Chapter 70: Shannon Shelby Is a Pervert

Chapter 70: Chapter 70: Shannon Shelby Is a Pervert

A look of grim satisfaction crossed Aunt Monroe’s face. She pulled a silver chain from her collar, opened the locket attached to it, and revealed a tiny, folded, yellowed piece of paper.

"Officer, I found this while sorting through Chloe’s belongings. It was hidden in the sleeve of a thick coat. That’s probably why it wasn’t discovered." Aunt Monroe handed the item to the officer beside her.

The paper had likely been stored for a long time; it looked yellowed and felt as if it might crumble with the slightest pressure.

"I’ve carried this with me ever since. I haven’t dared let it out of my sight, terrified I’d lose it and Chloe would never get justice.

Chloe wrote in it that if this was given to the police, that bastard would definitely be taken in." As she spoke, Aunt Monroe glanced toward Director Lane, who was standing a short distance away.

If looks could kill, he would have already died a death of a thousand cuts.

Director Lane watched as the paper was carefully placed into an evidence bag, a flicker of panic in his eyes.

’Could that dead girl have really had some dirt on me?’

’That’s impossible!’

"As for why I didn’t go to the police, you should ask Director Lane what he’s been up to.

He paid off several thugs and had them stake out Chloe’s home and the homes of a few others. They would harass their families from time to time, using violence to threaten them into not going to the police.

He also claimed he had connections and could get out of jail anytime, and that he’d make them pay when he did. Chloe’s parents aren’t educated. Even if his words were lies, they couldn’t tell, so they kept putting it off until now." As she spoke, Aunt Monroe seemed to collapse under the weight of it all, slumping to the ground. She buried her face in her hands, her body trembling uncontrollably.

Zoe Sawyer sucked in a sharp breath. Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

’Even if the deceased’s parents believed that bullshit and were too scared to go to the police, why didn’t she—the one who saw the suicide note and knew the truth—go? Why wait until now?’

’There’s definitely something more to this story!’

But this wasn’t the time to speak up. Zoe Sawyer tugged on Heath Hale’s sleeve and looked at him questioningly.

Heath Hale didn’t look at Zoe Sawyer. Instead, he gave a slight shake of his head, signaling for her not to speak just yet.

"We have a general idea of what happened, but the specific details will have to wait until the police have conducted a full investigation." Heath Hale cleared his throat and gestured for the officers guarding the two individuals to take them back to the station.

Heath Hale glanced around. Outside the police tape, although the students had been sent back, all the teachers were still standing there.

Even in the dormitory buildings up ahead, crowds of people were watching to see what would happen next.

Under so many watchful eyes, they certainly couldn’t ask about more detailed specifics here. It would create a bad impression.

Once they wrapped things up here, they would take the relevant people back for questioning.

Meanwhile, Lynn Grant had already taken the body of Shannon Shelby’s boyfriend back to the station.

"Two of you, go and search their dorm room." As Shannon Shelby watched in horror, Heath Hale waved two officers over.

From what Zoe Sawyer had described earlier today, he knew there was definitely something hidden in their dorm room.

This case provided the perfect opportunity to go in and conduct a thorough search.

"Officer, shouldn’t you be looking for the killer? Why are you searching our dorm?" Shannon Shelby wrapped her arms around Lily Golding, her voice full of accusation.

"Student Shelby, when someone dies, the first suspect is usually their partner. Next, we investigate their social circle, and then we question anyone they might have had a grudge with.

Please don’t worry. This is just standard procedure. If there’s nothing wrong, we won’t arrest people indiscriminately," Heath Hale said in a strictly professional tone.

But the underlying meaning was also clear: if you haven’t done anything wrong, you have nothing to worry about.

If it does concern you, then you must submit to the investigation.

Shannon Shelby bit her lower lip, mortified. ’No, I can’t let them go in just like that.’

’If they find all that stuff, everything I’ve done will be exposed...’

’When that happens, if Lily finds out, what will she think of me?’

The thought of receiving a look of pure disgust from Lily Golding made Shannon Shelby feel as if her world were collapsing.

’No, I can’t let them go in!’

Before Shannon Shelby could think of a viable solution, she heard Lily Golding’s voice by her ear. "Sure, go ahead. It’s not like we have anything in our dorm anyway. If it helps you catch the killer sooner, then that’s great."

Whatever else she had wanted to say was suddenly caught in her throat.

Shannon Shelby’s face turned red from holding back her words. In the end, she could only shut her mouth and follow Lily Golding.

At the same time, her mind was racing, frantically trying to figure out how she would explain things if they really questioned her about it.

After confirming that all four people had been taken away, Zoe Sawyer and Heath Hale turned their full attention to the small pond in front of them.

As piles of trash were cleared out, the team responsible for finding the murder weapon quickly located their target in the sludge.

Wearing gloves, they carefully extracted the weapon.

Although most of the bloodstains had been washed away by the water and silt when it was thrown in, there was still some residue in the hard-to-clean crevices of the hilt.

After clearing the small pond and making sure nothing was missed, Evan Keller led his team to meticulously inspect the surrounding area, collecting anything that looked suspicious.

By the time the group returned to the police station, several hours had passed.

"TSK, TSK, TSK. Zoe, you have no idea. The stuff in that young lady Shannon Shelby’s dorm room... it’s just..." Seeing Zoe Sawyer return, Officer Lee sidled up to her, a look on his face that screamed, ’Want to hear some gossip?’ His tone was pure temptation.

’Something’s up!’

Zoe Sawyer’s eyes lit up. She quickly sat down next to Officer Lee, her eyes shining brightly as she stared at him.

"Where are the four people we brought back?" Heath Hale glanced at Zoe Sawyer, who was ready for the gossip, then looked away and asked the officers who had brought them in.

"They’re all in separate interrogation rooms, waiting for you to get back to be questioned." The officer in charge checked the time and continued, "We’ve only brought them water a few times over the past three hours and haven’t said a word. You can probably head over now."

This was a common interrogation technique they used.

They would bring people in, put them in separate interrogation rooms, and then make them wait for hours.

No phones, no one to talk to—they were left completely alone.

At this point, people with a guilty conscience would inevitably grow unnerved and fearful, their minds running wild.

Once their psychological defenses were weakened, the interrogators would move in. With the right verbal tactics, they could easily get some people to talk.

The delay this time was mainly due to being short-staffed.

Heath Hale and Evan Keller conferred for a moment. Just as they were about to head to the interrogation rooms, they heard Zoe Sawyer’s voice.

"Heath, come look at this! This! This Shannon Shelby has some serious issues! Is she some kind of pervert?!"