The Cop and the Princess - Chapter Twelve:- Second Move part one

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Chapter 12 – The Second Move

Morning sunlight poured through the farmhouse windows, painting the wooden floor in warm shades of gold.

The smell of pancakes and freshly brewed coffee filled the house.

Hope slowly walked downstairs, still buttoning the sleeves of her shirt.

Before she even reached the kitchen...

She heard laughter.

"...You cheated!"

"I did not."

"You absolutely cheated."

Hope smiled before she even entered the room.

Sara sat on one side of the dining table, pointing accusingly at Leon, who looked completely innocent while sipping his coffee.

Rose placed another plate of pancakes on the table.

"Morning, Detective."

Hope yawned.

"Morning."

Rachel slid a cup of coffee toward her.

"You look like you slept for three hours."

Hope picked it up.

"That's because I did."

Rose folded her arms.

"You know..."

"I've started believing coffee isn't your favorite drink."

Hope looked up.

"Oh?"

"It's your life support."

Everyone laughed.

Sara pushed the syrup bottle toward Hope.

"You'll need this too."

Hope smiled.

"Trying to bribe me?"

Sara grinned.

"No."

"Just making sure you're in a good mood."

Hope raised an eyebrow.

"Should I be worried?"

Leon chuckled.

"I've been wondering the same thing."

Hope finally sat down.

"So..."

"What crime has everyone committed before I woke up?"

Rachel immediately pointed at Leon.

"He keeps losing every board game."

Leon looked offended.

"I lost one."

Sara burst into laughter.

"You lost three."

Leon shook his head dramatically.

"I've never been this disrespected in my own family."

Rose couldn't help smiling.

"Welcome home."

Sara smiled.

"We promised each other we'd always argue over board games."

Leon nodded.

"It's tradition."

Hope quietly took a sip of coffee.

Casey wandered over and rested his head against Hope's leg.

Without even realizing it...

Hope gently brushed his fur.

Sara watched her for a few seconds.

Then smiled.

"There."

Hope looked up.

"What?"

"You did it again."

"What?"

"You disappeared."

Hope blinked.

"...Did I?"

Sara nodded.

"You always play with Casey's fur when you're thinking."

Hope looked down at Casey before smiling faintly.

"I guess I'm easier to read than I thought."

Rose placed another pancake onto Hope's plate.

"You've been carrying work back home."

Hope sighed.

"I'm trying not to."

Rachel smiled.

"Clearly it's not working."

Leon quietly watched Hope for a moment before speaking.

"My father used to tell me something."

Hope looked at him.

"What was that?"

Leon leaned back in his chair.

"If a problem follows you home..."

"...don't invite it to breakfast."

Rose laughed.

"I like your father already."

Hope smiled.

"Sounds easier said than done."

Leon nodded.

"It is."

"But tired people usually make tired decisions."

"Sometimes..."

"The best thing you can do is stop thinking for a little while."

Hope looked at him.

"You sound like you've had experience."

Leon smiled softly.

"Everyone gets overwhelmed eventually."

"You just learn when to pause."

Hope nodded.

"I'll try."

Sara looked at Hope.

"You've been thinking about yesterday... haven't you?"

Hope didn't answer immediately.

She simply smiled.

"A little."

Sara reached over and lightly nudged Hope's arm.

"You'll figure it out."

"You always do."

Hope looked at her.

"I hope you're right, Princess."

Rose clapped her hands once.

"Enough serious conversations."

"Today's mission..."

She pointed toward the sink.

"...is dishes."

Rachel immediately stood up.

"I suddenly remembered I have laundry."

Rose laughed.

"Sit down."

"You remembered nothing."

Leon stood first.

"I'll help."

Rose smiled.

"See?"

"Now that's what I call a responsible older brother."

Leon shrugged.

"I've had years of practice."

Hope quietly watched everyone bickering.

For just a few moments...

The investigation no longer existed.

No poisoned witness.

No mysterious note.

No mastermind.

Just...

Home.

Then—

Hope's phone vibrated across the table.

The screen lit up.

Sean Calling...

Hope answered immediately.

"Morning, Sean."

Sean didn't waste time.

"Hope."

"The Cyber Unit just got something."

Hope's expression instantly changed.

"What did they find?"

"They managed to recover activation records from the burner phones."

"They found two activation locations."

Hope slowly stood.

