Free Web NovelChapter 229: Chapter 232: Well-Prepared
"...What?!"
Felix Preston slammed his hand on the table and shot to his feet in a near panic. He stood up so abruptly that he knocked over the chair behind him.
"What do you mean she just ’vanished without a trace’? Charlotte is a living, breathing person! How could she just vanish without a trace?!"
Jackson Shaw suppressed his own emotions and explained, "When Charlotte went into the alley to get the cat, Young was waiting just outside, making a phone call. When he finished the call and went in to help her, he... he couldn’t find her anymore."
"..." Felix Preston stared blankly, immense panic battering his senses. He could no longer form a coherent sentence.
Jackson Shaw continued, "Young’s call only lasted three minutes. Charlotte disappeared within those three minutes. Your mother and I have already called the police, and we’re on our way to the scene now. You should get ready and come over, too..."
Felix Preston didn’t clearly hear anything Jackson Shaw said after that. He only vaguely caught the word "police" before bolting out of his office.
"Preston!!" Evan Yates, fearing something would happen to him, grabbed his phone and chased after him.
In his current state, he was in no condition to drive. When Evan caught up, he grabbed Felix’s arm, dragged him into his own car, and started driving him to the scene.
"Preston, you need to calm down." Evan said in a low, soothing voice as he watched the road. "Your wife is a real person; she wouldn’t just vanish for no reason. Besides, Aethelburg is a tier-one city with excellent public safety. She should be fine."
"..." Felix Preston didn’t speak.
He hadn’t said a single word since getting into the car. His jaw was clenched tight, his eyes were fixed on the road ahead, and the veins on his forehead and neck bulged, trembling with each suppressed gasp of breath.
His eyes were completely bloodshot, burning with a monstrous rage.
Evan Yates only needed one glance to feel a sense of dread creep into his heart.
’It’s over, it’s over, it’s over...’ he fretted inwardly. ’If the person who took Charlotte Shaw dared to show their face in front of Felix Preston right now, I have no doubt he would kill the bastard on the spot.’
"Preston, try to look on the bright side." He forced a smile, trying to make Felix more optimistic. "Your wife has luck on her side; I’m sure nothing bad has happened. Just be calm, stay cool."
Felix Preston gritted his teeth. "...This *is* my calmest state."
"..." Evan’s heart skipped a beat. He instantly shut his mouth, not daring to say another word.
Scattered snowflakes drifted outside. Ahead, a row of red taillights glowed. Evan impatiently honked the horn, sighing in frustration.
Felix Preston frowned. "How much longer is this traffic going to last?"
Evan glanced at the GPS. "There was a car crash up ahead. The navigation says we might be stuck for another half hour."
Felix Preston: "How far are we from the scene?"
Evan: "About two kilometers left."
Felix Preston said nothing more. He just twisted the handle, got out of the car, and started running forward, pulling out his phone to use its GPS.
"What the—" Evan rolled down the window, stuck his head out, and yelled after Felix, "Preston!"
"..."
His only answer was the sight of Felix Preston’s back, growing more distant as he ran.
His car was stuck in the middle of the road. He couldn’t follow, and he couldn’t get out because there was nowhere to park. All he could do was sit in the car and stew in his anxiety.
Two kilometers wasn’t a long distance. Felix Preston made it in just ten minutes.
The alley where Charlotte Shaw had disappeared was surrounded by police. Red and blue police lights flashed relentlessly against the heavy night sky.
Felix Preston burst through, bringing a blast of cold air with him, and tried to rush straight into the alley without a second thought.
"Felix!"
Mason Shaw and Jackson Shaw stopped him at the same time, grabbing his shoulders to keep him from going in.
"Charlotte isn’t in there! The police have already searched the entire alley!"
"Charlotte isn’t in there..." Felix Preston said with a wooden expression, asking blankly, "Then where is she? She’s a living person, where did she go?"
"Shaw."
A police officer in plainclothes walked out of the alley and stood before Jackson Shaw.
Jackson Shaw gripped Felix Preston’s arm, forcibly holding him back. "Felix, this is the director of the Aethelburg Public Security Bureau. You should call him Uncle Collins."
"Uncle Collins." Felix Preston greeted Kevin Collins, suppressing his emotions.
Kevin Collins grunted in acknowledgment. "I know who you are. The former chairman of the Preston Group, and the founder of Volition Tech."
Felix Preston managed a tight smile and extended his hand to Kevin Collins. "Director Collins, it’s a pleasure. I’m Felix Preston."
Kevin Collins shook his hand, his expression amicable. "Felix Preston, you’re a remarkable man. I’ve been wanting to meet you for a long time."
Felix Preston: "You’re too kind, Director Collins."
Kevin Collins: "No need to be so formal. Just call me Uncle Collins."
"...Uncle Collins." Felix Preston lifted his bloodshot eyes and looked at him pleadingly. "Where is my wife?"
Kevin Collins patted his shoulder. "Although the surveillance cameras in the alley were destroyed beforehand, my men discovered another hidden camera that might have captured the suspect."
"Where?" Felix Preston asked urgently.
Kevin Collins: "Come with me."
Felix Preston pulled his arm free from Jackson Shaw’s grasp and followed stiffly behind Kevin Collins.
Mason Shaw and Jackson Shaw followed as well.
The long, narrow alley was brightly lit by flashlights. The snow on the ground had been trampled into gray-black slush by the police officers coming and going.
Felix Preston followed Kevin Collins into the alley, his eyes warily scanning the surroundings.
"This isn’t a simple, straight alley. On the right-hand side, there’s an inconspicuous fork," Kevin Collins explained patiently to Felix, stopping at the junction.
"This fork leads to another alley, and its exit is on the next street over. We’ve collected footprints and tire tracks from the scene, and our preliminary conclusion is that Charlotte Shaw was taken from here."
"The perpetrator clearly came prepared. The cameras in both alleys were obstructed beforehand, so they didn’t capture how he took Charlotte Shaw away so quietly."
"...Aren’t there any other cameras?" Felix Preston asked hoarsely.
Kevin Collins: "There are."
Felix Preston’s eyes suddenly lit up.
Kevin Collins clasped his hands behind his back. "In the alley at the fork, there’s a row of old, self-built houses. One of them has a personal security camera installed on the second-floor eaves, and it’s pointed right at the alley below."
"My men have already gone to retrieve the footage. If all goes well, we should be able to identify the suspect who took Charlotte Shaw."
"How long will it take to get the video?" Felix Preston clenched his fists, his body trembling with impatience.
Seeing this, Mason Shaw quickly came over and put an arm around his shoulder, trying to steady him.
BUZZ—
BUZZ—
Kevin Collins’s phone suddenly started vibrating. He took it out, looked at the screen, and a smile immediately spread across his face. "We’ve got it."
