Chapter 527: Finally Done

Chapter 527: Chapter 527: Finally Done

"Zoe, we’re relying on you this time. Let’s see if you can lock onto their boss’s location based on this information." Heath Hale placed the compiled files into Zoe Sawyer’s hands, his tone full of anticipation.

Outside, the sky was pitch black. A dark, windy night—the perfect time for an arrest!

"I’ll try!" Zoe accepted the files with a serious expression. Behind Evan Keller stood four fully armed team members.

They were ready. As soon as Zoe opened the door and pinpointed the boss’s location, they could head through and make the arrest.

Luck seemed to be on their side today. Less than a minute after Zoe grasped the doorknob, the door reacted.

She pushed it open, revealing a dimly lit courtyard to the group.

A slightly gaunt man, carrying a suitcase in each hand, stopped beside an SUV parked in the center of the courtyard. He opened the car door and shoved the luggage inside.

He then checked the backseat. Finding it completely packed, he stopped with a look of regret.

The warm yellow light overhead illuminated his face, exposing his features clearly to everyone.

It was their target for this mission—Cameron and Mr. Joyce’s boss!

"We’re leaving tonight? Why the rush? I still have so many things left unpacked," a woman complained. She was lugging an overstuffed shoulder bag; judging by the unzipped top, it was brimming with jewelry.

The boss, Mr. Wayne, had finally managed to cram the important items into the car. Hearing his wife’s nagging, he explained, "Losing contact with one branch can be managed, but right now, almost all of our stations nationwide are unreachable.

"That confirms one thing: the police have their eyes on us. If we don’t leave now, I’m afraid we really won’t be able to get away.

"Besides, I’ve already packed all the valuables from the house. I promise you’ll never have to live a hard life again."

Hearing this, the woman’s sleepiness vanished from fright. She stammered, "T-Then we really can’t wait. Let’s go, quickly!"

Although she was just a trophy wife, she understood that her current lifestyle completely depended on her husband. Whatever he decided to do, he surely had a plan.

If he were caught, not only would she be forced back into a life of penny-pinching, but she might even end up in prison.

They had to leave! Right this instant!

Figuring this out, she stuffed her shoulder bag under the passenger seat, climbed in, and waited obediently for her husband to drive away.

Just as the two got into the car and prepared to leave, Evan and Zoe stepped away from the door. Evan called over two team members and had them shoot out Mr. Wayne’s tires.

Then, finding a blind spot out of the security cameras’ reach, Evan led the four members through the door to arrest the pair.

"The car doesn’t seem to be moving. What do we do now?" the woman asked, looking at her husband in the driver’s seat with anxiety in her voice.

Mr. Wayne’s forehead was slick with sweat. He wanted to get out of the car, but he was afraid there might be an ambush waiting for him outside.

If he didn’t get out, there was no way to fix the car, and they still wouldn’t be able to escape.

It seemed like a dead end either way.

While Mr. Wayne was agonizing over what to do, a knock sounded on the car window.

His wife’s scream snapped his attention entirely back to reality. "Police! The police are here!"

"Police. Please step out of the vehicle. We have a case that requires your cooperation." Evan flashed his badge at the couple through the glass.

Mr. Wayne stared at the badge in Evan’s hand and finally let out a resigned sigh. It looked like there was truly no escape this time.

Since he would be caught no matter how much he struggled, it was better to be compliant. Perhaps they would be treated a bit more leniently.

"Alright, put your things down. Don’t take anything," Mr. Wayne said softly to comfort his wife. He then opened the car door, stepped out, and crouched to the side with his hands clasped behind his head.

Seeing her husband’s actions, the woman had no choice but to follow suit, crouching beside him with her hands on her head.

Back at the police station, Heath received Evan’s text confirming the successful operation. He glanced up at Zoe, whose eyes were struggling to stay open, and said, "Evan’s team has apprehended the suspects. Go back and get some rest. Leave the rest to us."

Zoe didn’t push herself. After confirming that there was nothing else she could help with for the moment, she went through the door back to her office, found her folding bed, and fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

When Zoe woke up again, the sky outside was already starting to turn dark.

"You slept for a whole day. It’s already past six in the evening," Vivian Dunn said, handing Zoe a glass of warm water.

Zoe downed the water in one gulp and asked, "How’s the situation on Evan’s end?"

Seeing her finish the water, Vivian placed a bowl of porridge she had prepared in front of her. "The case is progressing well. Coach Hale and the others came back around four this afternoon. They said all the necessary investigations and interrogations are done, and the rest can be handed over to the local precinct in that jurisdiction."

Just then, Sean Hughes and Heath walked over from the other side and gave Zoe a brief update on the case’s aftermath.

The employees at the branch offices had turned on each other, spilling all the company’s secrets. They were terrified that if they didn’t speak fast enough, they’d end up taking the fall.

They had indeed dragged a lot of dirty laundry out into the open.

Things were even simpler with the branch managers, who knew much more.

In a bid for leniency, they blurted out everything they knew or had heard.

This included a significant amount of dirt on Mr. Wayne and the illicit activities he had been running in the shadows.

Mr. Wayne confessed to all the charges. Given the severity of his crimes, he was sentenced to twenty years in prison.

As for his illicit funds, they would be returned to the victims; if the cash fell short, his assets would be liquidated to cover the rest.

Mr. Wayne’s wife, who knew about everything, was deemed an accomplice. Although she hadn’t directly participated, she had given him plenty of advice along the way.

While she didn’t get twenty years, her various offenses added up to a five-year sentence.

Hearing the verdicts for Mr. Wayne and his associates, Zoe nodded in satisfaction. She then remembered Wren Rowan’s family, as well as Theodore Hughes’s mother who lived upstairs from them.

She asked about their situation.

"After this incident, Miss Rowan said she’s going to apply for long-term remote work. She’ll only feel at ease keeping an eye on things at home; otherwise, she’d be sick to her stomach if something like this happened again.

"As for Theodore Hughes’s mother, after her son was arrested, she felt too ashamed to stay in the neighborhood. Plus, since the compensation money wasn’t enough, she put the apartment up for sale to help out her youngest son financially, and she has moved in with her eldest son."