76 Dead?

Inside the police station, the atmosphere was eerie. Officer Wilson had just received a phone call from Officer Grant in LA, telling him something shocking that he had discovered in Noah Thompson's apartment.

He walked over to the holding cell, stared at the blond-haired man emotionlessly, and curled his finger. "You! Come with me," he commanded. A few other officers quickly unlocked the cell and helped Noah Thompson out. 

"Am I free to go?" Noah asked innocently.

Without answering, Officer Wilson walked ahead and Noah was forced to follow. Eventually, they ended up inside an interrogation room.

After they sat down, Officer Wilson stared at him for a while. He wasn't angry nor fierce, in fact, he looked quite indifferent, but Noah felt slightly intimidated by the man's presence. Why was he called into the interrogation room again? Hadn't he already told them everything he knew? Shouldn't they be letting him go soon?

All of a sudden, Officer Wilson opened a file in front of him, pulled out a photo, and placed it in front of Noah. "Do you recognize this?" he asked calmly.

Noah leaned forward slightly and saw a box of women's clothes. 

He shook his head in confusion. "I've never seen them before," he replied with certainty.

Officer Wilson raised an eyebrow. "Well, that's strange...

"This box was found in your apartment...under your bed..." 

Noah furrowed his brows, grabbed the photo, and looked at it again. "In my apartment? Under my bed? Th-that's impossible!!"

Officer Wilson looked at the man with curiosity. Officer Grant had personally pulled this out from under his bed, there was no denying it. But for some reason, he looked genuinely surprised.

Officer Wilson then pulled out another photo. This time, it was a dress and a wig.

"What about this? Do you recognize this?" he asked as he analyzed the man's reaction.

Noah shook his head with certainty again. He looked genuinely confused.

"Well...that's convenient..." Officer Wilson said calmly. He then explained, "On the night of Anqing Qu's death, a woman was seen catching a taxi just outside your apartment block, wearing the same dress, with the same hairstyle. She caught that taxi to the bar where Anqing Qu was and she was seen acting suspiciously. Eventually, she left the bar around the same time as Miss Qu...

"Are you sure you don't know who these items belong to?" the officer asked again, giving him a chance to confess.

But Noah shook his head firmly. "I've never seen them in my life!"

There was a short moment of silence as Officer Wilson looked at the man. He had seen many criminals and liars in his life, but this man did not seem like either. Was he just a really good actor?

"Well...that's unfortunate...because these items were also found in your apartment and we discovered a small bloodstain on the dress..." Officer Wilson leaned back. He was sure that Noah was lying. He had to be. It was only a matter of time before he got a confession from him.

Changing his tone slightly, he suddenly said, "There's no point covering for your sister anymore... This bloodstain will tell us the truth about what happened that night, so you should cooperate and you may be granted leniency."

Noah shook his head harder, "I don't know what you're talking about. I've honestly never seen that dress or wig. My sister didn't do anything."

He was beginning to get a little agitated.

Officer Wilson crossed his hands on top of the desk and leaned forward. "In that case, tell me...when was the last time you saw Nova? Did she visit your apartment? Was she staying with you when the murder happened? Where is she now?"

Noah slowly reached for his head and tugged on his scalp as he closed his eyes. Officer Wilson watched quietly. A moment later, a teardrop fell on the desk. Had he finally gotten through to him?

The officer leaned forward further. He now said in a comforting tone, "What's wrong? Tell us what happened to Nova? Did she kill Anqing Qu and force you to keep it a secret? I know she's your sister, but we already have evidence in our hands. She won't be able to escape. If you tell us the truth now, then all of this will be over. No more hiding, no more lies, and no more paranoia. You can go back to living your normal life."

He then pulled out another photo. This time, it was a photo of Anqing Qu's bloody corpse. The young woman was brutally murdered by multiple stab wounds, and she was found partially naked in the alleyway for the world to see.

"This young woman has a family too. She has a brother and parents that love her. Please give them closure. Tell us how your sister murdered this young woman in cold blood..."

Another teardrop fell on the desk and Officer Wilson waited patiently. From his years of experience, he knew the man was about to tell him the truth. He was confident.

But to his surprise, the man's body suddenly started shaking...

Officer Wilson looked at him in curiosity. What was happening? Was he crying? Was he panicking? He was shaking so much that he could feel the vibration from the other end of the desk.

But then a soft, high-pitched sound made him realize what was actually happening...and his eyes opened wide in shock.

"Heh...heh...heh..." 

Officer Wilson tried to contain his discomfort...

Noah was actually...laughing...

What was happening? Why did he suddenly sense an air of eeriness from this innocent-looking man?

The young blond-haired man slowly lifted his head. His eyes were watery, but he did not look sad. He quickly wiped his eyes and grinned.

His grin sent chills down Officer Wilson's spine.

"Nova couldn't have possibly done that," he said.

Officer Wilson furrowed his brows. Something wasn't right.

"Why do you say that?" he asked curiously.

Noah leaned forward slightly. Looking into the officer's eyes, he said softly, "Because she's dead... Nova died one week before Anqing Qu did..."