The Vault still smiled. “If she was going out, shouldn’t she have put on makeup? She has so many cosmetics in her room—she’s someone who lives a very refined life.”

The young officer was momentarily stunned.

The Vault said, “Her hair was tied up, her clothes changed, so she was probably about to go out, but she didn’t put on any makeup or wear any jewelry. Haggard, sorrowful, plain, yet stunningly beautiful.”

Listening, the young officer couldn’t help but start to doubt. “This…”

The Vault asked again, “What time did you arrive?”

The young officer replied, “Not quite six thirty. We got the call at five thirty, and after confirming the victim’s identity, I left the station right away to find the victim’s family.”

“Six thirty is a very healthy routine, but if I may be frank, most people can’t manage it.” The Vault’s eyes were reflected in the rearview mirror, the muscles shifting with a cold smile, making her gaze even deeper and sharper. “Thomas Daniels came home late at night, and when he left in the morning, she was still asleep. This ‘morning’ probably wasn’t earlier than six thirty, right? It would still have been dark then. So what was her actual routine?”

The young officer immediately caught on. “Please wait a moment, I’ll go ask the neighbors nearby to see if there are any clues. I’ll be right back!”

·

After watching this scene, Henry Harris nodded, subtly turning toward Quinn Shelby, and said, “There are many ways to interpret information. Don’t forget the influence of time, place, and other external factors. If you read it right, it becomes a clue.”

Quinn Shelby exhaled deeply, relaxed her clenched fingers, and nodded. “Yes.”

Quinn Foster remarked, “Being a detective really isn’t something just anyone can do.”

Henry Harris actually smiled for once, though her smile looked rather perfunctory. “With experience, it gets much better. Police officers grow, but criminals usually don’t. In fact, many cases are solved through basic groundwork, because a lot of perpetrators don’t have strong nerves and leave plenty of clues, making the same mistakes, sometimes even trying to be clever. Take it slow, there’s no need to rush.”

Chapter 65 Deduction

The Vault and her companion sat in the car while the young man hunched over and ran quickly back upstairs to check with the nearby residents.

The Vault took out her phone to check the time. At this hour, many people were still at home or just getting ready for work.

Julian Grant rested one hand on the steering wheel, trying hard to recall all the previous details. “Thinking about it this way, Sylvia Shaw’s behavior really was a bit odd. Her whole body was tense, her eyes evasive, and she was very guarded around you. She seemed more nervous than sad. And she interrupted her son several times—was she afraid Xavier Daniels would reveal something to them?”

The Vault chatted with him for a few moments, and after about ten minutes, the young officer returned.

He was clearly in a hurry, having sprinted all the way back, so much so that he was still a bit out of breath when he spoke.

He pulled out his notebook and said, “I asked the nearby residents. The one who opened the door for me just now was a nanny. She said she usually gets up a little after five to go buy groceries, and after a while, she takes the child out for a walk in the park. Judging by the times she usually runs into Sylvia Shaw, Sylvia Shaw typically appears around ten o’clock, and every time she goes out, she’s made up and dressed beautifully—she really cares about her appearance. Based on how long it takes her to do her makeup, she probably gets up around eight or nine. Right?”

The Vault said, “That’s possible.”

The young man said, “So for her to get up before six thirty today, and even be dressed and ready, is really unusual. It’s almost as if she was waiting for me to come notify her. Could she have anticipated Thomas Daniels’s death?”

The Vault neither confirmed nor denied it, and asked, “Anything else?”

“Oh, also, Xavier Daniels came back a few days ago. The nanny said she happened to see him yesterday evening when she was out for a walk.” The young man leaned on the seat back, trying to please, and asked, “Captain, what do you think?”

Julian Grant turned, suspicious. “Then why was his room so clean? It looked like no one was living there. Was it deliberately cleaned?”

The Vault said, “It’s not a holiday, and schools usually have classes. Why would he suddenly come back?”

Julian Grant drummed his fingers, frustrated. “Why does everyone seem so suspicious?”

“Better to have a tangled mess than to be completely clueless. Finding suspicious points is a good thing.” The Vault said calmly. “If you can connect them with a reasonable logic, you can establish a direction for the investigation. So, make bold assumptions.”

No one spoke in the car, and there were already pedestrians passing by on the roadside.

