Chapter 429: The Burned-Down House

Chapter 429: Chapter 429: The Burned-Down House

The assistant recalled the invitation that had recently been delivered to him and repeated its contents.

When the invitation first arrived, he had reported it to the Boss, but at the time, she said she didn’t have time and didn’t want to go, telling him to find an excuse to decline.

Before he could even think of an excuse, the Boss ran into trouble.

Seeing she was in a bad mood, the assistant tentatively brought the matter up again. ’It would be best if she went,’ he thought. ’Letting loose for a bit should be enough to cool her down, no matter how angry she is.’

The Boss was silent for a good while before finally asking, "Have the arrangements been vetted? There was a similar event before, but some cops managed to sneak in and arrest a lot of people."

She had received an invitation that time too, but something came up unexpectedly, so she figured she’d go after handling it.

To her surprise, by the time she was ready to leave, the cruise ship on the high seas had already been targeted. It was taken down in a joint raid, and many people died.

She had actually expanded her own influence by seizing the opportunity to absorb the territories of the many who died back then.

As for those cops, they had blended in with the participants, found a chance to pass information to their contacts on the outside, and that’s how the whole operation got taken down in one fell swoop.

"Rest assured, Boss," the assistant replied. "A guest list came with the invitation. It has everyone who’s confirmed to be going. I guarantee there won’t be any issues."

’Something like that happening once was more than enough,’ he thought. ’How could the organizers possibly give them a chance for a repeat performance?’

The person who delivered the invitation was the organizer’s most trusted confidant. He swore up and down that there would be absolutely no problems.

"Alright, let’s go have some fun. It’s a good chance to lay low for a bit." The Boss rubbed her temples. Then, as if recalling something, she added, "That old man from the Yorke Family has two grandchildren, right? Have them come along."

Those two kids are no saints, either. At such a young age, they’ve already leveraged their family’s power and influence to kill quite a few of their classmates and peers.

’I’ll bring them along this time. If they can handle it and have a brain in their heads, they might be worth cultivating.’

’After all, I have far too few capable people under me right now. I absolutely can’t let such promising prospects slip away.’

"Yes. I’ll go inform them shortly." The assistant nodded, accepting the Boss’s order.

As for what the three members of the Yorke family thought?

Their opinion was never a factor. Or rather, from the moment they tried to pledge their allegiance to the Boss, they had forfeited any right to choose.

While the Boss was making her emergency escape, Evan Keller wasn’t sitting idle either.

After catching their man and bringing him back to the station, they immediately took him to an interrogation room. Using a variety of techniques, they finally broke him and got a piece of information.

"Forget it. The moment she confirms I’ve been caught, the Boss will relocate immediately. Never mind that you don’t have anyone over there; even if you did, you’d just come up empty if you went now.

If you can find a single strand of her hair in there, I’ll admit you’re good!" The man looked at Evan Keller, a mocking smile on his face.

’At their speed, they think they can catch the cowardly Boss, who’s terrified of dying? Dream on!’

That woman is a coward, terrified that any of her people who get caught will reveal her location. The second anyone is arrested, the very first thing she does is change her address.

If they go there now, they won’t find anything besides a floor that’s been wiped spotlessly clean.

Evan Keller ignored his taunts. The moment he got the address, he returned to the office and handed it to Zoe Sawyer. "This is the Boss’s location. Zoe, open a door and see if she’s still there. If she’s gone, see if you can rewind a bit. We need to get a positive ID on her."

They couldn’t keep being so passive, always reacting to the other side’s moves.

Evan Keller wanted to strike directly at the heart of their operation, capture the leader, and cut off their criminal activities at the source.

While she was in the process of relocating, there were bound to be vulnerabilities. Maybe they could seize the opportunity and nab her.

Zoe Sawyer immediately reached out for the file. After memorizing the long string of an address on it, she gripped the doorknob.

’An opportunity as good as nabbing the Boss? She absolutely had to be a part of it!’

She thought about the major cases she’d been involved in; the Boss and her subordinates had a hand in many of them.

Take Kai Thorne’s case, for example.

According to the intel from Sean Hughes, the accomplice Kai Thorne found, Gary Dawson, had a father-in-law who was trying to cozy up to the Boss, seeing her as a powerful backer. He’d already sent a significant amount of money and resources her way.

Now that she finally had a chance to find out what this Boss looked like and where she’d gone, Zoe Sawyer wasn’t about to let it slip by.

Soon, Zoe Sawyer pushed the door open.

Sure enough, just as the captured man had said, the place was completely deserted.

The doors and windows had been smashed, but the floor was spotless. It was likely an order from the Boss or another member of the leadership, and her subordinates had cleaned up the aftermath.

Evan Keller leaned in, staring at the scene on the other side for a long moment. His voice was tinged with regret. "He was right. The Boss had this place scrubbed so clean you couldn’t find a single strand of hair."

Zoe Sawyer manipulated the door, scanning the entire floor.

The space on the other side was immaculate. Besides some furniture, there wasn’t so much as a scrap of paper to be seen.

Just as Zoe Sawyer was about to shift the view outside, several people in full gear walked in.

Each one was wearing a heavy fire-retardant suit, a mask, a helmet, and goggles, completely concealing their bodies from head to toe.

Each of them carried a can of gasoline, which they proceeded to splash over the furniture, into the corners, and in other spots around the room.

Once they were sure they hadn’t missed a spot, the one in the lead lit the nearest curtains. Watching the flames spread in an instant, they retreated to the doorway, occasionally tossing something in to feed the fire and watch it grow.

Only when the blaze reached the doorway did the group of arsonists finally leave, satisfied.

Zoe Sawyer and Evan Keller, who had witnessed the entire event, had their faces flushed red by the light of the soaring flames. If not for the protection of the door, the wave of heat alone would have been enough to incinerate them.

Evan Keller stepped aside. "They torched the place. That means they’re terrified we’ll find clues here. Zoe, I’ll have to ask you to rewind. We need to get a visual on this Boss as quickly as possible."

"No problem!" Zoe Sawyer agreed without hesitation. She then manipulated the door, making time jump backward.

From the time the man was caught to the time the fire was set, less than three hours had passed.

Zoe Sawyer set the door’s destination to the original location, then dialed the time back three and a half hours.

Confirming that the door had moved to the time and place she had designated, Zoe Sawyer took a deep breath and opened it once more.

The first thing she saw was a youthful, baby face. Right now, it was contorted with rage. The woman was cursing up a storm as she viciously kicked something beside her.

"So, you’re trying to tell me that the man you sent to stake out the police station was caught a long time ago? And that for the past month, you’ve just been fobbing me off with old photos?"