn’t possibly stir up any trouble.

Upon hearing the man’s words, Leo Bell hunched over a bit more. "I understand. For my mother’s medical bills, I will cooperate fully."

The man seemed very pleased with this response and nodded. "Good boy. Alright, get some rest. There’s a lot of work to do tomorrow."

With that, he left the room, not forgetting to close the door and take Leo Bell’s phone with him on the way out.

Only after the man was completely gone did Leo Bell straighten his back, his expression remaining unchanged.

It wasn’t until he buried his face in his pillow that tears began to stream from his eyes. Hidden beneath the blanket, his hands clenched into tight fists.

But fearing that whoever was watching on the monitors would notice something amiss, he quickly reined in his emotions, sat back up, and acted as if nothing had happened.

’Now, I can only hope Elara Sterling understood my hidden message and called the police.’

Meanwhile, after Leo Bell had rushed through his words and hung up, Elara Sterling was consumed by anxiety.

She kept muttering to herself, "Leo Bell has to be in trouble. He would never say things like that otherwise."

After hearing Elara Sterling’s full account, Evan Keller and the others knew that Leo Bell had never once asked a classmate for money.

For him to say all that the moment the call connected was clearly a coded message about his situation.

’The good news is, Leo Bell is safe for now. The bad news is, we don’t know where he is, or why this rich man took him.’

"Alright, Elara, let the professionals handle this. The officers understand the whole situation, and they know Leo Bell is in a bad spot.

The best thing we can do right now is stay out of their way and let them think," the homeroom teacher said, gently squeezing Elara Sterling’s hand to comfort her.

Evan Keller snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the two of them. "Don’t worry," he said. "We’ll bring Mr. Bell back as quickly as we can.

This case is a little complicated, though, so you may need to stay at the station for a bit. Do you need to call your families?"

The homeroom teacher nodded quickly. She reassured Elara Sterling, saying she would go talk to her parents and for her to just wait here and try not to worry.

After running through the sequence of events in his mind, Evan Keller looked at the anxious Elara Sterling sitting across from him and spoke in a gentler tone. "Miss Elara, could we see that sticky note? It might hold another clue.

Rest assured, we will find Mr. Bell and bring him home."

’Right now, only the police can save him,’ Elara Sterling knew. ’No one else can help.’

She carefully took the sticky note from her bag and handed it to Evan Keller.

As soon as he had the note, Evan Keller read it over from top to bottom.

Finally, Evan Keller handed the sticky note to Officer Lee beside him. "Liam, run a check on this phone number. Then pull the security footage from around the school. See if you can get a clear image of that butler.

Also, pull up Leo Bell’s file. We’re going to need it."

Leo Bell’s safety was the absolute priority. To be safe, they would need Zoe Sawyer to confirm his well-being later on, and to pinpoint his current environment and location. Only once they had confirmed these details could they take the next step.

"Got it." Officer Lee took the sticky note from Evan Keller and hurried off toward the main office.

Soon, the homeroom teacher rushed back. "Elara, I’ve already spoken to your parents. You’ll stay with me for now, and I’ll take you home later on."

Elara Sterling nodded. ’Under the circumstances, it seems like the only option.’

"Here, you two should eat something. We’ll take it from here, so try to get some rest." Zoe Sawyer came in carrying two takeout orders and set them down in front of Elara Sterling and the homeroom teacher.

Evan Keller also rose from his seat and looked at Zoe Sawyer. "You should eat something too. Once Liam gets back with his findings, we’ll need you to take a look.

We need to ensure the student’s safety."