This wasn't the crime scene she'd imagined. Before her was the hallway of the police station.
"How's it look?"
Evan Keller watched the sliver of the doorway, completely blocked by Zoe Sawyer. His voice held a trace of anticipation.
"Can't see anything." Zoe Sawyer took a step back, closing the door and blocking out the hallway's fluorescent light, then switched hands.
After mentally preparing herself again, she repeated the process, carefully turning the doorknob and pulling it open just a crack.
A look of delight crossed Zoe Sawyer's face as an orange-yellow light spilled in from the other side.
She stuck her phone into the crack of the door, observing carefully.
The scene was identical to the one she'd seen at noon. A bald man, his back to her, was holding a cleaver and chopping something.
The short man was standing to the side, giving a few pointers from time to time.
Both men had their backs to her, so she couldn't see their faces clearly.
But there was one difference from noon: several huge styrofoam boxes were placed next to the table.
On top of the styrofoam boxes lay two bodies, face up. Judging by their builds, it was a man and a woman.
No one else was visible on her phone's screen.
Zoe Sawyer swallowed, handed the phone to Evan Keller who was standing beside her, then carefully pushed the tracker she was holding next to the door.
The next second, the young police officer staring at the computer looked up excitedly and waved at Evan Keller, who was looking his way.
Evan Keller patted Zoe Sawyer's shoulder, signaling for her to close the door.
They had what they needed most. All that was left was to go to the location and make the arrest.
A second after the door closed, the short man who had just been talking suddenly whipped his head around and looked behind him.
'That feeling of being watched... was it just my imagination?'
The short man shook his head, trying to dispel the strange feeling that had washed over him.
'We can't stay here. We have to move, and fast.'
The short man ordered, "Hurry up. We're moving."
He was always cautious. If the slightest thing felt off, he'd find a new place.
It was precisely this caution that had allowed them to remain undiscovered until now.
The bald man didn't say a word, but his hands moved faster.
The short man shook his head, then took out his phone and started contacting others.
For some reason, his heart was beating a little too fast. He had a bad feeling that something was about to happen.
Meanwhile, after closing the door, Zoe Sawyer ran over to Evan Keller's side.
She joined him in watching the young officer in charge of tracking as his fingers flew across the keyboard.
Soon, a map of the city appeared on the screen.
On the adjacent computer, the feed from inside the factory warehouse popped up.
Officer Reed stared at the scene, a dazed look on his face.
'They found them just like that? It feels like I missed something.'
Evan Keller frowned at the blinking red dot on the map. "The location is in the west district. That's not far from your apartment complex, Miss Sawyer."
Zoe Sawyer was surprised, then began frantically racking her brain, trying to recall her surroundings.
'The only thing that could possibly be that kind of factory warehouse... is that large, abandoned factory complex behind my place, isn't it?'
'But the rent is cheap there, so a lot of migrant workers live in the area. With all the commotion the killers are making, someone should have noticed something!'
Officer Reed also saw the two other bodies on the screen. Even from a distance, they looked familiar.
Fearing they might be some of the missing persons he was looking for, Officer Reed quickly walked over, clapped Evan Keller on the shoulder, and said, "Trey, now that we have the address, let's move.
Any questions can wait until we're back."
Evan Keller sighed. He was right. Now wasn't the time to get bogged down in details. They had to catch the killers as soon as possible.
At this thought, Evan Keller called Sean Hughes and told him to bring his people back right away.
At the same time, he looked at Officer Reed. "I'm short-handed here. I need your help!"
"You got it!"
A glimmer of hope flashed in Officer Reed's eyes. He slapped his chest without hesitation, accepting the task.
Soon, Evan Keller's office was filled with officers ready for the mission.
Because of the bald man's displayed aggression, the cleaver in his hand, and the other accomplices who hadn't yet appeared, every officer from the station was in full tactical gear, equipped with stab-proof vests, shields, and electric batons.
Evan Keller and Sean Hughes had even requisitioned pistols. They were fully prepared and ready to go at a moment's notice.
Soon, the whole team was ready.
Only Zoe Sawyer and two young officers providing tech support remained in the office.
Knowing she would only get in the way, Zoe Sawyer didn't say anything. She just sat by the computer, jotting down her theories while watching the screen.
Zoe Sawyer tapped her head with her pen. 'If I remember correctly, I used my right hand to open the door all three times.'
'And both these cases are not very far from me, you could even say they're in the neighborhood.'
A theory began to form in Zoe Sawyer's mind, but she would need more tests to confirm it.
Meanwhile, Evan Keller and Sean Hughes each led a team to surround the factory warehouse.
Although it was a weekday, some people weren't at work. When they came out to see what the commotion was, officers stationed on the street waved them back, signaling for quiet.
It was an old, dilapidated factory warehouse, located in the most remote part of the complex.
The surrounding roads were riddled with potholes. Piles of garbage were stacked in the streets and alleys, with flies buzzing all over them.
The area was permeated by a strange, foul odor, so bad that even people living nearby avoided it.
When a missing person was reported a month ago, no surveillance footage showed them coming this way.
Short on manpower, they hadn't searched here.
That's why neither Evan Keller nor Officer Reed had expected the two killers to be hiding in a place like this.
Inside the warehouse, the short man, who was packing things up with the bald man, paused his work with a puzzled expression.
The bad feeling in his gut grew stronger.
Watching the bald man pack with his back turned, the short man took a few steps to the side and began stuffing bundles of cash from a drawer into his clothes and shoes.
"Number Two, hurry up and pack. I'm going to check on things outside. If it's all clear, we'll leave early.
Don't worry, we picked a great spot this time. The cops won't find us this quickly!" The short man's voice was reassuring, but his feet didn't slow down.
'I'll just sneak a peek. If there's no problem, then everything's fine.'
'But if something's wrong, I'll bolt. Number Two can run interference for me!'
He opened a small crack.
What met his eyes was a line of police officers surrounding the factory door.
Huh?
Cops?