"I'm coming."

"I've already got everything ready."

The call ended.

Sara looked up.

"You have to leave?"

Hope nodded.

"Duty calls."

Rose smiled knowingly.

"Try finishing breakfast before saving the country next time."

Hope laughed.

"I'll do my best."

She grabbed her jacket.

As she reached the front door, Leon walked beside her.

He smiled.

"One last piece of older-brother advice."

Hope looked at him while putting on her jacket.

"I'm listening."

Don’t push yourself too much take some rest you earned that

Hope smiles don’t worry I will.. once I finish this game

Leon opened the front door.

"Good luck, Detective."

Hope smiled.

"Thanks."

She climbed into her car.

A moment later...

The engine disappeared down the quiet country road.

Sara watched from the doorway until the car was no longer visible.

Then she quietly smiled.

"She'll figure it out."

Leon looked toward the empty road for a brief second before turning back toward the house.

"She usually does."

Scene Two – Police Headquarters

Hope pushed open the glass doors of the Special Investigation Unit.

The usual buzz of officers filled the headquarters.

Phones rang.

Printers hummed.

Detectives hurried from one desk to another carrying files.

Sean was already waiting beside the digital investigation board, a folder tucked under his arm.

The moment he spotted Hope, he walked over.

“Morning.”

Hope returned a small nod.

“You said Cyber found something.”

Sean handed her the folder.

“They recovered the activation records from both burner phones.”

Hope opened it while walking toward the investigation board.

Inside were two satellite maps.

Each had a single red circle marked on it.

She stopped walking.

“Only two?”

Sean nodded.

“Both phones were activated only once.”

“They stayed active for just a few minutes before disappearing forever.”

Hope studied the maps carefully.

“Smart.”

Sean looked at her.

“Meaning?”

“They never intended to use those phones again.”

She tapped the first map.

“This one.”

“Where is it?”

Sean zoomed the digital map.

“A deserted road nearly fifteen kilometers outside the city.”

“No houses.”

“No shops.”

“No CCTV.”

“Nothing.”

Hope stared silently at the map.

“Let’s go.”

Half an hour later

Hope’s SUV rolled onto an empty stretch of road.

The place was exactly as the report described.

A long abandoned road.

Dry grass swayed on both sides.

No buildings.

No traffic.

Only silence.

Hope stepped out first.

She slowly looked around.

Sean joined her.

“This is it.”

Hope didn’t answer.

Instead…

She crouched near the roadside, studying the ground.

Nothing.

She slowly stood again.

One road stretched west.

The other disappeared toward the east.

Hope slowly studied the map again.

Then she looked toward the two roads stretching away from the activation point.

Sean stood beside her.

"So..."

"Which way?"

Hope didn't answer immediately.

Instead, she unfolded the survey map Sean had brought from the Cyber Unit.

Her eyes traced both roads carefully.

After a few seconds, she pointed toward the western road.

"This road ends here."

Sean leaned closer.

A steep cliff overlooked a dried riverbed.

"No villages."

"No exits."

"No connecting roads."

Hope nodded.

"If someone drove this way..."

"They'd have only one option."

"Turn around and come back."

Sean understood immediately.

"So the only practical escape route..."

Hope pointed toward the eastern road.

"...is this one."

She folded the map.

"Let's go." “Let’s check the other side.”

Twenty minutes later…

Hope suddenly stopped.

Sean nearly walked into her.

“What happened?”

Hope looked ahead.

Nearly two miles away…

A small convenience store stood beside the highway.

Mounted above its entrance…

A CCTV camera quietly overlooked the road.

Hope smiled.

“There you are.”

Sean followed her gaze.

“The camera?”

Hope nodded.

“If someone activated that burner phone here…”

“They didn’t walk.”

Sean frowned.

“You think they came by car?”

Hope nodded.

“This road is too far from the city.”

“And too empty.”

“No one’s walking this distance just to make a two-minute phone call.”

Sean looked back toward the road.

“So…”

“What now?”

Hope smiled.

“We find every vehicle that passed this road.”

A few minutes later…

The store owner handed over the CCTV recordings.

Sean inserted the drive into the laptop.

The footage began playing.

Car after car passed.

A truck.

Two motorcycles.

A delivery van.

Nothing unusual.

Sean rubbed his forehead.

“We don’t even know what we’re looking for.”

