CHAPTER 181Noel put his foot on the gas pedal after Nicholas finished buckling the seat belt around his chest. Meanwhile, Hendrick and Peter drove home in the same car. They both decided to leave after finishing their investigation at Jason's house.Jason Abraham was an American-Arab pawn shop owner who was supposed to help Nicholas find Ace's whereabouts."We have all the evidence, it's premeditated murder and... unfortunately, it's also a serial killer."Nicholas, who was sitting looking at the window, turned his head quickly. He frowned and asked, "Serial killer? How did you come to that conclusion?""Mr. Mr. Abraham was killed and thrown into the water, isn't the pattern the same with Jill? He was thrown into the water, between the beach and the river. Fresh water and salty water. We finally found the similarities, didn't we?"Noel's words were true. They finally had a common pattern among the many murders that had occurred lately. Nicholas bit his lip, considering Noel's words i

CHAPTER 183"Why do you think Hendrick did that, Nick?"For the past half hour, Noel and Nicholas had been sitting in the car. They were enjoying the hot coffee they had bought at the Fast Coffee shop while they waited for the rain. They couldn't go back to the police station and look at Hendrick with suspicion on their faces. Noel and Nicholas both needed time to compose themselves, for what one of their colleagues in the division had done."Actually... I was going to quit field duty after solving the explosion at Alicia's parents' house."Not answering Noel's question, Noel pulled out her coffee cup, which was steaming hot. The heat from the coffee didn't last long as the air was so cold, they had to finish the caffeine quickly or else they would lose the thrill of enjoying real coffee.But this situation was too difficult to accept and Noel couldn't enjoy his coffee properly."But as we can see, this case is more complicated than what we know. There are big people involved in it, e

CHAPTER 185The noise from the house next to Alicia's flat made Alicia, who was asleep on the sofa, wake up. She blinked a few times, before waking up and seeing that Nicholas was asleep on the other side of the sofa. They were under the same blanket, but sleeping in different directions."You should understand!"The loud voice came from outside, Alicia recognized it as a familiar voice. It was Mrs. Thompson. Alicia raised her neck, trying to peer through the window. But the silhouette of the old woman was not clearly visible. Alicia then lowered her legs from the sofa, wanting to see who Mrs. Thompson was talking to.But that small movement managed to startle Nicholas. He had had a rough day and had not slept well. Nicholas woke up and looked around frantically. "What's wrong, Alicia?""Fuck you!"The voice outside made Alicia and Nicholas both round their eyes, especially because after the shout, they heard the sound of tires squealing. It was an impromptu brake. And other noises th

CHAPTER 187Meanwhile, Ethan, who had been focused on managing the cash register, couldn't help but be drawn into the heartwarming scene. The sight of Alicia interacting with customers, spreading joy in the midst of a crowded store, made him appreciate the holiday spirit even more.As the little girl walked away with her ice cream, Uncle Chuck turned to Alicia. "You know, Alicia, this store has had its share of Christmases, but this one feels extraordinary. Your presence has added a touch of magic."The smile on Alicia's lips did not disappear, she tried to look cheerful in front of the shoppers. The shop closed early because it was Christmas Eve. Christmas ornaments had already filled Uncle Chuck's shop. Uncle Chuck wanted to celebrate Christmas with his family, so he came out of his kitchen with a box of caramelized bread and milk. While looking at Alicia and Ethan who were also ready to go home, Uncle Chuck said, "I forgot whether I put the rest of the ice cream in the freezer or n

CHAPTER 189"Alicia!"Ethan immediately ran to hug Alicia when she walked into Uncle Chuck's ice cream parlor. Everyone was still caught up in the complicated situation and Elden was standing guard there while waiting for all the commotion to die down.Alicia patted Ethan's back, then stretched the distance between them. Smiling, Alicia said, "I'm fine. What about you, Ethan?"Ethan shook his head, scratching his neck. "The situation is really bad. My head keeps spinning from being hit. But we're all worried about you."Uncle Chuck approached, while Nicholas just stood behind Alicia without saying anything. Uncle Chuck looked Alicia up and down, then opened his voice. "Are you really okay? What did he do to you?"Alicia bit her lip, everyone was now watching her, waiting for her to speak."I... he just took me, I'm fine, you guys shouldn't worry anymore," Alicia said, wanting to end the conversation.Ethan then asked again. "Do you know the person who kidnapped you?"Uhm, about that-"