Chapter 8 Case Investigation

The next second after seeing Fiona's body, two men and women in police uniforms blocked Jack's sight.

"Excuse me, a murder just happened here, please leave." A man in a police uniform spoke in a calm voice.

Jack was stunned for a moment, suppressed his surging emotions, and pointed upstairs: "Sir, I live here, on the fourth floor."

The male police nodded and turned aside: "Go up, don't walk around in the building for the time being. After we investigate the scene, we will block the room and the surrounding area, but it will not affect the normal life of the residents."

Jack nodded and asked with concern: "Sir, where is the child, Clare?"

The male police said: "Clare is safe now, don't worry. Go home first, we may take your statement later."

Jack said nothing more and quickened his pace to the fourth floor.

His eyes had moved away from Fiona's body, because while he was talking to the police, a forensic doctor had covered the body with a white cloth. Two other policemen set up yellow cordon outside the door, and another policeman took photos at the scene, with flashes on from time to time.

These policemen seemed very silent, just handling the scene in an orderly manner.

Jack's heart was pounding, and after retracting his gaze, he quickened his pace to the fourth floor.

After entering the house, he immediately closed the door and habitually checked whether the door lock was locked.

He took a breath lightly. Although the room was not very dark, he still turned on the light.

Adequate lighting can make Jack feel a little more secure at this time.

Put down the bag, turn on the switch of the water dispenser, and when the red indicator light of the water boiling went out, he immediately filled himself with a cup of hot water and put it on the table.

Looking at the hot steam rising above the water cup, Jack's heart slowly calmed down, but the red eyes belonging to Fiona seemed to be directly imprinted in his mind at the moment he walked up the stairs just now, and could never be erased.

He never thought that she would die today, even though he saw this woman drunk yesterday and left her daughter alone outside the house!

Fiona is in her early thirties, but she is well-maintained and usually dresses well.

Considering the tragic death of this woman, it is more likely that she died by homicide or accident, and the red eyeballs just now were obviously caused by a lot of congestion.

Although someone died downstairs, Jack has a strong psychological endurance. Even when facing Allen, he can immediately resist and knock him to the ground. He is not just afraid like ordinary people.

Of course, he also has flaws, such as sometimes uncontrolled compulsive behavior.

After drinking the hot water in the cup, Jack remembered that he hadn't eaten yet.

He wanted to call for takeout, but he was afraid that the takeout guy would come upstairs and see the scene downstairs, or affect the police's investigation. He gave up the idea of ​​ordering takeout and went into the cramped small kitchen to cook a bowl of noodles.

Some chives and the crispy whistles bought before were added to the boiled noodles, and a little lard was added. There was no fresh minced meat, but it smelled very fragrant after stirring.

However, because of the congested eyeball just now, Jack had no appetite at this time. He just stuffed the bowl of noodles to fill his stomach, then washed the bowls and put them in order according to his habit, and then turned to go into the bedroom.

During this process, he was always paying attention to whether there was any movement downstairs.

But it sounded very quiet. If someone stayed at home all the time, he would not know that someone was tragically killed downstairs and the police were investigating the scene in the house.

Sitting in front of the carving workbench beside the bed, Jack tried hard to forget the scene he just saw, but it took a long time to find that it was futile, because the visual impact of the scene just now was very strong, causing the blood-red pupil belonging to Fiona to keep appearing in his mind.

He originally wanted to continue staring at Allen's half-body sculpture, but his thoughts fluctuated too much, so he decided to simply finish the statue sculpture he brought home, which could greatly divert his attention in the process of using his hands and brain.

At present, the general outline of this small statue can be seen, with a round head, a wide cassock, a big belly, and two hands placed above the abdomen, with the palms in a flower-picking posture, and a huge string of Buddhist beads hanging around the neck.

The statue is made of ebony and is dark all over.

Ebony is also called dark wood. Whether it is used in handicrafts, religious supplies or protective pendants, it has always been used as a ward off evil spirits.

So Jack usually uses ebony when carving these works such as statues, which can slightly increase sales.

And the sculptures or pendants in the store are also the best-selling ones carved with ebony.

After looking at the statue for a long time, the image of the blood pupil in his mind began to fade slowly, and he did not realize that his attention had been successfully diverted.

He picked up a 0.4cm arc carving knife and carefully cut the robe under the right armpit of the statue. Each cut was accurate and steady, making the swing of the robe look more natural.

About an hour later, the image of the work in hand was much more refined. The body of the statue looked more round, and the delicate facial features jumped out. The treasure was solemn and steady.

Just as Jack was about to drink a sip of water and continue working, there was a knock on the door outside the living room.

He put down the tools in his hand, looked up at the time, it was already nine o'clock in the evening, guessed who might be outside, and got up to open the door.

Sure enough, there were two policemen standing outside the door, a man and a woman. Jack had some impression of seeing them on the third floor just now.

"Hello, are you Jack?" The female policeman was beautiful and thin. She flipped through the community resident registration book in her hand and asked without raising her head.

"Yes, I am." Jack nodded.

He was still wearing cloth gloves, because carving often requires holding a knife, so in order to protect the skin of his fingers from being worn and calloused, he usually wears a pair of gloves in advance when working.

"You are..." The male policeman pointed at his hand, and in the process, his nose moved a little, as if he sniffed the air in the house.

"Oh, I'm working." Jack took off his gloves and explained while inviting the two policemen into the house.

The male policeman nodded slightly. At this moment, he smelled that the house seemed to be filled with the smell of wood.

He leaned over to the door of the bedroom and saw the workbench used for carving. The male policeman did not go in, but returned to the sofa in the living room and sat down, saying: "Sorry to bother you, we just ask a simple question and make a registration."

"Okay."

Jack did not pour tea for the two policemen, because it seemed that they would continue to visit other neighbors and could not stay here for a long time.

And his hands were a little dirty at the moment. Washing his hands and making tea again might delay the police's questioning time.

"You saw it just now. A murder happened downstairs from you." The male police officer said.

Jack nodded and asked the question he was most concerned about: "Well, can I know whether it was an accidental death or homicide?"

The female police officer paused and said: "It is not possible to draw a conclusion for the time being. Do you know this woman named Fiona?"

"I know her, but she is often not at home. On the contrary, I am very familiar with her daughter Clare." Jack answered honestly.

The female police officer nodded and continued to ask: "Do you know if she has any abnormal behavior recently? Or has she had any disputes with anyone?"

Jack thought for a moment, then shook his head: "No, she looks normal, but she is very busy at work and is often not at home. I am familiar with her daughter Clare, but I don't have much contact with her."

The male police officer then asked: "Then did you hear any unusual noises last night? Or did you see any suspicious people?"

Jack shook his head again: "No, I went to bed early last night and didn't hear any unusual noises. And I am still a certain distance from the third floor, even if there are any noises, I may not be able to hear them."

The two police officers looked at each other, the female police officer closed the registration book, stood up and said: "Okay, thank you for your cooperation. If there is any need in the future, we may come to you again. Please do not leave the city in the near future so that we can contact you at any time."

Jack nodded to show his understanding.

After the two police officers left, Jack closed the door and checked the door lock again. He returned to his bedroom and continued his carving, trying to focus completely on the statue in his hand to forget the tragedy downstairs.

He knew that the police would conduct a thorough investigation, and all he could do was to cooperate with their work and hope that they could find the truth as soon as possible. At the same time, he also prayed silently for Clare in his heart, hoping that she could get through this difficult time.