Chapter 1826

Naomi, listening to Dylan's carefree chatter about what seemed like everyday stuff—but was anything but—spoke up, "Let's get down to the business trip first." Dylan's laughter grew louder, clearly sidestepping the topic. The journey to Southwood City was on hold for a while, but that did not mean they were twiddling their thumbs. Dylan stayed in touch with the folks in Southwood City and kept the investigation going, looking for other Herlanders who might still be there. Quentin was also pulling strings, getting the lowdown on Southwood City's current vibe. Naomi? Whenever she had a spare moment, she was deep-diving into everything Southwood City online—digging through historical records, especially about that family Dylan mentioned. They were all in on that. Then, with Naomi, Dylan, and Quentin huddled together, Quentin quickly merged his research with Dylan's findings and printed out copies for each of them. The trio huddled over their papers, deep in conversation about the up