บท 102: Chapter 102: Valentine’s Mishap (Part 4)
"I bet that teller who served Mrs. Cook earlier definitely drives a blue sedan."
As they walked out of the bank, John had already cracked the case.
"His acting was terrible. I've never seen such a nervous suspect," Jack commented, looking equally disappointed. "Let's head back to the station. We need to tighten up the evidence chain. That guy thinks he can hide the scratch marks by turning up his collar and rolling down his sleeves. This case is just too boring."
Back at the police station, they parked the car and decided to enter through the main entrance to pass by the front desk and say hi to Lucy, possibly even set up plans for the evening. They noticed a familiar figure—a charming blonde woman, who was asking Lucy about a certain Officer Nolan.
"Do you know him well?" the blonde was trying to pry information from Lucy.
"Uh, somewhat well." Lucy forced a smile.
"He seems like a really nice guy," the blonde hinted suggestively.
Jack noticed Lucy was on the verge of breaking.
"He's okay, I guess," Lucy's eyes drifted as if recalling some past events.
"He saved my life," the blonde said, her lips trembling slightly, her expression distant.
Lucy managed an awkward yet polite smile just as Jack coughed to get her attention, pointing out John, who was attempting to sneak away through a side door.
"Oh, he's here!" Lucy exclaimed, relieved. The blonde turned around, eyes sparkling with delight.
"Oh, hey! What brings you to the station?" John, who had been trying to slink away, straightened up abruptly, feigning surprise.
"You should be resting at home."
The blonde blushed, her face lighting up as if she had just seen her knight in shining armor.
"The hospital gave me a thorough check-up, found nothing wrong, so I thought I'd drop by the station on my way home."
Jack moved over to Lucy's side and waggled a box of cookies at her. They shared a knowing smile and started munching, watching the scene unfold.
"Thanks to you, it's just a minor skin burn," the blonde gently poked John on the shoulder with her finger.
Jack thought if given enough time, someone could probably dig a 50-square-meter basement in the station with just their toes.
"Oh, that's great. I'm glad you're okay." John's fake smile was so forced it gave the cookie-munching spectators goosebumps.
"Oh, and I brought you some gifts. Just some muffins. You can share them with your colleagues."
The blonde glanced over at Jack and Lucy, who were happily devouring cookies at the front desk, and gave them a friendly smile.
They both waved back, smiling in return.
"Wow, that's really kind of you. Very thoughtful, but really, it's not necessary. Seriously, you should head home and get some rest."
John's smile was starting to freeze on his face.
"Maybe you can come by my place later," the blonde said, her eyes lingering, lightly biting her lip, looking at John with hope.
Jack and Lucy exchanged exaggerated glances, their mouths forming an O shape.
"Uh, well... I'm still on duty for a while, and I already have..." John stammered, unsure of what to say.
"That's okay. Good men are hard to find. I understand. Anyway, thank you." The blonde seemed a bit disappointed but politely excused herself, leaving behind a large basket of muffins.
"Two boxes of Patagonias. You still have time to back out," Jack teased again, hinting at a bribe.
"Muffins are mine. I'll make sure everyone gets one. Wow, they're heavy!" Lucy tried to lift the basket but almost hurt her back from its weight.
"Shut up, you two. She was just being nice, thanking me for saving her." John, embarrassed, turned and hurried off.
"Hehe, for now, it's just two boxes. By tonight, you might be begging me to take them," Jack said, chasing after John.
The two chuckled and walked into the office area, where they saw Angela had already compiled a thick stack of files on the desk.
"Angela, I think we're ready..." John began, but before he could finish, Detective Calderon stormed over, demanding angrily.
"López, I heard you've been looking into the robbery cases."
"Yes, ma'am," Angela stood up, facing Calderon directly, her expression calm but her eyes burning with anger.
"I told you not to investigate, didn't I?" Calderon raised her voice, drawing the attention of everyone around.
John hesitated, but Jack pulled him back. Angela wasn't someone who could be easily pushed around. Being publicly challenged like this, she would definitely fight back. Helping her sort through the case details would be more beneficial than trying to win an argument here.
Jack picked up the stack of files on the desk and began going through them while still listening to the heated exchange between the two women.
"Yes, ma'am," Angela repeated, her face showing a defiant look.
"Let me put it this way. Those records you dug up, I reviewed them long ago. They don't prove anything."
Calderon stepped closer, their eyes locked in a tense standoff.
"I thought you were just sleeping with the enemy. I didn't realize you had joined them and started working against us," Calderon spat out.
What on earth is she talking about? Jack was puzzled. He looked at John, who shrugged, equally confused.
Angela, however, understood immediately. "Sleeping with the enemy? Are you targeting me because of Wesley?"
Calderon smirked as if to say, "Finally, you get it." "Joanna Kelly, murdered last year on her way home from school. We spent months nailing the suspect, only for your boyfriend to find a procedural flaw and get him released."
Angela almost laughed in frustration. "If you had done your job perfectly, he wouldn't have had any procedural grounds to exploit, would he?"
She turned and grabbed the files from Jack's hand. "Besides, there are three other robbery cases, all near today's murder scene, with witnesses seeing a blue sedan leaving the area."
Calderon's defiant stance weakened a bit, but she still clung to her argument. "That doesn't prove anything."
Angela let out a derisive snort. "Then how about the fact that all the victims withdrew large sums of cash from the same bank on the day they were robbed?"
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