The Urban Abyss

Fatal Shot

When Vivienne arrived at the hospital, the victim was already dead. She encountered the grief-stricken parents and a mother-daughter duo standing by in silence. Vivienne felt that the mother looked familiar. 

After a moment of thought, she realized, that's Lilith, the female author renowned for her novels and scripts on marriage and family life. Some of her works had even made it to the big screen. Vivienne, a once literature-enthusiast, had specifically collected reports about Lilith.

But now was not the time for fan confessions. She immediately went into professional mode to examine the body. The victim, named Franklin, was 27 years old and a manager at a company. His wound was directly over the heart. 

The entry wound was star-shaped with burned edges, covered in gunpowder residue and a significant amount of ash, revealing a gruesomely shattered heart. Vivienne concluded that he had been shot at point-blank range, likely with the assailant's weapon pressed against his chest, given that Franklin appeared to have been caught off guard. His expression was one of shock, devoid of fear, as if death had come before he could fully realize what was happening.

Alex was inquiring the victim's parents, while Lilith and her daughter listened quietly.

Captain Nathan briefed Vivienne about the incident: the young man had been on a date with his girlfriend—pointing to the beautiful young woman who had been sitting quietly—in the park. They parted ways at 9 o'clock, and after the girlfriend took a cab from the park entrance, Franklin, for some unknown reason, returned to the park, possibly having left something behind. 

He was shot on a secluded path within the park, and roughly half an hour later, a passerby found him—this timing was deduced based on the girlfriend's arrival home. After the passerby called the police, Franklin was rushed to the hospital, and the police notified Franklin's parents, who then contacted his girlfriend. The girlfriend's mother, though not needing to come, insisted on accompanying her daughter, reportedly also old classmates with Franklin's parents.

Vivienne noticed Alex stuttering and mixing up his questions while talking to the family, which was unusual for him. Glancing at Lilith's daughter, she understood why. In the presence of such beauty, he was nervous and awkward. Vivienne smiled, took over from Alex.

After reviewing the interrogation records, Vivienne felt it unnecessary to further disturb the grieving parents and turned to the young woman, Luna, whose name she had seen on the records.

"Luna, could you recall any unusual occurrences during your date with Franklin?" Vivienne asked.

Luna's beautiful eyes blinked, "No, actually, our date was just over half an hour long, simply chatting on a park bench. The park was crowded, people coming and going, and Franklin was happy and jovial. He even suggested going to see a movie nearby, but I had to go home early for some errands, so we declined. He offered to walk me home, but I refused, and we parted at the park entrance. Just like that."

Vivienne thought, their relationship must have been in its very early stages. The girl's grief seemed insufficient, and ending a date at nine seemed too early. Sure enough, Luna mentioned their dating period was just under a month.

Lilith appeared well-maintained, not looking her age of fifty-plus. She paid great attention to her appearance, not forgetting to apply lipstick even in such chaotic circumstances. In contrast, her daughter seemed more plain, bare-faced, pale, and always had her hand held by her caring mother. Then, turning to Vivienne, Lilith said, "Officer, can my daughter go home now? She has work tomorrow and needs to get up early."

Under the circumstances, this seemed highly inappropriate. Franklin's mother burst into tears—her son would never get up again. Franklin's father glared at Lilith: his son was dead, and this woman was worried about her daughter losing a bit of sleep.

Before Vivienne could respond, Alex was already nodding vigorously, "Yes, yes, go rest. We can follow up with Miss Luna tomorrow if needed."

Vivienne gave Alex a look: such eagerness wasn't necessary, buddy, remember you're a police officer.

Given Vivienne's impressive performance in the previous Max real estate dismemberment case, Captain Nathan decided to assign her this murder case, pairing her with Alex. Observing Alex's enthusiasm, Vivienne couldn't help but sigh inwardly.