Crises in Love (Zora and Jaylan)
Chapter 408

I overheard one of the police grumble, "This neighborhood's a real melting pot, tough to get a handle on. A blanket search is not realistic, especially without a specific target or location..." He glanced at Dalton and shook his head, deciding not to finish his thought.

Dalton surveyed the scene, his expression gloomy.

Anyone would get a headache here. The area was a sprawl of apartment blocks, their windows lit up like a Christmas display - pretty, sure, but searching? Forget about it. We wouldn't cover a handful of buildings by sunrise.

I was certain that after we searched every nook and cranny, Catherine would be dead as a doornail.

I turned to Logan, who had become eerily calm upon arriving.

I couldn't stand it and shot off a text to Clara- [Location!] She'd see it the moment she powered up her phone.

But there was no reply, and my heart kept pounding, my mind racing with increasingly terrifying scenarios.

If Clara had been playing me, then we were just burning through Catherine's lifeline.

I clenched my phone, pacing frantically. And I even wanted to bombard Clara with calls until she answered, but Logan stopped me. "Don't call her anymore. It could cause unnecessary trouble. If Clara tipped us off, those calls might blow her cove. It might make things even more dangerous."

"What do we do then?" I asked, my composure cracking as I imagined the worst unfolding.

Dalton finished conferring with some plainclothes officers, who then scattered into the crowd, disappearing as if they'd never been there.

Dalton came over and reported, "Just hang tight. My guys have their own sources. I've sent them the location. They'll sniff around, see what's fishy. We should get some intel soon."

I looked at Dalton, doubt seeping into my voice. "I'm not even sure if the tip is legit. I've sent her two messages, but no reply. That's what I'm worried about."

Logan glanced at me and offered a few comforting words, "Just wait a bit longer. If they come back with nothing, we'll have to go all in and flush them out." "How?" I perked up, eager for action.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Logan deflected.

Waiting for news was like a year in purgatory. I whispered to Hannah, "What did Logan mean by 'flush them out'?"

She glanced at me and said, "Like agitating a hornet's nest. Disturb their hiding spot enough, and whatever or whoever is hidden will inevitably surface." "So why wait?" I pressed, anxious.

"It's a last resort," Hannah explained. "If we scare them, they might do something drastic, even murder."

I shut up, realizing I didn't fully understand the criminal psyche. Her words left me feeling powerless with nothing to do but wait.

The officers returned one by one, their faces telling me all I needed to know - no worthy leads.

Inwardly, I screamed for Catherine. Where was she? Was she alright? She just had to be safe.

Then Dalton got a call, and his already grim expression darkened further.

After hanging up, he told Logan, "We found Catherine's car. It's in a small reservoir about 10 miles from that roundabout we checked. Some guy trying to poach fish found it." "That explains why we couldn't find it," Logan sighed heavily.

Logan looked at the jigsaw puzzle of buildings and made a decisive call. "No more waiting. Dalton, send out the word. We're going to raid this place. Get every squad car here. let's lock it down." He turned to Dalton, "You get my drift?"

Dalton nodded but couldn't help asking, "Are you sure...?"

"I'm sure!" Logan said with such conviction that I felt a surge of confidence.

Just as Dalton reached for his phone to make arrangements, my own phone chimed. I glanced at the screen and got the shock of my life. "Wait..." I blurted out.