Chapter 162 The tattoo guy


    ire and Matthew stood in front of a tattoo shop, the neon sign flickering against the darkening sky. ire had told Matthew about the wings tattoo on the man, and she had an idea to visit tattoo shops in hopes of finding this person. There were many shops in the area, but ire hoped they might get lucky.


    "Are you ready for this?" Matthew asked, adjusting his cap as part of their disguise.


    ire nodded, tugging the brim of her own hat lower over her eyes. "We don''t have much to go on, but it''s worth a try."


    With that, they stepped inside the shop. The air was thick with the smell of smoke, maybe even weed, making ire wrinkle her nose. They approached the front desk where a woman with tattooed hands and facial piercings sat, looking thoroughly uninterested in her job. "Hello," ire greeted politely, trying to mask her difort. "I was wondering if I could ask you a question."


    The woman nced up, her expression bored. "Yeah, sure," she replied in a monotone voice.


    ire pulled out a picture of the wings tattoo on the man''s neck that she had printed out. "Do you recognize this tattoo? We''re trying to find the person who has


    it."


    The woman nced at the picture and shrugged. "A lot of people have that tattoo," she said dismissively.


    ire exchanged a look with Matthew before leaning in slightly. "Could we take a look at your customer book? It''s really important."


    The woman sighed, clearly annoyed, but slid the book across the counter. "Make it quick," she said, rolling her eyes.


    ire nodded. "Thank you. We''ll be fast."


    ire and Matthew quickly flipped through the pages of the customer book, jotting down names and dates. Matthew nced at ire, whispering, "What''s the n?"


    ire didn''t look up from the book. "We take pictures of each guest''s name and visit date. We can identify themter."


    They worked swiftly, snapping photos of the relevant entries. Once they were done, they handed the book back to the woman and left the shop, breathing a sigh of relief as they stepped outside.


    Back in the car, ire immediately pulled out herptop and started working from the passenger seat while Matthew drove. She typed furiously, cross-referencing the names from the tattoo shop''s customer book with the citizen database.


    After a few minutes, she let out a frustrated sigh. "None of these people have the wings tattoo," she said, looking up at Matthew.


    Matthew nced at her briefly before focusing back on the road. "So, what do we do now?"


    ire bit her lip, thinking. "We move to another store. We can''t give up now."


    Matthew nodded. "Alright, let''s keep going."


    They drove to the next tattoo shop on their list, parking a few blocks away to avoid drawing attention. The process was simr: disguises on, a quick entry, and a polite but determined request to look at the customer records. Each time, they repeated the same steps: taking pictures of the names and dates, then hurrying back to the car to cross-reference the information.


    As they sat in front of the fifth shop, Matthew turned to ire. "This is exhausting. Do you really think we''ll find him this way?"


    ire rubbed her temples, feeling the strain of their efforts. "I don''t know, but it''s the best lead we have right now."


    Inside the shop, they were met with another disinterested receptionist, another customer book, and another round of hurried picture-taking. As they left the shop, Matthew looked up at the darkening sky.


    "It''s gettingte. How many more shops do you want to hit tonight?"


    ire nced at her watch. "One more. Let''s try one more and see what we get."


    They drove to thest shop on their list for the night. This one was quieter, with a lone artist working on a design behind the counter. ire approached, greeting the artist and showing him the picture of the tattoo.


    The artist studied it for a moment, his expression thoughtful. "I''ve seen this tattoo before," he said slowly.


    ire''s heart skipped a beat. "Do you remember who has it?"


    The artist nodded. "Yeah, I think it was a guy named Tom. Comes in every few months for touch-ups."


    ire exchanged a hopeful look with Matthew. "Do you have his contact information?"


    The artist shook his head. "Sorry, can''t give out personal info. But I can tell you he usuallyes in on Fridays around 7 PM."


    ire smiled gratefully. "Thank you. That''s really helpful."


    As they left the shop, ire felt a surge of optimism. "We might finally have a lead," she said to Matthew.


    Matthew smiled. "Looks like our persistence paid off."


    "We just need to wait and keep an eye on him if he visit the shop. Matt, I need you to hire someone to keep an eye on Tom."


    "Roger that, ire."


    "Now, we will just wait for him."


    After a few days of tense waiting, ire finally received the call she had been anticipating. The man she hired to keep an eye on Tom informed her that he was heading to the tattoo shop. Without wasting a moment, ire ryed the information to Matthew. They quickly throw on disguises, ensuring that no one would recognize them or follow them to their destination.


    Arriving at the tattoo shop, ire stepped inside, her eyes scanning the room. She approached the woman at the counter and leaned in. "I need you to close theText ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    Chapter 162 The tattoo guy


    shop as soon as Tomes in," she said quietly but firmly, slipping a hefty sum of cash across the counter.


    The woman''s eyes widened at the sight of the money. She nodded, quickly agreeing to ire''s request.


    "Consider it done."


    ire then disappeared into a back room to change her wardrobe, donning clothes that matched those of the tattoo artists. She adjusted her sses and took a deep breath, preparing herself for what was toe.


    Not long after, the doorbell jingled, signaling Tom''s arrival. He sauntered in, unaware of the trap that had been set for him. The woman at the counter locked the door behind him, flipping the sign to "Closed."


    Tom made his way to the tattoo room, and ire, now disguised as a tattoo artist, greeted him. "What can I do for you today?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady and casual.


    Tom, not bothering to look up, replied, "I want a new tattoo of a bird. Something fierce."


    "Got it," ire responded, pulling on a pair of gloves. She took a seat on the stool next to the tattoo bed, where Tom was lying face down. He still hadn''t realized who she was.


    ire picked up the tattoo gun and started drawing the pattern. Herck of skill was apparent, but she didn''t care. This was about more than just a tattoo. She pressed the ink into his skin with more force than necessary, causing Tom to wince in pain. "Hey, what the fuck, man? Why does it hurt so much?" he eximed, his voice muffled by the bed.


    "Sorry about that," ire said, her voice dripping with insincerity. She continued the process, pressing even harder this time.


    Tom groaned in pain, turning his head to re at her. "Seriously, what the hell are you doing-" His words cut off abruptly as he recognized her face.