Two Hundred and fourty four

CHAPTER 244

Charlotte looked at the two people before her in confusion. She dropped the LV bag on her shoulder and placed it on the table. Smacking her lips, she picked up the phone on the corner of the table and started typing in numbers.

But after waiting for a while, Charlotte put the phone back on the table and looked at Nicholas. Shrugging her shoulders, she said, "Sorry, Detective. But it looks like Anna has left the room. She's not picking up the phone." Charlotte picked up her bag again, slinging it over her shoulder. "I have to go home too, it's shift change time. You can talk to the next receptionist. She'll be here in five minutes."

"Thank you for your information."

"Sure. See you soon, Detective."

Charlotte waltzed away in her usual coquettish fashion. And that made Alicia knit her forehead deeply. She watched Charlotte as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Looks like you're close?" Alicia quipped.

Nicholas laughed at that. He pinched Alicia's cheek and said, "Don't be jealous. I don't like girls like Charlotte." Alicia rolled her eyes lazily. "Now what are you going to do? Anna's not in her room."

Alicia nodded her head. "Felix couldn't contact Anna when we were talking at the restaurant. Is it possible that Anna escaped because her movements were noticed by the police?"

But Nicholas immediately shook his head. "She doesn't look like it. Anna works with two seniors, she must be busy."

"I suspect Anna is involved in this case too, Nick. Felix said-ah! We should talk about this in the car."

"Okay."

They both went to the car. From inside the car, Alicia and Nicholas could see people still bustling outside the building. It was more crowded than the first time Nicholas had visited the place.

"Everyone just came out. This office seems to have disciplined and punctual working hours. You saw how the receptionist was eager to leave the desk and go home, didn't you?"

Alicia crossed her arms over her chest, she chuckled melodiously when she heard Nicholas talking about Charlotte.

"Maybe she just wants to go home early, Nick."

"All right, all right. Let's stop talking about her," Nicholas said. Nicholas tapped the edge of the steering wheel, before he finally tilted his body and looked at Alicia. "What did you want to talk about? Did you cancel talking about it inside?"

"It's about Anna. Christine and Felix said that Anna had asked about my mother's personal and corporate assets before she died in the fire, Nick."

"Woah, what is this?!" Nicholas raised both eyebrows, he looked surprised and couldn't believe what he had just heard. So, Nicholas repeated it with great emphasis. "Anna asked Felix, the company's attorney, about the assets owned by Mrs. Michelle? But, what was her purpose in doing so?"

Alicia shook her head slowly. The girl breathed a sigh of relief at finally being able to tell that information to Nicholas. In this situation, bringing together the information they both knew was crucial. They had to share information to see things from a different perspective.

"This is why I want to see Anna, Nick."

Nicholas deliberated, he adjusted his sitting position and looked forward. The crowds were starting to dwindle, they had already left the building. Although there were still one or two people coming out of the building, none of them looked recognizable to Nicholas. He tried to push away his thoughts of Anna, because suddenly, his memories of Hendrick surfaced and filled his mind.

"By the way... I found out the latest facts about Hendrick."

Alicia's face took on an enthusiastic look. She raised both eyebrows, then said, "Hendrick? Did he really betray you?"

Nicholas nodded his head resignedly. He could no longer say no to that question. Hendrick was indeed a traitor and Nicholas was his main victim. His trust was gone in an instant. Not a trace of it left. All the experiences and favors Hendrick had given Nicholas, felt like falsehoods. Nicholas couldn't see Hendrick the same way.

"Peter, Noel and I managed to provoke him after we met with a witness in the Jason Abraham case. Maybe he panicked, he felt cornered, so... he went straight to his contacts outside the police force." Nicholas stared off in the other direction, while Alicia listened intently to his story. "We managed to follow Hendrick. He went to a warehouse, it looked like a warehouse that hadn't been used in a long time. Hendrick was talking to someone, it was a man."

"Did you see who it was?"

Nicholas looked at Alicia, she shook her head no. "Unfortunately, we didn't recognize who it was. He was talking to Hendrick. And what we heard there was... Hendrick told the man, to inform his boss that Ace's movements were beginning to be smelled by the police. Well, Ace did end up being implicated in Jason's case."

Alicia's hand flew to her mouth. She looked at Nicholas in shock. After a few seconds, Alicia was able to speak again. "Ace... killed someone else?"

"Yes, Alicia. The nail samples you found at home match the samples we found on Jason's clothes. That means, Ace was at the scene when the murder took place. He's the prime suspect, but seeing him join the pawn shop's VVIP guests, the police are even more convinced that Ace is the killer. He killed Jason."

"Shit!" Alicia massaged her temples, she suddenly felt dizzy. "Why did she break out of prison and kill this man, Nick?"

"I don't know, we're still checking Ace's motives. Not only did Ace kill Jason, but his DNA matches the samples from Jill's house."

Alicia could no longer contain her shock. She rounded her eyes and stared angrily at it. "Ace killed Lily?!"

"The match is 99%, it's Ace's DNA." Nicholas said it with regret, after all, Nicholas was very sympathetic to Lily's ailing condition. "That's why we're focusing on finding Ace's whereabouts right now."

"Did... did Ace also kill my parents, Nick?" Alicia's voice trembled, she was not ready for an answer.

But Nicholas could only stare at Alicia, before he finally answered. "No."