Eye of Sin

Chapter 5 elderly father

　In this season, although it has warmed up considerably, there is still a chill in the air. For snacks like popcorn, everyone knows that the freshly popped, hot and fragrant ones are the best. Even though popcorn is a snack commonly sold in malls and cinemas, why bother buying it early and carrying it all the way from outside?

Jiajia couldn't help but observe the girl accompanying the deceased a few more times. In the surveillance footage, her face wasn't very clear, just a vague impression, but there was one shot where she flipped her long hair back, revealing a birthmark on the side of her neck, about the size of a one-yuan coin.

After reviewing the surveillance, it was basically confirmed that from the moment the deceased entered the mall until she died in the cinema hall, she had no contact with anyone other than her female friend.

After ruling out other possibilities, Jiajia and Howard left the mall together, leaving the keys for Jiajia. She asked Howard, "Do you want to drive or should I?"

Howard took the car keys and got into the driver's seat, answering her question with action.

This suited Jiajia just fine. While she could drive and had decent driving skills, she didn't particularly enjoy it. Instead, she preferred sitting in the passenger seat, whether it was to admire the scenery outside, clear her mind, or ponder over some questions—it was all quite comfortable.

Now, sitting in the passenger seat, Jiajia's mind involuntarily began to recall the appearance of the deceased and Dr. Zhang's preliminary examination conclusions.

Dr. Zhang had suggested that the deceased likely died of sudden cardiac arrest. Although this conclusion still needed further verification through examination, given Dr. Zhang's extensive experience, it was unlikely to deviate much. However, there were many potential causes of sudden cardiac arrest, and it was currently impossible to determine which one it was.

It could have been that the deceased had a pre-existing heart condition, unable to withstand excessive stimulation.

It could have been due to excessive work or study stress during her lifetime, leading to overexertion and strain on her heart.

Another possibility was that she had consumed something that could cause sudden cardiac arrest.

So the question arose: Would someone with a serious heart condition joke about their health or even their life and choose to watch a horror movie that could easily startle them?

And on a weekday during the day, what was the likelihood that someone who could go out with friends, dressed up nicely, to shop and watch a movie at the mall, had been under high-intensity work or study stress for an extended period, leading to continuous overexertion?

Although nothing was conclusive at the moment, Jiajia had a hunch that this might not have been a natural death.

Back at the station, the deceased's father had not arrived yet. Jiajia began by confirming the deceased's identity.

The deceased had her ID in her bag, making it easy to find a lot of her personal information.

The deceased's name was Vayne, twenty-five years old, a local of City W, university graduate, with no adverse records.

And from the registered address in her household registration information, it appeared that she came from a wealthy and well-off family.

This was consistent with her attire and the pricey designer handbag she had at the scene.

As for her employment status after graduating from university, that information was not available at the moment.

After a while, three people hurriedly entered the office. The lead was a man who appeared to be close to seventy years old, followed by a couple in their fifties. All three seemed somewhat flustered.

As soon as they entered, the man at the front immediately inquired, "Excuse me, which one of you is Officer Jiajia?"

Jiajia quickly stood up to greet them. "You must be Vayne's family, right? I'm Jiajia."

As she spoke, she shifted her gaze to the middle-aged couple. The woman bore a resemblance to the deceased Vayne, and their ages seemed to fit the mother-daughter relationship.

Unexpectedly, the first to respond to her was the older man. "Hello, Officer. I'm Vayne's father! We didn't have time to ask on the phone earlier. My daughter has always been perfectly fine. How could she suddenly die? Her health has always been good, without any issues. Could there be a case of mistaken identity?"

Encountering such inquiries had become routine for Jiajia. After all, such a major event would undoubtedly be a thunderbolt out of the blue for the deceased's relatives, and their initial reaction was often denial, unwilling to accept such a reality.

"Well, then, please come with me to the forensic department. There are some documents that require a family member's signature." Jiajia said to Vayne's father.

Vayne's father nodded quickly in agreement and followed Jiajia outside, with the middle-aged couple trailing behind.

Jiajia glanced back at them with some confusion. Vayne's father then remembered and said, "I'm sorry, Officer Jiajia. We were in a rush and forgot to introduce ourselves. They are Yuluo's aunt and uncle. I've been busy with work, and over the years, many aspects of life have been taken care of by Yuluo's aunt and uncle. So when they heard the news, they came with me."

He then gestured to the two people behind him. "You two don't need to come with us and cause trouble. I'll go over to see what's going on. You wait here. If there's a need to know more later, you can ask then."

After saying that, he couldn't help but add, "Just in case it's a mistake, you two don't need to be frightened!"

Vayne's aunt and uncle immediately halted their steps upon hearing this, choosing not to follow any further.

The subsequent process of identifying the body was predictable. Given that Vayne had not suffered any facial injuries and her identification documents were found among her belongings, the probability of a mix-up was negligible. Vayne's father took one look and stumbled, nearly falling if Howard, who had been accompanying them but hadn't returned to the office yet, hadn't reached out from behind to steady him.

Confronted with his daughter's lifeless body, Vayne's father was overcome with tears in an instant. The sight of this middle-aged man, pitiable and helpless, overwhelmed by profound sorrow, couldn't even manage to cry out loud.

"How could this happen... She was perfectly fine... Why..." Tears flowed incessantly, his expression a mix of regret and confusion, unable to come to terms with the reality. "How can I face her mother after this..."