Chapter 293
Herman had been having a pretty lousy couple of days.
He had been secretly investigating Naylor due to lack of solid proof…
Throughout this undercover investigation, he had been a whirlwind of emotions, almost bursting into
Naylor’s office a few times to confront him, to find out if his suspicions are true and why they would be.
But he had to suppress his urges, keep his cool, endure to the brink, all in the name of gathering solid
evidence.
Whether Naylor is guilty or not, he needs an answer backed by proof.
However, reality hasn’t been playing out as he’d hoped.
He’s sifted through all the cases Naylor’s handled in the past, and the deeper he digs, the more tangled
up it gets with the Martin family. Even though there’s no direct evidence in those cases linking Naylor
and the Martin family, the Martins keep popping up, and the hidden connections are bound to surface
sooner or later.
For the first time, the case is making progress, but Herman felt far from relaxed or excited.
One afternoon, after going through a batch of files, Herman headed to the rooftop for a smoke.
Just as he was halfway through, Naylor, in his uniform, suddenly showed up too.
Herman had been avoiding him for days and seeing him now has a surprisingly calming effect.
He watched Naylor approach, lets his gaze linger on Naylor’s composed face for a moment, then softly
greeted, “Sir.”
Naylor ambled over and cracked a small smile, “Saw your team in the canteen, they said you’ve barely
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtbeen eating these days, just smoking a lot. Figured I’d find you here.”
Herman managed a weak smile and stayed silent.
“Is it the case that’s bothering you?” Naylor asked, “Your team doesn’t seem to have any new cases,
does it?”
Hearing this, Herman let out a sigh, slowly replied, “True, but going through those old cases can be a
real headache, don’t you think?”
Naylor reached out and lightly patted his shoulder, “It’s good to be hardworking when you’re young, but
you’ve got to take care of yourself too, cut down on the smoking.”
“You used to smoke a lot when you were leading us through cases,” Herman replied.
“Do you see me smoking like that now?” Naylor countered, “I’ve been forced to quit by my wife, or she
probably would’ve divorced me by now!”
Talking about these familiar people and things left Herman feeling somewhat lost, as if Naylor was still
his revered mentor and not a suspect in his mind.
“Drop by my place when you have time,” Naylor suggested, “My wife was asking about you the other
day, wants to know if you have a girlfriend and even offered to set you up. I’ll have her cook a nice
meal, it’s been a while since we’ve had a drink together
Hearing this, Herman softly nodded. Before he could say anything else, his phone suddenly rang.
Herman swiftly took out his phone, saw Seraphina’s name flash on the screen and hesitated for a
moment before answering, “Hello.”
“I have some good news for you,” Seraphina said on the other end of the line, “I’ve lost track of Keeley.
“What?”
Herman couldn’t help but furrow his brow, just as he was about to inquire further, Naylor’s phone
suddenly rang as well.
Herman instinctively looked at Naylor, who calmly answered the call after a quick glance at his phone.
“I guess, he’s probably on the move,” Seraphina said.
Herman watched Naylor’s retreating figure and slowly replied, “I think so too.”
“But Keeley’s current situation might not be safe,” Seraphina continued, “We can’t control what might
happen next, but I’m counting on you.”
Herman stayed silent for a while before responding.
Herman hung up and shortly after Naylor ended his call, he turned to Herman, “I have to go, let me
know when you’re free so I can tell my wife.”
Herman nodded and watched Naylor leave. About thirty seconds later, he slowly followed Naylor’s
footsteps.
Instead of heading back to his office, Naylor went to the parking lot. heading back to his own office,
Herman called Seraphina, “Have the person tailing my mentor update me on his whereabouts.”
After saying that, he hurriedly returned to his office, grabbed a colleague’s car keys, and headed to the
parking lot as well.
Sure enough, someone from Seraphina’s end was tailing Naylor and not long after, Naylor’s location
was sent to Herman’s phone. Herman followed the address received on his phone.
However, after a short while, the location update suddenly stopped.
Before Herman could contact Seraphina, Naylor’s call came through on his phone. He hesitated for a
moment and then quickly picked up, “Sir.”
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm“Herman.” Naylor’s calm voice called out, “I’ve thought it over, I can’t handle this alone.”
Herman felt a knot in his stomach and quickly asked, “What’s wrong?”
“My wife has been kidnapped.” Naylor revealed.
Herman was taken aback, then asked, “Who did it? Why?”
“It’s someone from a case I handled a while back.” Naylor explained, “We’ve kept in touch over the
years, had a pretty good relationship, but I have no idea why he would do something like this. He asked
me to meet him alone, I’m on my way to the location he specified now. My wife’s safety is at stake and I
might be losing my cool, so I need you as backup. If anything happens, can you provide support?”
Herman’s blood pressure was racing.
The person Naylor mentioned was obviously Keeley.
Keeley had kidnapped his wife, and this could very well be true.
This was supposed to be a showdown between the two of them, but why would his teacher call him før
backup? Wasn’t he afraid he’d see or hear something that would confirm his identity and guilt?
As Herman was deep in thought, he asked, “Do you need me to bring the team…?”
“No need,” Naylor responded, “I don’t want to cause a big stir. If we scare him, my wife’s safety could
be compromised! He’s actually just a naive young man, maybe just acting on impulse. I notified you just
to be fully prepared. Take your time.”
Meanwhile, Herman’s phone lit up with a call from Seraphina. He answered, hearing Seraphina’s voice,
“They’ve lost track of Naylor, what do we do now?”
In an instant, Herman became calm.
“They might have lost him, but I haven’t,” Herman responded, “I’m going to find him now.”
No matter what Naylor was planning to do, no matter what he was about to face, this time, he had to
go.