"Impossible, right?" Zhen Ai murmured softly, tilting her head as she pressed her lips together, deep in thought.
Yan Su watched her furrowed brow leisurely, knowing she was figuring something out, so he patiently waited.
Zhen Ai lowered her head, her pale fingers poking and prodding, like a schoolgirl tracing key points in the testimonies. Her brows knitted together, illuminated by the soft white light, making her skin appear almost translucent—truly... beautiful.
Yan Su silently lowered his gaze to his own fingers.
After a considerable time, Zhen Ai finally organized her thoughts logically, mapping out the sequence in her mind. She usually struggled with topics outside her expertise and was often teased by him for it. Now that she was discovering her interest in reasoning, and with Yan Su kindly bringing her along, she naturally wanted to show him a clever... or at least not dull... side of herself.
"The witnesses are all high school students, with relatively immature psychological ages. Their testimonies, recorded individually, contain some emotional biases. There's considerable overlap in their accounts, so I believe the credibility of these testimonies is at least 90%," Zhen Ai stated seriously, picking out Parker's testimony to emphasize.
"But Parker's account is strange. The others included their subjective opinions and emotions, giving long-winded accounts; his testimony is succinct, objective, and organized, revealing no feelings toward Laura whatsoever."
Yan Su nodded. "I'm glad you noticed that; it's a common method for assessing the accuracy of testimonies. But it's not entirely reliable. People who are generally aloof or logical can do the same. For example, if you were to die today, my testimony would likely be even more objective and flawless than Parker's."
Zhen Ai replied, "...Thank you for your cooperation and contribution to my murder case."
Yan Su responded, "You're welcome."
Zhen Ai shot him a glare. "Did I say they were just high school students?"
Yan Su countered, "I could do that too when I was in middle school."
Zhen Ai narrowed her eyes in displeasure, coldly retorting, "Are you trying to show off, Mr. Oddball, as referred to by Officer Diaz?"
Yan Su stiffened, momentarily stunned, then muttered, "...I'll stop talking. You continue."
"Let's look at the most critical aspect of the murder method," Zhen Ai said, raising her gaze. Seeing him genuinely attentive, she pressed on. "Despite the heavy rain washing away much evidence, two basic questions remain unmasked."
Yan Su nodded enthusiastically, keen to hear more.
Zhen Ai stated, "First, no one saw the body before getting into the car, yet they saw it afterward. Second, even for a man, it would be difficult to hoist a body up into the tree branches, especially since these students showed no signs of having handled ropes or any protective gear for lifting the body. The only explanation points to that car."
Yan Su placed his hands together, resting his chin on them, listening quietly with flickers of approval in his deep brown eyes.
Encouraged, Zhen Ai boldly continued, "Daisy mentioned in her testimony that she ran back to see Kerry moving the car. I believe she wasn't lying about that. However, on a stormy night, it's very likely she couldn't clearly see who that person was. Since Kerry was the driver before, she naturally assumed the person in the car was him. This doesn't rule out Kerry as a suspect, but the person in the car could very well be the killer."
"The killer might have first strangled Laura with a rope, tying one end around her neck and the other around a tree branch, securing it to the axle under the car. Reversing the car a few steps would lift the body. After adjusting the height, it could be hidden in the trees."
"When everyone got back into the car, Kerry drove a few meters before realizing the gas tank was empty. At that moment, the car moved forward a bit, causing the body to slide down and land on the window."
"Thus, the gas tank could have been tampered with by the killer."
Zhen Ai concluded, "Laura's cause of death and the movement of the body only have this explanation. From this perspective, if Kerry had taken the car keys when he exited, then the killer could only be someone with the keys—either Kerry or Parker. If Kerry didn't take the keys, then anyone could be the killer, including the girls."
"Exactly," Yan Su praised her, adding evidence, "In fact, Kerry left the keys in the car."
Zhen Ai furrowed her brow slightly, realizing this was likely why the police hadn't pinned down the killer, as it seemed anyone could be guilty.
Yan Su, noticing Zhen Ai's organized reasoning, asked, "Then, how did the killer find and kill Laura in such a short time?"
"I was curious about that as well; in such a large forest, how could the killer find Laura so quickly?"
Zhen Ai organized the testimonies and pointed to several key points.
"Anna said Laura grabbed the steering wheel, opened the door locks from the inside, nearly causing her to fall out. She mentioned that Laura vanished in an instant. Other witnesses echoed the same sentiment and noted that Laura had been drinking and using drugs."
"I boldly theorized that it's quite possible Laura lost consciousness and rolled into the bushes or under the car. At the moment of the crash, while everyone was preoccupied, it's likely the killer called out 'Laura' into the darkness. Once everyone regained composure, they assumed Laura had run off, when in fact, she was unconscious nearby in the dark."
Zhen Ai shrugged, adding, "This is somewhat speculative. I don't know how the killer managed to render her unconscious."
Yan Su gazed intently at her, then reached into a nearby folder and handed her a sheet of paper.
It was the autopsy report. In addition to alcohol and marijuana, the deceased had hallucinogens and sedatives in her stomach—substances that could cause excessive excitement followed by deep sleep.
Just moments ago, Zhen Ai had been hesitantly sticking out her tongue, but now she proudly raised her chin. "I'm a genius!"
Yan Su scoffed lightly, giving her a disdainful look, but then chuckled moments later.
Zhen Ai looked at him, secretly smiling to herself.
