The Ultimate Reborn Heiress (Scarlett) novel Chapter 345

Chapter 345 The Cigarette Butt

The clearing was just past the house, surrounded by overgrown weeds.

“Right there. Around 3 p.m., I think? I’m not exactly sure. Nala and I were inside. She heard something and nudged me. I panicked–thought it was my dad. I snuck to the door and peeked out. But it wasn’t my dad. It was a van parked on that clearing.”

Vivian pieced together what she remembered.

She swallowed hard when she noticed everyone staring at her, then continued.

“A man got out. He went into the weeds to relieve himself, then squatted on the clearing and smoked a cigarette. After that, he went around to the back of the van, opened the rear doors, and I saw a suitcase inside. He patted the suitcase, closed the doors, got back in, and drove off.”

She pointed in the direction the van had gone.

Scarlett looked at the road.

No surveillance cameras. And the road only led deeper into nowhere.

The suspect clearly had a planned route. This stretch was deliberately chosen to avoid cameras.

This wasn’t some random kidnapping for ransom. It was premeditated.

The people behind this had serious resources. What did they want with Ivy?

Lewis confirmed it was their suspect, Killian. He called his captain, Cody, and briefed him.

Scarlett turned to Nathan and Vivian. “Wait here a second.”

She walked to the clearing where the van had been parked, searched around, and quickly found a cigarette butt–smoked down to the filter.

She pulled a good luck charm from her bag, wrapped the butt in it, and walked back.

Lewis had finished his call.

“Mr. Grant says he’ll skip chasing the suspect’s trail for now. He’ll head to the local station and wait for us there. We’ll regroup and plan.”

Lewis was frustrated.

Even though they knew the suspect had been here, there were no cameras on that road.

No telling where he went.

Other roads in the area showed nothing, either.

It had been over ten hours since yesterday afternoon.

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Chapter 345 The Cigarette Butt

Tracking him from here would be extremely difficult

Fineshed

“Don’t worry.” Scarlett held up the wrapped charm. I picked up the cigarette butt he left. I have an idea for tracking him.”

But first, they had to go to the town center for Nala and then meet Cody.

Lewis guessed what she was thinking.

They walked toward town, talking as they went.

Lewis asked, “Ms. Sanchez, are you planning to use the suspect’s scent with a tracking dog?

There was a police dog training base nearby. There were plenty of police dogs.

That included tracking dogs.

But tracking dogs worked by scent within a limited range. They were a tool, not a magic bullet

No matter what they were tracking-

It only worked within a certain range; it was a tool, not a miracle.

Trying to use a dog to follow a cigarette butt to find someone who had been gone for ten hours seemed impossible over such a large area.

Scarlett nodded.

‘A sigil combined with a tracking dog. It’s just a rough idea.”

She wanted to try.

Normally, an item carrying only the suspect’s scent wouldn’t be enough.

Usually, this kind of occult tracking required blood or bodily fluids, but a cigarette butt with saliva on it might just work.

So, it was worth a shot.

For now, they had other things to do.

Half an hour later, they reached the town center.

It was small. There were just two main streets.

A little rough around the edges.

But it had everything you’d need.

Scarlett didn’t go to the herb shop right away. She examined Nala first.

She ran her hands over the dog’s bones, checked the nose, and examined inside the mouth.

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Chapter 345 The Cigarette Butt

It was standard traditional medicine diagnostics.

Finished

After the examination, Scarlett went into the shop and bought a set of fine needles and a bunch of herbs- all for Nala.

As she stepped out, she heard a shout from across the street. “Vivian! Where have you been with Nala?!”

A tall man stood at the mouth of an alley across the way.

He looked like Vivian. He had to be her father.

Vivian saw him and immediately wanted to bolt.

Nala, however, saw her handler and started wagging her tail like crazy.

Vivian didn’t run. She remembered what Scarlett had said.

She looked at her dad.

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