Chapter 69: Who Says I Don’t Have Evidence?

Chapter 69: Chapter 69: Who Says I Don’t Have Evidence?

Heath Hale’s tone was unusually certain. He waved a hand to the side, signaling for several of his colleagues to come over.

Without Director Lane even noticing, Heath Hale had already led his men to completely block off his escape route.

If he made the slightest move, they would arrest him on the spot.

Soon, the officer who had dived in earlier poked his head out of the pond. His dark wetsuit was caked in algae and mud, a truly wretched sight.

"Captain Keller! There’s something down here! But it’s too brittle. I didn’t dare pull on it for fear of damaging it. It’d be best to drain the pond." After removing his mask, the diver who had just gone under spoke eagerly.

An indescribable expression crossed his face as he thought about what he had seen down there.

"What is it? Did you get a clear look?" Evan Keller glanced at Director Lane out of the corner of his eye before turning his attention back to his colleague.

"A pile of garbage and several skeletons! They’ve probably been soaking down there for too long. I didn’t dare move them. Draining the pond before going back down is the best option." With help from his partner on the bank, the officer climbed out of the pond and changed out of his wetsuit.

Pumps were quickly brought to the edge of the pond, and two were set to work at once.

The pond itself wasn’t very large. As the water was pumped out, what lay at the bottom was gradually revealed.

In addition to the garbage carpeting the entire pond floor, there were several burlap sacks.

However, from being submerged for so long, the fabric of the sacks had become fragile. A slight scrape from a sharp nearby object was all it took to reveal their contents.

It was a human hand bone. Around the wrist was a dark, bracelet-like object.

Exposed for all to see as the bag tore open.

Along with the trash came a foul odor.

"He’s drenched in sweat. He definitely knows what’s in this pond," Zoe Sawyer whispered, nudging Heath Hale beside her.

"Don’t worry. He’s surrounded. He’s not going anywhere," Heath Hale said with a touch of confidence.

He’d had his people in position for a while now.

Aunt Monroe, Lily Golding, and Shannon Shelby were also being watched.

The three of them were also suspects and couldn’t be allowed to leave.

With the sudden discovery of several more skeletons, Evan Keller’s team was shorthanded, so he had to make an urgent call for Sean Hughes.

Fortunately, the school wasn’t far from the police station, and Sean Hughes arrived with backup before long.

Aside from the officers guarding the four suspects, the rest of the team geared up and descended to the bottom of the pond.

Some of them started clearing out the burlap sacks, while the rest began searching for the murder weapon in this case.

They hadn’t forgotten the original purpose of the dive.

Heath Hale tapped Zoe Sawyer on the shoulder, signaling for her to follow him.

"Alright, Aunt Monroe, you’ve seen the result you wanted. Now, please tell me, how did you know there was something down here? Or should I say, did you actually see something fall into the pond?" Heath Hale asked, standing before Aunt Monroe.

Zoe Sawyer, standing beside him, took out a digital recorder, ready to record their conversation.

When taking a statement, at least two officers had to be present.

But given that the officer on guard duty couldn’t be distracted, Zoe Sawyer took on the task of recording.

"She’s really down there. She’s really down there. I finally found her." Aunt Monroe ignored Heath Hale’s question, her eyes fixed on the pond with raw emotion.

If someone wasn’t holding her back, she probably would have charged in to retrieve the remains herself.

As Aunt Monroe moved, Zoe Sawyer caught another whiff of a familiar scent on her.

She was certain she had smelled it before, but she couldn’t recall where.

"Aunt Monroe, our time is valuable. If you really know something, please don’t conceal it. Doing so will only hinder the police investigation.

If the person down there is truly someone you know, you’re only ensuring the truth stays buried longer!" Heath Hale’s voice turned severe, striking the frenzied Aunt Monroe like a clap of thunder.

’He’s right. He’s right.’

’If I don’t tell them what I know soon, no one will ever find out what happened to Chloe.’

’She’s been lying in this filth for so long. She must want her murderer brought to justice as soon as possible!’

"Officer! I want to file a report! It was Director Lane—Tim Lane! He’s the murderer! He killed my friend! He killed Chloe Monroe!" Aunt Monroe suddenly grabbed Heath Hale’s arm, her voice trembling with agitation.

Director Lane, already drenched in sweat, froze instantly.

’How could this be? How could anyone still know the name Chloe Monroe, when I’m the one who killed her friend?!’

’This janitor looks like she’s in her fifties or sixties. How could she possibly know Chloe Monroe?!’

Director Lane snapped his head around to glare at Aunt Monroe, his eyes filled with undisguised hatred. "You’re spouting baseless accusations! Chloe Monroe? I’ve never even heard that name!

For slandering a member of the school staff like this, I could have you fired in a heartbeat, believe you me!"

He started to walk toward Aunt Monroe as he spoke, ready to argue with her.

But he was stopped before he could take more than a few steps.

"Director Lane, if you have something to say in your defense, please wait," Heath Hale said, his gaze utterly devoid of emotion. The cold look instantly cooled Director Lane’s white-hot anger.

When he realized what he’d just done, Director Lane wanted to slap himself.

’I was too agitated!’

’Everything was handled so cleanly. No one should have been able to trace it back to me.’

’But I got too emotional and gave myself away!’

’But it doesn’t matter. It’s been so long, and they still have nothing on me. If that janitor really had evidence, she would have reported me ages ago. She wouldn’t have waited until now.’

’She’s just bluffing. She’s trying to scare me into slipping up.’

Having reasoned this out, Director Lane’s expression calmed considerably, and he returned to his previous spot.

"Officer, I want to report her for slandering an educator.

In fact, I suspect she’s the real murderer. Otherwise, how would she know so clearly what’s at the bottom of the pond? And why didn’t she report it back then? Why wait until now?" Director Lane asked, now perfectly composed, hitting on a crucial point.

Yes, why did Aunt Monroe know what was at the bottom of the pond?

If she knew all along that Director Lane was a killer, why didn’t she report it sooner? Why wait until now?

Shannon Shelby forgot to cry, and she and Lily Golding glanced back and forth between the two.

The same question was dawning on everyone else present.

"Who says I don’t have evidence?"