Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Two officers walked in, holding shiny silver handcuffs.

From now on, they were no longer the councilman and vice-chairman of Hillcrest's city council, just pitiful prisoners.

Eris's swift actions stunned everyone at the police station.

"Wow, Eris doesn't mess around. She says arrest, and it's done."

"Shh! Keep it down. I know she's got connections with the Thompson family in the state government."

"Stop talking, she's coming over."

With Eris's arrival, the entire office fell silent.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief only after Eris entered her office.

"Even the Captain Smith doesn't have such a strong presence," Kelvin said, patting his chest.

"Send Travis to my office."

Eris, who had returned, suddenly spoke.

"Yes, Ms. Thompson!"

A few minutes later, Travis stood before Eris.

"I've handled the situation. The café case can be closed."

Travis was taken aback. "Closed? Are you sure?"

"What else?"

"Ms. Thompson, this isn't right. The café isn't the source of the drugs. We've only found suspects; the real dealers are still out there."

Eris raised her hand to interrupt Travis, standing behind him. "Captain Smith, don't be so rigid."

"Isn't closing the case a good thing? It could add a nice entry to your record, and I can help you get some credit. Why not?"

Travis knew Eris wasn't lying. He was aware of the dirty promotion rules within the police system, but he couldn't accept such a record.

An incomplete case, closing it without catching the mastermind—he couldn't accept that outcome.

"Thank you, Ms. Thompson." He left without regard for her status.

Eris watched Travis's back, a slight smile on her lips. "Interesting."

Back in his office, Travis looked at the badge in his hand with a complex expression.

"Bang!"

The door suddenly opened. Travis put away the badge and looked at Kian, who had just entered. "What's up?"

"Captain Smith, Aurora's boyfriend Jesse is missing."

"Missing? What do you mean?" Travis's face changed slightly.

Kian spoke in a serious tone, "After investigating Jesse last time, we followed your orders and kept monitoring him."

"But most of our forces were reassigned to watch Tate and Ewan these past few days. When we resumed monitoring Jesse, he had disappeared, and his rented place was vacated."

"We checked all recent city entry and exit records, but there's no trace of Jesse."

Travis's face darkened. Did Jesse disappear because he knew something or was he guilty?

"Find his family. That guy must still be in Hillcrest."

"Yes, sir!"

Kian hurried out.

Travis sat in his chair, pondering why Jesse would run.

This matter had nothing to do with him.

Or maybe someone deliberately hid Jesse to mislead their judgment?

Travis leaned towards the latter.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Elaine sat restlessly on the couch, her eyes frequently glancing at the clock on the wall.

She wasn't sure if confessing to Travis was the right decision.

The Deep Vision Initiative had been sealed by the government for many years, and she needed a partner.

Travis was a good choice.

Elaine naturally didn't want any rift between them over trivial matters.

Just then, a message came through, and Elaine eagerly picked up her phone.

[Jesse is missing.]

Elaine looked at the name with confusion.

Jesse?

It sounded familiar.

Suddenly, Elaine remembered. Aurora's boyfriend was named Jesse.

That guy went missing? At this time?

Elaine immediately drove to the detective squad.

The tech team was checking surveillance footage from every street in the city.

Travis was also in the monitoring room, his eyes bloodshot.

"Found anything?"

Travis remained unmoved, his eyes fixed on the screen.

Charles turned and slowly shook his head.

"I've done a big data search and automatic collection."

Charles sighed. "No idea where Jesse is hiding. Hillcrest has thousands of cameras, and none caught him."

Elaine's face showed deep thought. "Did you check the poor areas and surrounding suburbs?"

"We checked everywhere covered by cameras."

Kian chimed in, "We also screened places without cameras. If Jesse left Hillcrest, those would be his routes."

"Unless Jesse never left Hillcrest," Travis said, his voice low and firm.

Turning around, he said, "Whether Jesse is missing or not, we must find him, even if it's his body."

"Contact his family immediately."

"Yes, sir!"

Jesse's background was simple.

In just a few minutes, they found Jesse's address.

Travis and his team didn't hesitate and drove there immediately.

Elaine sat in the passenger seat.

Travis looked puzzled. "What are you doing?"

"Of course, I'm going with you," Elaine said matter-of-factly.

"You're with the narcotics unit now. You don't need to follow our detective squad's actions."

"Stop talking and drive."

...

Jesse's house was in a town 200 miles away.

Jesse's family were farmers, and he was the only college graduate in the family.

Throughout the drive, Travis kept a blank expression.

After four hours, Travis and his team arrived at the town.

It was quite nice, with a commercial street running through it.

Travis followed the address to Jesse's home.

Jesse's house was on the outskirts of the town.

It was the only house for miles around.

The family owned about eighty acres of land, which was a sizable farm in rural Hillcrest.

"Wow, the air here is really nice," Elaine said, spreading her arms, surrounded by cornfields.

The air was sweet with the scent of corn stalks.

Travis lightly tapped Elaine's forehead. "Focus on the task. Don't forget why we're here."

The sudden affectionate gesture made Elaine blush.

Kelvin and Kian exchanged knowing looks.

"What are you two doing?" Travis glared at them, unaware of how intimate his gesture had been.

Kelvin and Kian wiped the smiles off their faces and walked into Jesse's house with the files.

In the yard, two elderly people wearing cowboy hats were using a machine to shell freshly harvested corn.

They seemed to be Jesse's parents.

Travis stepped forward and spoke loudly, "Hello, we'd like to ask you some questions."

The elderly couple looked at Travis and his team in confusion.

When they saw Travis's uniform, they quickly turned off the machine, looking nervous.

Their clothes were covered in corn husk fragments.