After a brief silence, the young officer in the back seat couldn’t hold back and started getting restless again. He stuck his head out like a hamster, trying to make his presence known.

Julian Grant was startled by his big face, seriously suspecting he was some kind of stand-in sent by one of his own subordinates.

“Could it be—” The young officer clenched his fist and smacked his palm, his cheeks flushing with excitement at the soap opera he’d imagined. He boldly speculated, “Could it be that Xavier Daniels isn’t actually Thomas Daniels’s son? Thomas Daniels found out about this and got furious, deciding to kick them both out. So Sylvia Shaw, in a fit of rage, decided to kill him to silence him!”

The officer bared his teeth and made a throat-slitting gesture. “Or maybe Sylvia Shaw had an affair, and Thomas Daniels wanted to go down with her. She plotted to kill Thomas Daniels, and Xavier Daniels, since his father was already dead and he didn’t have the resolve to turn in his mother, could only help cover it up. That’s why Sylvia Shaw kept trying to stop Xavier Daniels from talking during questioning—she was afraid he’d lose his nerve. Am I right?!”

The Vault scratched her eyebrow, a little amused. She asked, “So what should we do?”

The young man eagerly raised his hand. “I can request a paternity test for Xavier Daniels. I’ll go to his school now and see if I can find some hair or skin flakes for testing.”

“Take it easy!” Julian Grant said, half laughing, half exasperated. “Thomas Daniels and Xavier Daniels look almost identical—do we really need a paternity test?”

The young man thought about it carefully and realized he had a point.

Julian Grant said, “And Justin Hall is also very suspicious. He lied too. His motive is much more plausible than Sylvia Shaw’s.”

The Vault glanced at the rearview mirror with a smile, wanting to see the young man’s reaction. “Yes, Justin Hall is very suspicious too.”

The young officer fell into another brainstorming session, pressing his hands to his temples as if searching for a signal.

Seeing this, The Vault decided to assign tasks. “Verify the rest of Justin Hall and Sylvia Shaw’s statements as soon as possible. Justin Hall said he stayed home all last night and left for work an hour and a half late. Sylvia Shaw said she was watching TV at home last night. To move Thomas Daniels’s body to the suburbs, they’d definitely need a car. So, first check the surveillance near the crime scene, and second, check the community’s vehicle entry and exit records from last night. Let’s go to the property office now and get the surveillance footage.”

Julian Grant lowered his head and sighed.

Suddenly, the young officer in the back slapped the seat and shouted, “Captain, I’ve got it!”

The Vault was full of anticipation for his wild train of thought. “Don’t tell me you’re going to say Sylvia Shaw’s lover is Justin Hall.”

The young officer reasoned earnestly, “No, no, my guess is that Sylvia Shaw wanted to kill Thomas Daniels, so she approached Justin Hall. They had the same motive and hit it off, so they decided to commit the crime together. They covered for each other, shared information, and created the perfect crime. Actually, both of them are the murderers!”

The Vault thought to herself, this case is a far cry from a perfect crime. Why does this kid always seem out of sync?

The young officer even asked, “What do you think, Captain?”

“The captain has a very important task for you.” The Vault said, “Go through the community surveillance and see if Sylvia Shaw drove out yesterday evening between then and 1 a.m.”

The young officer nodded vigorously. “Okay!”

He got out of the car full of energy, stood at the intersection to get his bearings, then strode toward the property office.

Julian Grant breathed a sigh of relief. “He finally left.”

The Vault laughed. “He’s a cute kid.”

Julian Grant froze, slowly turned around, and raised his eyebrows. “You like that type of guy?”

The Vault also slowly turned, face serious. “Julian Grant, your thinking is dangerous.”

Julian Grant pointed at himself. “Me?”

“How could you think that?” The Vault scolded. “He’s just a kid!”

Julian Grant: “……”

‘He’s just a kid’—is that… the best way to put it?

Julian Grant gave a dry laugh. “I thought you high-IQ types really liked the silly and innocent… I mean, the more pure kind of guy.”

The Vault gave him a meaningful look and nodded. “Heh, I suppose so.”

Julian Grant keenly sensed something was off. He mulled it over, looking at The Vault with a hint of reproach.

Are you implying something about me?

The Vault changed the subject, righteously saying, “Let’s go back to the crime scene for another look, or check the files at the station. And remind the forensic and trace teams to hurry up. Let’s go.”