Chapter 370: Suspected in a Murder Case

Chapter 370: Chapter 370: Suspected in a Murder Case

That was why the property management hadn’t realized there was a problem with the building.

After confirming the location, Captain Young led his team toward Norvane.

Soon, they arrived at their destination.

The access point was narrow, so only the property manager, Captain Young, and Evan Keller went down.

The other officers fanned out to gather evidence.

Seeing the police stationed in front of the building, curious residents gathered to watch from a distance.

"What’s going on?" a man asked as he approached the crowd. He had just strolled into the complex from outside and was curious about the commotion.

The resident he’d asked turned around, a smile lighting up his face. "Oh, Mr. Wallace! Are you off work?"

"Yes, I just got back from a student’s home visit," Mr. Wallace replied with a reserved nod, then repeated his question.

The resident seemed to snap back to reality, slapping his forehead. "Oh, right! I forgot to answer.

Seems like there’s an issue with the building’s wiring. Property management asked about it in the group chat a little while ago, and someone responded. Not even ten minutes later, a bunch of cops showed up."

Mr. Wallace’s heart seized at the answer.

’Could the police have found out what I did?’

’No, that’s impossible. If they really knew, they would have arrested me long ago instead of letting me walk free until now.’

’Besides, I didn’t leave any traces. Even if the police did find Aaron Nash’s body down there, they would surely rule it an accident.’

’After all, from any angle, it would look like Aaron Nash was accidentally electrocuted due to a mistake he made while trying to steal the ground wire.’

’There’s no way it could be traced back to me.’

’Not to mention the things I hid... with Aaron Nash dead, no one else knows about it!’

Having reasoned this out, the anxiety in Mr. Wallace’s heart instantly subsided.

"Mr. Wallace? Mr. Wallace, are you all right?" The resident who had answered him asked, looking at the man with a puzzled expression. "You were fine a moment ago. Why did you suddenly zone out?"

"Oh, it’s nothing," Mr. Wallace said, snapping out of it with a flawless smile. "I just thought of a new teaching method I want to try with my students tomorrow."

The resident’s expression filled with admiration. "That’s amazing, Mr. Wallace. Still thinking about your students even after work."

"It’s all part of the job," Mr. Wallace replied modestly.

After making polite conversation with a few more parents who had gathered around, Mr. Wallace was just about to leave when a sudden commotion erupted from the crowd ahead.

"Oh my God, those two officers... are they carrying a person?!"

"Definitely! Look at the property manager’s face—he looks like he wants to be a mile away. He’s pale as a sheet and holding his nose. It has to be a body, no question!"

"And one of the officers is holding a pair of hydraulic cutters. The dead guy... you don’t think he got electrocuted trying to steal wires, do you?"

"That’s very possible. Why else would we feel that tingling sensation in the building? If that’s what happened, he had it coming!"

"If he hadn’t had such crooked ideas, he wouldn’t have been electrocuted!"

The buzz of discussion among the residents made Mr. Wallace halt in his tracks.

’Maybe I’ll stay and watch. It’s not like these cops can catch me, anyway.’

The thought flashed through Mr. Wallace’s mind, and his feet froze in place.

What Mr. Wallace didn’t realize was that Heath Hale and Sean Hughes were right behind him, waiting for the perfect moment to make their move.

This was the tactic they had arranged with Evan Keller on their way over.

A man like Mr. Wallace would have checked the crime scene after the act, making sure he left no clues behind before leaving.

Following standard procedure might tip him off.

So, on the way over, Evan Keller and Heath Hale had devised a plan: once the body was brought out, they would arrest Mr. Wallace immediately. They planned to leverage the information gap—bluffing him to see if they could trick him into revealing where he’d hidden the incriminating evidence.

Meanwhile, Captain Young was leading a team to search the utility shafts in the surrounding complexes, looking for the hidden items.

Although Captain Young didn’t know how Evan Keller’s team had obtained their evidence, he knew that anyone who could convince the chief to order him to give them full authority and follow their lead must have their own methods. All he had to do was follow the plan.

"You two, get your protective gear on and go down to sweep the scene again. See if any evidence was missed." After handing off the body to his team members, Captain Young waved two more officers over to conduct the search.

Not far away, Mr. Wallace found a good vantage point. Just as he was about to step up for a better look, before he could see anything clearly, Evan Keller spotted him.

Evan Keller subtly pressed his earpiece and whispered, "Heath, Sean, take him down."

"Got it!"

"Copy that!"

Heath Hale and Sean Hughes acknowledged the order and rushed forward. Amidst gasps from the crowd, they slammed Mr. Wallace to the ground.

"What are you doing? Let go of me! Let me go!" Mr. Wallace struggled violently, trying to shake the hands off his shoulders.

But he was no match for Heath Hale and Sean Hughes; his struggles were futile.

The surrounding residents were confused. Some wanted to step in and help, but they hesitated when they saw Heath Hale’s police uniform.

The police don’t just arrest people for no reason. Had Mr. Wallace actually committed a crime?

"Officer, did you get the wrong person? Mr. Wallace is a very dedicated teacher. He’s helped our children so much.

"Why would you just arrest him all of a sudden?" a woman from the crowd couldn’t help but ask, her eyes on Mr. Wallace, who was still on the ground, his hair and clothes disheveled from the struggle.

Once one person spoke up, others followed.

"That’s right! Mr. Wallace has always been so professional. He’s never even raised his voice at the kids. Are you sure you haven’t made a mistake?"

"Shouldn’t you be focused on the stolen wires? Why are you arresting an innocent man?"

Heath Hale yanked the man up from the ground, snapped a pair of cuffs on his wrists, and then stood straight. He faced the indignant crowd and announced, "Mr. Wallace is a suspect in a murder. We have evidence."

That simple sentence made Mr. Wallace, who had been struggling relentlessly, freeze. His heart pounded in shock.

’What did that cop just say?’

’Murder?’

’Could they really have evidence?’

Mr. Wallace frantically replayed the entire event in his mind, but he couldn’t think of a single mistake he’d made.

The group of people who had just been defending Mr. Wallace all took a step back upon hearing he was a murder suspect. They waved their hands dismissively, signaling that they knew nothing and wanted no part in it.

"Let’s go, Mr. Wallace," Heath said. "We’re going to have a long talk back at the station."