All Chapters of RED LABEL: Chapter 121 - Chapter 130

As the back-and-forth interrogation and evasion continued, Evelyn finally realized something she probably should have noticed much earlier.Daniel Cole was smarter than he looked. Much smarter.There was something about the way he answered questions—or, more accurately, the way he avoided answering them—that reminded her painfully of Nobody.That same infuriating cunning. That same maddening ability to say just enough to sound cooperative while revealing absolutely nothing useful.Evelyn narrowed her eyes. It suddenly dawned on her that Nobody must have trained Daniel Cole far too well to be manipulated.That was annoying. Very annoying. Still, she wasn't giving up. Evelyn leaned forward slightly, resting her elbows on her knees as she studied him."But surely you've wondered who Nobody really is," she said eventually."Of course."The answer came easily, almost lazily, as though the question were merely a formality he had been expecting all along.Evelyn waited. "Then?""I wondered."

Evelyn folded her arms, clearly running out of patience with his riddles. She settled back into her chair, adopting a posture of quiet resistance."All right, Mr. Cole. What's the write question this time?"Daniel's smile became almost philosophical. Distant. There was still a trace of humor in his expression, but something deeper lurked beneath it—a seriousness that seemed to be surfacing with increasing frequency."Allow me to reorient you."Evelyn sighed. She was beginning to suspect that talking to Daniel Cole required more patience than interrogating an actual suspect."Please do.""Consider Nobody as an artist."She blinked. "An artist?""An avant-garde artist."He pronounced the words with exaggerated care, almost savoring each syllable.Evelyn stared at him. She waited. Nothing. Her brow furrowed in confusion, and she tilted her head slightly, as though changing the angle might somehow make his explanation more sensible.Daniel continued, warming to his metaphor as though he h

After a few more evasive dribbles from Daniel Cole, Evelyn grew more frustrated, though her stubbornness wouldn't let her admit it.Realizing she wasn't going to dig up any dirt on Daniel concerning Nobody's deep-layered identity, she feigned tiredness, yawning mid-conversation."Oh, look at the time," she said, glancing lazily at the crystal-framed clock on the wall. "It's been a long day," she added with another yawn—a polite, dismissive gesture.Daniel caught the cue. Of course he did. He slowly stood up. "You must be really tired, Ms. Carter. I guess I'll be taking my leave. Mr. Hale, kindly tell Mr. Nobody I waited.""Of course," Marcus replied, barely suppressing a chuckle that threatened to betray him.Daniel then turned to Evelyn. "Good night, Ms. Carter. It was a productive conversation, I believe. Can we do this some other time? Perhaps when Mr. Nobody is around?"Evelyn's face bore the look of someone resigned to defeat but unwilling to admit it. "That would be... spectacul

The call ended, and Daniel continued walking.He had covered several blocks before slowing down. The evening traffic had thickened around him, headlights stretching into long ribbons across the wet pavement as New Avalon settled into the darker rhythm of the night.His conversation with Denkley was already behind him. That part was done.The detective knew what he needed to know, and more importantly, he understood the rules. He would investigate the token. He would keep his mouth shut around Evelyn about Daniel Cole. And when the three HammerHand operatives eventually joined him, which sounded like very soon, Denkley would have protection without knowing exactly how many eyes were following his investigation from the shadows.Daniel had no reason to worry about that anymore. His attention had shifted to something considerably more amusing.Evelyn.He touched the outer edge of his left ear twice.Activating EVE-Tel.The device inside his ear canal came alive with a faint electronic p

Daniel smiled to himself as he continued down the quieter side street, savoring the small satisfaction of a plan unfolding exactly as intended. Evelyn already knew he was changing his appearance. That was the beauty of the excuse. She would not be expecting the same old Nobody to walk through her door looking exactly as he had looked that morning. She would be expecting a cleaner, more presentable version of the man she knew, and that expectation gave him precisely the room he needed. It was a small deception built on a truth she had handed him herself, and there was something almost elegant about that.The problem was not making himself look different from Daniel Cole.The problem was making himself look different enough from Daniel Cole without making himself look like someone Evelyn had never seen before. The margin was narrow, and narrow margins required patience.He touched the outer edge of his left ear and pressed it twice. The faint electronic pulse returned inside his ear