In what should have been such a mundane setting—a cramped interrogation room with a table and two chairs, illuminated by a single light in an endless darkness—she felt unexpectedly joyful.
The world felt so quiet, with only the rustling of papers and their dialogue, each word resonating deeply.
Though they were discussing a case, entirely unrelated to feelings.
Yet this exchange of wisdom was delighting to her.
Yan Su leaned slightly forward, elbows resting on the table, his strong chin propped on his hands, his gaze fixed intensely on her, his voice low and warm like a breeze in the night:
"Continue. I'm looking forward to it."
Was he testing her?
Zhen Ai, feeling exhilarated, continued her analysis: "From the testimonies, I identified several key doubts. These high school students often indulge in highs—drinking, smoking, and using marijuana are common."
"On the day of the incident, apart from the driver Kerry, the others, including Laura, were intoxicated and unclear in mind. This explains why, after the crash, they couldn't find Laura and assumed she had run away."
"But one person remained clear-headed. He was quick to grab Laura when she first tried to jump out; he also tried to stop her when she grabbed the steering wheel. On the surface, he intervened, but he could have been scheming behind the scenes, perhaps even unlocked the inner door."
Yan Su smiled slightly. "So you're suspecting Harry Parker?"
"Yes," Zhen Ai affirmed confidently. "It would have been easy for him to strangle the victim, yet he chose to strip her and hang her from a tree. This indicates a motive of vengeance—his method wasn't impulsive but premeditated."
"All these seemingly coincidental events can be linked to Parker alone. He threatened Qi Mo with a hotel fruit knife, making Qi, who is known for being timid, anxious to leave. Laura, filled with jealousy, saw another girl flirting with Parker. Anna and Daisy supported Parker, believing Laura was being petty, while Kerry and the other boys thought Laura was unreasonable. The more Parker cajoled her, the more Laura became spoiled, driving others away."
"Kerry has a volatile personality and prefers extreme measures to solve issues. If Parker had put their favorite marijuana in the car, Kerry would have definitely shared it to calm everyone down."
"But that's not the most important part." She paused slightly, then continued, "Since the killer had planned ahead, he wouldn't allow any mistakes with the car keys. My initial objective analysis pointed to either Kerry or Parker as the killer."
"Kerry wouldn't go after Laura; logically, the killer would want everyone to see him leave the car. In contrast, Parker subtly set a fifteen-minute limit and urged the reluctant Anna to dash into the woods."
"Fifteen minutes wasn't about worrying someone might get lost; it was a warning—if they didn't search for a full fifteen minutes, they couldn't return. With this perspective, the case becomes quite simple."
After she finished, Zhen Ai anxiously looked at Yan Su, hoping for praise but also fearing her deductions might be wrong.
"Sometimes, cases aren't as complex as you think. Moreover, high school crimes tend to be quite elementary," Yan Su replied with a slight smile, lost in thought.
After a few seconds, he looked up and asked, "I'm more curious about what you were hesitant about initially."
Zhen Ai felt a bit embarrassed. "Because he's dead."
Yan Su nodded. "Ah, I see. Because he's dead, he couldn't have killed anyone while alive."
Zhen Ai froze, realizing the flaw in her logic. Why hadn't she grasped such a simple point earlier?
Just because Parker was dead later didn't mean he hadn't committed murder before.
Zhen Ai quickly asked, "Then why did Parker die?"
Yan Su's tone turned slightly somber. "That's a question I want to understand too."
Seeing his serious expression, Zhen Ai wondered if they hadn't yet captured the killer, but she didn't ask. Instead, she pointed to another box labeled "Parker." "Can we look at that?"
"Go ahead."
Zhen Ai reviewed the materials related to Parker's case; the details were bizarre.
Everyone had received a message from Parker, asking them to meet at the squash club's locker room at 9 PM for an urgent discussion. During that time, someone called Parker, but his phone was off.
After a few minutes of waiting, when Parker didn't arrive, Kerry called him. At that moment, the phone turned on, and they followed the sound to find Parker hanging naked from the showerhead—exactly like Laura's death. Additionally, the glass partition bore a pentagram and symbols, mirroring those found on Laura's car window.
"When they entered the locker room, they didn't hear any water running, but when they approached the bathroom, the glass was fogged up. This suggests the hot water had been off for no more than ten minutes. Forensic analysis indicated that Parker had suffocated around that time."
"This is all very strange," Zhen Ai said, rubbing her arms. "Why was the killer in such a rush? Didn't they fear someone might arrive early and discover the crime scene?"
Even stranger was that Parker had left a suicide note.
"Mom and Dad, I'm sorry. Guilt and sin have suffocated me. Those who err deserve death, and so do I. Yes, I killed Laura. I can't bear her ugly face, her hypocritical nobility. I crafted myself as the righteous one, but in truth, I fear someone has uncovered my sins. So rather than wait for them to punish me, I'll end my life before the devil today."
"Before that, I want to explain to Laura's parents; after all, they deserve to know the truth about their child's death."
"I left markings on the fruit knife in Laura's room..."
The latter part detailed how he had killed Laura, aligning perfectly with Zhen Ai's earlier speculations.
Looking at the eerie suicide note, Zhen Ai began to doubt her previous reasoning. Was it really as straightforward as it seemed?
Similar to his testimony, the note revealed no feelings for Laura.
More perplexing was the mention of Yan Su at the end of the note: "S.A., can you see this shadow?"
And then, nothing.
This was hardly a suicide note; it felt more like a cipher.
Zhen Ai was left questioning whether Parker truly had taken his own life.