Chapter 216 Quite Different from Imagination
The road to Taytown Living Village was a total nightmare. It was narrow, icy, and full of twisty mountain paths. One wrong move, and you could easily flip your car.
Andrew, sitting in the passenger seat, checked his watch and grumbled, "We're barely going thirty or forty miles an hour. When are we getting there?"
"Just a bit further," Gregory, handcuffed in the back seat, said. "Once we hit Taytown Living Area, the roads are better maintained and less snowy."
Andrew turned to him. "You've been here before?"
"Been all over," Gregory replied with a grin.
Andrew nodded and stayed quiet.
They kept driving and finally reached Taytown Living Village around 8:10 PM.
Andrew, worried about being seen, had the convoy stop behind a big snowbank. He got out and called the sheriff.
"Where are you guys?" Andrew asked, shivering in the cold.
The wind howled through the phone, and a man with a thick accent shouted something.
"What?" Andrew couldn't hear him.
The man repeated himself.
"I can't understand you," Andrew said, frustrated.
"Where are you guys?" the man shouted.
"We're near the village, about a mile to the right of the sign, behind a big snowbank," Andrew shouted back, teeth chattering. "When will you get here?"
"Soon, I know the place. Wait for us."
"Okay, hurry. We're running out of time," Andrew said.
"Alright, alright."
Andrew hung up and got back in the car.
John, holding Gregory's phone, gave him a look.
"Yeah, almost there. We'll meet at Taytown Lake? Got it," Gregory said into the phone, then signaled John to hang up.
Andrew, still shivering, asked, "Did they call?"
"Yeah," John nodded. "We're meeting at Taytown Lake."
"When?"
"In an hour."
"Alright, the police are on their way too," Andrew said, checking his watch. "We should make it in time."
John picked up the radio. "Eat if you need to, stay alert. We're about to get to work."
"Roger that!" Their team responded over the radio.
Andrew sat in the passenger seat, texting on his phone.
"We're about to catch them, and you're playing with your phone?" John asked, annoyed.
"Nothing else to do," Andrew replied without looking up.
Half an hour passed with no movement on the road.
Andrew was getting anxious and was about to call again when he heard engines behind them.
John got out and saw two old, beat-up pickup trucks with police logos approaching.
"Damn, only two cars!" Andrew exclaimed, getting out.
The trucks stopped, and a few scruffy-looking men in plain clothes got out.
"Hello, friends from Pine City PD?" the leader extended his hand.
Andrew shook it. "Yes, thanks for coming."
"Happy to help, no trouble at all."
"Are we waiting for more people?" Andrew asked, getting straight to the point.
The leader hesitated, then said, "No, it's just us."
"Just two cars?" Andrew asked, surprised. "I thought there'd be more of you."
"Our whole department is only forty people. Two cars is a team for us," the man replied.
"Damn!" Andrew cursed.
"What's the problem?" the man asked, frowning.
"I thought a team meant forty people," Andrew said, looking worried. "These suspects are dangerous. We only have about twenty people. It's risky."
"How many suspects are there?" the leader asked.
"They had two cars. They're here to pick up the drugs," Andrew replied quietly.
"We can handle that," the leader said, frowning. "If they have two cars, we can manage."
John's face darkened at the unexpected situation.
Andrew was conflicted. With less than half an hour until Jessica arrived, there was no time to call for more help. If Gregory didn't show up on time, the suspects would get suspicious.
"Let's head to the site," the leader suggested. "We'll have the informant make contact first. Once we see the main suspect, we'll move in. They only have two cars; we can handle it."
"The problem is Jessica and Adam are very close. If we arrest her first, she might not talk," Andrew said, frowning. "And if Jessica doesn't return tonight, Adam will definitely run."
"So what do you suggest?" the leader asked.
"Even though we're short on people, we can't alert them," Andrew said sharply. "We'll let Gregory hand over the drugs. We'll stake out the routes and follow Jessica's car to find their hideout."
"This area is very open, and it's hard to follow," the leader shook his head.
"That's why I said we're short on people," Andrew replied, frowning. "But we have no other choice. We'll place cars at key points and use radios to keep a safe distance while following them."
"Alright, we'll cooperate," the leader agreed.
Andrew checked his watch. "Okay, let's get moving."
Everyone returned to their cars. John, looking grim, said to Andrew, "I think something's off. This is way different from what we planned."
"We're already here. If we don't act, Jessica and her crew will get suspicious," Andrew replied, his face dark. "We have no choice."
Around 9:20 PM.
On the frozen surface of Taytown Lake, Gregory and two officers sat in their car, staring ahead.
To the left, headlights appeared as an SUV approached and stopped on the ice.
The door opened, and a woman in a coat, accompanied by four burly men, walked briskly towards Gregory's car.
In the snow nearby, John, holding binoculars, spoke into the radio, "Confirmed, it's Jessica."
Jessica walked up to the car and knocked on the window.
The door opened, and Gregory smiled. "The drugs are in the trunk."
"Thanks." Jessica smiled, then noticed the two men in the car. "Who are these guys?"
"My apprentices. The road here is too bad, I can't drive back alone at night, so I brought them along," Gregory explained with a smile.
In the car on the road.
The radio crackled, "They only have one car. Do we move in?"
Andrew thought for a moment, then checked his phone. "No, let Jessica take the drugs and leave."
Somewhere else.
Joe got out of the car, kicked a tire, and cursed, "What the hell is this place? The roads are worse than an undeveloped area!"
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