Chapter 88 - 87: Conclusive Evidence
Everyone present, including all the viewers in the live stream, was too shocked to say a word.
Even Yvonne Lowell felt a chill when she heard the woman say she had once intentionally killed her own brother.
In the past, the four of them had huddled together for warmth, supporting each other to survive those seven nightmarish years.
It was also in that place that she forever lost Esther Rivera, who had always protected her.
It was precisely because of that ordeal that she came to a clear understanding: only by placing herself at the top of the food chain could she ensure her survival and that of the people she cared about.
She strived to become stronger so she would have the ability to protect them, to build a safe harbor for them.
Even if to outsiders, it looked like nothing more than a tattered piece of canvas that could barely keep out the rain.
Because she knew she would constantly be patching and reinforcing it, and they would be right there with her.
And these past few months back in Kingsland had allowed her to experience a sense of family she had never known before.
It was completely different from the bond between her small group of friends, and from the way things felt back in Apeiron.
Yvonne Lowell knew full well that her hands were stained with blood and even considered herself a wicked person, but she was utterly incapable of empathizing with someone like this woman.
Call her a hypocrite, call her an egoist, she didn’t care.
But when she searched her heart, she knew she could never harm her own flesh and blood, or anyone in their small group of four.
Therefore, then and now, her blade would never be turned against them.
...
「Back to the present.」
The woman was still lost in a frenzy of emotion, crying one moment and laughing the next.
[WTF... Did she just expose herself?!!]
[HOLY SHIT!! You bitch!! You fucking deserve to die!!!]
[What kind of bad seed is this?! She killed her own brother at age 10?!]
[Months ago, Nana said in the group chat that she’d already started preparing a birthday gift for Brother Harrison. She was going to wait until the end of the year to give it to him. [Crying] [Crying] [Crying]]
[Depression my ass! Didn’t Nana herself say she hadn’t had a relapse in ages?!]
[Damn, is this antisocial personality disorder?!]
[She might have confessed, but her original plan was so meticulous. The more you think about it, the more terrifying it is...]
[Yeah, she had physical evidence, a witness, and an alibi. She got herself off the hook so cleanly...]
[I can’t even imagine how she could accept praise from the school and police, and thanks from Nana’s family, with a clear conscience.]
[What’s there to investigate! She confessed herself!! Arrest her already!!]
The officer hadn’t expected two premeditated murder cases to come to light at once. Seeing the camera was still live, he worried about the negative impact it might have on the public.
He looked hesitantly at the group. "The next stage is filing the case and launching a formal investigation. The live stream needs to be shut down."
The chat naturally exploded with complaints, everyone demanding they keep it on.
Yvonne Lowell pursed her lips and looked up at him. "Could you please request permission first? Shutting it down now could cause a backlash. Please see if you can get approval to continue the live stream. If there are any repercussions, I will take full responsibility."
The officer hesitated for a moment but agreed, stepping outside to call Director Hawthorne.
Yvonne Lowell gave the camera a reassuring smile. "I don’t know if you’ll be able to keep watching in a little while, but please don’t worry. We will make sure Nana gets justice. Trust me, okay?"
[SOB SOB SOB, QUEEN!! How can you be so amazing!!]
[You’re making me cry my eyes out!!! I trust you completely!!!]
[Do you have any idea how that one sentence makes me want to love you for a lifetime! My White Moonlight!!!]
[I also say don’t end the stream! If someone has to take the fall, count me in!!]
[I’ve known Nana for years, count me in too!!]
[Just a random viewer here, but I want that poor girl to rest in peace. Count me in!!]
[Count me in!!]
The officer returned shortly after. The response he’d received was to disregard the issue and continue the live stream—just follow procedure as usual.
Director Hawthorne had been on his way back to the police station from a meeting when a subordinate in the front seat told him to check the trending topics online. That was how he learned about the incident.
He, too, had considered ordering the stream to be shut down, but just then a call came from his own superior, telling them not to interfere with the broadcast.
The stream’s popularity was soaring, and countless netizens were already applying pressure online, demanding to see the woman brought to justice with their own eyes.
Continuing the live stream was, for one, the will of the people; for another, it was hoped that it could serve an educational and cautionary purpose.
Well, since his superiors had said so, there was no reason for him to be timid about it.
Besides, the one from the Grant Family was behind the program. And if that wasn’t enough, there was still that force of nature on camera. What was there to be afraid of?
...
The officer sent to the manor to retrieve the surveillance footage returned and projected the video directly onto the mediation room’s screen.
The footage was essentially identical to the woman’s account.
Finally, as Nana sank completely beneath the surface, the madwoman actually took off her hat, tilted her face to the sky, and spread her arms wide in the downpour, as if completing the final step of some ritual.
Even though it was pouring in the video, and even though the camera was some distance from the crime scene, everyone could still sense the madwoman’s emotions from the footage.
She was thrilled, exhilarated, and even... blissful.
It seemed as if every word associated with positive emotions could be used to describe her in that moment.
The only exceptions were fear, remorse, and sorrow.
...
Harrison Lowell felt his hands and feet turn ice-cold, as if his very blood had frozen solid.
His mind went blank, and tears finally began to stream down his face.
He could only roar instinctively at the woman, "Are you fucking sick in the head?! If you had a problem, you should have come for me! Who the hell do you think you are?! What gives you the right to do that?!"
The woman looked at him, her face a mask of heartache. "Harrison, don’t cry. It breaks my heart to see it. I would never hurt you. I just love you too much, Harrison! She’s the one who deserved to die!"
"Love? Love my ass! You’re nothing but a fucking psycho! You just make me sick! Having a person like you in my life is the greatest disgrace I have ever known!"
Seeing Harrison Lowell on the verge of losing control, the officer had no choice but to lead the woman out, making sure to cover her mouth as he did.
After all, the evidence was ironclad now. She wasn’t getting away.
The room fell silent once more, leaving only the sound of Harrison Lowell’s choked sobs.
After a long moment, Harrison Lowell mumbled to himself, "It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have chosen this career. Then an innocent person wouldn’t have died because of me."
Just as Yvonne Lowell was about to respond, the door was pushed open from the outside.
And with the sound of the opening door came an unfamiliar but firm, powerful, middle-aged woman’s voice.