Chapter 2

Emma shot a glance at John, who was sipping his coffee. She blinked and tried to sound casual. "What's Zoey even thinking? She ditches our cases to help Officer Jones with basic stuff. People might think you didn't train her right!"

John barely lifted his eyes to look at Emma.

Emma's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly looked away. Realizing she looked guilty, she forced herself to meet John's gaze with a wry smile. "Just saying, Officer Williams."

"We're cops. When the country and the people need us, we follow orders. Pretty sure your instructor drilled that into you on day one," John said, blowing on his coffee, sounding indifferent.

Emma's fingers dug into her palm, and she forced a smile. "Sorry, I misspoke."

"Don't let me hear that again," John said, turning back to the case files.

Behind him, Emma bit her lip, still a bit defiant. "Officer Williams, I'm just worried. Zoey's so reckless, she might mess things up for Officer Jones, and that could come back on you."

John paused, his eyes flickering slightly.

Meanwhile, Zoey was stumbling off the subway.

She was supposed to meet the informant at this subway entrance.

As she exited from Entrance A, she spotted a girl with black-rimmed glasses, clutching a canvas bag, looking around nervously by the escalator.

Zoey walked up to her. "Ella Garcia?"

Ella looked up, nervously adjusting her glasses.

"Are you Officer Brown?" Ella asked, glancing behind Zoey with disappointment. "Didn't Officer Jones come?"

"I'm still an intern," Zoey said bluntly. "Officer Jones is busy, so he sent me to get some info from you first."

Ella clutched her bag straps, looking down in disappointment.

She knew it; no one believed her. Even Mark, as nice as he was, must have found her annoying. Otherwise, he wouldn't have sent this intern Zoey.

Zoey looked at the dejected Ella and frowned. "This isn't the place to talk. Let's find somewhere to sit and chat."

Ella nodded. "Okay."

They found a nearby beverage shop.

After ordering drinks, they sat down. Ella clutched her cup tightly. "Officer Brown, ask whatever you want."

Zoey took out a notebook and pen, looking at her indifferently. "I've read your previous report. In the past week, have you felt like someone is watching you?"

Ella shook her head, looking bitter. "No, but I can't be sure."

Zoey frowned. Police work needed evidence.

Words like "think," "maybe," and "possibly" were the last things they wanted to hear.

Zoey asked, "Then why did you report again, saying you felt someone was watching you?"

Ella was stunned. "It's just a feeling. A few days ago, I didn't feel it, but this morning, as soon as I left the house, it came back."

After she finished, she noticed Zoey, who had been sitting upright, suddenly relaxed, slumping in her chair. Zoey bit on her straw, sipping her drink nonchalantly.

Zoey sensed that Ella's demeanor was fragile, self-effacing, and timid. People like that often hated bothering others.

But Ella kept reporting feeling watched, and besides her intuition, Zoey thought there must be another reason. But Ella was hiding it.

Zoey frowned, deep in thought, and quickly texted Mark.

Zoey: [Officer Jones, can you send me Ella's previous testimony again?]

She needed to go over Ella's statements for any inconsistencies.

Ella felt uneasy. She knew her words sounded shaky.

But she had no other choice. Alone in this city, with no family or friends, she had no one else to turn to but the police.

She was scared Zoey wouldn't believe her and hurriedly said, "Officer Brown, please, everything I said is true."

Zoey looked up, her tone flat. "I believe in solid evidence more than words. Do you have any?"

Ella's breath caught, and she lowered her head. Suddenly, she started crying.

Zoey fell silent.

One of the things Zoey dreaded most was a woman's tears. No matter how unreasonable, they always left her feeling helpless. It was so annoying!

Zoey frowned, casually pulling out two tissues and handing them over.

Comforting people wasn't her thing. Zoey said, "If you don't have any new evidence, should I take you home first?"

Ella knew her words alone made it tough for the police.

Previously, Mark and his team had investigated around her but found nothing, leaving the case unresolved. With so much time passed, her words would only seem less credible.

Ella hung her head, looking weak. "Okay."

Zoey gave her a deep look and walked with her towards her home.

Ella rented an apartment in an old neighborhood with poor security.

In the elevator, Ella couldn't help but ask Zoey curiously, "Are you playing a mobile game?"

Zoey had been glued to her phone the whole way.

Honestly, even though her life was financially tight, her phone was better than Zoey's.

Zoey didn't look up. "No, I'm doing a side job."

"A side job?" Ella was puzzled, "Do police officers need side jobs?"

Zoey replied matter-of-factly, "No choice, I'm broke!"

When the elevator reached Ella's floor and the doors opened, Zoey stepped out.

As soon as she exited the elevator, Zoey's eyes, which had been glued to the screen, suddenly lifted, looking towards the end of the hallway.

For a moment, her indifferent gaze became exceptionally sharp. But it was just a moment before she returned to normal.

"Does your building have surveillance cameras?" Zoey asked casually, her attention back on her phone.

Ella shook her head, feeling a hidden sense of shame. "No, this building is old, and the property management is lax, but it's cheap."

She had only recently graduated, and her income was limited. After covering her basic living expenses, she could only afford to rent a place in such an environment.

Zoey nodded, not saying much. She asked indifferently, "Do you feel like you're being watched now?"

Her sudden question startled Ella.

Ella instinctively glanced at the corner of the hallway, then quickly looked away like a frightened rabbit. She shook her head, her face pale. "No."

Maybe it was because she wasn't alone, even if it was just Zoey, who looked barely out of her teens, she felt a rare sense of security.

"Okay," Zoey responded coldly and went back to tapping on her phone.

After about half a minute, Zoey noticed no movement beside her, then she looked up at Ella in confusion, "Aren't you going to open the door?"

Ella snapped out of it, exclaiming, and quickly ran to her door, pulling out her keys to unlock it.

Just as she opened the door and was about to go in, the door opposite suddenly opened from the inside.

A young, scholarly man appeared at the door, holding a bag of trash.

Seeing Ella, he smiled kindly. "Just got off work?"

"Yes, are you heading out?" Ella visibly panicked, her face turning a suspicious shade of red.

The man nodded. "Yes." His gaze fell on Zoey, who was still engrossed in her phone. "Is this your friend?"