pertwk Chapter 137 The Murderer?
Chapter 137 The Murderer?
Chapter 137 The Murderer?
Clarice not only comes from a wealthy family, but also has a full-time butler? With her social class and wealth, she has absolutely no need to devote herself to the Night's Watch, a job that is constantly accompanied by danger and eeriness.
"Miss is waiting in the study. Please come in."
The butler stepped aside to make way, his movements precise and silent. "This young lady seems to need rest. Would you like me to take her to her guest room first?"
Green glanced at Sura, who was pale but trying to appear energetic, and nodded to the butler: "Thank you for your help."
The butler bowed slightly and gestured for Sula to come in: "Miss, please follow me."
Sula looked at Green with some unease. Green gave her an encouraging look and whispered, "Go ahead, follow this gentleman. I'll be there soon."
After the butler led Sura to the stairs on one side, Green walked through the spacious foyer alone.
The floor is covered with a soft, thick carpet, and the walls are adorned with seemingly ordinary landscape paintings. The air is filled with a faint scent of wood and the aroma of old books.
Everything about it reflected the owner's taste and wealth, which was completely out of place with the cold, secretive atmosphere of the Night's Watch headquarters, which was filled with the smell of gunpowder and herbs.
The butler quickly returned and silently led Green to a door deep inside the second floor, knocking gently. "Miss, Mr. Morris has arrived."
"Come in," Clarice's voice came from inside.
The butler opened the door, gestured for Green to enter, and then quietly withdrew, closing the door behind him.
The study was larger than Green had imagined, with two walls lined with dark wood bookshelves that reached the ceiling, crammed with books and documents.
A real fire burned in the fireplace, dispelling the night's chill. Clarisse wasn't sitting behind the large desk, but standing by the fireplace, holding a steaming cup of drink.
She had changed out of her Night's Watch uniform and was wearing a dark, casual wool dress, but the seriousness and vigilance in her eyes created a subtle contrast with her comfortable surroundings.
"sit."
She gestured to the sofa in front of the fireplace, then sat down in the armchair opposite her and placed her cup on the small table beside her.
"Is Sula settled in?"
"The housekeeper took her to rest."
Green sat down on the soft sofa, but his body did not relax.
He glanced around the warm and intellectually stimulating study, ultimately setting aside the question swirling in his mind for the time being. Now was not the time to delve into Clarice's family background.
“Now,” Clarice looked at Green, “tell me what happened. Don’t leave out any details, including how you felt, Sura’s condition, anything unusual at the scene, even the slightest thing that seemed off.”
Green took a deep breath, gathered his jumbled thoughts, and began to narrate.
"I examined the scene, and based on my sister's account, it does seem like my cousin Emily did it; she's the only eyewitness." Green's voice deepened. "But I think the timing is a bit too coincidental. The Seagull incident was just starting to make progress, Old Bob's cause of death was still under investigation, Alvin was attacked, and then my aunt—"
He paused, then voiced the terrifying suspicion that had been lingering in his mind for so long: "As far as I know, while Emily is spoiled and pampered by her parents, she's not to the point of being this depraved. I suspect..."
"You suspect she's out of control?" Clarice interjected.
"No, I suspect that someone controlled Emily, or even kidnapped her, and then impersonated her to do all this."
"A disguise?" Clarisse's fingertips tapped rhythmically on the armrest, her brow furrowing slightly. "A reason?"
"Emily loves her mother very much." Green leaned forward slightly. "And if she really lost control, Sura wouldn't have survived."
Clarisse listened quietly, and only spoke slowly after he finished, "But have you ever considered that if the murderer is someone else, an outsider capable of controlling or impersonating Emily, and meticulous enough to orchestrate the scene," then why would he or she leave behind a living witness?
This statement directly hits the weakest link in Green's corollary.
The air in the study seemed to freeze. The firelight from the fireplace danced in Green's suddenly contracting pupils.
Yes, whether the killer was the out-of-control Emily or someone else, logically speaking, Sura shouldn't have survived.
An out-of-control person will not deliberately hold back.
A meticulously planned imposter would never make such a basic mistake as leaving behind a crucial witness. He had been so overwhelmed by family ties and the sudden devastating news that he had completely overlooked this most obvious inconsistency.
"You mean—no, that's impossible!" Green shook his head violently. "Sura is just an ordinary 14-year-old! She was terrified tonight! I know her; she's lively and kind, she wouldn't even step on a bug! How could she—"
How could it possibly be related to something like this?!
Are you sure you really understand her?
Clarice looked at Green calmly, but her words were like a knife.
Yes, she's only been in this world for a few months. Is the Sura she saw really her? No, no one knows she's been transported here. Clarice's logic can't possibly start from that point.
"Are you sure you really understand her?" she repeated, her gaze unwavering. "Extraordinary influences don't always manifest in dramatic ways; they can be like water dripping on stone, subtly altering cognition, emotions, and even—certain aspects of personality."
Green felt a chill run down his spine, not because the room wasn't warm enough, but because the possibility Clarice had put forward was so terrifying, yet—damn, he couldn't refute it immediately.
"Sura—she was just frightened."
His voice was a little hoarse. "The scene she described was chaotic, but the details—the splattered blood, Emily's strange movements—if she made it up, how could a 14-year-old girl make it up so perfectly?"
"What if what she saw was exactly what the killer wanted her to see?"
Clarisse picked up her glass, took a sip, and said, "Or perhaps a part of her memory was overwritten or altered? Leaving her alive might not have been an oversight, but part of a plan to make her the murderer Emily." This conclusion is the most compelling.
The most credible testimony. A child's testimony, in certain circumstances, can be more impactful and more easily accepted.
Green remained silent.
He recalled the fear Sula felt when she woke up in her hotel room, that real trembling.
“There’s another possibility,” Clarice put down her glass, lowering her voice, “that Sura herself wasn’t involved, but what she ‘saw’ might not have actually happened. She might have been influenced by some kind of suggestion, hypnosis, or worse, her perception might have been distorted by some force, making her believe that she ‘saw Emily commit the murder.’ The killer didn’t need to control her actions; they only needed to plant a seed in her consciousness.”
"Can this be done?" Green asked eagerly.