One Hundred and seventy seven

CHAPTER 177

Noel examined the dangling rope. The rope was on the table, hanging freely showing its strong pattern. It was a dead knot, one that wouldn't break easily when your neck was in it. Wearing latex gloves, Noel felt the surface of the rope as it intertwined with each other, creating a truly solid knot.

"There is no resistance, this rope is clean. The victim must have hung here, died within minutes of suffocation," Noel concludes.

"We checked, and... we found no signs of resistance." Hendrick tapped Peter on the shoulder, then asked him to continue, "Peter you can continue our examination."

Peter the bespectacled man immediately nodded his assent. After all, he couldn't refuse his superior's request, could he?

"Through the luminol test, we found cleaned blood in the sink, on the rope, on the surface of the table, but all have been cleaned. Except for the blood on the table surface. It's still there."

"Why was the other blood cleaned, while the blood on the table surface was not?" Nicholas asked Peter. He folded his hands in front of his chest, then continued his analysis. "Did he want to show us how he could be that good at killing others?"

"Or... did he forget to clean it?" Peter tried to speak up.

Everyone turned to Peter, but his assumption didn't make the people in the room interested. It was just a casual guess. And 'forgot to clean' was an absurd excuse.

"Table surface huh?" Nicholas walked closer to the surface of the table, then fingered the blood that remained there. His eyes narrowed suspiciously, a curiosity nagging at Nicholas' soul. This was a strange blood pattern. He looked at Hendrick then asked, "There are other people besides the victim and the murderer here."

"You mean... witnesses?"

"Either a witness, or another victim," Nicholas explained.

Noel then cleared his throat. He looked around and began to express his opinion. "So, Jason lives alone?"

"All the neighbors say so. They divorced a few days ago, so Jason's wife has been gone since a few days before he was killed." Hendrick crossed his arms over his chest, then walked over to the window. "The only exit we suspect is through this window. The person who saw Jason last said that Jason closed his pawn shop to receive VVIP guests, they went up to the second floor, but Jason never returned."

Nicholas' face turned enthusiastic. He snapped his fingers in the air, then pointed at Hendrick. "That's him! Who was the person who saw Jason last? Did he see the VVIP guest?"

Peter raised a hand in the air, wanting to interrupt the conversation between his two bosses. "Um, about that... the woman didn't see him. The VVIP guest who met Jason was wearing a mask to cover his mouth, and a hooded hoodie. So, she could only see from his posture. Like I said, she was very sure of the VVIP guest's height."

Nicholas moved from his place, he walked closer to Peter. His face came closer, like looking at Peter's notes, but with a much more curious expression. "You've been writing a lot today, hm?"

Peter smiled broadly and acknowledged what Nicholas had said. There was admiration on Nicholas' face, but Peter tried to contain himself. He remained humble.

"I appreciate your work today."

Hendrick pointed at Nicholas, then protested. "He made the rounds with me. I also met with the neighbors around here, I should be appreciated too, Chief!"

Nicholas rolled his eyes lazily. He knew that Hendrick was eager to outdo everyone. But in the end, Nicholas still praised him in a simple way. "You did a good job today too. By the way, this area is heading towards the deeper countryside. Do you know the ice cream factory and farm nearby?"

"Ah, we saw it." Peter replied immediately, like he was addicted to being praised by Nicholas. Still with his enthusiastic expression, he spoke. "It's about a few kilometers from here, it's not too far because there's a road that can go straight to the countryside. So, the vehicle doesn't need to make a detour."

"But why are you asking about the dairy and ice cream factory? It's just a normal farm," Noel said.

"Alicia, Ethan and Uncle Chuck are the ones who found Jason's body. They said they had just returned from the farm. If their alibis are true, we'll let them off the case."

Noel chuckled, he squinted probingly then said, "You know that Alicia will definitely be involved in this case because of that guy, right?"

Hendrick chimed in, adding to Noel's question. "Alicia... found Jason's body?"

"It was an accident, Uncle Chuck had the truck, came home from the farm and took his two part-time workers, one of whom was Alicia, they went down to the river and well, we all know how that ended."

Everyone looked at each other. They were caught in a bewildered silence. They were busy with their own thoughts, until Nicholas remembered something.

Nicholas grinned, there was a flash of determination in his eyes. "We're going to find out who the mystery guest is. Peter, question the witnesses again, see if they remember his distinctive features. We need to uncover this masked character. Find Jason's VVIP guest list in this house. Maybe we should check these guests one by one, if he is on the VVIP list, it means he is an exclusive."

The room buzzed with renewed energy as the team split up to fulfill their tasks. As Nicholas stared out the window, he couldn't shake the feeling that the answer lay in the quiet countryside, perhaps hidden behind the walls of a seemingly innocent dairy and ice cream factory.

Before they know it, a journey into the heart of the countryside will uncover an unexpected web of secrets, deceit and alliances. The investigation is just beginning, and the deeper they delve, the more mysterious the case becomes. In this suspenseful tale of rural intrigue, Nicholas and his team will discover that sometimes, even the most ordinary places hold the darkest secrets.