Chapter 286: Resolution

Chapter 286: Chapter 286: Resolution

Evan Keller looked a bit puzzled, running through various possibilities in his mind.

’Is he unmarried by choice? Or child-free?’

"I’m naturally sterile. I can never have children, so my brother’s child is my own child. I’d do anything for her." This was the real reason he’d done what he did.

A topic most people would be reluctant to even mention, yet Dean Lynch spoke of it without reservation.

"Wait. You said before that your brother committed suicide? But now it sounds like he died from his illness." Evan Keller stared at his notes, then looked up at Dean Lynch in confusion.

Dean Lynch kept his head down, his hands clasped tightly on his knees. His voice was exceptionally bitter. "My brother was in too much pain during his last few days. He couldn’t have lasted without the painkillers."

"On the last day, he refused to take his medication. You could say... he was literally pained to death."

As he spoke those last few words, Dean Lynch grabbed his hair with both hands, pulling at it desperately.

Evan Keller and the colleague beside him exchanged a look and sighed in unison.

But this wasn’t something they could counsel him on.

"We will verify everything you’ve told us. In the meantime, you will need to stay in the detention center," Evan Keller said, closing his notebook and looking at Dean Lynch.

Dean Lynch nodded, his expression listless.

"Well, now we wait for the autopsy report and the results from the crime scene," Evan Keller said, rubbing his face, his voice tinged with exhaustion.

Zoe Sawyer also sighed. Then, as if remembering something, she asked, "What about Mrs. Lynch and her daughter?"

"They’ve already bought tickets for the earliest flight. They’re on their way back," another officer in charge of the matter replied quickly.

The moment the body was discovered, they had contacted Mrs. Lynch and informed her of the situation.

She seemed prepared, asking several more questions. After getting her answers, she stated she would return to the country immediately and maintain contact with the police.

"Mr. Lynch’s company also issued a statement right away, giving a general overview of the whole affair. It stated that Dean Lynch had never been involved in any company matters, that projects were progressing steadily with good results, and that the public shouldn’t worry."

"The stock became volatile when Dean Lynch was first arrested, but it’s more or less stabilized thanks to this statement. It looks like a press release Mrs. Lynch prepared in advance, specifically to prevent this kind of situation," Sean Hughes added, looking at a message from Officer Lee on his phone.

Mrs. Lynch had prepared this statement after her husband’s death, just in case Dean was discovered, so she could release it immediately to stabilize the company’s stock price.

And as it turned out, her foresight was correct.

Although many people online still had questions about the matter, things had at least been brought under control.

"Alright, you’ve all worked hard. Go get some rest for now. We’ll pick things up again when Mrs. Lynch arrives." An officer from the local precinct came over and led Zoe Sawyer and the others to a recently cleared-out office.

Inside the office, several folding cots had been set up for them to rest.

Special circumstances call for special treatment.

Zoe Sawyer and the others weren’t picky; they lay down and were asleep in moments.

There was still a lot of work ahead, so they needed to rest and conserve their energy.

Not long after they woke up the next day, the local police brought them the autopsy report and the surveillance footage from the scene.

"Captain Keller, the results are in. According to the autopsy, the body shows signs of tonic muscle contraction, what we commonly call muscle spasms."

"Intense pain can overstimulate nerve endings and motor neurons. To put it simply, the deceased can indeed be said to have been pained to death."

In other words, Dean Lynch hadn’t been lying on that point.

"What about the surveillance footage from the scene?" Evan Keller asked next. The state of the deceased at the time Dean Lynch dismembered the body would be the most critical factor in determining his sentence.

The officer who had just spoken pulled out another report and handed it to Evan Keller. "We’ve reviewed all the surveillance footage from the Lynch residence during the time of the incident."

"We can confirm that Mr. Lynch was already deceased when the suspect dismembered the body. Everything else is almost exactly as the suspect described."

With that, he handed another file to Evan Keller.

They had used the name Dean Lynch provided to find the person in charge of the private hospital and obtained Mr. Lynch’s medical records.

The file contained his complete treatment history, doctor’s assessments, and detailed physical examination reports.

This also proved that what Dean Lynch had said was essentially all true.

He hadn’t killed anyone; he had simply carried out a series of actions as instructed by his brother.

Around one in the afternoon, a travel-worn mother and daughter appeared at the police station entrance.

Because they had communicated in advance, they were led to a reception room the moment they arrived.

"Officer, I can testify that the three of us discussed everything. My husband’s death was due to his illness."

"All the subsequent actions were proposed by my husband, and he insisted that his brother carry them out. So, can his punishment be lenient? I can provide a letter of understanding!" Mrs. Lynch blurted out anxiously as soon as she sat down, defending Dean Lynch.

The slender girl beside Mrs. Lynch clutched her small handbag tightly, looking at Evan Keller with pleading eyes. "My dad and my uncle did all this for me. We aren’t pressing charges, so can you let him go?"

Evan Keller shook his head. His tone was gentle but tinged with helplessness. "I understand how you both feel. Mr. Dean Lynch has committed the crime of desecrating a corpse. Even an instruction from Mr. Lynch before his death doesn’t excuse it."

"Mr. Dean Lynch’s actions have disrupted public order. Even if you issue a letter of understanding, the prosecutor’s office still has the right to press charges. However, your letter can be used as a basis for mitigating his sentence. Even if he is convicted, it won’t be for long, so please don’t worry."

Hearing this, Mrs. Lynch sank back into her chair, her strength giving out. Her expression was a mixture of exhaustion and regret.

’If I had known it would come to this, I never should have agreed to my husband’s foolish plan in the first place.’

’But it’s useless to say anything now.’

Mrs. Lynch forced herself to pull it together and said to Evan Keller, "Then we’ll issue the letter of understanding now. Can we see him?"

Evan Keller nodded at Mrs. Lynch, then waved over the junior officer waiting nearby.

The case was more or less solved. The subsequent procedures could be handed over to their colleagues here.

Walking down the corridor outside, Zoe Sawyer suddenly spoke up. "It’s a bit of a shame, but it’s better than Dean Lynch ending up killing the man in the baseball cap."

"If that had really happened, then he would have been truly finished."