Chapter 26: It Said the Murderer Is Not Him

Chapter 26: Chapter 26: It Said the Murderer Is Not Him

Renee Jennings suddenly felt a sting in her nose.

She didn’t know Mason Zorn, but hearing that he was an orphan with only a cat by his side struck a chord and brought tears to her eyes.

To Mason Zorn, Cici was his family.

That was why he even brought Cici along when he went out to see friends.

And to Cici, he was her only family, too.

When he was buried, Cici tried desperately to dig him out, worried he would get bored.

Even after being shooed away countless times, she would still sneak back to keep digging.

Because she was worried about her owner.

Now Mason Zorn was dead, and only Cici was left.

Cici had no family anymore.

"Miss Jennings." Henry Stark called out gently, seeing her lost in thought.

Renee snapped back to reality. Composing herself, she said calmly, "Please continue, Captain Stark."

Henry Stark said, "We’ve checked Mason Zorn’s call logs and WeChat messages, and we’ve also questioned his colleagues and friends. We haven’t found any suspicious individuals."

"The park has a lot of foot traffic, so finding the killer could be as tricky as finding a needle in a haystack."

Henry Stark paused. He looked into Renee Jennings’s clear, bright eyes and said with a serious expression, "So, we’d like to ask for your help, Miss Jennings. You’ll be compensated at the standard rate for a criminal investigation consultant."

Although the crime occurring in a park complicated the investigation, they would inevitably uncover the truth by methodically following up on every clue.

However, the process would consume an unpredictable amount of time and police resources.

The department held a meeting late last night and decided to ask for Renee’s help. It was also an opportunity to see if she truly possessed such a special ability.

Renee looked into Henry Stark’s deep-set eyes and asked calmly, "What do you want me to do?"

Henry Stark said softly, "The cat was with Mason Zorn when he went out yesterday. Since she knew where he was buried, she must have witnessed the entire thing."

Renee lowered her gaze and took a sip of her coffee.

A few seconds later, she looked up and met Henry Stark’s focused gaze. "Cici’s owner was talking to the killer. He said he’d won the lottery and was going to buy a house."

Henry Stark’s dark brows knitted together.

Renee added, "Cici only saw what the killer looked like. She doesn’t know him."

"I understand." A hint of gratitude appeared on Henry Stark’s face. "Miss Jennings, I’ll take you home."

"No need." Renee stood up and walked to the door. She paused, then turned around. "Oh, right..."

Before she could finish, her head suddenly bumped into the man’s chin, and a faint scent of citrus filled her nostrils.

Renee cried out softly in pain and raised a hand to her forehead.

Henry Stark felt a slight twinge of pain in his jaw, but it was nothing to him.

At that moment, all his attention was on the young woman in front of him.

Seeing her brow furrowed in pain, Henry Stark felt a strange pang of worry and concern. "I’m sorry, Miss Jennings. Does it hurt badly? Do I need to take you to the hospital?"

It did hurt, but his words made her laugh. "You’re exaggerating. What do you think I am, a porcelain doll that shatters on impact?"

Unexpectedly, Henry Stark commented in all seriousness, "You do look like a porcelain doll."

Renee: "..."

"It’s swelling up." Henry Stark saw a small red bump rising on her smooth, fair forehead. His brow tightened. "I’ll go get an ice pack for you to put on it."

"You don’t have to, it’s not—" Before Renee could finish, the man had already pulled open the conference room door and walked out.

Henry Stark returned quickly with an ice pack wrapped in a white towel. "Miss Jennings, put this on for a bit."

"Thank you." Renee didn’t refuse his kind gesture this time.

A cool sensation spread across her forehead. She asked, "How long should I keep it on?"

Henry Stark replied, "Fifteen minutes for now."

Renee nodded and remembered what she had been about to say. "Captain Stark, I saw someone suspicious at the park yesterday."

Henry Stark immediately grew serious. "Who?"

"I saw an older man there yesterday, maybe in his fifties or sixties," Renee said. "I asked Cici, and she said he wasn’t the killer, but he often came out to shoo her away when she was digging."

This was a very important piece of information.

After having Renee describe the man’s features, Henry Stark immediately ordered his subordinates to pull up the surveillance footage.

Before long, an officer had tagged individuals matching the description for Renee to confirm.

***

Inside a decrepit residential building.

A damp, musty smell emanated from an apartment on the third floor.

Even the sparrows that landed on the windowsill seemed disgusted by the foul odor inside.

"This place is so filthy and smelly!"

"Aren’t humans supposed to be the cleanest creatures?"

"This family isn’t clean, and that man even killed someone!"

"Killing their own kind? How horrible! Even we sparrows would never do something so cruel!"

"..."

A man in his early thirties tossed and turned on a bed so grimy it had a greasy sheen, unable to sleep.

After a while, the man pulled open a cabinet door, grabbed something from inside, and rushed out of the room.

"Where do you think you’re going?" a sharp voice suddenly barked.

The man stopped in his tracks, his voice a suppressed roar. "I don’t want to live in this dump anymore! I want to live in a big house, don’t you get it?"

"Leo, just be patient a little longer. The time isn’t right!"

"Dad! I can’t take it anymore! I finally got a chance to get rich!"

"If you go out now, you’re just asking for trouble!"

Liam Hughes irritably kicked over the shoe rack. "Damn it!"

Dean Hughes looked at his son, his brows furrowed tightly. "Leo, you stay here. Don’t go out. I’m going to buy some groceries and I’ll be right back."

He walked to the door, then turned back, snatching the lottery ticket from his son’s hand. "I’ll hold on to this for you for now."

Dean Hughes stuffed the lottery ticket into his pocket and hurried out.

He didn’t go straight to the market; instead, he started walking in the direction of Blue Bay Park.

After walking for a while, he turned around and headed back.

The park was cordoned off now. There was no need for him to go.

Dean Hughes went to the market, bought his groceries, and was walking near his home when he saw a police car in the distance.

His heart sank. He immediately turned and ran down another street.

Dean Hughes ran until he was out of breath, unaware that his every move was being watched.

He returned to the base of his apartment building and looked around, breathing a sigh of relief only after confirming there were no police cars nearby.

But when he got to the third floor, he saw three men standing at his apartment door, wearing the sacred uniforms that represented justice.

The color drained from Dean Hughes’s face. The groceries in his hand dropped to the floor, and his whole body began to tremble uncontrollably.

"You’re Dean Hughes, correct?" Henry Stark said coolly. "Your son, Liam Hughes, is a suspect in a murder case. Please open the door. We need to take him to the station for questioning."

Fear filled Dean Hughes’s eyes, but he insisted, "My son’s name isn’t Liam Hughes! You’ve got the wrong place!"

Inside, upon hearing that the police had arrived, a terrified Liam Hughes hid in his room and pushed a cabinet against the door.

"Is that so?" Henry Stark’s tone was indifferent. "Harboring a murderer is a prison offense. Do you want to go to jail with your son?"

Dean Hughes’s face twisted in anguish as he burst into tears. "My son didn’t kill anyone..."

Henry Stark countered, "If he didn’t kill anyone, then where did you get the lottery ticket in your pocket?"

Realizing the police already knew everything, Dean Hughes’s face turned ashen, and a fierce hatred surged within him.

’It’s all that woman’s fault!’

’It’s all because she went to the police!’