CHAPTER 171Nicholas handed Alicia a plastic sandwich when he arrived at the hospital. After leaving for about thirty minutes to stand in line, Nicholas finally arrived."It's not my favorite sandwich, but it's good. I got it across the hospital," Nicholas said trying to be honest. He smiled, then handed over the plastic once more. "You should eat, you've just seen something you shouldn't."Alicia just looked up as she listened to all of Nicholas' words. The girl knew that Nicholas was trying to comfort her from the horrible incident she had just encountered. And it was only after a while that the girl reached out, accepting the sandwich in the plastic bag that Nicholas handed her."Thank you for the food."Nicholas nodded in agreement, then sat down next to Alicia. They used the chairs in the corridor to rest, waiting for Ethan and Uncle Chuck until they could both testify to the discovery of the mysterious man's body in the river."Is Ethan awake? he looks in pain," said Nicholas, a

CHAPTER 173Nicholas 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 dis

CHAPTER 175Noel hugged herself in the cold. It was the week before Christmas. Christmas ornaments dominated by red and green colors filled public spaces. Pine trees with colorful decorations and starlights are a sight that New Yorkers will often see.On the way to Jason's house, the body of the mysterious man is found in the river, Nicholas and Noel are lost in their own thoughts. Along the way, many people began to arrive at the accessory shops. They seemed to be busy looking for tools and gifts for Christmas, making Noel's heart who really wanted to experience Christmas a little sad.Noel's face showed his feelings very clearly.Nicholas slammed on the brakes after the maps on the phone screen indicated that they had arrived at the location."It's Hendrick!" Nicholas tapped Noel on the shoulder, he did it deliberately hard to make Noel forget about his 'dream Christmas'. "Get your focus back, we can think about Christmas after this case is over."Noel scowled at Nicholas, but Nicho

CHAPTER 177Noel 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

CHAPTER 179The sound of a creaking door alerted Ace. He had just entered Amanda's house, a house that had been abandoned for more than five years. The events that happened to Amanda had been happening for several years, precisely when she was still in high school. The incident where she finally found Alicia, her adopted sister who had disappeared for a long time.Amanda doesn't know whether she should call Alicia missing or leave her. But when a fire hits her family, leaving both parents burned to the ground without a trace, Alicia is adopted by Amanda's parent's partner. But why Alicia? Why did everyone leave Amanda alone, in this harsh world?Amanda is angry, she holds a grudge and will seek revenge one day. And that's when karma brings her together with Alicia. She had an opening. There is a chance to get back at Alicia from their unfinished past story. But when Amanda manages to end it, she will still return to that house. The old house was left behind by her other parents. Amand