Chapter 3

Sophia's words shut everyone up.

Kate hesitated, "What if she's just young and naive, and thinks we might hurt Anna?"

Frank nodded. "Could be. And isn't Anna in this city? Can't we just call her in and ask?"

Sophia shook her head. "I have a gut feeling this kid isn't that simple."

She turned to Chief Howard next to her. "Mr. Smith, besides Tammy's niece Anna, I also want to look into this girl and her parents. And there's one more person I want to focus on."

Sophia pulled out a photo from the evidence and laid it out for everyone to see. The guy in the photo looked about twenty-five, tall and handsome.

Kate's eyes lit up. "Who is this guy? He's so handsome, like a young noble!"

Howard looked puzzled. "Why are you investigating him?"

Sophia explained, "This guy's name is Duke Thomas, a bartender at Nightfall Bar. Out of everyone Tammy interacted with, he's the most interesting."

She showed them Tammy's chat logs and interaction records. "She went to Nightfall Bar every day just to see him. She spent a ton of money on booze for him. Plus, she had a huge fight with her husband and demanded a divorce. If I'm right, her husband probably left the country because of this."

"So..." Kate looked at the chat records on the table, hesitating. "You mean Tammy fell for a bartender and was willing to give up a huge fortune to divorce her husband?"

Kate was shocked, and Sophia nodded. "That's right. The last person Tammy saw before she died was him, so I want to check out Duke and see if he's connected to this case."

Sophia wanted to investigate, and Howard couldn't say no. But the timing had to be careful.

Howard said, "In a few days, the higher-ups will come to investigate. Tammy's husband is pretty influential, so make sure to wrap this up quickly. Don't let it blow up and hurt the department's reputation."

Howard gave some advice, then called Sophia out of the room, seemingly remembering something.

Under the scorching sun, Howard handed a document to Sophia. "This is the data and samples of the drug your father made back then. I think it might be related to this case, so I got it for you."

Hearing about her father, Sophia went quiet for a moment, then took the items and softly said, "Thanks."

Howard, knowing Sophia's story, sighed seeing her so silent. "Don't worry, the higher-ups will give you an explanation for what happened back then. And do your best with this case too; it might be a major breakthrough."

He said this, then looked up at the scorching sun above. "I have something to do, I'll leave now. If you have any problems, remember to call me."

Howard finished speaking, patted Sophia on the shoulder, and walked away.

Sophia looked down at the documents in her hand, said nothing, and went back to the room. Everyone inside was waiting for her to assign tasks, and seeing her come in, they perked up. Because this case was so bizarre, no one could ignore it.

Sophia didn't waste any time and had everyone follow the plan.

That night, she took Alan to stake out the bar.

Alan, a key member who'd just been promoted, was still pumped about the job.

Seeing Sophia staring intently at the entrance, he couldn't help but ask, "Ms. Brown, do you really think this Duke guy is suspicious? He doesn't look like a bad guy to me."

Sophia, with her chin propped on her hand, replied without moving, "Sometimes whether someone is a bad person isn't about intuition, it's about evidence."

Just then, Duke showed up.

He was dressed in expensive casual clothes, his hair styled fashionably, looking like he had just rolled out of bed, yawning with a clear look of drowsiness on his face.

Seeing him walk into the bar, Sophia didn't hesitate. She opened the car door and followed him in.

The bar at night was always filled with a decadent atmosphere.

Duke seemed very familiar with the place. He greeted the bartender warmly, chatted with a few tables of guests, and then went to ask the manager for something.

During this time, Sophia pretended to be a regular customer, leaning against the bar and drinking. When she realized it, the person who had been standing at the corner was gone.

Sophia tensed up and quickly stood up.

"Where did the person who was just talking to you go?" she asked the manager, grabbing his sleeve and startling him.

He pointed to the nearby storage room. "He said he was looking for something, so I let him go in to find it himself."

Sophia felt something was off. She informed Alan outside and quickly headed to the storage room. But as soon as she walked in, she felt something press against her waist. A low, amused voice whispered in her ear, "Miss, following a man late at night isn't a good habit."

Turning slightly, she saw it was Duke, the man who had just disappeared. Duke's voice was low and raspy, like an addictive drug.

Sophia softened her voice, trying to negotiate with him. "Sir, I didn't mean to follow you. I just thought you looked really good and wanted to get your contact information."

"Really? Why do I feel like you're carrying a weapon to harm me?" Duke said, moving his hand down to where Sophia had hidden her gun.

But before he could touch it, Sophia grabbed his wrist, pulled him forward, and twisted his arm behind his back.

"Sir, touching a woman's belongings isn't a good habit either," she said, taking out handcuffs to arrest Duke.

Duke didn't resist, letting her do as she pleased, but as soon as she took out the handcuffs, he couldn't help but whistle. "So you're a cop, no wonder you're so tough. Are you arresting me to treat me to prison food?"

Sophia had never met someone so frivolous. She glared at him. "You'll find out soon enough," she said, ready to take him out, but then there was a loud crash outside.

"Where's that bastard Duke? Get out here now!" The people outside were aggressive, but inside, Duke was smiling. He looked at Sophia and said with a grin, "If you want to take me away, it might be a bit troublesome."

As soon as he finished speaking, the storage room door was suddenly kicked open.