Chapter 98: Matthews and the Investigation of Mrs. Helen

Just as he reached the office door, Verinise stepped out from inside.

“Good morning, sir.”

Verinise nodded, wasting no words, and walked straight past Roan.

“Follow me.”

Roan quickly caught up. The two entered the elevator, and Verinise pressed the button for the upper floors.

The elevator doors opened slowly. From afar, the sign reading “Chief Special Agent’s Office” came into view, instantly catching Roan’s eye.

His eyebrow twitched at the sight, but before he could say anything, Verinise had already strode out of the elevator, heading directly for the office and knocking on the door.

“One moment,” came the slightly hoarse voice of a middle-aged man from inside. Seeing Verinise waiting at the door, Roan decisively stood by her side as well.

Soon, the office door opened, and a person Roan hadn’t expected appeared before him.

“Good morning, sir.” Matthews, dressed in a black suit with a badge identifying him as team leader, stepped out of the office. He smiled quickly and greeted Verinise. But the moment he saw Roan standing behind her, the smile froze on his face.

Verinise gave a curt nod without replying, then strode into the office.

Since he hadn’t been instructed to enter, Roan remained outside, tilting his head toward Matthews with a gentle, friendly smile.

“Good afternoon, Sir Matthews.”

Matthews’s mouth twitched at the words. He couldn’t understand why Roan would be here—a mere junior agent, several ranks below the Chief Special Agent. There must be some special reason for his presence! Thinking of special reasons, Matthews felt a chill run through him. Could it be that string of bank robberies?

But then Matthews shook his head. The case had only been handed to Investigation Team Five for less than three days—what could they have found in such a short time? Would Verinise really bring Roan to see Chief Special Agent Colbert just for that?

Or… had they made a mistake in the investigation?

At this thought, Matthews’s eyes lit up. But before he could speak, Verinise’s cold, distinctive voice came from inside the office:

“Good afternoon, sir. Regarding the serial bank robberies, Agent Roan Greenwood from my team has already apprehended one group of robbers. However, the case also involved the IRS, so I’m here to report the situation.”

Hearing this, the light in Matthews’s eyes instantly faded; he stared at Roan in disbelief.

Roan said nothing, his smile growing even warmer.

Colbert, who was seated behind his desk, paused in surprise at Verinise’s report. He put down his pen and looked up in confusion.

“You’ve apprehended one group of robbers? What exactly do you mean by that?”

“The details are best explained by Roan Greenwood himself,” Verinise shook her head, indicating that Roan had taken the lead in this case and should be the one to elaborate.

After a long look at Verinise, Colbert closed the file on his desk, leaned back, and nodded.

“This Roan Greenwood is here, isn’t he? Let him in.”

Verinise nodded and turned toward the door. Seeing Matthews still standing there, she frowned.

“Matthews, let Roan in. And close the door on your way out.”

Matthews: “…”

Before Matthews could answer, Roan at the door adjusted his suit, flashed a radiant smile, and stepped in front of Matthews, speaking softly:

“If you please, Sir Matthews. The chief is calling for me.”

“I…” Matthews’s face darkened at once. But seeing that Colbert’s attention was now on them, he took a deep breath, quelled his anger, and stepped aside, gesturing for Roan to enter.

“Thank you, sir.”

Roan nodded with a smile, entered the office, and closed the door behind him. The door closed so quickly that it nearly struck Matthews’s nose, leaving his face a deep, livid purple. A string of curses caught in his throat, but considering Colbert was inside, he dared not utter a word. His complexion deepened from purple to nearly blue.

Roan, oblivious to Matthews’s state in the hallway, wouldn’t have cared even if he had noticed, for at that moment, Chief Special Agent Colbert was already looking at him.

“Good afternoon, sir. Roan Greenwood, official agent of Investigation Team Five.”

Standing at the desk beside Verinise, Roan greeted Colbert with a calm, unflinching smile.

Noting Roan’s upright bearing and handsome features, the slight irritation Colbert had felt dissipated, and a faint smile appeared on his face as he asked directly:

“Summarize the case for me.”

“Yes, sir.”

Roan nodded and, without superfluous words, recounted how the case had been handed to Team Five, the efforts of the whole team, their suspicions, and the process of apprehending the suspects. He finished by stating that Team Five had obtained critical clues related to the previous four robberies and was confident they could solve the case within the allotted time.

“Good.”

Colbert, having unconsciously sat up straighter during Roan’s account, nodded in satisfaction. After a brief silence, he waved a hand.

“All right, you may go.”

“Yes, sir.”

Roan responded promptly, nodded at Verinise, then turned and left the office without hesitation.

As he opened the door, Matthews was nowhere to be seen. But Roan, ever observant, noticed what looked like a fist mark—and a trace of blood—on the wall opposite the office.

He grinned, closed the door behind him, and waited outside.

Inside, Colbert tapped his pen and nodded.

“He’s quite a talent.”

A faint smile played at Verinise’s lips.

After a silent pause, Colbert waved his hand.

“If this case is solved within the deadline, I’ll grant your previous request, as long as it doesn’t violate any regulations.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Receiving the answer she wanted, Verinise gave a slight nod, her little finger twitching, before leaving the room.

The office door closed quietly behind her. Colbert tossed his pen aside, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes to rest.

“Roan Greenwood…”

Verinise returned to her office; Roan had just arrived back at Team Five’s workspace when Lacey approached him with a smile.

“According to Nammett, Brandon was the mastermind behind both cases.”

“When dogs fight, there’s always fur flying.”

Roan shook his head at this. He didn’t care who among the three was the ringleader—he’d already caught them. However the judge chose to sentence them was no concern of his; he only cared about when the bank’s reward money would arrive.

After renovating that little apartment, Roan barely had any money left.

“So what’s next, Roan?” Lacey shrugged, seeing he didn’t care about the ringleader, and tilted her head.

“Go after Mrs. Helen?”

“No, let’s do that tomorrow.”

Roan shook his head and pointed at the clock on the wall.

“It’s already quitting time.”

If he remembered correctly, Norton had promised to buy him dinner.

—

The next day, at the strip club owned by Mrs. Helen.

“I’m sorry, agents,” Mrs. Helen, still elegant in her fifties, crossed her legs leisurely in her office as she replied to Lacey’s questions about the bank robbers.

“I truly don’t know anything about those bank robbers—you’ve got the wrong person.”

“Are you sure?”

Lacey narrowed her eyes at this, while Roan sat silently beside her, checking the reward he’d received from the system the previous day.

(End of chapter)