Chapter 26

Zoey caught a look from Robert and quickly stepped away from Alexander.

"Hey, Officer Davis, did you find anything in the car?" she asked, trying to dodge the awkwardness.

Robert leaned back, taking his time. "You know, this killer's pretty cocky. Probably thought we wouldn't check the car. We found his fingerprints all over and some bloodstains. The tech team's on it, and they'll let us know soon. How's your end going?"

"This car isn't Lawrence's," Alexander said, handing Robert a report with all the suspicious info they'd dug up. "We've been looking into it and found another car acting shady around the same time. It belongs to Lawrence's guy, Brian Scott."

Robert's eyes narrowed as he looked at them. "So, you think there's more than one person involved in these murders?"

Alexander shrugged. "Yeah, but it's just a theory for now."

Robert nodded, glancing at Alexander. "Alright, keep digging. Bring Charles and Dennis back, including Brian, just in case. Once we get those test results and they match, no one's slipping away!" He turned to Zoey. "Zoey, you're with me. We need to check out where the body might've been dumped. Alright, let's get to it!"

With that, Robert grabbed his bag and headed out with Zoey.

He hit the button on his car key and climbed into an old Santana.

Every time Robert pressed the gas, the car buzzed like crazy. Zoey was about to lose it.

Trying to nap in the back seat, Zoey finally snapped, "Officer Davis, this noise is driving me nuts!"

Robert, used to his old ride, forgot that Zoey, the newbie, wasn't. If it were one of the guys in the back, he'd just say, "Sit or get out!"

But since it was Zoey, he slowed down and gave her an apologetic look in the rearview mirror. "Yeah, this car's old and slow, but it's helped me catch a lot of bad guys. If we can't chase down criminals in this thing anymore, what should we do? But hey, the higher-ups won't give me a new one."

Zoey, staying calm, said, "Easy fix. Just declare it scrapped, and they'll have to give us a new one!"

Robert stared at her for a moment.

"Damn, that's a great idea!" He'd put up with the car for years and never thought of that. "Getting old really does slow me down compared to you young folks!"

Zoey grinned. "Officer Davis, you don't look old at all. You look just over thirty."

Robert chuckled. "Oh, come on, my son's about your age."

Zoey wasn't just being nice. Even though Robert had lost some hair, he still looked pretty young.

As Robert cruised slowly from the Pleasantville Apartments towards the suburban neighborhoods, he and Zoey chatted away.

But then, Zoey suddenly went quiet.

Robert glanced back at her, curious.

She was scribbling something in a notebook.

"What are you up to?" Robert asked.

Without looking up, Zoey said, "There were no cameras at the last intersections. Even though we found the car, if the killer dumped the body, they'd pick a hidden spot. So, I'm narrowing down the possibilities."

Just as she finished, Zoey pointed out the window. "See that fork up ahead? Turning right leads to a residential area. It's on the outskirts, with fewer people, and hardly any surveillance."

"No cameras make it tough," Robert agreed.

They'd have to rely on talking to the locals, but the elderly residents either had trouble hearing or couldn't communicate well, making it a real challenge.

Zoey's sharp eyes scanned the trash bins lining the street. "Or we could check the garbage piles later. With fewer residents, the garbage trucks probably come less often than in the city. We might find something."

Robert parked the car. "Alright, let's get to it!"

They searched everywhere for potential body-dumping sites, but all the routes Zoey had analyzed turned up nothing.

In other words, they found zilch!

Zoey and Robert had been at it all day. Luckily, the cold weather kept their tempers in check, so they weren't too irritable.

Robert, feeling less grumpy with Zoey around, said, "We've been at this all day. Let's grab something to eat."

Zoey, also hungry, nodded. "Sounds good."

They found a food stall in a busy area and ordered two big plates of pasta.

The stall owner greeted them warmly, "Have a seat."

He started making their pasta.

Less than five minutes later, Robert's phone rang. His car was blocking someone's way, and he had to move it.

Seeing Robert's police car, the owner got scared and stopped cooking halfway.

After parking the car, Robert saw the owner quickly packing up.

"Hey, where are you going?" Robert asked.

The owner, looking nervous, said, "Please don't arrest me... I promise I won't set up my stall here again."

Robert sighed. So that's what it was.

He gave Zoey a look, and she quickly stood up to clear things up.

"Sir, we're not here to arrest you. We just want to eat your pasta, that's all," Zoey said.

"Really?" The owner, seeing Zoey's gentle demeanor, slowed his packing.

"Really," Zoey assured him.

The owner finally relaxed and went back to making their pasta.

When he brought the two plates to the table, Robert, worried it might not be enough for Zoey, ordered an extra serving for her.

Zoey dug in and enjoyed her meal immensely.