She Was the Treasure All Along novel Chapter 496

The spy nodded. "Understood."

The police cruiser navigated the winding mountain road as the sky above them bruised into a heavy, suffocating gray. Just as they neared the summit, the heavens ripped open. The torrential downpour battered the windshield so violently it was nearly impossible to see the road ahead. Thankfully, they managed to pull up to the house safely.

Loyce checked her phone. "No signal."

Wyatt offered a practiced explanation. "This area was the last on the government's poverty relief list. They only started building the cell tower last month, so dead zones are perfectly normal. Not that it matters much—there are only two or three families up here. They're all farmers, out at dawn and back at dusk. No entertainment to speak of."

The rain lashed down mercilessly, turning the dirt yard into a thick, sludgy swamp. The stench of wet mud mixed with poultry manure was nauseating.

Lucian popped an umbrella, holding it carefully over Loyce as he shielded her while they picked their way across the yard.

A sudden, muffled shriek tore from the neighboring house. Loyce covertly shifted her gaze. Pressed against the rain-blurred glass of the adjacent window was a woman's face—a face twisted in absolute, unfiltered terror.

Loyce seamlessly pulled her gaze away, pretending she hadn't seen a thing, and stepped into Wade's house.

"Oh, Officer! What brings you out here?" Wade exclaimed, perfectly feigning surprise as he looked from Wyatt to Loyce. "And the lady from the city?"

Wyatt played his part. "She was worried about your wife, so she wanted to come see for herself and make sure you aren't actually abusing her."

"I swear, I've never laid a hand on her!" Wade yelled toward the back, summoning his wife. "Come out here and explain to the officer! Tell him how you got those bruises on your arms and your mouth."

The woman—Cassie—averted her eyes and mumbled, "I tripped and fell while I was doing farm work. My husband really hasn't done anything to me. You shouldn't have come all this way in this weather for nothing."

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