bChapter /bb231 /b

    Everyone knew full well someone might be locked inside, Cleo’s words were merely a pretext.

    The man couldn’te up with any usible excuse to refuse her request, no matter how hard he tried.

    Seeing him momentarily flustered, Cleo shed him a sweet smile and casually ced her hand on the doorknob. “Let’s just open the door and see

    Under the watchful eyes of several police officers behind him, the man fought back the urge to wipe the cold sweat from his brow. With obvious reluctance, he slowly took a bunch of keys from his waist pocket and tried each one in the door, one by one.

    Cleo watched him with a teasing half–smile. “Any luck?”

    One of the police officers behind them spoke up sternly, “If anyone inside is in danger, we have the authority to breach the door. This is standard safety protocol.”

    The man forced a weak smile. “It’s fine, I found it,” he said, though his voice betrayed his unease.

    He reluctantly selected a key from the bunch and slowly unlocked the door. As the door creaked open with resistance, Cleo was the first to step binside /band immediately flipped the light switch.

    The bed was empty, the room in disarray. Cleo’s throat went dry as she edged closer. On the far side of the bed, she spotted bedsheets knotted together into makeshift ropes.

    Cleo frowned, a possibility immediatelying to mind. She thought, ‘Maxine and Brian must have already escaped from here.

    ‘If that’s the case, then why was that man acting so evasive just now? Besides, I definitely heard some rustling earlier.‘

    Cleo instinctively turned to question the man, only to find he’d already vanished without a trace.

    The officers trailing her also saw the man turn and bolt, immediately spinning around to pursue.

    “Hold it!” Cleo called out abruptly.

    Though it wasn’t their captain who gave the order, the two officers halted mid–step.

    Cleo seemed to realize she’d spoken too abruptly and quickly added, “If that guy’s acting so guilty, there must be something fishy going on here.”

    At her words, the officers immediately went on high alert, their hands instinctively reaching for the stun guns at their belts.

    Cleo, however, didn’t sense any further danger here. ‘If he was nervous enough to brun/bb, /bthat means there aren’t any aplices left in this room,’ she

    reasoned to herself.

    Cleo took a careful look around the room before approaching the wardrobe and cautiously pulling open its doors.

    Inside were several clean outfits. Cleo’s sharp eyes immediately spotted not just women’s loungewear, but also men’s clothing.

    Seeing these clues, Cleo became even more convinced. This had to be where the Jenson family had kept Maxine ar

    son locked up

    The group scoured every inch of the room, yet found ino /itrace whatsoever. Cleo nearly doubted whether she’d actually heard those noises from inside

    earlier.

    They were on the verge bof /bgiving up when suddenly, one of the officers frowned and strode oyer to the bed. With a forceful motion, he gripped the bedside and lifted the mattress.

    Therey a bound woman beneath it.

    Cleo’s heart nearly stopped. For a terrifying moment, she thought Hamlin had gonepletely deranged and hidden a corpse hereb. /bbBut then /bbshe /bbsaw /bbthe /b

    b09:10 /bbFri/bb, /b27 bJun /bbB /b

    woman stuffed inside twitch weakly, gasping for breath.

    The captain hurried over and helped lift the mattress together.

    Cleo scrambled inside, gently cradled the woman’s head, pulled the gag from her mouth, and rubbed her chest to help her catch her breath.

    London was nearly unconscious from being smothered inside.

    Cleo helped pull her out, her voice full of concern as she asked urgently, “Are iyou /ialright?”

    田