Can’t Be Her
At that moment, Elise viciously stared into the distance and caught a familiar figure among the crowd
surrounding the barricade tape. It was Addison, and she was sporting a vest that was normally worn by
witnesses. She was also carrying a stack of books in her arms as she stood on her toes, trying to see
what was happening within the tapes. Seeing her, Elise scowled as she clenched her fists. If Addison
were to appear in that manner at such a time, the police would definitely take her away. Since she had
always been responsible for Elise’s notebook, a simple interrogation in the department could swiftly
reach her.
Noticing the change on Elise’s face, Alexander turned to where she was looking and immediately knew
what was going on. Remaining composed, he pretended as if he was looking for evidence and slowly
faded into the crowd. Very soon, he was already behind Addison, and no one even noticed his presence.
“Why are there so many cops? What’s happening?” Addison muttered to herself. As soon as her words
were voiced, her shoulder was grabbed. Subconsciously, she turned around and saw Alexander. “Al—”
Before she could finish calling out his name, the man did a shushing gesture, and Addison instantly shut
her mouth.
Then, Alexander signaled her with his eyes, asking her not to do anything reckless. With that, she
nodded and both of them fled the scene without drawing any attention.
Seeing that, Elise heaved a sigh of relief.
All of a sudden, the forensic officer had come to a result. He walked to Jackson and took off his mask,
casually informing, “We suspect they committed suicide with drugs. Possibilities of homicide are
eliminated.”
“Suicide?” Jackson expressed his suspicion. “There must have been some kind of mistake. Why would
three professors with bright futures suddenly decide to give up on life?”
“I’m gonna need you to trust me on this, Captain Gleeman. Or perhaps you could check it out for
yourself.” The forensic officer obviously had his share of temper. He unequipped his gloves and handed
them to Jackson.
Scornfully, Jackson flinched his neck and glowered. Is it actually okay for him to swing those corpse-
touching gloves around? “Never mind.” Jackson continued, “It’s your job. I just need a detailed report
from you. As for the rest, I’ll do my job accordingly.”
“Whatever.” An assistant came over with a plastic bag, to which the forensic officer threw the gloves into
it before smugly walking out of the barricade tape.
“The case’s not done. Where are you going?” Jackson attempted to stop him.
“But my job’s already done.” The forensic officer, without turning back, raised his hand and waved. “See
ya.”
Everyone else was stunned by his behavior.
Oh well, nothing good could come from having to see the forensics anyway. As Jackson was about to
walk away, a group of men in suits was seen rushing over to him. One of them was Simon, who
apparently was the leader of the group. Jackson went to greet him. “Why are you here, Mayor Bull?”
“I’m here for a look-see.” Simon nodded. When he saw that Elise was present as well, he walked to her
and questioned, “Why are you here?”
Elise squinted her eyes and pointed at Jackson with her chin as she raised her head. With a confusing
expression, she answered, “Your men suspect that I’m the culprit.”
Instantaneously, Simon revealed a frown. He turned to Jackson with anger in his eyes. “Is that true?”
Despite being baffled, Jackson countered with reasons of his own, “The evidence we have on the scene
all points to Miss Sinclair.”
“It can’t be her,” Simon confidently claimed. “My men will handle this. Have your men stand down.”
“That’s against the law, Mayor,” Jackson perturbedly replied.
“Against what law? There’s a problem, and I’m here to solve it.” Simon’s voice was thundering. He turned
away to Elise and spoke with a significantly softer tone. “You may head home.”
“Mayor Bull!” Jackson agitatedly stated, “We have witnesses and evidence. According to the law, we
have forty-eight hours of custody of the suspect.”
Simon was visibly infuriated. “No, you’re not hearing me. As I said, Elise is not the culprit. Are you
doubting me now?”
“I didn’t mean that…” Jackson grew glum, thinking he was about to upset a force that could easily drown
him.
Regardless, Simon was a clean figure. He would never hide any secrets in the system. A man like him
would aim only to eliminate any kind of crime and injustice instead of shielding them. Jackson, on the
other hand, was a rigid man who knew only to follow the rules and procedure. Despite his discipline, two
things he was bad at were sugarcoating his words and improvising in situations. Thus, in his perspective,
Simon was hiding something. Furthermore, Jackson had always been highly suspicious of Elise, as well
as Max who was beside her. And with three deceased in a case, he wouldn’t let her off so easily.
“You didn’t mean that, nor do you mean to follow my orders, correct?” Simon’s tone was growing colder.
Before Jackson could respond, he raised his head to a bystanding officer and yelled, “Where’s Bart?
Have him here right away!”
Bartholomew Larson, or simply Bart, was the forensic officer that left earlier. In his absence, his
assistant, head lowered, timidly mumbled, “Officer Larson had left. He said the case was a suicide, and
that there’s nothing to look into.”
“The suspects are here but he’s already gone? Where’s his professionalism for Heaven’s sake? I want to
see him in my office first thing tomorrow,” Simon vexedly remarked.
“Yes, Mayor. I’ll be sure to pass it on.” The assistant was still lowering his face, which was full of cold
sweat.
Having not the mood to care about such trivial matters, Simon apathetically turned around and gazed at
Jackson in condescension. “You heard him. Bart’s the most proficient forensic officer in the force. Since
he had announced the result—there was no culprit, then there’s no culprit. Why are you persistent on
having Elise to stay? Are you trying to dig up the truth, or are you trying to avenge a personal wrong?”
“How could you doubt me, Mayor?” Jackson was stupefied when he realized he’d cast doom upon
himself.
“I can doubt every single soul in the world. Why do you think you’d make an exception?” With an icy
glare, Simon shouted at his assistant, “Captain Gleeman obviously needs a break to clear his mind.
Otherwise, he’ll continue to forget the line between public and private matters and end up staining the
force’s reputation.”
“You’re suspending me for this woman?” Jackson stared at him in dismay.
“Think whatever you want.” Having said that emotionlessly, Simon took Elise with him and left the crime
scene.
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