Chapter 494: Hello, I want to call the police

Great. Now a few strange men were eyeing the apartment next to hers.

If they actually moved in, she wouldn’t be able to hide the fact that she was living next door for more than a few days!

‘Should I call the police? Or tell the property manager?’

Before Wren Rowan could figure out what to do, she heard a muffled conversation from outside again: “…walled into 714… not found.”

“…damned old man… messed things up.”

Their final words were cut off as the door slammed shut.

Hearing this, Wren Rowan immediately clapped a hand over her mouth, her face turning deathly pale.

‘What did they just say? Walled into? Damned old man?’

She connected this to them hiding in the coffin apartment and the increasingly strong stench that had filled her room over the past few days.

An answer practically leaped to her throat, desperate to be spoken.

The next second, however, she remembered that these men had moved into the apartment next door. If she accidentally made a noise and they discovered her, the consequences would be unthinkable!

Realizing this, Wren Rowan carefully slipped off her shoes and put on several more face masks, trying to block out the stench.

Then she moved into the master bathroom.

Although this room was close to apartment 712, no one would hear her as long as she spoke softly.

She had to be careful and call the police as soon as possible to get the men secretly living next door caught.

Even if they weren’t the murderers she suspected them to be, people who secretly squatted in someone else’s home couldn’t be good people.

With this in mind, Wren Rowan let out a heavy breath and dialed 911.

The phone rang a few times before someone picked up.

“Hello, 911 emergency services. How can I help you?”

The calm, professional voice on the other end of the line was a huge comfort to Wren Rowan.

Wren Rowan cupped her hand over her mouth and part of the phone, quickly giving her community’s name and her floor. “I smelled a really strong stench in my apartment,” she said, “and when I was about to go out, I heard a few men talking outside my door.”

Wren Rowan then repeated the conversation she had overheard to the dispatcher.

The dispatcher on the other end listened, jotting down the important information. “I understand,” the dispatcher instructed. “Hide somewhere safe for now and don’t let the people next door find you. We’ll send someone to check on the situation as soon as possible.”

After hanging up, Wren Rowan pressed her hands tightly over her nose and curled up in a corner of the bathroom, not daring to make a sound for fear of being heard by the people next door.

Meanwhile, at the police station, the dispatcher quickly reported the call. Since Team Two was swamped with work and couldn’t spare the manpower, the case was handed over to Zoe Sawyer’s office.

“Oakhaven?”

Evan Keller frowned as he looked at the file.

The file indicated that the residential community was in a rather remote location with a low occupancy rate.

Moreover, the caller lived in the one building that people usually didn’t dare to go near. If any criminals were targeting it, discovering them certainly wouldn’t be easy.

“First, let’s get a handle on the community’s external situation. Then we’ll find a chance to slip into the building and check things out.” Evan Keller stroked his chin, quickly making a decision.

“Got it!” Officer Lee immediately responded, his fingers flying across the keyboard.

Soon, he pulled up the real-time surveillance footage from Oakhaven.

However, Officer Lee also quickly discovered that, perhaps due to the low number of residents, the community’s surveillance coverage was not very high.

This was especially true for the caller’s building. The two adjacent buildings were unoccupied, so there was no surveillance coverage in that area at all.

It was impossible to see what was happening over there.

The caller’s information was also pulled up.

Wren Rowan. Severe social anxiety, doesn’t like interacting with people. Moved to Oakhaven three months ago.

Currently employed at an electronics technology company. Due to her solid and impressive work performance, the company gave her special permission to work from home, so she doesn’t have to clock in at the office every day.

The trade-off, however, was a reduction in her salary.

Wren Rowan had been working from home like this for four or five years. She rarely interacted with people, had a clean social record, and had no known enemies.

Just as Evan Keller was staring at the file, wondering what excuse they could use to go over, Zoe Sawyer and the others came in.

“What’s wrong? You look worried,” Zoe Sawyer asked, puzzled by Evan Keller’s expression.

Evan Keller looked at them, his expression a little stunned. “Didn’t I tell you all to go home and rest today? Why are you back?”

He had sent them back to the dorm to rest precisely because Zoe Sawyer and her team had only gotten two or three hours of sleep late last night, and in a car at that.

Less than an hour had passed between him sending them away and them returning. In other words, they had just gone back for a quick shower and come right back!

Evan Keller shot Sean Hughes and Heath Hale a disapproving look. If Zoe Sawyer didn’t know her own limits, couldn’t the two of them talk some sense into her?

“I came to sit in the office. This way, I’m on standby if you need me for anything. If not, I can just catch up on sleep in the office next door. It’s no big deal,” Zoe Sawyer said with a smile to Evan Keller, her tone righteous but with a hint of guilt.

‘But then again,’ she thought, ‘this counts as being dedicated to my job and helping my colleagues.’

Zoe Sawyer’s slightly sheepish expression instantly became one of righteous conviction.

Sean Hughes and Heath Hale shrugged at Evan Keller. See? It really wasn’t their fault.

She had a whole string of excuses; they had no grounds to refuse.

Besides, Zoe Sawyer’s complexion looked fine, like she could handle a day’s work, so Heath Hale and Sean Hughes hadn’t denied her request to come in.

Though they couldn’t win against Zoe, they had forced the other three team members to stay back at the dorm and rest.

Those three had been the main force during yesterday’s arrest and the subsequent driving, so they absolutely had to get some proper rest.

Evan Keller sighed. Now that they were here, he couldn’t very well send them back. He could only look at Zoe Sawyer and say, “As it happens, there’s a new case I need your help with.”

With that, Evan Keller handed the file to Zoe Sawyer. “The community has very little surveillance, so we can’t confirm the caller’s situation right now. Zoe, use the door and take a look.”

“Once we know what’s going on over there, we can adjust our plan accordingly.”

Zoe Sawyer took the file. Sean Hughes and Heath Hale leaned in, and the three of them quickly skimmed the documents.

Then, Zoe Sawyer nodded at Evan Keller and said, “I understand. I’ll check on the situation over there now.”

After speaking, Zoe Sawyer headed for the adjacent office, with Heath Hale and the others hurrying to follow.

Zoe Sawyer gripped the doorknob, her mind replaying the information from the file. When the familiar sensation washed over her, she let out a small breath and opened the door.

The scene inside the bathroom appeared before them.