Chapter 287: The Vanished Deceased

Chapter 287: Chapter 287: The Vanished Deceased

If that were the case, Dean Lynch wouldn’t just be guilty of intentional homicide; he’d also be targeted by a criminal organization.

After all, the man in the duck-billed cap was sent by their leader. If he didn’t return for a long time, she would definitely get suspicious.

She might even follow the clues back to Dean Lynch and, to get her hands on that technology, go directly after the remaining three members of the Lynch Family.

And since their main base of operations is abroad, there’s no telling when Mrs. Lynch and her daughter might just disappear.

Now that the police have stepped in and arrested the man in the duck-billed cap in connection with Mr. Lynch’s case, it will shield the Lynch Family from some of their probing.

"Desecration of a corpse carries a maximum sentence of three years. Plus, Dean Lynch has a letter of understanding from the family, and his actions were based on the deceased’s final wishes. The sentence should be even lighter," Heath Hale said.

"I heard the captain here say that after the case is closed, they’re going to advise Mrs. Lynch and her daughter to stay in the country for treatment," Sean Hughes added.

Knowing that a group like that is targeting the Lynch Family, suggesting they remain in the country is the only way to ensure their safety.

"We don’t need to worry about the follow-up. Have the interrogation specialists from the bureau arrived? What’s the progress with the man in the duck-billed cap?" Evan Keller asked.

This time, it was Heath Hale, walking beside him, who answered: "They’re here. The chief was worried something might happen during the transfer, so he decided to handle it here.

They’ll send the results back via the intranet first. As for the man in the duck-billed cap, they’ll wait for the right time to move him."

Before the team could even get back to the station, Evan Keller’s phone rang.

He picked it up and saw it was a call from Hayden Shaw.

"What’s up?" Evan Keller asked, answering the call.

Hayden Shaw was brief and to the point. "There’s a new case. The chief assigned it to us. I’ve already sent you the files."

"Got it. We’re on our way back now," Evan Keller said with a nod.

Hayden Shaw had sounded urgent, so Zoe Sawyer and the others didn’t dare to waste any time. After saying their goodbyes to the local colleagues, they left in a hurry.

On the high-speed train, the team reviewed the files they had received, their expressions grim.

The report was filed by an elderly couple who claimed their daughter had vanished three days ago after taking a pet-sitting job.

At first, the couple wasn’t worried, assuming their daughter was just visiting friends.

But when three days passed without a word, they couldn’t sit still any longer and rushed to the police station to file a report.

Fortunately, before she left, their daughter had told them the exact location of her pet-sitting job.

The provincial bureau immediately dispatched officers to the address to investigate as soon as the report came in.

The location was a five-story, self-built house with surveillance cameras in the hallway and at the main entrance. The moment the police arrived, the landlord readily provided the footage.

The footage confirmed that the missing girl had entered the apartment but never came back out.

Strangely, not long after the police arrived at the house, a delivery courier dropped off a small box at the station’s entrance.

Inside was a memory card.

Colleagues from the provincial bureau’s technical department quickly retrieved its contents and found a surveillance video.

To be precise, it was a recording of the victim’s entire murder.

The video showed the victim feeding the owner’s pet when a figure appeared behind her, raised a weapon, and brought it down on her head with a single swing.

The victim pitched forward onto the ground, and the startled cat bolted. The figure then leaned down, picked up a fruit knife from the nearby coffee table, and stabbed the victim in the back, again and again.

Blood spread out from under the victim’s body, slowly soaking the adjacent rug.

Next, the figure wiped the fruit knife on the victim’s back a few times before dragging the body toward the balcony.

The bright red streaks left on the floor stung the eyes of everyone watching.

The moment they finished watching the video, the tech department staff immediately called the officers at the scene and described what they’d seen.

The officers at the scene wasted no time. They got the key from the landlord, rushed upstairs, and opened the door.

After opening the door, they found the scene inside was exactly as depicted in the video.

The only difference was that the body was not in the room. However, on a stone pillar of the balcony railing, the police who entered the scene found a piece of cloth hanging down.

The end of the cloth tied to the pillar was severely frayed.

The police quickly went to the open area behind the balcony, hoping to find some clues.

But it was very strange. There was blood all over the living room and balcony, but downstairs, there was nothing!

Not a single drop of blood could be found!

"Who is this? Do you recognize her?" an officer asked, handing a screenshot from the video to the landlord for identification.

Looking at the long, black, curly hair and the jacket, the landlord’s tone was unusually certain. "That’s my tenant, Yvie. Her full name is Yvonne Wayne. The person in this picture, from her build to her clothes, is identical to Yvie.

I wouldn’t mistake her. The other day, I was thinking of introducing her to my son. She was wearing this exact outfit, and her hair was just like that."

The landlord leaned in closer, staring at the figure for a few more moments, and reaffirmed his statement.

"When does your tenant get off work? What’s her phone number?" the lead officer asked, opening his notebook.

The landlord frowned, thinking for a moment, his tone uncertain. "Yvie... I think she hasn’t been back for four days. She left with a suitcase, said she had a family matter and needed to go home for a few days.

Yesterday was rent day, and she didn’t pay me. Yvie’s never been late with the rent before. She isn’t answering her phone either.

Officer, do you think... something might have happened to Yvie, too?"

The lead officer looked at his notes and fell into deep thought. ’This sounds like someone fleeing to escape punishment after committing murder!’

But!

He had never seen a murderer deliberately send a video of the entire crime to the police station afterward.

’Isn’t that just handing evidence right to the police?’

And then there was the missing body. The victim had lost a massive amount of blood and had been dragged; her chances of survival were slim.

But how could Yvonne Wayne, a seemingly slender girl, get a body downstairs without leaving a single trace?

There were too many questions that needed answers.

"We’ll investigate that. If you remember anything else suspicious, be sure to notify us immediately," the lead officer said, nodding to the landlord.

He had his team seal off the scene, take photos, and collect evidence.

He, on the other hand, returned to the station with all the evidence and information they had gathered.

After some discussion, the case was handed over to Zoe Sawyer and her team.

After reviewing all the files, Zoe Sawyer couldn’t help but ask one question.

"The victim... is she really dead?"