Among the four current concessions in Haigu, the British concession has no casinos and does not allow opium dens to operate openly, so its public security is the best.

Of course, good public security does not mean there is no crime.

Because many wealthy people live in the British concession, kidnappings occur there from time to time.

Ten years ago, there were just over two hundred patrolmen in the British concession; now, there are nearly five hundred.

The entire police department staff has reached as many as seven hundred.

On his last patrol, Andrew Carter had only made it halfway when it was already time to get off work.

But Andrew Carter still decided to finish the patrol.

Andrew Carter walked along the road, his gaze sweeping around, carefully observing the pedestrians.

It is said that some skilled detectives in the detective division can tell at a glance whether someone is a criminal suspect.

When Andrew Carter was near No. 15, he suddenly saw two people across the street acting suspiciously.

He quickly walked over, but the two suddenly turned around and ducked into a small alley.

Ordinary people, when they see a patrolman, usually just smile humbly, or at most lower their heads timidly.

But those who almost run away at the sight of a patrolman are definitely up to something.

Andrew Carter had been a patrol chief for three months and had at least this much experience.

Andrew Carter immediately chased into the alley, but lost sight of the two.

This alley connected to several streets, so even if Andrew Carter wanted to pursue, he was powerless.

Besides, he had only seen half of their faces and had not witnessed any criminal behavior.

He couldn’t just arrest them and take them back to the station simply because they avoided him.

After returning to No. 24 Road, Andrew Carter originally wanted to call the nearby patrolmen, but since it was already after work, the patrolmen at the intersection had already left.

After returning to the dormitory, he changed clothes, had dinner, and by then it was completely dark.

Andrew Carter was still thinking about David Bolton, so taking advantage of the darkness, he went to Ren'an Lane again.

He already had suspicions about David Bolton's identity, so of course he wanted to get to the bottom of it.

However, he waited outside the Guangfa Hotel until midnight and still found nothing unusual. Other than occasionally seeing David Bolton through the glass at the entrance, there was nothing else.

Andrew Carter didn’t expect to uncover David Bolton's identity in just one night. If he didn’t get results tonight, he would come again tomorrow night. He had plenty of time and a lot of patience.

The next day, as soon as he arrived at the police station, Andrew Carter received a notice: someone had reported a case this morning—at No. 12, 24th Road, Paul Mitchell was kidnapped at his doorstep yesterday evening.

As soon as Andrew Carter heard about the case, the two people he saw near No. 15 yesterday afternoon immediately came to mind. No. 15 was diagonally across from No. 12, making it an ideal spot to observe No. 12.

But at this moment, Andrew Carter had no time to think about that.

He rushed to the mansion at No. 12, 24th Road as quickly as possible.

Paul Mitchell was an employee of Jardine Matheson, and his older brother Luke Mitchell was a comprador for the same company.

This compound was a three-story Western-style house, and Andrew Carter passed by its gate four times a day.

When he arrived today, the main gate was open, and a group of people inside were questioning others.

Andrew Carter walked in and was about to greet the person in charge, but the other party suddenly saw him.

Andrew Carter noticed the other person's eyes were full of disdain.

“Chief Carter, just leave things here to us,” said the leader, who was none other than Detective Ethan Brooks, the one in charge of the case. Before Andrew Carter could speak, he waved his hand impatiently.

Ethan Brooks was quite dignified in appearance. Detectives in the detective division didn’t have to wear police uniforms; he liked to wear suits and a bowler hat, and sometimes carried a walking stick.

Ethan Brooks admired Western detective techniques and was said to have studied police work in Britain.

When he interrogated suspects, there was always a typewriter nearby to type out the key points of the questioning.

People in the police department called him a “fake foreign devil” behind his back.

“You don’t need our assistance?” Although Andrew Carter disliked Ethan Brooks's attitude, he still asked.

This case happened on 24th Road, which was Andrew Carter's jurisdiction.

Moreover, the victim was Luke Mitchell's younger brother, Paul Mitchell, the comprador of Jardine Matheson.

At the police station, Andrew Carter had already received orders from his superior John Reed to fully cooperate with the detective division’s investigation.

“Whether you assist or not makes no difference to solving the case. Rather than making things more complicated, you’d be better off doing your own job well.” Ethan Brooks glanced at Andrew Carter with contempt and said indifferently.

“May I repeat these words verbatim to Inspector Reed?” Andrew Carter replied calmly.

The “Inspector Reed” he referred to was John Reed, the head patrol officer in charge of this area.

Andrew Carter had twelve patrolmen under him. Above the patrol chief was the deputy inspector, above the deputy chief was the inspector, and the inspector and detective were of the same rank.

The reason Ethan Brooks could act so high and mighty in front of Andrew Carter, besides the fact that the case happened on 24th Road and Andrew Carter bore inescapable responsibility, was also because their ranks were not equal—he was two ranks higher than Andrew Carter.