Chapter 518: Theodore Hughes of the 5-Man Group Is Captured

Chapter 518: Chapter 518: Theodore Hughes of the 5-Man Group Is Captured

This case began with Roger Rowan, so naturally, it had to start with the people who scammed him.

Once they determined who the first target for arrest was, Zoe Sawyer wasted no time. She grasped the doorknob and began to recall the information they had on Theodore Hughes.

When she opened the door, what everyone saw was a dilapidated bus moving down a road.

It was packed to the brim inside. Many passengers had large and small bags piled at their feet. The entire bus was noisy, with most of the passengers chatting amongst themselves.

Their target this time, Theodore Hughes, was sitting in the very back of the bus. He wore a hat and a mask, his head was bowed, and he was tightly clutching a black backpack.

Sitting next to Theodore Hughes was a woman who looked to be in her fifties. She was eating fruit while chatting with a friend beside her.

Noticing the silent Theodore Hughes out of the corner of her eye, she thought for a moment, then grabbed a handful of fruit and pushed it into his lap. "Here, eat! It’s on me!"

Theodore Hughes’s body stiffened; he clearly hadn’t expected the woman to do that.

But the fruit was already in his lap, and it would have been rude to refuse. After a moment of polite hesitation, he put the fruit into his backpack.

Zoe Sawyer lowered the door, hiding it under the back-row seats, then extended her phone through it and quickly determined their location via GPS.

"Of the five, he’s the one who ran the farthest, huh?" Evan Keller remarked, looking at the location sent to his phone.

They hadn’t pinpointed the exact locations of the other four yet, but they knew the general area—the neighboring provinces.

But this Theodore Hughes had run to the opposite end of the country; their respective locations were practically at the north and south poles.

"This bus looks like it runs a rural route between towns. It’s full of a mix of people, so we can’t make a move rashly. We could easily harm innocent bystanders," Heath Hale said after assessing the situation on the bus.

Besides women like the one who offered the fruit, there were pregnant women with children and elderly people with heads full of white hair.

"No rush. This should be the last bus of the day. We’ll follow it, see where Theodore Hughes gets off, and then find an opportunity to grab him," Evan Keller said. He had calculated the time; this had to be the final run for the day.

Contacting the local police station would be too risky; it could tip him off. If we accidentally spook Theodore Hughes, the safety of the other passengers wouldn’t be guaranteed. It’s not the best option.

It’s better to wait for him to get off on his own, find a chance to knock him out, and bring him back to the station through the door. It’s more convenient.

Safer, and stealthier.

Sure enough, things went more or less as they expected. After the bus stopped at a few more stations, Theodore Hughes clutched his backpack and squeezed his way out from the back.

After getting off, Theodore Hughes looked left and right before heading down a small path on the side.

"Zoe, follow him and see what’s going on," Heath Hale said, patting Zoe Sawyer’s arm.

The team watched through the door controlled by Zoe Sawyer as Theodore Hughes took a winding path and arrived behind a house.

Unlike the abandoned house Zoe Sawyer and the others had imagined, this one looked well-decorated. However, compared to the lit-up houses nearby, this one was pitch-black inside. It was obvious no one was living there.

"Looks like he’s planning to find a place to lie low for a few days. I’ve checked. There are no security cameras around here, and nobody comes this way. No need to wait any longer.

Zoe, move the door behind him," Evan Keller ordered, quickly making a decision based on the surroundings.

Hearing the command, Zoe Sawyer quickly moved the door behind Theodore Hughes. The instant it was in place, Evan Keller fired the tranquilizer gun, hitting Theodore Hughes directly in the neck and taking him down.

Two team members, who had been on standby, immediately stepped forward and pulled the unconscious Theodore Hughes back through to their side.

"The dosage on this one has been deliberately reduced. It takes effect fast, but it also wears off quickly. It won’t delay the interrogation," Evan Keller explained when he noticed Zoe Sawyer staring at the tranquilizer gun in his hand. He knew what she was wondering.

Previously, the tranquilizer gun was usually used on vicious terrorists or murderers; it was rare to use it on a fraudster like Theodore Hughes.

To avoid delaying the interrogation and prolonging the case, the colleague in charge of this equipment spent some time researching and adjusting the tranquilizer’s effect.

After bringing Theodore Hughes back through the door, the next targets were the remaining four.

Unlike Theodore Hughes, who had tried to relocate, the other four were staying put in their rented apartments, constantly monitoring the news online.

Two of them were on a call while looking at the news. The first man frowned. "I’ve checked the forums and social media. Something definitely happened to Cameron.

But I can’t find out any specifics. The police haven’t released any information, and that bastard Henry Marshall isn’t answering his phone. He’s probably been caught.

What should we do now? Should we leave?"

As he spoke, the first man switched apps to check the routes out of the area.

Neither Henry Marshall nor Cameron are tough guys. As soon as those cops threaten them a little, they’ll spill everything they’ve done.

That means it’s a sure thing the four of us will be exposed. It’s just a matter of time.

In that case, we might as well get out of here before the cops show up.

We definitely can’t take regular buses or trains. They’ll check IDs, and we’ll be caught for sure.

If we want to get out of here fast without getting caught, the only option is an unlicensed taxi.

"Go! We have to go! You still have the cash I told you to withdraw earlier, right? Bring it all. I’ll give you a location, and you find an unlicensed taxi to take you there.

We’ll meet up there, then find a remote place to lie low until the heat dies down," the man on the other end of the line analyzed calmly. "Anyway, we both got our money, so it’s no big deal if we just slip away. Remember to bring your cash and ID, and toss your phone when we meet."

After finishing, the man on the phone repeated his instructions. Once he was sure the first man had taken it all in, he nodded, ready to hang up.

"Wait, what about the other three? Are we just going to leave them?" the first man asked, his tone worried as he thought of the others.

They were his brothers, after all. He couldn’t just run off without saying anything to them.

The man on the other end immediately shot down his idea. "They won’t go with us. Besides, they think that since they haven’t made a move yet, the worst that can happen if the police catch them is that they’ll get chewed out for a few days. Running away with us would be an admission of guilt.

As for Theodore Hughes, he’s far away. By the time the police get to his last known location, who knows where he’ll have run off to. We don’t need to worry about him at all."

Before calling the first man, the man on the other end had already made a special call to the other two and analyzed the situation for them.

Just as he said, the other two felt that since they hadn’t acted yet, the police couldn’t do anything to them even if they showed up.