"Jesus Christ!"
"Holy shit!"
The moment the accident happened, it instantly threw the surrounding area into chaos. With a bang, Joe's car had no time to brake and slammed straight into the sedan that had abruptly stopped in front of it.
A rear-end collision.
"Hey!"
"NYPD!"
Lake and Joe quickly got out of the car. The occupants of the sedan in front had just stepped out and were preparing to demand an explanation, but when they saw the badge Joe pulled out, they swallowed all their complaints.
In the middle of the intersection, car parts were scattered everywhere. Inside an overturned, wrecked vehicle, Cole Hunter hung from the driver's seat. As weak coughs escaped him, he recalled what had just happened in the final moments of his life.
Ever since he had gotten out of prison ten days ago, Cole had continued working his old trade. Because he was wearing an electronic ankle monitor, he hadn't dared commit any robberies. At most, he had done some petty theft.
That morning, while eating a cheap hamburger by the roadside, Cole happened to overhear a married couple passing by and chatting. The wife was asking her husband whether they had put away the jewelry and talking about how they were going on vacation.
Cole's eyes lit up at once.
Then there was that house. It wasn't far from his own home, but for some reason, Cole had no impression of the couple at all. He didn't have time to worry about that, though. After the couple left the house again and got into a taxi, Cole entered through an unlocked back door.
But...
He had only just reached the second floor and seen the messy study when he heard the NYPD outside. Cole was instantly dumbfounded.
He had been released on parole.