Hope kept watching.

She never looked away from the screen.

“Keep going.”

The timestamp slowly approached the burner phone activation time.

Then…

Hope suddenly raised her hand.

“Pause.”

Sean immediately froze the video.

A black luxury sedan crossed the screen.

Hope leaned closer.

“Back five seconds.”

Sean rewound.

The car appeared again.

Hope checked the timestamp.

The burner phone had been switched off…

Exactly thirty minutes earlier.

She looked at Sean.

“I think…”

“…we just found our first player.”

Sean stared at the screen.

“You really think that’s the car?”

Hope nodded slowly.

“If someone planned an attack this carefully…”

“They wouldn’t walk away.”

Sean immediately reached for his notebook.

“I’ll get the registration details.”

Hope kept staring at the frozen image.

Scene Three – The Car Owners

Nearly twenty minutes later...

Sean walked briskly back toward Hope, a thin folder in one hand and his phone in the other.

"I got the owner's details."

Hope looked up from the CCTV footage.

"That was quick."

Sean handed her the file.

"Vehicle registered to Daniel Carter."

He flipped to the next page.

"Everything checks out. Address, phone number... no criminal record."

Hope closed the laptop.

"Good."

She tucked the file under her arm.

"Let's pay Mr. Carter a visit."

About forty minutes later...

The police SUV pulled into a quiet suburban neighborhood.

Children played basketball at the end of the street.

Freshly watered gardens lined both sides of the road.

It was hard to imagine anything connected to the convoy attack leading here.

Sean looked at the house number.

"This is it."

Hope stepped out of the SUV.

Sean rang the doorbell.

A few seconds later, the front door opened.

A middle-aged man stood there.

The moment he noticed their badges, his expression changed.

"Officers..."

Hope offered a polite smile.

"Good afternoon."

"I'm Detective Hope Parker."

"This is Officer Sean."

"We'd like to ask you a few questions regarding your black luxury sedan."

For a brief second...

The man's eyes lit up with hope.

"You found it?"

Hope and Sean exchanged a puzzled look.

Sean frowned.

"...Found what?"

The man's smile slowly disappeared.

"Our car."

"It was stolen."

"We filed a police complaint three weeks ago."

"I thought..."

"...that's why you were here."

Silence settled between them for a moment.

Hope looked at Sean.

Sean looked back at Hope.

Neither of them had expected that answer.

Hope finally broke the silence.

"...Would you mind if we came in and talked for a few minutes?"

The man stepped aside immediately.

"Of course."

A few moments later...

Everyone settled into the living room.

Family photographs decorated the walls.

A small toy train sat beneath the television.

Hope opened her notebook.

"Mr. Carter..."

"I'd like you to start from the beginning."

"How was your car stolen?"

Daniel leaned back in his chair and took a slow breath.

"It happened three weeks ago."

"My wife and I were driving home after shopping."

"It was already dark."

"A man suddenly stepped into the middle of the road."

"He was wearing a face mask... gloves... and a cap."

"He pointed a gun at us."

Hope looked up.

“Did he touch either of you?”

“No.”

“Did he search the car?”

“No.”

“Did he ask for your wallets?”

Daniel shook his head.

“No.”

“He only wanted the car.”

Hope nodded slowly.

“So…”

“He came prepared.”

Hope quietly wrote down the date.

Twenty-one days ago.

Exactly three days before Princess Sara’s convoy attack.

Daniel continued.

“He simply looked at us and said…”

‘Leave the car… if you want to live.’

“We got out.”

“He drove away.”

Hope looked up.

“You reported it immediately?”

Daniel nodded.

“Within the hour.”

Hope turned toward Sean.

“Sean.”

“The complaint.”

Sean nodded and checked his tablet.

A few moments later he looked up.

“It matches.”

“The complaint was filed the same night.”

Hope gave a small nod.

She looked back at Daniel.

“One last question.”

“Your sedan…”

“It was a newly launched luxury model, wasn’t it?”

Daniel’s expression softened.

“Yes.”

“I waited months before it arrived.”

Hope nodded almost to herself.

“I thought so.”

Sean looked at her.

“What are you thinking?”

Hope closed the notebook.

“New luxury models come equipped with a manufacturer emergency GPS system.”

Daniel sighed.

“They disabled the GPS.”

Hope shook her head.

“They disabled your GPS.”

