Chapter 62

Chapter 62
Ariel quickened her steps, the other cops following behind her.

“Alright, everyone, get prepared. This murderer we’re dealing with isn’t your old-school killer. He knows what he’s doing, and the moment he gets wind of what we’re up to, he disappears. Everyone, have your comms on and be. At. Alert.”

Ariel addressed sternly.

She waited at the entrance while the junior cops walked out to the parked buses in front of the station.

“Hey,” Micheal moved closer and kissed her cheek.
“That speech was powerful.”

She smiled. “Thank you.”

Micheal breathed out, waiting for the other cops to fill the buses.

Mrs. Cole showed up behind the last cop, walking behind them out of the station.

Ariel furrowed her brows. “And where do you think you’re going?” she snapped at Mrs. Cole.

Mrs. Cole removed her shades and tucked her hair behind her ear.
“You need me on this operation,” she said with an air of arrogance.

Mrs. Jones approached with another cop behind her.
“You’re staying right here, Mrs. Cole.”

Mrs. Cole turned sharply to her. “Seems like you’ve forgotten our deal. I’m free now.”

Mrs. Jones was taken aback by her confidence. “Who lets a murderer walk freely? Seems like your lawyer didn’t read the contract out well to you.”
She snatched a paper from the cop next to her and held it out for Mrs. Cole to read.

“What?!” Mrs. Cole screamed in disbelief, her eyes wide and shaky.

“You all tricked me! You tricked me!” she yelled, breathing hard.

Mrs. Jones glanced at the cop beside her. He immediately went to Mrs. Cole, grabbed her hands, and handcuffed her.

“No! I’m supposed to be free! I won’t take this! I need my lawyer!” she yelled as the cop dragged her away.

Ariel turned to Mrs. Jones as she approached.

“I received another call from the commissioner and was sent this contract immediately. Seems they got her to sign a delay in her punishment for two days, when she was refusing to reveal any information on the killer, and she thought they were letting her go.” Mrs. Jones chuckled.

“It’s best people like her get punished for their deeds. Letting them walk freely is just putting more lives at risk,” Ariel said.

Mrs. Jones nodded, tapped her shoulder, and walked back.

“Let’s go,” Micheal said to Ariel.

The three buses were already filled, except the one in the middle, which had two seats left for Ariel and Micheal.

Micheal entered first, then stretched his hand toward Ariel, helping her into the bus.

The vehicles began to move. Everything was in place. The mission was displayed back at the station with trackers and video cams recording their every movement.

“How is it back at the display room?” Ariel asked, tapping her comm.

“All set,” Mrs. Jones said, giving a thumbs-up at the real-time bus feed.

The bus drove for an hour straight and finally reached the location Mrs. Cole described—
a deserted town with barely a few people.
Most of the villagers stood by watching as the vehicles rolled by, speaking their foreign language.

“That one said, ‘What are these big cars doing here?’” Micheal translated, pointing to a woman.

Ariel looked at him, impressed. “You speak their language?”

He nodded. “I lived among them for three months. They’re from Tiraku, a small nomadic tribe temporarily settled here because their main village was destroyed by flooding.”

Ariel returned her gaze to the villagers. The place was dusty, houses around were old and they looked like they lacked most basic amenities.

The vehicle rolled to a stop in the middle of the town. Everyone got down one by one.

Ariel pulled out her gun from behind her and tapped her comm to ensure the communication was clear.

“Alright, boys. Spread out,” she ordered.

Micheal stood beside her. He held a paper in his hand and showed her the sketch of the person Mrs. Cole claimed was the killer.

“He doesn’t look much like a killer to me,” Micheal muttered, turning the sketch different ways.

“Whatever he is, I don’t care. He killed Freya and I want to ask him why.”
That distant, cold look and icy voice were back. Ariel focused, scanning the area.

“The village is small. If we spread out, we might be quick to catch him before he escapes,” Micheal said, squinting under the burning sun.

Ariel walked forward, gun raised, finger on the trigger.

“There’s no way he can leave. Every exit has been blocked. Now… let’s begin the hunt.”

Micheal said nothing. He cocked his gun and walked beside her, covering her back while she aimed forward.

Ariel spotted a young boy— around six—standing not too far away, eating something from a leather pouch. His eyes were locked on them.

Ariel tucked her gun behind her and walked toward him.

“Hey,” she greeted softly. “Have you seen this person?” She held out the sketch.

The young boy continued chewing slowly without answering.

A woman rushed toward them, dressed in rags, looking unkempt. She grabbed the boy and pulled him close, speaking quickly in her language.

“I’m sorry, I mean no harm. We’re detectives searching for a criminal,” Ariel explained gently.

The woman moved back in fear, yelling in her language.

Micheal stepped forward quickly, calming her. He spoke to her in her tongue until she relaxed.

Ariel blinked, surprised.

Micheal smiled at her over his shoulder, then continued reassuring the woman.

Ariel showed the sketch again. The woman stared for a moment, then shook her head.

Micheal spoke with her again for a while before returning to Ariel with a disappointed expression.

“How was it?” Ariel asked.

He shook his head sadly. “She said she has no idea who he is, and most villagers won’t be able to help either. But… there’s a tunnel where strange people pass through into their village. Some of them live down there, and that’s all she knows. She also pointed to that.” He pointed at an iron cover on the ground. “She said it leads to the tunnel.”

“So… the killer is probably down there.”

Ariel thought for a moment. “Then we better get moving. Before he realizes we’re onto him, he could escape through the tunnel.”

She stepped forward, lifted the heavy iron cover with effort, and climbed down.

A drone followed after them.