One Hundred and seventy three

CHAPTER 173

Nicholas and Alicia decide to return to the flat as they can't find anything until the autopsy is done. Noel was still at the scene with two other policemen. Nicholas took off his thick brown coat and hung it on the gallows near the entrance.

Alicia sat on the sofa hugging herself. The night air made her bones ache even more. It was almost midnight when they finally got there and sat down together.

"Are you okay, Alicia?" Nicholas confirmed.

Alicia massaged her head lightly, then looked at Nicholas next to her. "I'm fine, but that man's face is so unfamiliar. I've never seen him before."

"We can think positively. Maybe he's not connected to Ace's case, or your parents' case." Nicholas put his arm around Alicia and hugged her. "You've thought about everything enough. It's been a hard day, you should go to bed, Alicia."

The warm embrace made Alicia feel comfortable. Nicholas was all she had at the moment. Until this case was solved, Alicia felt that she would continue to discover tragedies endlessly. Alicia must be able to find the core of all these problems. But in Nicholas's arms, Alicia let herself rest for a moment. A break from all the problems that weighed so heavily on her shoulders.

---

"Are you leaving now?"

Alicia had just come out of the room when she found Nicholas layering his shirt with a brown coat. She nodded her head after straightening her hair with a comb. "Noel will rest and I'll take over. They didn't find anything at the scene. It looks like the man's body just got stuck after being carried away by the long river current. It will take a long time to check where the corpse came from, I will focus on the identity and profile of the man's corpse first."

"Can I join today?"

"You don't need to join. You'd better go back to the shop, it looks like your male friend won't be working because of his condition. Don't you have to help Uncle Chuck? Christmas is fast approaching."

Nicholas' words made Alicia think. She had forgotten about Ethan. Ethan's health did need attention, he wouldn't work in a fit state. Uncle Chuck would definitely need Alicia. But Alicia is curious about the dead man she accidentally found in the river. This was a difficult choice.

"But I'm curious about that man's corpse, Nick. What if it wasn't a coincidence? What if that man's corpse -"

Alicia's words were cut short when Nicholas' lips landed on hers. Alicia rounded her eyes in surprise, speechless, when Nicholas finally pulled back and smiled. "That was the good morning kiss you were supposed to give me. You forgot about that. And, about that man's corpse case, you don't need to come. I'll let you know via message. I promise. OK?"

There was a pause before Alicia nodded her head and said, "Okay. You promise, um?" Alicia held up her little finger, she wanted to make Nicholas promise for her. "You have to promise to give me information about that man's corpse, and what your point of view on it is. Whether everything is related to Ace or not. Promise?"

"I promise," Nicholas' pinky hooked on Alicia's raised little finger. Alicia smiled a little before finally saying,

"I'm going to work now."

"Well, I'm also going to the hospital to wait for the autopsy of the corpse."

Nicholas suddenly remembered something. "Want me to take you to Uncle Chuck's shop?"

"No, Nick. I'll order a taxi," Alicia said, she tapped Nicholas lightly on the shoulder and then said with a smile. "You just go. I'll call you later."

Nicholas agreed with Alicia's request. He drove off in his car to the hospital to see Dr. Harris. As usual, the body of the man he found would be autopsied to find the cause of death and the time of death.

And the autopsy was conducted by Dr. Harris.

After a few hours of waiting in the corridor, Noel came and approached Nicholas. "I'm sorry I had to sleep. Last night was really bad. The weather was very cold, so the area we could investigate was not large. The snow covered everything."

Nicholas chuckled lazily. "Murder in the snow, it always sucks."

"But the field forensics team checked. There was no blood around the bushes where the man's body was found. I sent Hendrick to check the village and we'll get the information today, I hope."

One of Nicholas' eyebrows rose. "You really sent Hendrick? He's probably going to be very busy with all the digital data looking for this man's identity."

"Elden and Peter will handle that," Noel said soothingly. "By the way will the autopsy be done soon?"

"I don't know, I've been waiting here for two hours."

Nicholas leaned against the cold hospital wall, his mind drifting back to the mysterious corpse and the puzzle surrounding Ace. As he waited, his mind wandered into a world of speculation. The sterile environment of the hospital was in stark contrast to the gruesome nature of the case he was dealing with.

Finally, Dr. Harris emerged from the autopsy room, wearing a white coat covered in horrific scars. Nicholas stood, his eyes searching the doctor's expression for clues. Dr. Harris took off his gloves, looked at Nicholas, and spoke words that sent chills down his spine.

"The man's cause of death was due to the noose around his neck, he suffocated, not drowned. Water did not fill his lungs when he was alive. He was drowned after he died. We found some wounds, but out of breath is what made this corpse lose its life."

Noel jumped to conclusions. "This is the same murder as the body of the man we found on the beach a few days ago. Killed, then thrown into the water. Was the killer's goal to disguise the time of death and remove fingerprints?"

"Water can indeed wash away everything, including fingerprints and most of your body. After-death bruises, scars, facial swelling, the scent of the corpse, everything will blend and be difficult to check. But judging from his condition, he died about thirty-six hours ago."

"If these cases are connected, then this man's body was dumped two days after Jill's body was found on the beach."

Noel shuddered, "Jesus, Nicholas. My body is getting goosebumps of fear now."