Chapter 199: The Killer is Someone Else

Chapter 199: Chapter 199: The Killer is Someone Else

Human blood smells like rust and is dark red.

The blood on the fruit knife had already coagulated, but the color was a brighter red, and the smell was strongly metallic.

This was clearly chicken blood.

Barry Quinn had been on countless missions, nearly all of them involving blood. He was an expert at telling the difference between human and animal blood.

"No wonder you didn’t want me to say anything. You were afraid the crowd would hear that we didn’t catch the real killer and start to panic." Zoe Sawyer tapped her forehead, finally understanding why Sean Hughes had told her to keep quiet.

Heath Hale stared at the gagged man. His face seemed calm, but his eyes were filled with panic and bewilderment.

But in all his years on the job, he’d seen cases where the culprit played the panicked, innocent victim from start to finish, only to be unmasked in a final twist.

So, based on that alone, Heath Hale couldn’t be sure if the man was innocent.

"Take him inside. We’ll find out the truth soon enough." Heath Hale gestured toward the Ford family’s living room. ℯ

No matter how well he was faking it now, his reaction to the crime scene would tell them everything.

"Blindfold him and take him in." Evan Keller waved a hand, and the officers holding the suspect escorted him inside.

They led the man to a clear spot where they wouldn’t contaminate the scene. At Evan Keller’s signal, an officer removed the gag, then the blindfold.

The suspect had a defiant look on his face, but the moment he opened his eyes, he was confronted with the sight of three very real dead bodies.

Each corpse’s eyes were wide open. A deep gash on each neck had peeled the skin back, a truly gruesome sight.

"Aah! Dead people!"

The suspect shrieked, his legs giving out in terror as he nearly collapsed.

If not for the two officers holding him, their grips firm, he would have crumpled to the floor, unable to get back up.

"Are you people crazy? Why would you show me this!"

"Get me out of here! Get me out of here!" The suspect thrashed wildly, trying to get away, squeezing his eyes shut, unable to bear another glance.

Heath Hale stood a short distance away, taking in the suspect’s every expression.

Fear, confusion... These were the reactions of a normal person suddenly confronted with dead bodies.

"You don’t know? This family was massacred last night. We arrived on scene, and the killer was long gone. But you, at this critical time, were found hiding under a bed, clutching a bloody fruit knife."

"We have every reason to suspect you’re the murderer in this case. You’re coming with us for questioning." Heath Hale said this slowly and deliberately, his hands clasped behind his back.

As he spoke, he watched the suspect’s face for any reaction.

If the man was truly innocent, his first reaction to being framed should be anger and confusion.

Soon enough, Heath Hale saw the exact emotions he was looking for in the man’s eyes.

Hearing this, the suspect looked like he was about to explode with anger.

He wasn’t even afraid of the bodies anymore. He started kicking his feet out in the direction of the three corpses. "What’s the meaning of this? You can’t find the real killer, so you’re going to pin it on me?"

"If I was the killer, I would’ve run away right after, right? Why would I stick around here for you to catch me?"

His expression was furious, tinged with a desperate need to defend himself, but there was no sign of guilt from being caught, nor the smug satisfaction of a successful killer.

Heath Hale stared at the suspect’s face for a long moment before finally concluding he wasn’t the killer.

"That makes sense. A murderer who has killed so many people elsewhere wouldn’t be caught this easily," Zoe Sawyer said quietly. Her own lingering doubts about the suspect were now resolved.

Beau nodded, seeming to half-understand, still clinging to Zoe Sawyer’s arm.

"If you want to clear your name, start talking. What were you doing last night? Do you have an alibi? And why were you hiding under someone’s bed?" Evan Keller and another officer moved the suspect to the doorway, using their bodies to block his view of the living room, and continued the questioning.

Officer Lee came over and took a photo of the suspect’s face to run a check and determine his identity.

When they had caught the suspect, they had searched him thoroughly. He had nothing on him except for the fruit knife.

Since none of the local residents recognized him, they couldn’t immediately determine who he was.

"I... I was just wandering around after a late-night snack last night, and... and then... I met someone, and we really hit it off. We talked for a while, had a few drinks, and then we made a bet... to see who would dare to spend a night hiding under a stranger’s bed." The suspect’s story started out haltingly, but he grew more confident as he spoke, even pantomiming how he had climbed into the teenager’s house and snuck inside.

Perhaps getting carried away by his own story, the suspect was about to say more when Heath Hale cut him off.

"Are you sure everything you’ve told us is the truth? I’m only going to warn you once. We have ways of verifying your story. If you’re intentionally fabricating lies to mislead the police and obstruct our investigation..."

"...once we catch the real killer, you’ll be held accountable. In a serious case like this, that means jail time for you too." Heath Hale stared hard at the suspect, his expression grim as he spoke each word with emphasis.

The suspect opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately held his tongue.

But his previously weak legs now tapped nervously against the floor, making a series of dull thuds.

Seeing the suspect’s reaction, the expressions on Evan Keller and Heath Hale’s faces grew more somber. There was definitely more to the story.

"His ID came back. I’ll go check it out. Don’t rush things," Zoe Sawyer said, walking over and patting Heath Hale and Evan Keller on the shoulder, signaling for them to take it easy.

Heath Hale let out a long breath. "Alright. Be careful," he said. Then he turned to Beau. "Beau, did you bring your art supplies today?"

If Beau had seen the killer’s face, he could sketch it on the spot, which would make the subsequent manhunt much easier.

Beau nodded and patted his little backpack, showing he had everything he needed.

The local precinct chief watched Zoe Sawyer with a puzzled expression. Two people had been sticking close to her since the beginning.

’Is she some kind of secret weapon from the city’s police department?’

Before he could dwell on it, Evan Keller called him over to deal with something else.

The chief put the thought out of his mind.

It wasn’t a secret he was meant to pry into, anyway. The less he knew, the fewer strings would be attached later.

For the sake of convenience, Zoe Sawyer’s group chose a clean room inside the Ford family’s house.

However, to be thorough, Barry Quinn went in and checked it first. Only after he confirmed the room contained no clues related to the murders did Zoe Sawyer feel comfortable using it.

Zoe Sawyer silently repeated the suspect’s name and the time in her mind, picturing his face.

The familiar sensation washed over her.

’Here it comes!’