Logan Bennett didn’t remember how he turned and walked away. All the blood in his body rushed to his head, though it might have been the alcohol. The boiling rage he had forcibly suppressed on his way here suddenly vanished, and the release left his legs feeling light, his mind hazy, and a bitter, numbing taste spreading at the base of his tongue.

But he should have been happy.

He had “proven” himself, even though the enemy didn’t care much, and didn’t even need him to put up any resistance.

Logan Bennett walked through the bustling hall, down winding corridors. He buried the blood and tears of over a decade as a detective deep in his heart, leaving behind the hardships and setbacks of five years as deputy chief.

He headed to this familiar office, rested his head on his arm, and fell into a brief, hurried deep sleep.

Ring ring ring—

Logan Bennett jolted awake, startled. The phone on the desk was ringing off the hook, and in a daze, he instinctively picked up: “Hello?”

His mind was still foggy, but then Mason Reed’s booming voice came through: “Brother Bennett! The case center just got a report, logistics transferred it straight to you!”

“What report,” Logan Bennett was still a bit muddled, “Who called it in?”

The next second, Mason Reed chased away the last trace of his drowsiness.

“Henry Turner,” Mason Reed said, “the refined guy in the wheelchair at the 502 frozen corpse scene—remember him? He called it in. Logistics said it’s urgent, told us to get over there right away.”

Chapter 7

Qiu Yu Luxury, second-hand bags and jewelry, luxury goods recycling.

Logan Bennett got out of the police car, slowly crossed his arms, and looked up at the sign in front of him.

Mason Reed came up to him: “Brother Bennett, the person who called is over there, just now we…”

Logan Bennett waved his hand, and Mason Reed immediately stopped.

“Notify all investigation teams, no need to canvass the second-hand market anymore,” he said slowly, “the target backpack has been found.”

Several officers had sealed off the shop entrance. The bewildered shop owner was excitedly explaining something to a detective, while forensics had placed an evidence bag under the conspicuous black-and-yellow backpack and were beginning to lift fingerprints for comparison.

On the sidewalk outside the shop, a police officer stood taking notes. Ryan Sullivan sat on a bench, comfortably leaning back, head slightly raised, his long legs slightly apart. The posture was as relaxed as if he were sitting on a leather sofa at home. Even when Logan Bennett walked over, he made no move to get up.

“My friend wanted to sell her unused bag, so I came along. Just happened to see that backpack in the display case. Since it’s related to the case from a couple of days ago…”

“The shop owner said you turned the bag inside out before calling the police. What was that about?”

“I just wanted to see what was inside.” Ryan Sullivan paused, then said, “In the front pocket of the backpack, in the very bottom corner, there are a few small pieces of foil, looks like the kind used to wrap chocolate. You can have your techs take a look.”

The police had seen too many civilians trying to give advice during investigations, so they didn’t take it seriously. They just grunted a few times, when suddenly someone patted their shoulder: “Hey, Captain Bennett!”

Logan Bennett waved his hand, “I’ll take it from here.”

The officer responded, handed him the notebook, and went to help elsewhere.

But after taking the notebook, Logan Bennett had no intention of reading it. He just stood in front of Ryan Sullivan with his arms crossed, silently staring at him.

Ryan Sullivan greeted him politely: “Hello, Officer Bennett.”

“The reward money hasn’t been approved yet. Giving us a tip this early, you’re kind of losing out.”

“What are you saying,” Ryan Sullivan laughed, “I was just accompanying Emily Carter on an errand and happened to see the bag. After all, I’m a witness. Providing leads to the police is my duty, isn’t it?”

One standing, one sitting—the atmosphere was calm, but something strange and indescribable seemed to be brewing in the air.

“You did it on purpose.”

Ryan Sullivan said, “Oh?”

“You wanted to know why I revisited the scene, wanted to see what I found on the road. There are two second-hand luxury shops closer to Nocturne Palace KTV, but you found this one.” Logan Bennett narrowed his eyes, openly scrutinizing him. “You’re showing an unusual level of interest and involvement in this case. Why?”

“You’re overthinking it, officer.” Ryan Sullivan said with a smile, “This shop just offered a better price, that’s all.”

A forensics officer hurried over: “We’ve got results, Deputy Bennett! Preliminary comparison shows the fingerprints on the backpack match the victim’s. We’ll take the evidence back to the city bureau for detailed analysis. Also, according to the shop owner, the bag was sold by a man around 8 a.m. on the 3rd, and he had a Toyota car key. We’re contacting traffic police to pull surveillance and license plate records for this road…”

“Did you get the shop’s surveillance footage?”

The forensics officer confirmed, “We’re on it, it’ll be ready soon.”

Logan Bennett nodded silently.

“There’s just one thing, Deputy Bennett.” The forensics officer looked troubled. “Eight in the morning is rush hour, there are tons of cars on this road. It’ll be really hard to narrow it down, and checking them one by one could take forever. What should we do?”