Chapter 427

Outside the police station's forensic lab, two groups of guys were eyeing each other down in the hallway. On one side, you had Paxton's crew, and on the other, John's.

These two groups had already thrown down before, leaving both sides with some bruises and a lot of bad blood. They were practically glaring holes into each other.

If John hadn't warned his guys to keep it cool at the station, they probably would've already found an excuse to throw punches.

"What are you staring at?" one of John's guys snapped.

Paxton's guy shot back with a smirk, "Got a problem with that?"

"Try looking at me again!" John's guy said, rolling up his sleeves to show off his tattooed arms.

"Oh, I really wanna see what you think you can do," Paxton's guy said, puffing out his chest.

Both sides started to stand up, ready to throw down.

Just as things were about to get ugly, the sound of footsteps echoed down the hall.

The police chief, Alan, strolled over with his hands behind his back.

Seeing Alan, both groups took a step back. Even though they didn't think much of the cops, they knew better than to mess with the chief.

With a stern look, Alan said, "Your bosses told you not to cause trouble here. I suggest you listen. This is a police station, and any fighting here will make us look bad."

The guys from both sides looked a bit sheepish and mumbled apologies.

They might be tough, but they weren't stupid. Neither Paxton nor John would want to piss off the police chief over a petty fight.

Alan nodded, satisfied, and walked into the lab. The forensic exam was just wrapping up.

The forensic examiner took off his mask and gloves and handed a report to Alan.

"Mr. Savage, based on my examination, this body matches the notorious serial killer Avalonia. The bone age, dental marks, and tattoos all line up with the data Officer Pena sent over," the examiner said.

Alan nodded; he had a hunch this was the case.

"How did he die?" Alan asked.

"He was shot in the head, no other major injuries. Looks like someone took him out cleanly," the examiner said, pulling out an evidence bag.

"I found some stone fragments on him. My research suggests these are coal mine stones," the examiner said, handing Alan the bag of small black stones and debris.

"Why would he have these? Was he hiding in a mine or something?" Alan asked.

The examiner nodded and pulled up a map on his phone, pointing to a spot. "There's a small coal mine on the outskirts."

Alan gave the forensic examiner a satisfied pat on the shoulder and handed the autopsy report back. "Print me two copies of these reports."

The forensic examiner nodded, knowing Alan planned to give the reports to Paxton and John.

A few minutes later, Alan walked out of the lab with two reports in hand. "Here are the autopsy reports. Take them to your bosses," he said, handing the reports to the henchmen.

The henchmen quickly pulled out their phones and called John and Paxton.

As soon as they got the message, John and Paxton rounded up their guys and headed straight for the mine.

Both groups left the police station and made their way to the mine.

Watching them leave, Alan let out a sigh of relief. "Finally, some peace and quiet around here."

Then it hit him, and he slapped his forehead. "Damn it, I need to send people to follow them, make sure they don't cause trouble for the workers at the mine."

Alan had to gather a team and send them to the mine.

Paxton and John arrived at the mine at the same time.

They got out of their cars, exchanged a quick glance, and then got down to business, arranging their men to surround the area.

This was a small open-pit coal mine, and the person in charge wasn't connected to the four major families. The mine's low output hadn't caught their attention before.

It was nighttime, and the coal miners were resting. The sudden commotion woke a lot of them up.

Some miners, annoyed, got ready to go outside and see what was going on. But when they saw the tough-looking guys with guns, they decided to stay put.

The noise soon alerted the mine's boss.

The boss, a short and chubby middle-aged man named Gareth Bishop, started sweating nervously when he heard that reps from the four major families had shown up. He was worried he might have done something to piss them off.

"Is there something I can help you with, Mr. Brown and Mr. Williams?" Gareth asked nervously.

Paxton pulled out a photo of the serial killer and asked, "Do you know this guy?"

Gareth looked at the photo and shook his head. "I don't know him. We have a lot of workers here; I can't possibly know them all."

Gareth was telling the truth. But he knew there had to be something up with the guy in the photo, so he gathered all the workers to see if anyone recognized him. Soon, they had a lead.

One worker said, "This guy used to live in a house not far from the mine. It was an old junk room, but I haven't seen him in a while. A few days ago, when we passed by there to use the restroom, it looked like someone else had moved in."

Guided by that worker, Paxton and John led their crew to a wooden house near the cliff.

When they got there, they came face to face with someone coming out.

"Joe? So you've been hiding here!" John shouted angrily.