Two Hundred and fifty nine

CHAPTER 259

Nicholas drove to the police station. He parked his car with the other cars in the parking lot and went inside. Tightening his coat around his body, Nicholas walked to meet Noel and Elden. He already had evidence, there was a license plate that Nicholas could look up, everything must be connected and Nicholas' guess that Ace had killed Alicia's parents must be right.

Nicholas waved one hand in the air when he saw Noel and Elden talking at Elden's desk. They were busy at their computers and Nicholas walked over to them.

"How was it? Did you guys find anything?"

Elden and Noel looked up, seeing Nicholas standing next to Elden's desk. Elden was a digital expert, just like Hendrick. He was part of the IT team for the serious crimes division and Elden did his job well.

"This car was bought five years ago, but the vehicle tax has not been paid since two years ago. It seems to have changed ownership, I'm not sure if it was sold to someone else or if the owner intentionally failed to pay the vehicle tax."

That explanation came from Elden, who was also good at speaking. And Elden's detailed explanation made Nicholas nod his head, indicating that he understood the situation.

"Were you able to track the last position of the car?"

Noel replied, "We've coordinated with the traffic team, the license plate is heading towards the suburbs. It's probably close to where Jason was found, it's heading towards the river mouth. Maybe we should check if there's a garage or someone's house there, to confirm if the car is in the hands of the original owner or if it's been sold by the original owner to someone else."

Nicholas looked at Noel, then at Elden in turn. "Is it possible to go after them now?"

Noel and Elden exchanged glances. Elden then spoke up, he said, "If someone is pursuing them, there should be someone else supervising the pursuit in the office. This pursuit should be in cooperation with the team from the traffic division, as only they have full access to view the entire city's CCTV."

Nicholas snapped his fingers in the air, then pointed at Noel. "Noel, you will come with me. Elden will monitor the chase via video call. He must communicate with the team from the traffic division so that we don't lose track of the car."

Noel nodded in agreement, followed by Elden who also nodded his head.

Nicholas and Noel immediately got ready, they were about to leave the police station to conduct the chase. And that chase, caught the attention of Hendrick who had just arrived there. The man immediately sensitized and spread his arms in the air.

"Where are you guys going?"

Nicholas and Noel exchanged glances. The contents of both men's heads were almost the same. They couldn't tell Hendrick, but it was impossible to avoid the question. Nicholas then looked at Elden, from where he stood, the New York police chief was trying to code his gestures for Elden to give the same answer if Hendrick asked. "Noel and I are going to check on Alicia, I heard she saw something suspicious."

"Alicia?"

Nicholas tapped Hendrick on the shoulder, he then said, "You don't need to come with us. You need to focus on chasing Ace. OK?"

"Yes, Detective."

After exchanging codes, Nicholas and Noel managed to fool Hendrick. They quickly got into Nicholas' car. Noel turned on his cell phone and dialed Elden.

"Hello, Elden?"

[Yes, sir? Elden is ready to report from here!]

Elden's voice was quite loud, he was bold and confident. But this made Nicholas hesitant and anxious. Nicholas grabbed Noel's cell phone, then spoke to Elden who was still on standby on the other side.

"Elden, can you please keep your voice down? I don't want Hendrick to know about this chase."

[H-Hendrick? Um, he already left, Chief]

The notification from Elden made Nicholas frown. He pressed the loudspeaker icon and let Elden's voice also be heard by Noel who was preparing behind the steering wheel of the car.

[It seems Mr. Hendrick left immediately after speaking with you two, Chief. We haven't had a chance to talk yet, he seemed to be in a hurry."]

Nicholas let out a long sigh. Noel started the car's engine after Nicholas gave the signal. After a pause, Nicholas finally gave the order. "Can you track Hendrick's car too?"

[It looks like I'll need Peter's help. I won't be able to focus on keeping an eye on two cars traveling at the same time, Chief]

"Alright, let Peter help you. Tell him to go to the traffic division team center, we'll cross-communicate."

[Okay, Chief. Let me talk to Peter first.]

"Okay."

As Nicholas and Noel drove across the city, tension filled the air in the car. Nicholas couldn't shake the feeling that something bigger was going on, and the urgency of this chase further heightened his alertness.

Elden's voice crackled over the phone, [Chief, Peter is on standby. He will coordinate with the traffic team. They will help track down Ace and Hendrick's car simultaneously."]

Nicholas nodded in agreement. "Good. Let's keep our eyes on the road and our minds sharp."

As they approached the outskirts of the city, the landscape changed from an urban sprawl to a quiet neighborhood. Noel's keen eyes scanned his surroundings, looking for signs of suspicious cars. Suddenly, a flash of movement caught his eye. "Over there, Chief, I think I saw that car. It turned into that narrow alley."

Nicholas immediately confirmed Noel's statement to Elden. "Is the black car on the north side of our car the car we're looking for?"

Elden then replied, [That's right, Detective. you're close, he's still speeding, you better hurry.]

Nicholas gripped the edge of his seat. "Step on the gas, Noel. We can't lose that car. We'll see if Ace is in the car or if we'll catch another criminal!"

The chase intensified as they weaved through alleys and streets, suspect cars darting in and out of sight.

"That car is traveling fast, it seems to know it's being followed!" squealed Noel in confusion.