Two HUndred and fifty three

Chapter 253

Knock! Knock! Knock!

The sound of a knock on the door made Alicia gasp. She was sitting on the floor, preparing some folding knives under the table just in case. She had hidden all the items she had bought from the store, to protect herself in case Ace came to her flat.

Ace and Alicia's love story was over. Ace was already a murderer and Alicia should not be swayed by Ace's words. Their relationship is over! Alicia is now facing a different Ace, an Ace who has killed many people in the past.

Alicia peered over her kitchen counter, from where she could see through the transparent door. Nicholas was there. Nicholas was standing in front of the door, waiting for it to open. And after confirming that it was Nicholas, Alicia quickly finished her work and took a small run towards the door.

Alicia opened the door, welcoming Nicholas with a smile on her lips. "Hey, come on in!"

Nicholas nodded in agreement, and the two of them walked to the sofa in the living room. Mumbling, Nicholas explained, "I read your message. Is that your current plan, Alicia?"

"Yes, Nick."

The girl went into the kitchen, leaving Nicholas warming himself in the living room. Alicia made Nicholas a cup of honey tea, it was the honey that Mrs. Thompson had given him a few days ago. And Alicia served it in front of Nicholas.

"You can drink this to warm up," Alicia said, sitting next to Nicholas. "Did you find Ace's whereabouts? I saw a billboard with Ace's face on it, did you really use the billboard to look for Ace?"

"We distributed flyers, there, here, everywhere. But not a single witness called, or even came to the police station and said they saw Ace." Nicholas shook his head in disbelief, lifting his teacup from the table. "He seems to have disappeared from this world. The only pawn we could use was you, Alicia. But he hasn't come back in weeks."

"I think there are two possibilities. First, Ace did leave and ran away. Well, he's a fugitive. He has to hide to avoid being caught by the police. And the second reason is that he's planning something bigger than the previous things."

Nicholas sighed contentedly after drinking Alicia's tea. It was indeed a delicious and refreshing tea. A tea that was perfect for the cold weather at the beginning of the year.

"So, what are your plans, Nick?"

"We're going to double-check all the places Ace has been to, including Golden High School, the children's hospital, Jill's house, Jason's pawn shop, everything. We'll check them all."

"Won't that be a waste of time?"

Nicholas muttered at length. His idea might sound like a waste of time, but Nicholas couldn't think of any other idea. Ace's whereabouts were hard to trace. He had no real trail. No one had reported his whereabouts, no one had found any clues about Ace.

"Maybe... it's time you took Hendrick out, Nick."

Alicia's sudden idea made Nicholas frown. He looked at Alicia in confusion. "How? Hendrick seems to be involved with Ace, but it's not what I think. There are other people who want Ace, just like the police. And apparently, Hendrick is working with that person."

"I'm thinking that if Hendrick is a spy in the police department, he might have cross-information from someone who commands him. Hendrick's boss wants to know the news of Ace's investigation inside the police department through Hendrick, but Hendrick must also have information relayed from his boss. They have to exchange information with each other if they want to get Ace as soon as possible."

Nicholas pursed his lips. He lowered his gaze, his brown eyes looking at the surface of the tea that was only half full. His teacup was no longer emitting hot vapors as it had in the beginning. The cold air from outside managed to enter through the cracks and dissipate the warmth of the tea made by Alicia.

"We already have the evidence to suspend or expel Hendrick. But if Hendrick leaves the police force, I can't get anything."

Alicia nodded in understanding. "You said he met with someone in a warehouse. What if you guys searched that warehouse? Is it the same place they met, or is it a one-off. Provoking Hendrick is the last resort before the case is closed, Nick. Don't all cases have a time limit to investigate? I don't want the case of my parents' deaths to be closed without an explanation, without answers."

Alicia's request sounded like a very strong wish to Nicholas. The man looked at Alicia straight on. Their eyes met, and Nicholas could feel the strong ambition hidden behind Alicia's beautiful blue eyes. Beautiful eyes that held a lot of sadness.

Alicia patted Nicholas' hand, softening her voice as she finally said, "We should focus on catching Ace. He must know something about my parents' death." Alicia's blue eyes looked at the corner of the room, at the ceiling of the hidden wall. "I installed some CCTV in this house, and at Mrs. Thompson's house."

"Mrs. Thompson's house? But how? Isn't Mrs. Thompson's son unable to get out of the wheelchair?" Nicholas raised both eyebrows, he looked at his lover with an expression of disbelief, slight shock. "You couldn't have climbed their wall alone, could you?"

"Um, well...," an awkward smile played on Alicia's lips. She shrugged her shoulders, then returned to lightly patting the back of the hand of Nicholas who sat beside her with a curious face. "I couldn't ask Erick and Mrs. Thompson for help, so I had to do it alone. That's a good thing, I got a new achievement for successfully installing CCTV cameras on their high walls."

Nicholas spluttered, then gently stroked Alicia's hair. "You should have asked for my help."

"I can't trouble you in a situation like this."

"Next time, call me." Nicholas emphasized his sentence. He looked around, then asked again, "But, why did you have to install CCTV at Mrs. Thompson's house too? They already have one, don't they?"

"There's someone watching us, Nick. And .... it must be Ace."