“I’m afraid I can’t allow that,” the police sergeant said as they crossed their arms across their chest.
Reyna froze, unable to believe what she just heard.
Jeanette, who had been in the middle of pulling out her credit card again, stared unblinkingly at the police chief.
Even though the office door was closed, the officers in the station stole glances at them through the window.
“Why not?” Jeanette asked, her eyes narrowing.
“I understand the severity of your case.
No one wants to hear that their child is missing, and the first 24 to 72 hours are crucial, but we can’t accept your money.
It would have been one thing if you had approached the freelancer of your own accord, but you are doing it through our station.
People might accuse us of bribery, which I can’t allow.
I’m sorry,” the sergeant said apologetically.
“Then what if we go to the freelancer directly?” Jeanette asked.
“As I stated earlier, it would look suspicious if you spoke with them in the station.
I can’t allow that, but I can try talking with my superiors about your case,” they offered.
“How long would it take?” Reyna asked, trying to keep her voice from shaking.
Instead of giving her a straight answer, the sergeant said, “I’ll let you know as soon as possible.
For now, please wait outside for news.” She wanted to pursue the matter further, but she feared making a scene would make it less likely for him to help her.
The two women stepped out, bumping into the officer who had brought them here.
Before they could exchange a word, the sergeant called out, “Officer Leach, please step inside.” The way the sergeant said it made it clear to the three of them that the officer was in trouble.
While Reyna would normally feel sorry for getting the officer in trouble, she couldn’t stop thinking about her missing son.
It had already been a couple hours.
Anything could have happened to him in that time.
Jeanette placed a hand on her shoulder and said, “Don’t let this one hurdle get you down.
We’ll find a way.” Reyna gave her a shaky smile, wanting to believe she was right.
The two women found a place to sit, choosing to stay and wait in case they got good news.
Jeanette immediately called Seamus to let him and Waylon know what happened while Reyna scanned the busy station.
Her eyes eventually landed on a person who had just stepped through the entrance.
The first thing that caught her attention was his white hair.
It was quite striking in the bustling station, standing out like a sore thumb.
Suddenly, the man glanced in her direction, his dark green eyes finding hers.
His eyes took on an intensity that left her shifting anxiously in her seat.
Why was he looking at her like that?
He abruptly marched in her direction, and she glanced at Jeanette for help.
Jeanette narrowed her eyes, standing up to confront the man head-on.
“Excuse me, what are you looking at?” Jeanette asked.
He didn’t seem to notice Jeanette’s hostility and said, “I just saw your friend and had a question I wanted to ask.” While Reyna was hesitant, she couldn’t see anything wrong with indulging the man.
If she didn’t like the question, she could just not answer it.
What was he going to do to her if she refused?
They were in the middle of a police station.
There was no way he would get away with anything.
At her nod, the man asked, “Which country are you from?” The question left her stunned before she blurted out, “What are you talking about?
I’m a citizen of the empire.” “Huh.
Are you sure about that?” he pressed.
Why would the man ask that out of the blue?
Did he figure out that she was actually from the Kingdom of Goden?
What gave it away?
She didn’t know what to do, but luckily, she wasn’t alone, and Jeanette snapped, “What nonsense are you talking about?
Do you ask everyone that question?
Do you want me to report you to the police for harassment?” The man just nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders and said, “You can try.
I work here.” Reyna had never seen such a laidback police officer before.
He wasn’t even dressed like one.
Anyone would think he was a random citizen stopping by to ask for help from the police in those sweats he was wearing.
“Fine.
I’ll report to your superiors.
There’s no way they would ignore this,” Jeanette said, her eyes already searching for the first free police officer to report the case to.
Just then, someone came running up to them and said, “I’m so sorry.
He hasn’t said anything to you, has he?” “I want to report him for harassment,” Jeanette said.
The person groaned before turning her attention to the man and snapped, “Can you stop that?
Do you know how it looks for the station if one of our people gets reported for harassment?” The man didn’t seem to have a care in the world, folding his hands behind his head and saying, “Whatever.
You’re the ones that wanted to hire me.
I can go back to freelancing on my own.” Reyna perked up and asked “Freelancing?
Are you perhaps the freelancer they were talking about?” The man gave her a blank look as Jeanette shot him a disgusted look and said, “No wonder the sergeant didn’t want us to see him here.
He must have known about his attitude and didn’t want to take responsibility if something happened.” They were reminded that there was a fourth person in the conversation when the woman asked, “Excuse me, but what are you two talking about?” Jeanette and Reyna gave a brief summary of their situation, causing the person to grimace.
The man didn’t seem all that interested in the conversation, looking around and shifting in place.
“I’m sorry about your situation.
It must be tough on you,” the person said.
“I was hoping that Mister Freelancer would be free to take my case, but…” Reyna trailed off, not wanting to admit her thoughts.
Jeanette had no such problems and bluntly said, “He doesn’t seem reliable.” The person coughed, shooting a glance at the man before saying, “I’m sorry about his behavior.
He might not act like it, but he does take his job seriously.
I haven’t heard of a case where he couldn’t succeed.” “Oh, uh, sir, can you please help me find my son?” Reyna asked.
She wasn’t sure if asking the man for help was a good idea.
Despite what the other person said earlier, the man didn’t give the impression that he would be willing to help much less actually get the job done.
To her surprise, the man said, “I’ll take the case.”