Chapter 36

Chapter 36

The three people present looked slightly uneasy.

Arrest them all? That wasn't a joke.

A senator and the deputy speaker of the council.

Setting aside whether it was possible to arrest them, they needed to consider the consequences of detaining these two individuals.

If the senator was arrested, who would attend the meeting?

If the deputy speaker was arrested? That was even less feasible.

Arresting two high-ranking government officials involved a very complicated process.

"Is it really that tough?" Zane glanced at them.

Joshua stepped forward, looking troubled. "Mr. Robinson, you might not know who this case involves."

"Our city's senator and the deputy speaker of the council are both involved. If we go ahead and arrest them without thinking..."

"Senator? Deputy speaker?" Zane looked at the three of them in surprise. "What's going on?"

Travis glanced at Carter in shock. Didn't Zane know about the progress of the case?

Carter coughed awkwardly. "The case is still ongoing. If we close it rashly..."

Zane's tone turned harsh. "This is an order from above. Do you think it's my decision?"

"You have one day to close the case."

Zane's tone was icy. This time, he wasn't negotiating with them; he was laying down the law.

After speaking, he left without waiting for their response.

The three of them were left staring at each other.

Travis glanced at Carter and Joshua. "Arrest them! I'll get it arranged right now!"

Carter and Joshua quickly stopped Travis.

Just a bit slower, and Travis would have already made the call.

"Actually, we can discuss this further."

"Yeah, Travis, don't be so impulsive," Joshua said, pulling on Travis's sleeve with a helpless expression.

Travis pretended to look at the two of them. "The higher-ups have given the order. What are you two afraid of?"

Carter looked at the playful smile on Travis's lips and sighed. "Alright, cut the act. I don't believe you don't know what's going on."

Travis's smile faded. "Zane suddenly shows up, gives us one sentence, and expects us to close the case."

"It's very suspicious. I suspect it's not an order from above but his own, or maybe from someone else."

Carter and Joshua didn't say anything.

Their eyes met briefly.

Given the current situation, if they handled it poorly, none of them would come out unscathed if it was investigated later.

"Let's wait. We have a day. Let's go back and think it over."

Carter turned and walked back into the office.

Travis didn't say anything, watching Zane leave, deep in thought.

Something about this situation felt off.

Why did Zane have to come now of all times?

Travis squinted, thinking about how similar this was to George's case years ago.

Investigating to a critical point, then suddenly being urged to close the case quickly.

There was only one possibility: the orders came from the same person.

Tate and Ewan definitely knew something he didn't, possibly related to the old case.

Travis hurried back to his office and opened the file he had kept in his drawer.

After a while, Travis looked puzzled.

Back then, Tate and Ewan were just regular officers. They couldn't have been involved in this.

So who exactly were the higher-ups Zane mentioned?

Travis leaned back in his chair, feeling like a giant hand was controlling everything from above.

And they were just insignificant pawns on the chessboard.

He took out the bronze badge from his inner pocket and fiddled with it.

Elaine!

Travis's eyes lit up. This woman definitely knew something.

Their timing was impeccable.

As soon as Travis opened the door, he saw Elaine standing at his office door, her hand not yet on the doorknob.

"You're here."

Travis looked Elaine over and, after letting her in, closed the door and pulled down the privacy blinds.

As soon as they sat down, Elaine, nervously fidgeting with her clothes, asked, "Why do you have that badge? Who are you?"

"Don't you know who I am?" Travis placed the badge on the table. "I'm curious, where did you get your badge?"

Elaine looked at Travis with a complicated expression and took a deep breath. "If you don't want to say, fine. But given the current situation, we shouldn't be enemies."

She looked at Travis meaningfully. "Let's work together."

Hearing this, Travis became interested and sat up straight. "How do we work together?"

Elaine stared into Travis's eyes. "I want to uncover the truth about this case."

"And what's in it for me?"

Elaine was taken aback by Travis's serious expression and instinctively asked, "What's in it for you?"

Travis stood up and approached Elaine. "This case involves a lot of people, including some high-ranking officials. You expect me to go after them without any benefit?"

"You're being too naive."

For some reason, Elaine's face flushed, and she couldn't look Travis in the eye.

In a low voice, she asked, "What do you want?"

"I haven't decided yet. I'll let you know when I do."

"And the case?"

"I'll do it if I get the chance."

Satisfied with the answer, Elaine quickly left Travis's office, touching her flushed cheeks. What was happening to her?

In the office, Travis sat in his chair, looking at the case files with interest.

If he was right, Elaine and he had the same goal.

A knock sounded at the door.

"Come in!"

As Travis spoke, Kian pushed the door open and walked in.

"Captain Smith, we found something about Roy and Eugene's deaths."

He opened his laptop, showing a surveillance video.

Kian pointed to a shadowy figure. "We found footage from three hours before and after the incident."

"This person appeared at the crime scene."

Kian zoomed in on the figure, making it clearer but still blurry.

"Charles used some methods to find a match in the database."

Kian opened a file, his voice serious. "One person fits the profile. He was released two years ago."

Travis looked at the person's file.

"Daron Bales, three years ago, killed someone during a robbery. We arrested him. Due to the small amount involved and good behavior in prison, he was released a year ago."

"Captain Smith, guess who bailed him out?" Kian asked, looking gossipy.

"Just tell me."

Kian pouted. "It was Juan."

Travis looked at Kian in confusion. "Juan? Why would he bail this guy out? They have no connection."