The Midnight Lover

Chapter 17: A button

Mark's POV

Today is quite a long day for me. I received a long list of girls who could be the target of a murderer. Then, along with my colleagues, I visited each subject one by one.

I still have the inference that the killer who killed the criminal is definitely related to the victim he is targeting. That's why I want to find more clues or at least localize the suspects to continue investigating more deeply.

I spent a whole day meeting the girls. However, things did not go as smoothly as I thought. No abnormal signs were found around them. When my colleagues were tired and I was suspecting maybe my reasoning was wrong, we met with the tenth girl of the day, Selina Frank.

There's something about this girl that bothers me. Especially the hunch of a talented policeman told me there was something strange about this girl. We were invited into the house and started a conversation with investigative questions. She showed a cooperative attitude, but Selina's answer made me raise my eyebrows.

She has said that she has a boyfriend, but his identity is a mystery. I know young people today are quite adventurous and they have unhealthy relationships. However, as a police officer, I think this is very dangerous. While the police are doing their best to find the serial killers, the girls don't know how to keep themselves safe, which makes me quite angry.

We continued to chat and like the girls before, she was unable to give us any useful clues. I made a request to inspect the house but was denied. In the end, though, we were allowed to check around the window.

The apartments in this area are built closed, in addition to the main door, the window is the only entrance for criminals to break into the house. According to the investigative information we got from three previous cases, the victims did not know each other, they were complete strangers. Before the murder, all people who had recent contact with the victim were asked to take samples for testing, as a result they were not the perpetrator. The police have confirmed that the perpetrator and the victim have no close relationship, and it is highly likely that they broke into the victim's house illegally and killed them.

My colleague and I checked the window frames. Although it is no longer sturdy enough, it is clear that there is no sign of intrusion from the outside. I sighed, feeling a bit disappointed. Perhaps our investigation today was futile.

"We checked and found no abnormalities. Thank you very much for your cooperation with the police today. We now ask permission to go ahead."

I said goodbye to the girl, maybe my hunch was wrong and tomorrow hopefully we will find some clue.

However, before I left, I also advised her to change the window and be more careful with strangers around her.

However, just as I turned to leave, a flash of light from outside the window caught my attention. I stuck my head out the window and looked towards it, under the orange light from the sun's rays, something seemed to be reflecting light. I squint my eyes trying to look closely, my heart pounding when I glimpse it as a circular object made of glass, lying on the grass at the foot of this building, and directly across from the umbrella. Windows.

I memorized its location and then walked out the door. After Selina closed the door, I immediately ran down the stairs and found the location I just memorized. My colleagues didn't understand what happened, but they quickly ran after me.

I ran to the lawn below the apartment building, then searched for a while. Finally I saw a round object the size of a knuckle lying on the grass. It was the same thing I saw from the fourth floor window. I put on the glove and carefully picked it up.

"Everyone look, what is this?"

My colleagues came together to observe. Then the detective spoke up.

"Isn't this a button? Nothing special?"

I nodded, fidgeting with the button in my palm.

"Yes, it's just an ordinary button. But what makes it unusual is, this button belongs to the shirt the criminal wore two days ago."

As soon as I finished speaking, everyone else's eyes widened. Not only them, but I was also surprised because I didn't expect the clue to be in such an ordinary place.

When I examined the body two nights ago, I found that one of the cuffs of the shirt the victim was wearing was missing a button. However, I just memorized this detail without paying too much attention to it, because I checked around the scene and couldn't find any loose buttons. It's possible that it popped up even before the crime happened, so it shouldn't have played any role in uncovering the case. That's why I didn't pay attention to it anymore.

But I still remember the shape of the other buttons still intact, and look at the button in my hand now, it looks exactly like the others. The only thing to do now is to hand it over to the inspection department to confirm if it is indeed an evidence. Maybe this is just a coincidence, what if someone else has the same shirt and accidentally loses the button. I need to be sure about that already.

"Let's go back to the police station first. I will hand it over to the testing party. Once the results are accurate, we will continue to discuss the case."

Everyone agrees. We got in the car and went back to the office. I looked at the button in my hand, wondering what the odds were. If it really belongs to the victim, then why is it there? I have speculated about the body being moved, where is the real crime scene after all?

If the criminal died from a broken neck and a total body fracture, did the two effects occur at the same time or in what order? Was it an accident while preparing to kill the fourth girl, or was he pushed down from a height of more than ten meters? But if it was really an accident, why did the person who discovered the body not report to the police but had to move the body to another place? And in the process of transportation, how to not leave a trace?

So many questions swirled around in my head. But I will find the answer.

I memorized its location and then walked out the door. After Selina closed the door, I immediately ran down the stairs and found the location I just memorized. My colleagues didn't understand what happened, but they quickly ran after me.

I ran to the lawn below the apartment building, then searched for a while. Finally I saw a round object the size of a knuckle lying on the grass. It was the same thing I saw from the fourth floor window. I put on the glove and carefully picked it up.

"Everyone look, what is this?"

My colleagues came together to observe. Then the detective spoke up.

"Isn't this a button? Nothing special?"

I nodded, fidgeting with the button in my palm.

"Yes, it's just an ordinary button. But what makes it unusual is, this button belongs to the shirt the criminal wore two days ago."

As soon as I finished speaking, everyone else's eyes widened. Not only them, but I was also surprised because I didn't expect the clue to be in such an ordinary place.

When I examined the body two nights ago, I found that one of the cuffs of the shirt the victim was wearing was missing a button. However, I just memorized this detail without paying too much attention to it, because I checked around the scene and couldn't find any loose buttons. It's possible that it popped up even before the crime happened, so it shouldn't have played any role in uncovering the case. That's why I didn't pay attention to it anymore.

But I still remember the shape of the other buttons still intact, and look at the button in my hand now, it looks exactly like the others. The only thing to do now is to hand it over to the inspection department to confirm if it is indeed an evidence. Maybe this is just a coincidence, what if someone else has the same shirt and accidentally loses the button. I need to be sure about that already.

"Let's go back to the police station first. I will hand it over to the testing party. Once the results are accurate, we will continue to discuss the case."

Everyone agrees. We got in the car and went back to the office. I looked at the button in my hand, wondering what the odds were. If it really belongs to the victim, then why is it there? I have speculated about the body being moved, where is the real crime scene after all?

If the criminal died from a broken neck and a total body fracture, did the two effects occur at the same time or in what order? Was it an accident while preparing to kill the fourth girl, or was he pushed down from a height of more than ten meters? But if it was really an accident, why did the person who discovered the body not report to the police but had to move the body to another place? And in the process of transportation, how to not leave a trace?

So many questions swirled around in my head. But I will find the answer.