Tessa was already starting to miss her plush bed at home and thefort of being waited on by


    staff.


    Now, all she had were two worn–out nkets, three concrete walls, one iron door, and a half- deranged Julian.


    For the first time, Tessa truly felt what it meant to live in misery.


    But there was nothing she could do.


    All her belongings had been confiscated by the officers.


    Even if she wanted to make a phone call, she had no way to do it.


    Meanwhile, the Ravenshore Police Department was still trying to contact the families of both Tessa and Julian.


    They’d been held for quite some time, and yet not a single person hade to im them.


    That, too, puzzled the officers.


    By all ounts, Julian might’ve seemed unstable, but from the way he dressed, it was clear he came from money.


    So how had he ended up like this?


    And Tessa–there was something about her.


    Her entire demeanor made it obvious she wasn’t just anyone.


    Some of the officers even felt her face looked vaguely familiar.


    But no one could quite ce where they’d seen her before.


    The chief of the station was already feeling the pressure,


    Tessa’s case hadn’t been fully nailed down.


    They had that suspicious bank transaction, but it wasn’t solid enough.


    Tessa could stille up with some excuse to deny it.


    Getting her to admit she was behind it all–based on that alone–was a long shot.


    Julian, though, was another matter.


    His crimes were clear as day.


    Everyone had seen it happen.


    So even if someone from his family came, the most they could hope for was a shorter sentence.


    Anything more was out of the question.


    The chief rubbed his temples, the frustration building to the point it nearly spilled over.


    He finally made a call to the station chief in Millford–and from there, learned the truth about who these two really were.


    In addition, he asked the Millford chief to send over all rted records.


    The Millford chief didn’t hesitate.


    He sent everything immediately.


    He held nothing back.


    Getting rid of those two troublemakers was a relief for him.


    Over there, the pair had beenpletely unmanageable, especially Tessa–she had far too many demands.


    And Julian, with his erratic behavior, was no better.


    He never gave a straight answer, and no one knew what to do with him.


    He was of no help in pushing the case forward.


    After thinking it over, the Millford chief came up with the idea to simply send them both back home.


    It was better for everyone that way.


    They wouldn’t have to worry about them anymore.


    And since it was their homnd, if anything happened, they at least had family around.


    Their rtives would find ways to handle things.


    Unlike in Millford, where getting in touch with anyone on their behalf was like pulling teeth.


    The Millford chief also recalled the call he’d received earlier from Julian’s father and passed that information along <i>to </i>the Ravenshore chief as well.


    The Ravenshore chief frowned in confusion. “Hayes Enterprises?”


    “That name sounds familiar…”


    He tried to search his memory for anypanies he might’ve heard of, but the details were all a


    blur.


    Nothing stood out.


    “I’ll send you the number,” the Millford chief offered warmly.


    Tessa and Julian had made life miserable for him long enough.


    He honestly looked forward to seeing how things ended for them.


    They’d wasted enough time over there already.


    214


    No point dragging it out.


    The Ravenshore chief looked genuinely grateful. “Thanks so much. Don’t worry, once we have a result, I’ll keep you updated.”


    X