Chapter 68: He’s Very Nervous, There’s Something in the Pond

Chapter 68: Chapter 68: He’s Very Nervous, There’s Something in the Pond

Evan Keller stood beside the two of them, his arms crossed over his chest.

In his line of work, he dealt with the public far more than Zoe Sawyer or Heath Hale did, and he’d seen his fair share of freaks and weirdos.

Shannon Shelby’s behavior was a huge red flag in itself. And this other girl, Lily Golding, seemed a bit too slow on the uptake.

As far as Evan Keller was concerned, everything about the two of them was suspicious.

Then there was the matter of that medicine. That was another problem.

"What’s the problem?" Zoe Sawyer asked, looking at Evan Keller with a questioning expression.

This time, Evan didn’t even have to speak. Heath Hale, standing beside him, chimed in. "Of course, you’d be devastated if your boyfriend died, but Shannon Shelby’s mood shifted way too fast. So fast it makes you wonder how much of that grief was genuine."

There was another possibility: Shannon Shelby was mentally ill.

And seeing how Lily Golding seemed so used to it, you could guess this sort of thing happened often.

The crowd of onlookers was growing, seriously disrupting public order. The school administrators had to bring out the remaining teachers on campus to herd the students back to their dorms.

"Officers, my surname is Lane. If there’s anything you need, just ask. There isn’t a single corner of this campus I’m not familiar with. As a director here, I’ve worked at this school for nearly twenty years. I know every inch of it," a refined-looking man with slightly thinning hair said as he approached.

He spoke in a slow, deliberate tone, but Zoe Sawyer could still detect a hint of urgency.

Zoe was puzzled. ’What’s he so anxious about?’

’Is he worried that a slow investigation will tarnish the school’s reputation?’

If that was the case, it made a certain amount of sense.

Before Zoe could figure it out, Aunt Monroe suddenly seemed to remember something. She raised her hand and called out, "Officers! I think I saw ripples on the pond’s surface, like when someone throws something in.

"If you don’t mind the trouble, you could check the bottom of the pond."

The campus was huge; it would be incredibly easy to hide something.

Compared to a aimless search, having a general area to focus on was actually a good thing.

"You, be quiet! The officers have their own methods of investigation. They don’t need you butting in!" Director Lane snapped at Aunt Monroe, clearly furious that she had spoken out of turn.

Meanwhile, Lily Golding felt the body she was holding stiffen for a moment before quickly relaxing again.

Lily’s hand paused for a second. Then, as if she hadn’t noticed a thing, she resumed patting Shannon Shelby’s back to comfort her.

"Alright, there’s no need to take your anger out on the lady," Evan Keller said. "Right now, the most important thing is to review the surrounding surveillance footage and determine who passed by around the time of death.

"Don’t you worry, ma’am. We won’t neglect any area that needs to be investigated." Evan directed his last sentence to Aunt Monroe.

Director Lane couldn’t help but step forward, rattling off several reasons why searching the pond was a bad idea: it hadn’t been cleaned in ages, it was surely full of trash, finding anything would be difficult, and it would be a waste of time.

But despite his long-winded speech, Evan Keller paid him no mind. He didn’t even stop taking notes. While assigning tasks, he even remembered to send someone back to the station for equipment.

Having said so much without changing their minds, Director Lane could only shut his mouth and step to the side, unable to hide the anxiety in his eyes.

Several times, he reached for the phone in his pocket, wanting to take it out, but he held back in the end.

"This case feels like it’s getting more and more complicated," Zoe Sawyer murmured, frowning.

Normally, the process was straightforward: check the surveillance footage, narrow down the area, find the killer, and investigate the suspects.

But this Director Lane’s reaction was completely off. Wouldn’t finding the killer sooner be a good thing?

Why did he look so resistant when someone suggested the murder weapon might be in the pond?

’Could it be that there’s something else in that pond that can’t see the light of day?’

"Don’t worry about it. We’ll find out if it’s true or not once we search it. In any case, we definitely have to check that pond," Heath Hale said, his tone casual.

We’ll know what’s in there soon enough.

Besides, that Aunt Monroe definitely knows something too.

But all of that will become clear after we’ve searched the pond.

Heath’s main focus was still on Lily Golding and Shannon Shelby. Those two were hiding something as well.

But it didn’t matter. Whatever they were hiding, the police would uncover it all!

Zoe Sawyer looked down at her hands and clenched her fists, her fingers itching to do something.

’I want to open the door. I want to see the scene.’

Heath Hale noticed Zoe’s movement and reached out to take her hand. "Control yourself. We’re not at the point where you need to open any doors yet."

"Exactly. Just stay put for now. If you’re really that bored, you can learn from Coach Hale how we solve cases the proper way," Evan Keller’s voice was full of agreement.

Zoe’s ability was convenient, but relying on it habitually wouldn’t be good for them in the long run.

Every officer’s skills are honed through practice in case after case. If they got used to taking shortcuts now, it might feel great at first, but the drawbacks would become obvious later on.

They’d stop using their brains, stop thinking critically. That wouldn’t do their careers any good.

Of course, when it came to chasing down a criminal, her ability was something they should definitely use.

Soon, the two officers who had been sent back for equipment returned by car.

Meanwhile, the ones who went to check the surveillance footage had also found something amiss.

"Captain Keller, I’m ready!"

An officer in full gear saluted Evan Keller.

"Be careful down there. Your safety is the top priority," Evan instructed from the side.

It was only when Zoe Sawyer was standing right beside the small pond that she understood what Director Lane meant by "full of trash."

The pond’s surface was covered in a thick layer of green algae that shifted slightly with the breeze, occasionally revealing the murky water and garbage beneath.

"Director Lane, where are you off to? And another thing, don’t you people ever clean this pond?" Evan Keller asked, frowning as he watched the director try to slip away quietly. His tone was laced with suspicion.

A pond like this had to be a blight on the campus’s appearance, so why had no one ever thought to clean it up?

It wasn’t that large, after all. Cleaning it up wouldn’t have been a difficult task.

Director Lane stood to the side, trying to laugh it off. "Students rarely come over to this part of campus. Besides, the school’s budget is tight. Whether it’s repairing academic buildings and dorms or buying new teaching equipment for the students, we’re stretched thin. We just don’t have the spare cash to clean up a practically useless little pond."

Listening from the back, Zoe couldn’t help but purse her lips. ’They could just offer students some credits and plenty of people would volunteer to clean it.’

"He’s nervous. There’s something in the pond."