She went back to sleep.
Bryan Fellow was a new official. This case was unusual, and he could not sleep at night. Instead, he applied for a search warrant and quickly found the mobile phone and earrings.
Stella Grace woke up naturally. She glanced at the time. It was 7:30 a. m., and her mind was a little confused. She sat on the bed in a daze for three minutes, and gradually, her senses returned to reality.
As long as she was alive, life could continue on.
She brushed her teeth, washed her face, tied her hair up into a bun on her head, changed into a dark purple suit, and brought a breakfast roll along with her to the hotel cafeteria to eat.
As soon as she walked in, she saw Jasper Milton sitting by the window.
He was enjoying a sandwich, a glass of milk, and an omelette.
The rays of sunlight gently fell onto his pure body through the window, creating a halo of light around him. It had only been a few days since they last saw each other but it felt like they were already people of two different worlds.
He was as mighty as the king on the mountains, but she was just a drop in the ocean.
They used to rely on each other through difficult times in the past, but now they were like strangers.
She took a bowl of chicken salad, two pieces of toast and a plate of scrambled eggs. She also poured a glass of orange juice for herself and sat down in the corner.
In fact, she was quite curious as to why Jasper was in Yale City and staying in the same hotel as she was.
Was it because of her?
It was impossible. The Jasper she knew was a responsible man. Since he had chosen to marry another woman, he would probably refuse to have anything to do with her anymore.
So… was it because of the treasure?
Stella subconsciously looked at him.
Coincidentally, he was also looking at her. His eyes were as deep as the ocean. He did not say anything, nor did he intend to say hello. It was as if the two of them were separated by a valley.
She used to like ancient literature very much, especially when she was in high school, almost to the point of obsession.
She internally recited all the poems that she thought had artistic conception and beauty. In her youth, she’d written some poems and found that what she liked to do the most was to cobble all her ideas together.
At this time, when she saw Jasper, a few words flashed through her mind: The two of them were living as though they were already dead. They didn’t think about anything and there was no place in this world for them to express their feelings. Even if they met each other, they would not acknowledge each other’s presence anymore. Even though their hearts were beating, their eyes had lost their souls. What a sorrowful sight!
Stella’s eyes drooped and she was as calm as clear water. There was not a single hint of shock in her eyes.
Jasper finished his meal earlier than she did and left without coming over to greet her.
It seemed that there wasn’t any reason for them to interact with each other anymore.
She felt a little tug in her heart, and there was also some bitter wetness in her eyes. She lowered her head and did not want anyone to see her emotional turbulence at this moment. She tried to suppress all bitterness in her heart.
She remembered the old times when people became friends because of their common goals. Unfortunately, men wanted to venture into different places. At that time, there were no mobile phones and they had no fixed residences. It was unlikely for them to meet again if they got separated from each other. Once they had experienced the pain of separation, the words written by poets would be particularly sad.
Now, there were mobile phones and the internet. Those feelings harbored by the people from the old times were nowhere to be seen now. Some people even needed to fake their emotions.
Well, she would admit that her heart was aching terribly, and it was way worse than she had imagined. She wanted to cry, but there was no reason for her to cry.
This was how their lives were going to be like from now on, wasn’t it?
Stella had finished all the food on the table, but there was nothing she could do about her aching heart.
No tears came out from her eyes. She could only suppress her feelings, over and over again.
She got up and walked to the lobby of the hotel. Her cell phone suddenly rang.
When she saw that it was from Bryan, she picked it up. “Sorry, am I running late?”
Bryan was in a good mood. “Your schedule is flexible anyway, so don’t worry about being late. Let me tell you a piece of good news. We found two sets of fingerprints on the earrings. One of them belonged to Mila’s father, and we successfully found the murderer by running through the other set of fingerprints on the database.”
“Well, hearing such good news first thing in the morning sure put me in a good mood. Is Bobby alright now?” Stella said with a smile.
“Yes. We released him this morning. The State Mayor is very happy and has invited us to lunch at noon today. Are you coming to the station, or should I pick you up at noon?” Bryan asked.
“I’m going to the station now. After all, we haven’t caught the murderer yet.”
“Okay, I’ll wait for you then,” Bryan said in a deep voice.
The words “wait for you” sounded very beautiful. However, he was not the person she wanted to hear it from, so her heart was not stirred.
By the time Stella arrived at the station, Bryan was already waiting inside. He was sitting in front of his computer and browsing through the screen.
She knocked on the door of the office.
Bryan looked at her and smiled. “Come in.”
Stella sat opposite him and asked, “Who is the murderer?”
“The murderer’s name is Hollis Zachary. This husband and wife duo are criminals who are wanted online. They used to own a hotel. They had killed 13 guests over the past three years. Eight of them were male, four were female, and one was a child. Two of the male victims were policemen. The murderers’ mental state are really good, and their killing methods are extremely cruel.” Bryan passed the computer to Stella and said, “They’re the real deal.”
Stella looked at the reports about the couple and felt that something was off. “Do you think they were killing people randomly?”
“They used to kill people randomly. The victims’ accommodation had always been confidential, they don’t really have much choice but to kill randomly,” Bryan guessed.
Stella didn’t say anything.
There was a knock on the door.
A police officer came in and reported to Bryan, “Director Fellow, the murderer has been found. They poisoned themselves and committed suicide in a nearby rented house. They have also written a suicide note, as well as the details of the murder of Mila Zachary and her family.”
“They committed suicide?” Bryan was also surprised.
“You have the video now, right?” Stella asked Bryan.
“Yes, we got their mobile phones.”
“Show me the phone,” Stella said to Bryan.
Bryan’s face was a little strange. He wanted to say something but stopped on second thought.
“What’s wrong?” Stella asked in confusion.
“It’s a little… unsightly.” Bryan gave her a warning ahead of time and handed the sealed bag and mobile phone to Stella.
“Do you think that I’d be scared by it? Don’t worry, I’m not that squeamish. I was a gynaecologist before I became a psychologist. I used to operate on my patients every day.” Stella took the phone and started the video.
The scene was indeed unpleasant to watch.
A masked murderer put his dagger against Mila’s neck and r*ped her cruelly.
Mila and her family were all in the room.
He also let Mila’s father… and then he stuffed those disinfectants into Mila’s father.
The murderer said, “You don’t want the police to recognize you through the s*men in your daughter’s body and think that you are the killer, right?”
Mila’s father begged for mercy, “Please let us go. There is 500, 000 dollars in our bank. If you want the money, I will give it to you. Please let my wife and my children go.”
The murderer laughed madly, “500, 000 dollars, hahaha! It depends on your performance.”
Mila’s father was brought to the bathroom by another murderer, who was a woman, and was forced to have sex with her…