She looked at Sean.

“They can’t necessarily disable the manufacturer’s emergency activation.”

Sean immediately understood.

“Ethan.”

Hope nodded.

“Ethan.”

She stood up.

“Mr. Carter…”

“Could you bring me every original document that came with the vehicle?”

Daniel looked surprised.

“I still have them.”

Hope smiled politely.

“Good.”

“We might still have one way to find your car.”

Scene Four – The GPS

The Cyber Unit was quiet.

Multiple monitors glowed across the dark room.

Ethan sat in front of three computer screens, typing rapidly.

Hope placed the Carter vehicle documents beside him.

"Tell me you can work miracles."

Ethan didn't even look up.

"I charge extra for miracles."

Hope smiled faintly.

"I'll buy you coffee."

Ethan stopped typing.

"...Make it two."

Sean folded his arms.

"You two negotiate like you've done this hundred times before

Hope shrugged.

"I know his weaknesses."

Ethan smirked.

"And its also yours

Hope leaned against the desk.

"Focus."

Ethan inserted the vehicle registration key.

Lines of encrypted code flooded the monitors.

The room fell silent.

Only the clicking of keys echoed through the office.

A loading circle appeared.

Sean looked impatient.

"So..."

"Does it usually take this long?"

Without looking away, Ethan replied,

"If you're in a hurry..."

"...feel free to hack it yourself."

Sean immediately became quiet.

Hope smiled.

"I like him."

A few more seconds passed.

Suddenly—

A green dot flashed across the map.

GPS Activated

Ethan zoomed in.

"There."

Hope stepped closer.

The signal stopped outside another city.

A single location blinked.

The Blue Lantern Club

Sean looked at Hope.

"Looks like our car."

Hope picked up her jacket.

"No."

Sean frowned.

"No?"

Hope smiled.

"Our first mistake would be assuming we're looking for a car."

She looked back at Ethan.

"Keep tracking it."

"If that dot moves..."

"Call me."

Ethan nodded.

"You've got it."

Outside The Club

Night had already fallen.

Music echoed from inside the building.

Luxury cars lined both sides of the street.

Hope and Sean parked across the road.

Hope looked through the windshield.

"The GPS hasn't moved."

Sean checked his watch.

"We've been here twenty minutes."

Hope didn't answer.

She simply kept watching.

Exactly twenty-three minutes later...

The club doors opened.

A young man, around twenty-six, walked outside.

Expensive jacket.

Designer shoes.

Unusual fashion.

He casually walked toward the black luxury sedan.

He pressed the unlock button.

The headlights flashed.

Hope smiled.

"There he is."

Sean opened his door.

The two detectives walked toward him.

Just as the man reached for the driver's handle—

Hope spoke.

"Hey, buddy."

The man turned.

"Having fun inside?"

The smile immediately disappeared from his face.

"...Who are you?"

Hope glanced at Sean before looking back at him.

"Hm..."

"You seem surprisingly unfriendly."

The man's eyes narrowed.

"I asked who you are."

Hope reached into her pocket and calmly showed her badge.

"Detective Hope Parker."

"This is Officer Sean."

"We'd like to ask you a few questions."

The man immediately took a step backward.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Hope looked at the stolen car.

"Really?"

"Because this car seems to know you pretty well."

The man's eyes flickered toward the street.

Hope noticed.

Sean noticed too.

Hope sighed dramatically.

"Please don't run."

Sean looked at her.

Hope continued,

"I've already had enough cardio this week."

The man suddenly turned—

—and sprinted.

Hope speaks seriously ……dude?

Sean shouted,

"Stop!"

The chase began.

The man pushed through pedestrians.

Hope followed from one side while Sean cut him off from another.

He jumped over a roadside barrier—

Sean caught his shoulder.

The man swung his elbow backward.

Sean stumbled.

Hope immediately swept his legs.

He crashed onto the pavement.

Before he could recover—

Sean pinned him down.

Metal handcuffs clicked shut.

The man struggled.

"I didn't do anything!"

Hope calmly crouched in front of him.

"You stole a luxury car."

The man froze.

"...That's all."

Hope raised one eyebrow.

"Oh..."

"Only grand theft auto?"

Sean couldn't help smiling.

Hope stood.

"Good."

"Then today's confession should be short."

To be continue....64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyzrSkrbmC8

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