The doors of the police station swung open as Chief Louise, Officer Patton, Santos, and others came in. A number of officers rushed in and out - they were busier than ever. State police had already arrived to coordinate with Chief Louise and had issued a search order. Amidst the bustling activity, Jason was once again forgotten in the interrogation room.
By dawn, the police station was undergoing a shift change. Reports from the state police aiding the search were constantly coming in, but there was practically no news. No possible individuals could be found. Apart from the locals, it was difficult even to locate an outsider. Not to mention a grotesque woman in a red dress.
Officer Patton had been given a fright, so he went home early to await questioning. The coordination and collection of information here was all up to Chief Louise. Therefore, by the time dawn came, she couldn't help but yawn. Stretching lazily, she left her office intending to go out and buy some breakfast.
"Thump, thump, thump!" Someone was knocking on the glass.
Following the sound, she saw Jason in the interrogation room. He looked at Chief Louise and pointed at his stomach. Then he shrugged his shoulders, clearly asking her to bring him some food as well.
Suddenly, Chief Louise remembered the words Jason had said. She broke out in a cold sweat. After a moment of hesitation, she walked over, opened the door to the interrogation room, and saw Jason waving at her. He then shook his head and laughed.
"Luke Prescott is dead, isn't he?" When Jason said these words, there was no visible schadenfreude. He simply shook his head and sighed, showing a sense of regret. In his opinion, Luke Prescott didn't need to die. But his own greed had killed him.
"How did you know?" As soon as Chief Louise asked this question, she regretted it.
Sure enough, Jason just smiled and replied, "Because I do something akin to a medium. Now... do I still have any suspicions? Moreover, you have to let me go. Even the victim is gone. Can you all charge me?"
His words were very accurate. Now there was no victim. How could they prosecute Jason or transfer him to detention? Thinking about this, Chief Louise couldn't help but feel dejected. Despite having the upper hand, she had been bustling about the whole night while this guy sat quietly here and reversed the entire situation.
"Listen, Mr. Jason, I'm letting you go home now," Chief Louise said to Jason, "But remember, no more wild accusations. Stay at home and be ready for a police summons at any time."
Jason just shrugged, indicating that he didn't care. He walked towards the exit and was about to leave when he suddenly heard Chief Louise call out, "Hey, Mr. Jason, may I ask a question?" She walked up to Jason and asked earnestly.
"Ask away, but in regards to Luke Prescott, I don't want to talk anymore. I've said enough. Also... my phone, wallet, and other things are still at the police station. Can I take them with me?" Jason strolled back, speaking to Louise.
"Of course... Hey, you, bring Mr. Jason's things here and return them to him," Chief Louise instructed an officer before resuming her questioning, "I won't ask about Luke Prescott because he's dead and there's an eyewitness to how he died, so I won't delve into it. But what about the female corpse?"
"Didn't you all see it last night?" At that moment, the officer came over with Jason's belongings. Jason took them, nodded to them, and turned to leave, waving his hand. "Goodbye, chief. It's quite an exceptional experience, isn't it?"
Upon leaving the police station, Jason made a call and then strolled along the road waiting for Joseph to pick him up. After about ten minutes, Joseph arrived in Jason's pickup truck. He stopped and beckoned Jason, "Get in, I'll take you home."
Once Jason got in the car, Joseph said to him, "Something seemed to have happened at Luke's house last night. When I went there, it was already sealed off by the police. Also... many unfamiliar police faces. A lot of them seemed to be state police. My God, what are they doing here? What could have happened to Luke...?"
"He's dead!" Jason simply said.
"Dead? My God-" Joseph exclaimed, shaking his head in regret, "Was it because of that woman? The one in the red dress..."
"Yes!" Jason sighed and nodded, "Aside from that woman, no one wanted Luke Prescott dead. It's just a pity that the woman has already become a force to be reckoned with. Let's hope it doesn't trigger any major incidents. Let's go, I need a good shower when I get home!"
Joseph didn't ask anything more. Obviously, the grand appearance of the police at Luke Prescott's house indicated that something major had happened there. It turned out he was dead. The two of them didn't talk much on the way because the atmosphere was indeed heavy, after all, Luke had also been a friend of Joseph's.
After returning home, Joseph parked the car and said, "I'll walk home, and... I'll make some simple pizzas for lunch. Come over and eat, and we'll have dinner at my place. You can help me out."
"Of course, I will be there, I need a shower first!" Jason replied with a smile.
Jason sat alone in the bathtub. Every time someone died, he would sit quietly like this, letting the water rise over his neck. In the more than a hundred years he had experienced, he had seen too many deaths. Not only those who died tragically but also a wide variety of ways to die.
Immersed in the water, he didn't dwell on melancholic thoughts. His entire being became ethereal. This sort of meditation could cleanse the dust of his mind, the kind of dust tainted by mundane matters. Jason was feeling somewhat groggy and ready for sleep.
But then Joseph called, so Jason freshened up, even shaving his beard, grabbed a few small items, and walked over to Joseph's house.
"Come in — have a seat in the living room for a while. The pizza will be ready soon," Joseph said with a smile before heading back into the kitchen.
Jason turned on the TV and sat on the sofa. After a while, Joseph emerged from the kitchen with freshly baked pizza and made some milk tea. He grinned at Jason, "This is Lisa's favorite combo — blueberry milk tea with pizza. She's quite content with just this."
As they were eating, they heard the sound of a car approaching from outside. It stopped, someone got out, and started walking towards them. Joseph peeked outside, stood up in surprise, and went to open the door. He stared at the approaching figure and said, "Hey, Jason, it looks like...we have a visitor."
He emphasized the 'we', clearly indicating that this person was known to both of them.
"Sorry, I should've called before coming over," the visitor extended his hand to shake Joseph's and opened his arms for a gentle hug with Jason.
"Nice to see you, Mr. Kote. Come in, please," Jason gestured invitingly.
"Help yourself to some pizza if you'd like. We can't finish it all anyway," Joseph joked with a smile, "Would you like some milk tea?"
"No, no, I don't need anything," Mr. Kote shook his head at Joseph. He then turned to Jason, "I only heard today that you were taken to the police station last night. Apparently, it had something to do with a case. This morning...the whole town found out about Mr. Luke Prescott's incident."
"It's all part of destiny's plan," Jason nodded calmly, "But I'm sure you're not here just because of that, are you?"
"Yes, Mr. Jason. I went to your house, but you weren't there, so I decided to take my chances here..."
"I have to say, you're quite lucky. Had you come any earlier, you would've had to visit him at the police station!" Joseph emerged with the coffee, laughing at Mr. Kote's remark.
"Yes, my luck is indeed good. But...Mr. Jason, I sense...something big is about to happen in our town. I have this feeling...you know, our nature, we're extraordinarily sensitive to danger. I've been feeling this intense pressure from yesterday until now..." Mr. Kote looked seriously at Jason as he spoke.
With a sigh, Jason nodded, "I can feel it too."