Chapter 183: Lumpy Lloyd Himself

Chapter 183: Chapter 183: Lumpy Lloyd Himself

The chief gave Beau’s sketch and Heath Hale’s report to Barry Quinn, telling him to scan and send them over.

Soon after, the chief’s call went through. A confused male voice came from the other end. "Why are you calling at a time like this? Are you still missing some information?"

"That cold case of yours, the one that’s decades old? It’s solved!" The chief’s voice was like a thunderclap, exploding in the other man’s mind.

Zoe Sawyer and Heath Hale, standing behind the chief, could hear the breathing on the other end of the line growing heavier.

"You... what did you say? Solved?!" The man’s voice cracked with excitement.

The chief held his phone away from his head and rubbed his ear. "That’s right. It’s solved.

Old Lee, check your email. I’ve had my people scan and send the files over. Also, my team discovered that the Brass Necklace missing from the victim’s home was likely taken by the killer."

"Stop, stop, hold on a second!" Chief Lee tossed his cell phone onto his desk, shot to his feet, and grabbed the landline. He dialed a number he knew by heart.

The call was answered on the very first ring.

"Hello? Young Lee, are you calling at this hour because you’ve caught the killer?" An old man’s world-weary voice came through the receiver into Chief Lee’s ear, tinged with both hope and anxiety.

The sounds of rapid breathing could also be heard, along with an anxious man’s voice. "Auntie, Auntie, please don’t get too excited. Mind your health. Let’s hear what Chief Lee has to say first."

"Auntie, please calm down. You and Uncle, listen to me. We’ve found the killer! Could the two of you come over? We need you to identify someone." Chief Lee, apparently used to such reactions, skillfully soothed their emotions before making his request.

Although he asked if they had time, Chief Lee didn’t need to guess what their answer would be.

"We’ll come! We’re coming right now!" After the initial shock, the old man’s voice grew calm as he stated they were on their way.

The call ended. Chief Lee picked up his cell phone again and spoke to the other chief in a grateful tone. "Thank God you found him. The old couple’s health has been getting noticeably worse lately. I don’t think they have much time left."

If the killer wasn’t found soon, they would have gone to their graves with this regret.

The two chiefs chatted a bit more about the case. Although the first chief didn’t explicitly state Zoe Sawyer’s role, there was no way Chief Lee couldn’t guess.

Perhaps it was because the cold case was finally solved, or because he could finally face the two weary elders without shame, but Chief Lee’s tone became much lighter. He was even in the mood to joke.

"Sawyer is still single, right? After we catch the killer, how about we organize a mixer? I’ve got plenty of high-quality young men on hand—the brainy and the brawny. I guarantee she’ll be satisfied!"

The chief chuckled, his eyes sweeping over Zoe Sawyer and Heath Hale, who were standing nearby.

One was frantically waving her hands and shaking her head in refusal. The other, while silent, stood ramrod straight, his lips pressed into a thin line and his hands clenched into fists, radiating pure displeasure.

"Forget it. I see you’re just after my prized treasure. I’m telling you, dream on!

I prefer to keep it in the family! The number of high-quality young men I have here is nothing to sneeze at, either!" The chief retorted before quickly changing the subject.

Less than half an hour later, a young officer knocked on Chief Lee’s office door. When it opened, three people were standing behind him.

An elderly couple supported each other, leaning on canes. Behind them was a man who looked to be in his sixties or seventies.

The man was carrying a white plastic bag containing fast-acting heart medication and other similar drugs.

His eyes were glued to the elderly couple, terrified they might lose their footing and fall.

"Hey, hey, come, come, sit over here." Chief Lee didn’t dare to be slow. He and the young officer each took one of the elders and helped them to the office sofa.

"Chief Lee, you said you found the killer. Who is it?! Who is it?

Who could be so heartless as to harm my children?" The moment she sat down, the mother of the three murdered children grabbed Chief Lee’s arm, her voice urgent.

She had waited her entire life for this news. She just wanted to know who had targeted her family!

She could feel her body failing her; she knew she didn’t have much longer.

She had thought she would take this regret to her grave, but now, Chief Lee was telling her they had found him!

Her husband, who was beside her, was clearly more level-headed. He put an arm around his wife’s shoulders and said, "Don’t get too excited. Chief Lee asked us to come, so they must have found him."

The man next to them also quickly chimed in to soothe his aunt, reminding her to take care of her health.

Chief Lee didn’t beat around the bush. He placed the printed sketch in front of them. "Do you recognize this person?"

The children’s father stared at the sketch, his eyes locking onto the large lump on the back of the man’s neck. He looked up sharply. "I do! That’s Lumpy Lloyd from next door back in my old hometown! Don’t tell me he’s the killer?

But he got drunk and drowned in the river back in ’72!"

Lumpy Lloyd had always been a menace. He used to terrorize the neighborhood, using that lump on his neck to scare children. All the neighbors had endless complaints about him.

Sometimes, the children would be so frightened they’d run home crying nonstop, even to the point of convulsions.

Some parents, heartbroken for their children, would go to his house and ask Lumpy Lloyd’s parents to rein in their son and stop him from scaring everyone.

But they would only agree on the surface.

He wouldn’t even wait until the next day. That very night, Lumpy Lloyd would retaliate against any family that had complained.

Sometimes he’d smear a mixture of urine and mud on their door. Other times, he’d bring a rope and threaten to hang himself at their house.

He would even hold a knife to his own lump, threatening everyone that he’d cut it off and smear what was inside on them.

Since there was never any actual physical damage, the other villagers couldn’t do anything about him.

Gradually, Lumpy Lloyd became a local pariah, despised by everyone. Besides his parents and siblings, everyone warned their children to stay far, far away from him.

That’s why the news of him drowning in the river while drunk caused such a stir back home. Everyone else rejoiced.

Finally, the menace was dead! They no longer had to worry about him scaring the children!

"He’s the killer. Uncle, I need to ask you something. Was Lumpy Lloyd sterile? Or rather, did he not have any children of his own?"