Chapter 6 High-End Handheld Computer

The woman took off to some place, and I tapped into the surveillance system to track her car to this sketchy industrial area.

Looks like this is where Aiden was first killed. She offed him here and then dumped his body back at the villa. Weird choice, but considering the later provocations, if this woman on camera is the same one, it makes sense she killed Aiden!

Isabella chimed in, all excited, "I figured out how that woman got to Sophia. She ambushed her from behind too. But wasn't the first crime in the dorm?"

"This footage is from the upstairs hallway, not the parking lot. Seems like this woman killed both of them. No clue why she went after Sophia, but maybe we’ll get the full story once we catch her."

"James, I got a hit!" Isabella exclaimed. "Mia Wilson, 36. No current employment records, but she used to live in Harmony Village."

"Mia Wilson…"

Hearing that name, an old memory hit me. Aiden used to be tight with her. But why is she doing this now? None of us did anything to her.

While I was lost in thought, Isabella had already texted Michael. She shook her head and tugged my sleeve, saying, "It's over, James. Michael's bailing on us. He wants us to find and nab Mia ourselves!"

"Damn it, he's still being stubborn. Fine, let's find Mr. Wilson!" I said.

After filling in Chief Daniel Wilson, he patted my shoulder and said, "I can spare some manpower. I'll take charge. Aiden was a big deal in Shadow City, paying millions in taxes. This case is huge."

"Thanks, Mr. Wilson."

Using his clout, Daniel got some detectives, SWAT, and special police on board. Mia had killed two people and was dangerous.

I tracked her phone to Whispering Cascade, a place I knew well.

I said, "The suspect's at Whispering Cascade. Mr. Wilson, we need to move now!"

"Proceed with caution," Daniel commanded. "No unnecessary risks. We need everyone back in one piece."

"Yes, sir!"

Once the team moved out, Isabella and I followed. We got to Whispering Cascade pretty quickly.

The team coordinated with local police to set up a perimeter. Traffic cops managed the roads, and police dogs joined the capture team to surround the caves at Whispering Cascade. Isabella and I waited in the car.

The dog squad was the first to charge in, darting through the maze of cave tunnels. A bunch of officers, guns ready, were on high alert. Just then, Michael strolled up, looking way too relaxed.

He lit a cigarette, took a drag, and said to me, "James, everyone's inside searching. Aren't you the tech genius? Hurry up and pinpoint the suspect's exact location!"

"Yeah, tech expert, how long has it been? Still no clue where she is? If she gets away, it's on you! Seriously, stop wasting time," Detective Amelia Johnson chimed in. "Can that gadget of yours even work? It looks so tiny."

A few officers around Michael nodded in agreement.

I gripped the small, square, silver device in my hand.

I stared her down and said loudly, "This is the latest tempered, waterproof, and explosion-proof gadget. Its built-in satellite navigation covers everywhere, no dead zones. You could play online games at the bottom of the Pacific with this thing!"

Amelia scoffed. "If it's so amazing, why haven't you found her yet? You have one minute, James, then we're going in." Amelia, Michael's younger sister, had inherited his talent for pushing my buttons.

It was actually impossible because we hadn't had any contact with Mia. To find her, we would need to put a tracker on her or investigate her phone signal, but how could she be carrying her phone while on the run?

They were just making things difficult for me. As Michael and the officers around him looked at me with mocking eyes, I suddenly pressed a button on my laptop and said, "Just two seconds. She ditched her phone outside the cave, but she's still within my detectable range. She's at the one o'clock direction deep inside the cave, coordinates 214123. I've already sent this to the SWAT team leader."

"What? Did you have prior contact with her?" Michael's face was a mix of shock and disbelief.

His expression could sour milk, and Amelia's jaw dropped as she stared at my small computer.

The officers usually close to Michael were all wide-eyed, speechless.

"No, Michael. I rigged the cave earlier. Didn't I tell you? I've been here before. Did you forget so quickly?"

As soon as I finished speaking, the place went dead silent, and it felt like everyone could hear each other's heartbeats.

Michael, slightly pissed off by my comeback, trembled his lips, unable to respond.

Isabella suddenly asked, "So what do we do now?"

I replied with just one word, "Wait!"