Chapter 582
Chapter 582:
Once Ashton finished his examination of the bodies, Zane, eager to impress Alisha, crouched to mimic his analysis, attempting to dissect the victims’ conditions.
“From the state of these three, it seems they likely succumbed to the cold. Their expressions reveal no agony, and there are no signs of struggle before death, suggesting they gradually lost consciousness and mobility,” he declared confidently. “Moreover, their clothing appears to have been donned naturally, indicating they chose to wear the down jackets themselves.”
Zane’s assertions rang with a semblance of authority, yet Ashton frowned at the surface-level observations he offered. He couldn’t help but wonder how Zane had cracked previous cases. However, Alisha, unfamiliar with the nuances of criminal investigation, listened intently, nodding along, much to Zane’s relief.
He even threw a victorious glance at Ashton.
Soon after, a policeman ushered in individuals who had recently interacted with the victims’ family, introducing them one by one.
“These two are the household servants, Ella Sandoval and Kyra Espinoza. They resigned three days prior to the incident due to unpaid wages and departed the villa two days ago. This is Lamont Cooper, the family’s private doctor, who visited the villa around two days ago. And finally, we have Cuthbert Patterson, a friend of the victims who stumbled upon the bodies, along with the victims’ brother, Cedric Mason.”
Before the officer could finish his introductions, Zane interjected abruptly, “That’s enough. I already know who the murderer is. Admit it, Mr. Patterson—you’re the one who killed this family of three!”
With that, Zane honed in on Cuthbert, the friend of the victims, like a hawk zeroing in on its prey.
Cuthbert was stunned for a moment. He didn’t expect Zane to accuse him of being the murderer. When he came to his senses, he immediately erupted in anger, his face turning red as his fists clenched tightly by his sides.
Mor shapters on 𝔾Ɐ𝗅𝗇𝗈ν. ℭo𝓂
“What? Are you kidding me? Why are you accusing me? This matter has nothing to do with me. Besides, if I am the murderer, do you think I would report the case to the police? You are falsely accusing me. This is slander.”
However, Zane had already prepared his reasoning for reaching such a conclusion.
So, he remained unfazed. He stepped forward, met Cuthbert’s defiant stare, and said, “Don’t be quick to deny it. Listen to my analysis first. The three dead people were found wearing heavy down jackets. But it’s late summer now, and the average temperature is above 86 degrees Fahrenheit. This is clearly unusual. But it doesn’t mean this thing is impossible to happen. There’s one scenario that can explain this. That is, these three victims suffered from hypothermia. In the case of hypothermia, their brains transmitted a false sense of consciousness, making them mistakenly believe they were cold. So, they put on down jackets and huddled together for warmth.”
Alisha looked at Zane with a frown and asked in confusion, “Then, why did they suddenly suffer from hypothermia?”
Zane looked around the crime scene with a confident smile. “Alisha, haven’t you noticed this room is damper compared to the outside? That’s because Cuthbert used dry ice, a substance that rapidly cools the air, to lower the temperature. Because of the dry ice’s presence, the temperature in the room drastically dropped, making it impossible for their bodies to adapt quickly. At this time, the imbalance in the body’s core temperature led to an insufficient supply of heat, causing hypothermia. Eventually, they froze to death.”
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