Chapter 96: Julian Fletcher Threatens Me to Make a Choice

Chapter 96: Chapter 96: Julian Fletcher Threatens Me to Make a Choice

"He’s not dead yet..." Asher shoved aside the people around him and rushed over to check the man’s neck. "He’s not going to make it..."

Zeke Shaw called 911.

Julian Fletcher had clearly never seen such a gruesome scene, and he instinctively took a few steps back.

The others ran outside to throw up. The crime scene was pretty much ruined.

"He calculated the man’s time of death with precision..." Asher squatted on the floor, his voice frantic. "He figured out when we’d arrive, when we’d find this person... He wanted us to watch him die..."

’Just like he did with Cecilia Caldwell.’

I took a numb step forward and looked at the body. "It’s the husband of the orphanage director."

’I’d seen this man in Asher’s photos.’

"Stuffing a large, middle-aged man like that completely into a shoe cabinet..." Zeke Shaw said in a low voice. "The killer must be an adult, and a very strong one."

’That’s the only way he could have moved the body around and stuffed someone who wasn’t quite dead inside.’

"Maybe... he crawled in himself." Asher pointed to the footprints, which had been trampled beyond recognition by Julian Fletcher’s men. "There’s only one set of footprints."

"There’s something else that’s terrifying. The killer leaves no fingerprints, no hair, no clues. Even if a surveillance camera catches him, it’s useless. Facial recognition can’t identify him." ’The man I saw at my house that day had such severe facial burns... It was horrifying. You couldn’t make out his original features at all.’

"The killer is too clever." Even Zeke Shaw had to admit that the perpetrator was toying with the police.

"Are you insane?" I snapped back to reality and glared at Julian Fletcher. "Why the hell did you bring people here to move furniture in the middle of the night?"

Julian Fletcher frowned, looking at me with displeasure. "These are my wife’s belongings."

"Bullshit." I stormed forward and slapped him across the face. "Have some damn decency. Can you at least try to be a human being?"

Julian Fletcher gave me a warning look. "I’ve told you, this house is in my name now. You’re the ones who are trespassing!"

"Julian Fletcher, you’d better have a good explanation for why you brought people here to move furniture in the middle of the night. Otherwise, I’ll have reason to suspect you of tampering with a primary crime scene," Zeke Shaw warned, his voice low.

"I met a fortune teller... He said that Cece died a tragic death, and her soul is wandering, unable to find peace. He told me to take the furniture she was familiar with and burn it before midnight tonight." Julian Fletcher averted his gaze, as if the words were difficult to say.

’Right. A man as arrogant as him, who never believed in ghosts or spirits, had suddenly become fanatically superstitious.’

I gave Zeke Shaw a suspicious look. "There’s something wrong with this fortune teller."

’This all seems too coincidental.’

"Where did you meet this fortune teller?" Zeke Shaw asked.

"I met him at the cemetery today." ’So Julian Fletcher went to see Cecilia Caldwell’s grave again today.’

’Now I’m even more convinced it was Julian Fletcher who somehow corrupted my path to the afterlife, making it so I can’t even find peace in death.’

"Captain Lowell!" The police and paramedics had arrived.

But just as Asher had said, the man was already dead.

Even though Asher had managed to stop the bleeding, it was too late to save him.

Too much blood had been lost.

The medics took an unconscious Madeline Quinn away. They said she had only fainted from shock and hunger, and her life wasn’t in danger. I finally let out a sigh of relief.

"A kneeling position... Why would he be kneeling inside the shoe cabinet at Cecilia Caldwell’s front door?" ’I couldn’t figure it out. What was the killer ultimately trying to say?’

"Atonement," Asher said softly. "He’s atoning for his sins."

Zeke Shaw looked at Asher, then at me. "He’s been uncooperative with the investigation until now. Why is he suddenly being so helpful?"

’Asher had always been resistant before. No matter how much the police questioned him, he refused to say a single word.’

’But today, Asher was clearly cooperating actively.’

I froze for a second, realizing it too. Asher was being unusually proactive today.

