Chasing Murder

Chapter 4

"Sorry, I need to take this call." With that, Benjamin nodded, turned, and walked out of the men's restroom to answer the phone.

Meanwhile, Evelyn stood by my side, holding her notebook, looking at me with a complex expression.

I raised my hand to touch my face and asked in confusion, "Is there something on my face?"

Evelyn shook her head, then said meaningfully, "Are you...really only in your twenties?"

"What do you mean?" I asked Evelyn, puzzled.

Evelyn flipped her notebook pages to show me what she had written, then said emphatically, "For such a simple crime scene, how could you come up with so many possibilities?"

It seemed like this girl mistook me for one of those online novel authors.

"Oh...no, that's not what I meant. I mean, you're only twenty-something, and yet, you seem to understand the crime scene and the perpetrator's perspective as if you..."

"As if I were the perpetrator? Sometimes, stepping into the shoes of a killer helps understand their psychological state, and thus infer various possibilities during the crime. So, when you think from the perspective of the perpetrator, everything naturally falls into place."

　　"A bang..." Benjamin rushed out from the restroom, panting heavily as he approached me. "Your mom is in the hospital."

My heart skipped a beat. Without saying goodbye to Evelyn, I followed Benjamin and got into the police car, rushing towards Pacific Medical Center.

"Take a deep breath and calm down. I'll tell you more on the way," Benjamin said as he started the engine, and the car surged forward, pushing me back into my seat.

"What happened to my mom?" I asked anxiously.

Benjamin glanced at me and pursed his lips. "An hour ago, your mom collapsed at the doorstep of your home. She was found by the neighbors and rushed to the hospital. The doctor said it was due to the hot weather, combined with the fact that she hadn't had a check-up for her heart stent in a long time, leading to cardiac arrest. Fortunately, someone performed CPR before she arrived at the hospital, and her life was saved. But we don't know when she'll wake up."

Upon hearing this, my mind went blank.

How could this happen...

"I know you're anxious, but let's not jump to conclusions yet. We don't know what's going on. I received a call from the local police station, saying that there's something suspicious about your aunt's condition. It doesn't seem like an accident; it feels more like foul play. Rest for a bit first. Chief Inspector Arthur is currently in a meeting at the provincial office. He said he'd come over as soon as the meeting ends."

"It's always like this." I took a deep breath and looked out the window with a sharp gaze.

My mom has had heart problems since I was young. Whenever the weather gets hot and humid, or she gets scared, even walking fast can trigger her heart discomfort. My grandfather once said that when I was born, if my dad hadn't insisted on having a child, my mom wouldn't have risked her life to give birth to me.

So, I've always felt guilty about my mom, which is why I never celebrate birthdays in front of her. But I can never bring myself to say these words in front of her.

As for my dad, this man made my mom and me live a difficult life from a young age. Until the age of ten, when he suddenly showed up at our house in a police uniform, telling me he was my father...

But he didn't know what my mom went through during those ten years to raise me.

"Noah, I know about you and the Chief Inspector's situation, and I really admire him. Undercover for ten years, how much did he endure? Finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, only to be misunderstood by his own son..."