Two Hundred and thirty four

CHAPTER 234

Nicholas got out of his car and saw Noel walking towards him. With a small smile, Noel greeted his boss casually.

"Can't enjoy the New Year's celebration in comfort, Chief?"

Noel's one hand, which was holding a cup of coffee from Fast Coffee, was directed at Nicholas. Noel's original intention was to place the coffee on Nicholas' desk. But since the owner of the table had already arrived, Noel quickly gave Nicholas the drink he ordered.

Nicholas chuckled and accepted the coffee bought by Noel. Lifting the drink, Nicholas said, "Thank you for the coffee and the sarcasm, Noel. It really helped."

"Tsk, this really is an unpleasant Christmas and New Year celebration, isn't it?"

The two of them then walked out of the parking lot, heading inside the police station. It was still cold outside, so they both bundled up in thick, long coats to cover their shirts and suits. The snowfall wasn't too heavy, just a drizzle that occasionally hit their faces on the way.

"Since you gave me the day off for Christmas, I can finally taste my mom's gingerbread cookies."

Nicholas looked at Noel, then squinted. "You should stop eating your mother's gingerbread cookies and start looking for a wife. You've turned into a grown man you know."

Noel laughed and took a sip of his coffee. Walking beside Nicholas, Noel continued, "I'm not ready for marriage, Nick. My wife will definitely lose a lot of time with me if I'm still working on murder cases every day. I can't understand why New York is a city filled with criminals. It's so different from New York when I first arrived."

"Hey, that was New York decades ago, you can't compare it like that." They finally entered Nicholas' room. Noel sat across from Nicholas, and Nicholas put his coffee on the table. "Besides, your underground father would scold you if he knew you were always complaining about work. It's your dream job, isn't it?"

"It's my father's dream job, but he died before seeing me become a cop. That sucks."

Noel placed the coffee he had just drunk next to Nicholas's. "Is your stepfather being nice?"

"He was a good man, I'm grateful that he looked after my mother very well."

After this casual conversation about family, Nicholas finally remembered something. He looked outside, at the transparent glass in his room. Hendrick and Peter were nowhere to be seen, it seemed they had gone straight to the field to continue their investigation. Meanwhile, Nicholas continued to chat with Noel in his room.

"You look very worried, what's wrong, Nick?"

"I'm pretty sure that Hendrick is playing us from behind."

Noel's eyebrows furrowed. He looked curious and confused at the same time. "Are you sure Hendrick is involved with how Ace escaped from prison?"

Nicholas shook his head slowly. "It's not just about Ace, you know Kevin, right? Brittany's boyfriend who caused Brittany's accident?"

"Of course. We put him in jail after the judge sentenced him to probation."

Nicholas snapped his fingers in the air, then pointed at Noel who raised one eyebrow in confusion. "There he is! A few days ago, Kevin suddenly came to Brittany's house. I arrived when Brittany pointed the fork at Kevin."

"Kevin? Did he come to Brittany's house? How come?" Noel was just as confused as Nicholas. He shrugged his shoulders, before continuing his curiosity with the man. "He's on probation in prison, but he was able to get out and see Brittany? Is Brittany okay?"

A nod of the head from Nicholas made Noel breathe a sigh of relief. At least the man knew that Brittany was okay.

"But there's a bigger problem than this. I'm pretty sure Hendrick is involved with this too."

Noel's brows furrowed deeply. Muttering something long, Noel tapped the surface of the table with her forefinger. "So what you're saying is, Hendrick helped Ace and Kevin get out of jail, and Hendrick got some personal benefit out of it?"

"I'm not sure about personal gain, but Hendrick seems to have other connections outside of this police force." Nicholas looked at Noel seriously. "Why do you think he helps criminals, Noel? He can't possibly do something without getting something in return, can he?"

Noel leaned back in his chair, a puzzled expression etched on his face. The revelation about Hendrick shocked him, and he couldn't understand why their colleague was involved in such dubious activities.

"Hendrick? Helping criminals?" Noel shook his head, incredulous. "I've known him for years, Nick. He's been part of this squad longer than any of us. Are you sure about this?"

Nicholas sighed, his gaze fixed on the falling snow outside. "I've connected the dots, Noel. It's not just a hunch. Ace, Kevin, and now this mysterious connection. Something's not right, and Hendrick seems to be at the center of it."

Noel pondered for a moment, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the table. "What's your plan, Nick? We can't just accuse him without any real evidence. This is Hendrick we're talking about, not some rookie cop."

Nicholas nodded, accepting the challenge. "I know. We need to gather more information discreetly. I have a hunch, and if I'm right, it's going to be very deep. I can't trust anyone else in this, Noel. You're the only one I can rely on."

Noel's eyes widened as the gravity of the situation set in. "You want us to investigate Hendrick? But if we're wrong, it could destroy his career, Nick."

"I know the risks, Noel, but we can't allow this. Innocent lives are at stake, and if Hendrick is involved, we need to get to the bottom of it before it's too late."

The two detectives exchanged determined glances, inwardly vowing to uncover the truth. As they began to formulate a plan to secretly investigate Hendrick, the atmosphere in Nicholas' office went from relaxed to intense, setting the stage for a gripping story of deception, loyalty, and the pursuit of justice.

"So, what's your plan about Hendrick?"