Chapter 50: Before One Wave Subsides, Another Rises

Chapter 50: Chapter 50: Before One Wave Subsides, Another Rises

Just as Evan Keller and his team were approaching the area, they heard a man’s voice from inside, full of doubt.

Weapon in hand, Evan Keller gestured to the colleagues behind him, signaling them to go on high alert.

’Excellent! An unexpected bonus!’

Evan Keller had originally thought this trip was just about retrieving the bodies from the pit to quell any public unrest.

He never expected to catch another one!

He glanced at the sedan parked outside. Recalling that the man was here to pick up the three guys he and Heath Hale had just arrested, he figured there could be at most two people inside!

With that thought, Evan Keller felt a surge of confidence.

He led his men to slowly close in, completely surrounding their target.

When the man squatting by the pit stood up, he found himself encircled by police officers.

’What’s going on? Why are there so many cops here?’

He couldn’t even think about resisting. It was one against many; he didn’t stand a chance.

The man watched Evan Keller and the others tighten the circle, his hand subtly trying to slip into his pocket.

The instant it went in, Evan Keller fired a shot, hitting the man’s palm and shattering whatever he had in his pocket.

"Ah!"

The man clutched his arm and howled in agony. The other officers wasted no time, rushing forward to restrain him.

They expertly searched him and indeed found several useful items.

Then they handcuffed him, tied him to a tree with a rope, and stuffed a cloth in his mouth to keep him from making a scene.

"You two, watch him. Don’t let him cause any trouble. The rest of you, get your gear ready. We need to wrap this up fast." Evan Keller pointed to two officers before leading the remaining personnel into the pit to move the bodies.

Except for the body of Barry Quinn’s teammate, the condition of the others was identical to the victims in the previous two cases.

The bodies that had been thrown in were quickly lifted out and carefully laid on the ground. After confirming nothing was missed, Evan Keller led his team and sped back to the precinct.

The perpetrators wanted to use the contents of this pit to stir up another public outcry online. The police didn’t have much time; they couldn’t afford to linger.

The precinct’s autopsy room was filled to capacity with the victims of the human skin case.

The Varden West Precinct was short on forensic pathologists, so several had been urgently transferred from East Varden and the provincial bureau.

Lynn Grant took off her mask and gloves, exhaling wearily.

"Just as we suspected. Before he died in the line of duty, he was subjected to extensive, inhuman torture. A quick death from pain would have been a mercy."

"The time of death is roughly the same as the victims in the minivan."

Lynn Grant walked out of the room and saw Evan Keller and Heath Hale waiting by the door. She rubbed the bridge of her nose.

She had thought the victims in this human skin case dying in agony was already horrific and cruel, but the condition of their fallen colleague was even more unspeakable.

His abdomen had been concealed by his clothes, but when they unbuttoned his shirt, they discovered he had been disemboweled and stuffed with straw.

Some of his internal organs were missing.

The skin on his neck also had severe cuts, each one a fatal wound.

Just when she thought a wound was the worst she would see, she would find something even more horrifying.

"Damn it! These people have gone too far!" Evan Keller kicked the wall beside him in anger.

He wished he could go out and catch them right now.

"What about the one recovering here? The deceased was his teammate, wasn’t he? Where is he?" Lynn Grant asked, looking around curiously.

"The other three are still laid up in the infirmary. He went to watch over them. There’s also the child who was rescued. He’ll probably question them once they wake up." Heath Hale pointed toward the infirmary in the other direction.

Lynn Grant shrugged, not dwelling on the matter.

"Alright, you two should go get some rest. The dark circles under your eyes are terrible. If you don’t sleep soon, I’ll probably have two more bodies to deal with in here," Lynn Grant said, gesturing at Evan Keller and Heath Hale’s faces with a sigh.

Evan Keller shook his head. "Time is short. Their people will soon realize we’ve arrested these few. We have to use this window of opportunity to make more progress on the case."

Ruby and Jim Lynch are tight-lipped; we haven’t gotten a single piece of information out of them. But the ones we just caught won’t be as tough.

’We have to seize the moment, before the other side can react, and round up everyone we can.’

Lynn Grant knew their superiors had given a strict deadline and that Evan Keller and the others knew what they were doing, so she didn’t press them further.

"Don’t worry, we’ve got it under control." Evan Keller patted his friend’s shoulder, then turned and headed for the interrogation rooms with Heath Hale.

They were going to see if there were any new developments.

After three hours of deep sleep, Zoe Sawyer’s eyes shot open.

She found herself on a sofa, covered with Heath Hale’s jacket.

"You’re awake? Don’t you want to sleep a little longer?"

Sean Hughes, who had returned to rest, saw Zoe Sawyer was awake and walked over with a glass of water.

"Mhm. I can’t rest easy until this is solved."

After taking a sip, Zoe Sawyer patted her cheeks, forcing herself to wake up.

Officer Lee suddenly burst in, looking grim.

He didn’t say a word after entering, just started frantically typing on his keyboard, his fingers moving so fast they were a blur.

Zoe Sawyer and Sean Hughes exchanged a look but didn’t dare to disturb him, so they just sat there.

When Officer Lee’s hands finally stopped, Zoe Sawyer cautiously asked, "What’s wrong? Is there another problem with the case?"

Officer Lee seemed to just then notice Zoe Sawyer and Sean Hughes on the sofa. He rubbed his tired eyes and explained, "No, it’s not that. A motorcycle gang has been snatching kids off the streets in the suburbs."

"They’ve also slashed several parents and bystanders who tried to intervene. It’s blown up into a huge mess. Between this and the human skin case, we all wish one person could do the work of ten."

"The chief has already requested more manpower from the provincial bureau. Otherwise, there’s no way we can handle this workload on our own."

It was just one thing after another.

Zoe Sawyer and Sean Hughes couldn’t sit still any longer. They hurried over to see what was happening.

On Officer Lee’s computer screen were screenshots from surveillance footage. He was clearly processing the images, trying to get a clearer view of the suspects’ faces.

Before Zoe Sawyer could get a good look at the motorcycle gang members’ faces, Heath Hale appeared at the office door and knocked, drawing the attention of all three.

Then, Heath Hale looked at Zoe Sawyer and beckoned her over.

"You’ve all probably heard about the motorcycle gang snatching kids, right? Zoe Sawyer, come with me. One of the parents is asking to see you by name."

Zoe Sawyer walked toward Heath Hale, her face etched with confusion.

"Me? They’re asking for me by name?"