Chapter 458: Victory Belongs to the Strong Miles Away
Because it was nighttime and the angle was problematic, the footage from the surveillance didn’t capture the scene very clearly.
However, it was clear enough for Cecilia to recognize that slender silhouette...
It was indeed "herself"!
No, to be more precise, it was a woman who closely resembled Cecilia Vaughn in figure—slim, her face indistinct, but from the faintly visible side profile, it appeared delicate. Her walking posture was almost identical to Cecilia’s.
And most crucially, the woman in the footage was wearing an identical outfit to Cecilia Vaughn’s!
The woman was wearing a water-white embroidered dress, where the embroidery of soft Chinese flowering crabapples danced with the breeze, elegant and simple in style.
The surveillance didn’t capture the woman’s face directly, but upon her arrival, Chloe Alden, who had been cowering and shivering on the deck, suddenly stood up as if she’d seen a ghost.
The camera faced Chloe Alden directly, capturing the clear fear on her face.
Evidently, Chloe Alden recognized the woman, and perhaps the woman said something to her, Chloe’s expression grew increasingly terrified.
She stumbled all the way to the edge of the railing.
Finally, the woman reached out with her gloved hand and violently grabbed Chloe Alden’s neck, then tossed her into the sea.
...
If Cecilia Vaughn hadn’t been certain she was on her way to cabin 1507 at the time, she might have suspected she was sleepwalking!
But that woman truly wasn’t her!
Cecilia stared blankly downwards, an unspeakable fear and tremor spreading from her toes to her tailbone!
——Who went through such pains to imitate her figure and posture, and frame her for Chloe Alden’s murder?!
"How could this..."
Cecilia murmured softly.
The forensic investigator looked at Cecilia’s expression, then disdainfully tapped the table and paused the video.
"Miss Vaughn, stop pretending! The footage clearly shows it’s you!"
"It was you. You had a dispute and altercation with Chloe Alden, and after violently beating her, you were still dissatisfied, so you returned and killed Chloe Alden!"
...
Cecilia Vaughn’s heart was initially filled with shock, even a creeping dread from deep within, but after the forensic investigator’s reproach, she instead composed herself.
She slowly lifted her head, a mocking smile tugging at her lips.
"Forensic expert, I understand you’re eager to solve the case and earn merit, but there’s no need to convict me so rashly, right?"
"If you rewind the timestamp to before the woman’s appearance, the surveillance must have captured footage of my altercation with Chloe Alden as well. Didn’t you notice any differences between us?"
The forensic expert froze, yet anger crept across his face.
"Stop whitewashing the matter. It’s been established that it’s you. On the entire cruise ship, who could possibly have the same height and body shape, wearing the same water-white dress, impersonating you to commit murder?"
Adrian Law’s dark eyes swept over the two disputing individuals, his deep voice slowly sounded.
"Forensic expert, perhaps you should carefully review the surveillance footage. We must adhere to some basic principles of jurisprudence when assigning guilt, don’t we?"
The forensic expert grunted twice in frustration, evidently displeased with Cecilia Vaughn’s supposed ferocity at such a young age. His gaze shifted to the screen, still angry.
"Fine, let’s watch again! Our police have compared it seriously more than ten times and found no differences!"
...
Adrian Law rewound the footage, this time setting the timestamp to around nine o’clock in the evening, instead of nine-thirty.
Cecilia Vaughn quickly appeared on the surveillance footage, and the video captured her features roughly, along with her tussle with Chloe Alden.
Though the surveillance didn’t record any sound, Chloe Alden’s flushed face vaguely revealed that the two were engaged in an intense argument.
"Mr. Law, you wouldn’t try to deceive me by saying that the woman appearing at this time is your wife, but the one who returned later is someone else, would you?"
"Why couldn’t I say so? Who would be more familiar with my wife than me?"
...
The forensic expert was furious, nearly hopping with anger.
"You... you’re abusing public power for private interests! Forcibly defending your wife’s fallacious claims!"
Adrian Law’s strikingly handsome face became slightly dim. He extended his slender fingers, dragging the timeline back on the screen, and then looked at Cecilia.
"Cecilia, examine carefully, what distinguishes the impersonator from the earlier footage of you?"
Cecilia nodded faintly, her eyes meticulously scanned the video, her brows furrowing even tighter.
"The woman who came later was wearing white gloves—obviously prepared to kill without leaving DNA traces. But I was already fighting with Chloe Alden earlier, wearing gloves afterward would be redundant."
"Moreover, look at Chloe Alden’s mouth; I analyzed it closely just now. When the woman appeared, Chloe was shocked, and her mouth seemed to say, ’How is it you?’"
"If the person who returned later was me, why would Chloe be so surprised?"
...
Adrian Law smiled with approval, generally satisfied with Cecilia’s ability to capture details.
"Precisely."
The forensic expert felt indignant at their synchronized reasoning, immediately rebutting in discontent.
"Your argument is far too strained! What if she thought to wear gloves later on?"
"Absolutely impossible!"
Adrian Law proclaimed firmly, his deep eagle eyes sweeping over the woman in the video who pushed Chloe Alden into the sea, his pupils devoid of warmth.
"Forensic expert, look closely. The woman who appeared later never showed her face. Yet when Cecilia grappled with Chloe earlier, her face was captured on record. What does this imply?"
Cecilia Vaughn startled, her hands suddenly clenched tight.
"Right, it signifies she knew exactly where the cameras were on the cruise, the best way to avoid them from any angle!"
This murderer clearly understood her well, for she mimicked Cecilia Vaughn’s posture perfectly.
And most surprising of all, the height and weight of the woman seemed not much different from her own.
Even the dress...
Wait, the dress...
Cecilia abruptly raised her head, her eyes flashing with a clear light.
"Adrian! You mentioned this dress was Master Sinclair’s work, and Master Sinclair had long since retired. If we inquire with him who bought the same dress, wouldn’t that clear my name!"
"No need for such trouble."
Adrian Law slowly lifted his lashes, his face marked by a confident, victorious smile.
At this, Cecilia Vaughn became utterly puzzled.
"We don’t need to find Master Sinclair?"
Adrian Law’s lips curled with a faint smile as he paused the footage at the moment Chloe Alden first splashed coffee on Cecilia Vaughn.
"The answer is right here."