Chapter 336: Putting on a Spooky Act

Chapter 336: Chapter 336: Putting on a Spooky Act

With Elara Sterling and her homeroom teacher present, Evan Keller didn’t spell everything out.

But Zoe Sawyer naturally understood the implications. It was part of her job, so she readily agreed.

After leaving a team member to stay with the two of them, Zoe and the others hurried back to the office.

"Captain Keller! Perfect timing. This is what I found." Officer Lee’s eyes lit up when he saw Zoe and the others, and he quickly handed over his findings.

Evan Keller took the file, and as he read it, his eyes widened.

The phone number belonged to a man with the surname Taylor, who currently worked for a well-known local entrepreneur.

The appearance of the person captured on the surveillance footage from the road near the school matched this Butler Taylor.

The man he worked for, Warren Thorne, was a famous philanthropist in their city. He was a frequent donor to many charitable causes.

While some of his actions might have been for show, a gentleman is judged by his deeds, not his heart. His donations were genuinely put to good use, and he hadn’t broken any laws.

His businesses didn’t evade taxes, their products were good quality, and they didn’t abuse their market position to bully customers.

As a result, he had a very good reputation in the area.

Now, Leo Bell’s safety was tied to him, a fact that genuinely surprised Evan Keller.

But he quickly composed himself and continued reading the file.

Due to poor health, Warren Thorne had sought treatment at the provincial hospital six months ago, where a large tumor was discovered in his body.

Due to its concealed location and the lack of early symptoms, it wasn’t found until his condition had deteriorated.

After his diagnosis, Warren Thorne handed over his work to his son and devoted himself entirely to his treatment. At the same time, he increased his charitable contributions, ostensibly to accumulate good karma and blessings.

According to the latest information from Officer Lee, Warren Thorne’s health had deteriorated further. He was now bedridden and could pass away at any time.

Out of desperation, Warren Thorne’s son had apparently found a "Wizard" somewhere. He was making a big spectacle at the Thorne family residence, rearranging the feng shui and performing good deeds.

The display was so ostentatious that it drew the attention of everyone in the neighborhood.

And because the Thorne family made no effort to hide it, Officer Lee was able to dig up so much information in such a short time.

"They even hired a ’Wizard’? They actually believe in this hocus-pocus?" Evan Keller muttered, frowning at the file in his hands.

Heath Hale, who had already read the file, stood beside Evan Keller and pointed to a line on the page. "Warren Thorne’s son isn’t very capable. In the past six months, the Thorne family’s business has plummeted under his management."

"If Warren Thorne hadn’t dragged himself up to handle some of the more critical tasks, half the family’s business would likely have been swallowed up by now." ℴ

"It’s likely that conventional medical treatments are no longer working for Warren Thorne, so in their desperation, they’re turning to supernatural means."

’But what does any of this have to do with Leo Bell?’

Evan Keller flipped through the file. The information clearly stated that Warren Thorne’s blood type was O, which didn’t match Leo Bell’s rare blood type at all.

’Could there be something they missed?’

’Or maybe the Thorne family has some special connection to Leo Bell’s family, and this is just an excuse to support him financially?’

’But if that were the case, Leo Bell wouldn’t have needed to secretly send a message that he was in trouble.’

Zoe Sawyer stood to one side, her eyes fixed on a few lines in the file.

’A Wizard, a terminal illness, a dying Warren Thorne.’

With her active imagination, Zoe began connecting the dots. Suddenly, an idea struck her.

"What if," Zoe Sawyer began, frowning as she voiced her suspicion, "Warren Thorne took someone’s advice and is trying to... swap fates?"

She knew the idea sounded far-fetched, but given the circumstances, it was the only thing that made a strange kind of sense.

"Swap fates?" Evan Keller asked in disbelief. "How did you jump to that conclusion?"

Heath Hale’s tone was grim as he chimed in. "It’s not impossible. The richer people are, the more they fear death, and the more they believe in this kind of hocus-pocus."

"If that’s really the case, then Leo Bell is in grave danger. Zoe, you need to confirm his location and safety right now."

"Right!" Zoe nodded and accepted the task.

She took Leo Bell’s file from Officer Lee, quickly memorized the details, and then walked up to the door.

Zoe gripped the doorknob, focusing on Leo Bell’s name and appearance in her mind.

Once she felt the familiar connection, Zoe carefully pushed the door open a crack and slipped the miniature camera and tracker that Evan Keller had prepared through the gap.

In less than a minute, an image appeared on Liam’s computer screen.

Unsure if anyone or any cameras were watching Leo Bell, Zoe had to be extremely cautious to remain undetected.

Officer Lee quickly reported his findings.

Using the feed from the miniature camera and tracker Zoe had sent through, he quickly assessed the situation in the room.

"The room only contains a bed and a table. The target, Leo Bell, is sitting on the edge of the bed."

"There are active cameras in all four corners of the room, likely monitoring him around the clock. I just zoomed in and saw that Leo Bell’s face is very pale, and there are multiple puncture marks on the back of his hand."

"I can’t see what’s outside the room. It’s well soundproofed, so I can’t hear any external sounds."

"We’ve also confirmed his location. He’s in a villa in the suburbs." Officer Lee quickly relayed everything he had observed from the camera feed to Zoe and the others.

Hearing about Leo Bell’s condition, the team breathed a collective sigh of relief.

They couldn’t be sure about anything else, but at least Leo Bell was alive and somewhat safe for the moment.

"Zoe, can you move the ’door’ to just outside his room? We might be able to pick up some other information," Evan Keller asked, looking at her.

’He needed to confirm their objective before he could formulate the best rescue plan.’

The request wasn’t difficult, so Zoe didn’t refuse. She manipulated the door, stealthily moving it to a position right next to the physical door of the room.

Opening it just a crack, Zoe slipped another miniature camera through to see what was happening in the hallway.

Once she confirmed that Officer Lee could see the feed, Zoe closed the door.

Soon, the scene from outside the room appeared on Officer Lee’s computer screen.

Butler Taylor was standing by the door, bowing slightly as he spoke to two people in front of him.

The two people standing before him were easily recognizable: one was Warren Thorne’s son, and the other was the "Wizard" they had paid a fortune to hire.

"Butler Taylor, is everything prepared? There haven’t been any incidents, have there?" Warren Thorne’s son asked, looking at the butler before him.

"Rest assured, Young Master. Everything is in order."