One Hundred and sixty three

CHAPTER 163

Noel and Hendrick, who had observed the dynamic, exchanged glances. The meeting ended with a strong sense of purpose and determination. Nicholas spoke directly to Elden, "I believe you're ready to hit the ground running, Elden. We have some leads to follow up on, and your insights might just be the key to unraveling this mystery."

Elden nodded, his eyes reflecting a strong determination. The team split up, each member preparing to begin their task. Elden, guided by Noel and Hendrick, familiarized himself with local protocol and the ongoing investigation.

Little did they know, the collaboration between Nicholas, Peter, and new member, Elden, would set in motion a chain of events that would lead to unexpected twists and turns. The shadows of the city hide secrets waiting to be uncovered, and this eclectic team is determined to uncover them.

"Let me give you my report, Chief!" This time, it was Hendrick who spoke up. He raised his hand, drawing the attention of the people in the room. "I've examined the crime scene at the cliff house. I checked everything, even every detail in the house, but we found no coffee or tea left. There were no drinks or food containing caffeine there. There was only water in a pitcher. And I thought... that's the only drink they had there. No fridge, no food. Even their stove was clean. It's not like they actually live in that house."

Nicholas and Noel exchanged glances, they were busy thinking of all the possibilities with their own minds. While Peter and Elden who were still very novice, could only listen to Hendrick's explanation without guessing anything.

"Then I came to the conclusion, that Jill was released from prison on her probation, then she picked up her daughter at the hospital, then she went to that house and... well, as we know, she died that day." Nicholas was even more intrigued by Hendrick's discovery. This was very interesting! Hendrick looked at all his colleagues and bosses with a serious expression, as he finally continued, "I think Ace's escape was definitely planned. Ace must have known about Jill's plan to go to the cliff house and they had a meeting there. Or, Ace knew Jill was going to the cliff house and he set her up there, Ace killed Jill and as we know... Ace also killed her young daughter."

Nicholas pointed one finger at Hendrick. "How do you know that Jill took her daughter to the hospital?"

"I checked her out at the hospital, sir! I asked two nurses and the duty doctor, they agreed that they saw the patient's father taking her out of the hospital."

"What about Ace?" Nicholas peppered Jill with further questions relentlessly. He was dying to know. "I suspect that Ace was posing as Lily's father and-" "No, Chief. They all agreed with his statement that it was Jill who took Lily away. One of the nurses said they were just talking about overdue hospital bills and fees. It might have something to do with money."

Nicholas leaned back in his chair, deep in thought. The pieces of the puzzle were slowly coming together, but the picture was far from complete. Elden, who had been quietly absorbing the information, finally spoke up, "What if Ace and Jill are in league, planning something wrong?"

The room went silent as everyone processed Elden's suggestion. Noel broke the silence, "It's possible. Ace might have betrayed Jill, or maybe they both have different motives that collide. We need to dig deeper into their backgrounds, connections, and motives to unravel this twisted storyline."

"How do we find the common thread amongst these very tangled threads?" Nicholas raised his index finger in the air, then twirled it around like a zero that kept spinning endlessly. "We are like chasing a shadow in the dark, unable to find the end."

Everyone fell silent and just looked at each other.

Nicholas let out a long sigh, sounding very tired and fed up. But the man persisted, choosing to tap the surface of the table with the pen he was holding. "Ah, about the explosion at Alicia's parents' house. Hendrick, could you explain again and remind me about this case in front of Elden. Elden will be joining, so... please speak up!"

Hendrick nodded in agreement. He looked at Elden beside Peter, then continued, "Look Elden." His face looked at Elden, and Elden seemed eager to listen. "There was an explosion that occurred on Avenue Street. There are two casualties. A man and a woman, a married couple. Michelle and Edward. And... she is Alicia's parent. If you don't know who Alicia is, well, just ask our Captain-"

"Alicia is my girlfriend," Nicholas cut in, not wanting to leave Elden wondering. "So, you don't have to wonder anymore.

Hendrick just smiled, stifling a laugh. So did Noel and Peter. But Elden was insensitive. He only noticed that the colleagues around him were biting their lips, holding back their laughter from breaking out. Elden tried to keep an expressionless face, until Hendrick continued his story. "Okay, let's get back to our topic. So, Alicia's parents died in the explosion. Preliminary suspicion is that the explosion was caused by a leaking gas cylinder, there was a fire there. But from the autopsy results... soot was not found on either of their bodies, which means they were already dead when the fire broke out and they were pronounced dead due to injuries to vital organs that caused a heart attack and led to instant death."

Nicholas was amazed. "Wow! That's a detailed and good explanation, go on!"

Noel rolled his eyes lazily, feeling that Nicholas didn't need to do that. And Elden was still listening intently.

"So far, no fingerprints can be found because the whole house is on fire." Hendrick sighed, then looked at Nicholas. "And, there are no CCTV cameras."

Nicholas rolled his eyes lazily, he knew it would happen, but didn't expect it to be in this situation.

"Well, that's disappointing."