Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 5: Imposter Effect

Felix, the A-level fugitive, had already been escorted into a police car.

An officer on the scene, seeing Samson and Jack arrive, stepped forward to introduce them. "Mr. Samson, Mr. Summers, this is the resident of 203, Miss Nancy. And this is her brother, Officer Simon."

The moment Jack laid eyes on Nancy, he froze in place.

"Nancy? You?"

Shock spread across his face as realization struck. "The lead you gave about Felix… it was real?"

"How could that be? That’s impossible!" His complexion drained of color. "It can’t just be coincidence!"

Nancy, in the middle of giving her statement, glanced at Jack at the doorway. She wasn’t surprised—she had been waiting for him to show up.

The other officers looked between them, suspicion in their eyes. Mr. Summers actually knew the girl from 203?

And since they shared the same surname, that suspicion only deepened.

Samson turned to Jack. "Mr. Summers, you know this Nancy?"

For the past year, Jack had never once mentioned to his colleagues that he had another sister.

Face dark, Jack gave a reluctant nod. "She and my sister were switched at birth. She lived in my family for twenty-two years."

Everyone’s expressions shifted—like they had just been handed juicy gossip.

Before Nancy could respond, Simon recognized Jack and surged forward. Grabbing him by the collar, he yanked hard. "Why did you strip her of her right to call the police?"

The veins stood out on Simon’s clenched fist, his rage tightly controlled. If not for regulations, he would have beaten Jack into the floor right then.

"If I hadn’t made it in time, Nancy could’ve been murdered by Felix!"

Simon moved so fast Jack had no chance to defend himself, caught completely off guard.

Nancy’s eyes shone as she stared at her brother’s broad back. Wow—her brother was way too cool.

Even Samson and the others were stunned. Jack Summers was a national martial arts competition finalist. Yet this township officer had subdued him in seconds.

Samson and the others hurried forward to pull Simon back.

Samson’s face was sharp with authority. "Simon, what happened? Why would Jack suppress Nancy’s right to report?"

Nancy, sensing the righteousness in Samson, wasted no time lodging her complaint. "Mr. Samson, I noticed someone watching my building for days. When I went downstairs to take out the trash, I saw his face up close and realized he looked exactly like Felix. I called the police right away. But when Jack got word, he called me instead—accusing me of making it up just to get attention!"

Because of old habits, Nancy’s phone was set to auto-record all calls. She immediately played the recording aloud.

From the speaker came Jack’s voice: "Nancy, how did you become so unreasonable? If I don’t answer your calls, you report fake leads? If you keep lying, don’t blame me for being harsh. False reporting is punishable by detention!"

Each word cracked across the room like a slap, shredding Jack’s reputation in front of everyone.

Jack’s face turned crimson. As a criminal investigation scholar and professor, being exposed like this was humiliation of the highest order.

The officers, who had always held him in high esteem, now looked at him with doubt and disapproval.

Samson’s chest heaved with anger. "Mr. Summers, how could you be so reckless?"

As a veteran officer, he didn’t hold back. "If Simon hadn’t come home to check on his sister, Felix might have killed again. And our half-year pursuit would have ended in failure."

Jack’s face was purple with rage. "Mr. Samson, it wasn’t recklessness. Nancy is a compulsive liar. How was I supposed to know if she was telling the truth?"

Samson cut him off. "Enough! The fact is, Nancy’s lead was correct. Thanks to Simon’s quick action, Felix was caught. This case we’ve been chasing for six months has finally reached its conclusion."

He turned toward Simon, his eyes warm with respect. "Simon, rest assured—you’ve earned an Officer of the Month this time. That much is certain."

Jack’s fists clenched tight as he caught the admiration in Samson’s gaze.

"And your station will also share in the collective honor," Samson added with a firm pat on Simon’s shoulder.

The mention of "collective honor" made the Townsville officers shift uneasily. If Jack had acted on Nancy’s tip, the Bureau itself would be taking the credit.

They had hunted Felix for half a year. But in the end, it was a township officer who caught him. The glory had slipped right out of their hands.

Resentment toward Jack festered quietly in their hearts.

Nancy, meanwhile, beamed with pride at the praise heaped on her brother.

She looked at Samson with wide, eager eyes. "Mr. Samson, I read the wanted notice—it said the public can receive a five-hundred-thousand reward for providing leads. Does that apply to me?"

Samson chuckled. "Of course. You made the call, and you helped with the capture. The reward will be yours. It’ll be processed and transferred to your account within a month."

With Felix to interrogate, the officers began filing out one by one.

Jack lingered until last. As he stepped out, he shot Nancy a cold glance.

"This time you got lucky. Don’t think fortune will favor you again."

His eyes shifted to Simon. "An A-level fugitive? Hah. Do you really stand taller because of a prize snatched by chance? A ragged little rooster born in the dirt will never become a phoenix."