Asher’s gaze remained fixed on the dead man as he spoke softly. "Ketamine... overdose... hallucinations... poor blood clotting at the wound site. He would have died slowly, without any pain."

Zeke Shaw stared at Asher in astonishment, then glanced at the forensic examiner who had just arrived.

Quinn took off his mask and looked at Asher. "You have a very sharp sense of smell."

"The victim must have struggled when the killer was injecting him with the ketamine. There’s residue on his clothes. Anesthetics like that are strictly controlled."

Zeke Shaw looked at Zane. "Investigate it!"

’But that was a broad lead. Finding the killer quickly would be difficult.’

"The scene’s been compromised. There aren’t many usable clues left." Quinn frowned, looking at the footprints covering the floor.

Julian Fletcher looked away guiltily, saying nothing.

’He was definitely in the wrong here.’

"He hasn’t gone far. He’s nearby." Asher suddenly stared intently out the door.

"Who’s there!" Hearing a noise outside, Zane led a few officers and gave chase.

"Process the scene and seal it off." Zeke Shaw directed his team to handle the situation.

I took Asher’s hand and led him into the hallway, leaving the police to their investigation.

He seemed to be deep in thought, desperately trying to calculate something.

"The next one... the next one... time... location..." Asher squatted on the floor, muttering the words over and over.

’Is he trying to figure out who the killer will target next?’

"Crazy bastard. All smoke and mirrors." Julian Fletcher snorted, mocking Asher.

Asher looked at Julian Fletcher, his expression cold. "If you hadn’t barged in with your men... I could have found him."

’If Julian Fletcher hadn’t interfered, he could have followed the trail right to the killer, who was hiding and watching everything.’

’But now, the killer had been tipped off.’

"Stop spouting your alarmist bullshit. The killer is probably you! How else would you know what drug was used? How could you guess the details of the crime so accurately?" Julian Fletcher glared at Asher, looking like he was about to attack him.

I stepped forward, pushed Julian Fletcher away, and shielded Asher. Then I raised my hand and slapped him again. "Shut your mouth."

’Julian Fletcher had been slapped by me twice now. In the past, he would have made me regret it long ago. But I’m Silvia Lynch now. He can’t threaten me the way he used to threaten Cecilia Caldwell.’

’And I won’t fall for his act anymore.’

"Silvia Lynch..." He said my name, his gaze dark, then he smiled. "You’re getting very good at pretending to be Cecilia Caldwell."

’He must see traces of Cecilia Caldwell in me.’

"Hah... Shameless bastard." ’I suddenly felt like my hand was dirty just from slapping him.’

"Since you want to be Cecilia Caldwell so badly, I’ll give you the chance. You can play the part to your heart’s content." Julian Fletcher’s voice was ice-cold. ’He was threatening me.’

I didn’t know what he was planning, but a chill ran down my spine.

’In the past, whenever Julian Fletcher had that look on his face, I knew... he was definitely going to ’punish’ me.’

’His punishments were designed to back me into a corner, leaving me with no choice but to give in.’

"What do you get by marrying a lunatic? The Lancaster Family is a spent force. You want to fight Master Lancaster for control of the family? That’s harder than climbing to the heavens. Whatever the Lancasters can give the Lynn Family, I, Julian Fletcher, can provide just the same. Divorce him. I’ll allow you to stay by my side as Cecilia Caldwell. All you have to do is play your part." Julian Fletcher suddenly grabbed my wrist, yanking me in front of him and looking at Asher with a provocative smirk.

’He seemed certain I would abandon Asher for personal gain and go back to him.’

’Because Asher has no real power in the Lancaster Group.’

Asher’s face was dark as he stared at Julian Fletcher, suppressing the urge to kill. "Give her back..."

’He wanted to just grab me back by force, but he was probably afraid of hurting me.’

His voice trembled as he told Julian Fletcher to give me back.

But Julian Fletcher deliberately provoked Asher. He wrapped an arm around my neck from behind, pulling me into his embrace, and spoke in a deliberately intimate tone. "You psycho... Who do you think she’ll choose? Me, or you?"