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Chapter 3

Ella felt a lump in her throat and glanced at Zoey, not sure how to introduce her.

Should she say she called the cops because she thought someone was stalking her, and this was the officer checking it out? What would he think of her?

Ella's grip on the doorknob tightened instinctively.

Zoey looked up just then, her eyes flicking over the guy's face before she quickly went back to her phone.

"I'm not her friend; I'm just giving her a ride home!" she said honestly, though she left out some details.

And what she left out was exactly what Ella found hard to talk about.

The guy smiled a bit. "Got it, you two chat. I'll go take out the trash!"

With that, he walked past them with the trash bag and headed for the elevator.

Ella watched him go for a while until Zoey's cough snapped her back to reality.

Blushing, she stepped aside. "Officer Brown, please come in! My place is a bit messy; hope you don't mind!"

Zoey said, "Alright."

Before stepping in, Zoey glanced back at the slowly closing elevator doors. Coincidentally, the guy in the elevator was also looking at her. Their eyes met, and he gave her a warm, gentle smile.

Zoey kept a straight face, looked away, and walked into Ella's place.

Ella's rented apartment was a one-bedroom unit, only about 300 square feet.

The decor was simple and elegant, with floral wallpaper that had yellowed at the edges and some scattered brown marks.

Though Ella didn't have much stuff, it almost filled the tiny room. Luckily, she was super organized; despite the cramped space, it was tidy and neat, giving off a pretty nice vibe.

Zoey sat down on the sofa, and Ella poured her a glass of water. As she handed it over, she couldn't help but ask, "Officer Brown, did you notice anything on the way back?"

"No." Mark and the others had already done a thorough check, and they found nothing unusual. What could she possibly uncover on a casual stroll?

Ella lowered her eyes, looking uneasy. "What should I do then? Will you stop helping me because there's nothing unusual?"

"No!" Zoey looked at her, "Since you called the police, I will be responsible for you until your safety is fully confirmed."

Hearing this, Ella felt a bit more at ease.

Unable to find any clues, she remained deeply anxious.

Seeing her like this, Zoey suppressed her irritation and tried to divert her attention. "Think carefully; besides feeling watched, has anything weird happened lately?"

Ella muttered, "Something strange?"

Zoey said, "For example, has anyone asked you for help or directions?"

Ella, momentarily distracted by the question, thought hard before shaking her head. "No, nothing weird. My life is pretty simple—just work and home. I don't have many friends here. Apart from occasionally going downstairs to feed the community's stray cats and dogs, I rarely leave the house once I'm back."

"Feeding stray cats and dogs?" Zoey's eyes flickered. "Did anyone use that as an excuse to talk to you?"

Ella shook her head again.

Zoey nodded. "Alright, since you're home safe, I'll head out. Think back over this time and see if anything weird happened. Hit me up if you remember something."

Ella nodded. "Okay!"

Zoey took the elevator down and saw the guy from across Ella's apartment squatting by the trash can.

A bunch of stray cats were gathered around him, munching on cat food from bowls.

Maybe it was because Zoey's stare was too obvious, the guy turned his head.

Their eyes met. He smiled a bit and stood up. "Heading out already?"

Zoey nodded, glancing at the stray cats and the full bowls of food. "Are there a lot of stray cats and dogs around here?"

The guy smiled shyly, his voice gentle. "There used to be a lot, but lately, there are fewer. Maybe they found somewhere else to go."

Zoey nodded and looked at him. "You're pretty kind-hearted."

The guy smiled bashfully, his eyelashes lowering. "I didn't do much."

"You've done enough," Zoey said with a hint of meaning, then turned and left.

Behind her, the guy's gaze lingered on her as she walked away. The dim streetlight cast a long shadow, making his features hard to see in the darkness.

On her way back, Zoey got a call from Mark.

Mark asked, "How'd it go? Did she say anything?"

Zoey's tone was stiff. "No clues; she said it's just a feeling. I checked out her surroundings, nothing suspicious."

Mark said, "She might just be overly cautious, turning into paranoia. Since there are no clues, come back. Drop this matter."

Zoey agreed.

After taking the subway and bus, Zoey got back to school almost at midnight. Her dorm was empty because her roommates had all moved out due to her crazy behavior.

Zoey enjoyed the peace and casually cooked some pasta. While eating, she uploaded the updates she wrote on her phone to her computer, putting them in the draft box. She had drafted four thousand words today!

After eating, she noticed it was late and decided to sleep. Zoey washed the pot, climbed into bed, and plugged in her phone to charge. Just as she was about to sleep, she heard two vibrations.

She picked up her phone and saw a voice message from the school director, William Harris.

William's voice was full of concern. "Zoey, how's the internship at the police station going?"

Zoey replied: [It's going well.]

William quickly sent another voice message, over forty seconds long. "Good to hear. Keep up the good work. After this month, I'll arrange for you to join the criminal investigation department. I always thought, with your abilities, you're more suited for criminal investigation. But you know, you need to control your temper."

Zoey didn't think she was suited for criminal investigation. On the contrary, she was quite satisfied with her current job.

So she honestly replied to William.

Zoey: [No need, I think this police station suits me well, with good pay and leisure.]

William found it curious. So he sent another voice message. "This place has the most work and the most diverse tasks; how could you possibly be idle?"

Zoey turned over and replied: [I don't know, but I'm quite free.]

William was silent for a while, then his tone turned somber. "Are you being ostracized?"

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