As Ian had expected, Noah had already instructed his men to take charge even before he could send out orders and the efficient got to work at once. While they covered the other hospitals, Ian drove towards his hospital, confusing not only Valerie and her friends but also the man they had caught.
"Umm, Doctor Devis," Valerie cleared her throat when she realized where the man was driving towards. Other than Regal Medical Hospital, there was no other hospital in the vicinity and for a moment, she could not understand his reason for driving this way.
"Why are we here?" She queried and took a look at Ryder who was diagonally behind her, unlike Preston who was right behind her.
"Because I am sure he is targeting this hospital too, Deputy." Ian did not hide the truth from her as he drove inside the premises.
"But wasn't Jared's target the same hospitals that were involved in the scandal? And as far as I know, Regal Hospital is clean." Valerie voiced out only to get a glance from Ian in return.
"Deputy, do you know about the enmity between Noah and Jared?" Ian questioned back and pulled over in the parking space reserved for him.
Valerie was taken aback to hear Ian and she gave him a bewildered look. "Aren't they rivals in business?" That was what she had heard and she blinked at him in confusion.
"That is not the only rivalry they have," Ian said, letting the mystery linger in the air. "Since Noah is a good friend of mine, Jared and I become enemies and he will use all the opportunities he has to harm Noah and me."
Valerie remained confused and she looked around before she focused her attention on Ian again.
"Although I would explain more, we are short of time and we need to find the man here before he releases the virus. And, my men are already here. Hand over this man to them. They will take care of them."
Ian gestured towards the van that was parked at the other side of the parking lot and Ryder and Preston immediately got to work, dragging the man with them. Not once did they doubt Ian's intentions for he was already helping them a lot. All they had was utmost confidence and courage in his decisions.
"How are we going to search this man, Doctor? He might be anywhere in the hospital." Valerie stated her concerns as they waited for her friends to return.
"Some of my men are already inside the hospital searching for him. We can still check for any suspicious people on the CCTV. Don't worry Deputy, we will find him for sure. Trust me."
Ian gave her an assuring smile and Valerie had no idea why all her worries disappeared at once. Something in him made her want to trust her completely and just the thought alone surprised her. Never had she felt this way for anyone who she had known for such a short time and she wondered why it was so.
Ryder and Preston returned soon and the four people entered the hospital together with Ian taking the lead. Ian did not give a dan about the looks he was receiving while Valerie was keeping an eye around her to find any suspicious among the crowd.
Ian led the team to his office and switched on his laptop at once. "As far as I know, my men have not found anyone suspicious yet. I presume he is yet to reach the hospital."
"In that case, we can watch from here and catch the man once he enters the hospital," Preston exclaimed and Ian nodded at him, opening the surveillance footage.
"And if I am not wrong, it would be more beneficial to them if they were to release the virus where there is more crowd and there is no better option than the reception of the hospital, near the entrance," Ryder spoke and Valerie narrowed her eyes at once.
"In that case, we better stay at the reception." Although Valerie did not continue, everyone understood the meaning and immediately after, the three members from the Intelligence left the room while Ian stayed behind keeping an eye at the entrance.
Nothing happened quite some time and all Ian saw were some patients who were waiting to pay for their treatment. It was only after a few minutes had passed when he finally saw someone enter the hospital and unlike the man they had captured, the woman had her face uncovered.
Ian frowned when he saw her suspicious activities. In the beginning, he assumed her to be a patient or a relative of a patient. It was only after he saw her looking around her and clutching her bag tight that he found her suspicious.
What surprised him more was that he found her awfully familiar. But he could not place where he knew her from.
Not wanting to give the woman a chance to complete her work before Valerie and her team got to her, he called Valerie immediately.
"Deputy, it's a woman this time. She is mingling with the crowd in the waiting area." Ian informed her as he kept his gaze on the laptop screen. She is wearing a brown shirt and black pants and she seems to be in her late teens or in the early twenties."
Valerie got to work at once and she reached the waiting area, her eyes searching for her prey. But she was stunned to see the girl. She was awfully young and from her looks, she did not seem to be here to harm anyone. She looked like an innocent rabbit and for a moment, Valerie doubted if Ian had got it wrong this time.
But she soon realized that appearances were deceptive and she shook her thoughts and kept her gaze fixed on the girl as she moved closer to her, watching her carefully. Her expression changed completely when she saw the girl open her bag and pull out a canister which she was all too familiar with.
Before Valerie could catch her, the girl too saw her and her face paled instantly. She recognized the powerful woman in front of her. Her master had already shown her this woman's picture. She took to her feet at once and started running, with Valerie right on her heels.
"Shit," Valerie cursed in anger for wasting her time in doubting Ian's suspicions instead of taking action immediately.