Chapter 91: Emaciated Frank Keller

Chapter 91: Chapter 91: Emaciated Frank Keller

A harsh, male voice came from the white house, speaking Chinese that Zoe Sawyer and the others could understand.

It was immediately followed by a torrent of English. He spoke too fast and mumbled, so even when Zoe Sawyer focused, she could only make out a few words.

"Solitary," "room," "meds."

But from those words alone, she could guess what was going on inside.

Looking at the silent courtyard and the brightly lit white house, Zoe Sawyer doubted herself for the first time. ’Did I get the location wrong?’

’Based on past experience, the target should be somewhere near the door’s line of sight.’

"Maybe the location was off. Should I try again?" Zoe Sawyer said softly, her voice tinged with uncertainty.

Evan Keller’s expression was grim. A photo his brother, Frank Keller, had once sent in a letter showed this very white house as the backdrop.

Zoe Sawyer’s location was correct!

But he hadn’t received a photo of Frank Keller in half a year!

"The location is right." Evan Keller took a deep breath. His heart hammered in his ears, and the tension made it almost impossible for him to think straight.

’Zoe Sawyer’s location wasn’t wrong, so could Frank be hiding somewhere in this courtyard?’

’Why would he be hiding? Are those people looking for him?’

One question after another popped into his head. Evan Keller bit his lip. ’Something is definitely wrong here.’

’I have to get over there!’

The idea suddenly sprang into Evan Keller’s mind, growing more intense by the second until it completely consumed his thoughts.

"Turn off the office lights. We’ll wait a little longer, but if those people get close and we still haven’t found your brother, we’ll have to close the door," Heath Hale’s voice said from beside him.

Heath Hale’s calm tone pulled Evan Keller’s rationale back from the brink.

He knew he couldn’t act recklessly; he had to avoid causing any trouble for Zoe Sawyer.

As more and more people walked into the courtyard, everyone’s hearts leaped into their throats.

"Close the door," Heath Hale said after a moment’s consideration. He felt they couldn’t risk it any longer. It would be bad if they were discovered.

Evan Keller looked like he wanted to say something but held back. He wanted to keep waiting, but his rational mind told him they couldn’t delay any further, so he said nothing.

Lynn Grant clamped a hand tightly over her mouth, not daring to speak.

She was afraid she’d get too excited and cry out, drawing their attention.

Just as Zoe Sawyer was about to close the door, a rustling sound came from the nearby bushes. Then, a skeletal face appeared before them.

It was as if he didn’t even see Zoe Sawyer and the others.

His hands were digging into the grassy ground, his hair was a mess, and he was so thin his eye sockets were sunken.

"Frank!"

Evan Keller cried out when he saw the face.

Heath Hale acted decisively. He and Evan Keller each grabbed one of Frank Keller’s arms and dragged him back into the office.

The next second, Zoe Sawyer slammed the door shut, completely cutting off the sounds from outside.

Less than a minute later, the people from the white house reached the spot where the door had been open. The leader shone his flashlight on the grass, and his expression turned exceptionally ugly when he saw the claw and drag marks.

"You’re all a bunch of useless idiots! He was right here and you didn’t see him! Go find him, now! Don’t you dare let him get away!" The leader shone the flashlight in the eyes of the guards behind him, looking like he wanted to smash it in their faces.

’So much for "we already searched and found nothing"!’

The thought that the man had been hiding right under his nose just a moment ago made the leader want to slap every single one of the search party.

"Yes, sir."

The guards lowered their eyes, shielding them from the reflected flashlight beam, and their tone was sullen.

After the dressing-down, they scattered again, using that spot as the center point to search the surrounding area.

Back at the police station, after dragging Frank Keller inside, Evan Keller immediately carried him to the sofa.

Frank Keller’s body was hunched over. His skin was stretched so tight over his ribs that you could feel the sharp outline of his bones just by lightly touching his back.

If not for the face that was identical to his own, Evan Keller would have barely recognized him.

’Is this really my bright, promising brother?’

Lynn Grant’s hand trembled. She wanted to touch Frank Keller’s face but was afraid her movement might startle him.

"He’s too thin, clearly malnourished. Let’s get him to the infirmary first and give him a thorough check for any other injuries." Compared to the overly emotional Evan Keller and Lynn Grant, Heath Hale was much calmer.

He quickly arranged the next steps and began directing everyone.

By the time the Chief heard the commotion and came over to see what was happening, the group had already brought the man back.

"I know I said you could act first and report later in an emergency, but you guys were a little too fast," the Chief remarked. However, after seeing Frank Keller’s condition, he didn’t say anything more.

The infirmary doctor quickly examined Frank Keller. "Severe malnutrition. He probably hasn’t had any proper rest in a long time. His nerves are shot. If this had gone on any longer, he wouldn’t have lasted another month."

Hearing this sent a wave of fear through Evan Keller, but he was also incredibly grateful that he had listened to Zoe Sawyer and the others and given it a try today.

Otherwise, by the time he got all the paperwork sorted out and went over, he would have only found his brother’s body.

"Alright, I’ll put him on a nutritional IV drip. Let him sleep. His body will wake up when it’s had enough rest." Once she confirmed there was nothing else serious, the doctor started shooing them out.

’Everyone is crowding my infirmary. How am I supposed to get any work done?!’

The Chief also spoke up at the right moment. "Alright, we don’t know why Frank ended up like this, but I’ll have my relative go over there as planned to check things out. We’ll see if they try to hide it or come clean."

Evan Keller nodded, looking back every few steps, clearly reluctant to leave.

But after leaving the infirmary, he quickly readjusted his composure.

"Perfect timing. Someone just called in to report her husband, a delivery driver, has gone missing. Evan, take a team and check it out." Worried Evan Keller would just sit around and overthink things, the Chief thought for a moment and handed him the newly reported case.

"Understood!" Evan Keller knew the Chief meant well and didn’t refuse. He gave him a salute and strode towards his office.

Lynn Grant also said goodbye to the Chief and returned to her post.

"Chief, why was Evan Keller’s brother in that place?" Sean Hughes asked, sidling up to the Chief curiously.

They knew about the relationships between everyone, but they were completely in the dark about what had happened afterward.

The Chief figured since Zoe Sawyer and the others had already brought him back, there was no need to hide the details any longer.

After some consideration, the Chief told the three of them what he knew.

"You all know about the unique nature of Evan Keller’s brother’s work. Last year, an experiment of his failed, and on top of that, his results were stolen by a junior colleague from the same lab. He couldn’t handle it all at once.

"He went out to get drunk, and someone stuck him with a needle in the arm."