"Aaron, tell me!" Evadne shot up from her chair, her voice trembling with


    anticipation.


    "This Baron guy himself is clean. His ie is all above board. Well, actually, not exactly."


    "What do you mean?" Evadne pressed.


    "I looked into Baron''s assets and ie sources. He''s a high earner, but with his son''s gambling addiction and his wife''s serious illness, he''s been bled dry.


    Besides a house and a car, he has nothing. However, two days ago, he scheduled a bone marrow transnt for his wife and paid her hospital bills. The total came to over five hundred thousand, and he paid it all at once. Not only that, but he also paid off the three million his son owed to loan sharks."


    The phone was on speaker, and Jason, listening beside her, scowled. "That son is the worst kind of degenerate. He''s a lost cause."


    Aaron continued, "With his current financial situation, there''s no way he could havee up with that kind of money. That''s a massive red g."


    A cold glint appeared in Evadne''s eyes. "There''s no doubt about it. Chad paid Baron off to throw Thaddeus under the bus. He took the money, so of course, he''d do the job."


    Jason considered this, a sense of unease creeping in. "Ms. Evadne, if we try to go through legal channels, it''ll be difficult to get Baron. Even though he took dirty money from Chad, it could be argued it was a gift, not a bribe. We don''t have direct evidence of a quid pro quo."


    "He''s right, Evadne," Aaron added. "His finances are suspicious, but he didn''t technically abuse his power. We can''t touch him."


    "True." Evadne nodded, a cunning light in her eyes. "But who said I was going to use legal channels? He''s already ying dirty. Why should I y by the rules? I''m not a fool. Besides, I''m no saint. I''ll fight fire with fire."


    Jason let out a sharp breath and gave her a thumbs-up.


    Aaron coughed. "Uh, what was thatst part? The signal''s breaking up."


    "Thank you, Aaron. What you''ve found is more than enough." Evadne''s voice was sweet. "By the way, is Baron''s son in Elmsworth right now?"


    "He is. Wait, Evadne, are you nning on going after them?" Aaron''s voice wasced with worry. "Don''t go alone; it''s too dangerous! His son is a low-life with a long criminal record. If he gets desperate he could hurt you. I''ll go with you!"


    "No. You''re a cop. You can''t be seen getting involved in this. Don''t worry, even if they both came at me, I could take them with one hand tied behind my back." A confident, cold smile yed on Evadne''s lips. "If his son is a gambler who''s that deep in the hole, it means he owes more than just three million. His son is Baron''s greatest weakness. We''ll start there and take them both down. Chad thinks he can get what he wants with threats and bribes? Two can y at that game."


    The next day after making all the necessary preparations, Evadne and Jason drove to the Zade residencete at night. The Zades lived in a middle ss suburban


    neighborhood with detachevel


    houses, but their yard was overgrown and neglected, a clear sign of a home in disarray. If his wife had been healthy and his son responsible, Mr. Zade would have lived a veryfortable life. But a spoiled child brings ruin to a home, and this ce had lost all sense of family.


    "This is it, Ms. Evadne," Jason said, looking at the dark house with uncertainty. "Does anyone even live here?"


    "With a son like that bleeding him dry, he''s probably trying to save on electricity to pay off his debts."