Free Web NovelChapter 230: Chapter 233: It’s Willow Quincy
"The driver, Kyle Young, was on the phone for a total of three minutes and twenty seconds. That means Charlotte Shaw was likely taken within the first three minutes of that call."
Kevin Collins stood in front of the command vehicle, playing the surveillance footage they’d pulled for Felix Preston.
"Our officers pulled the footage from that time frame and spotted two black cars in an alley by the intersection. One belongs to a resident there, but the other is an outside vehicle, and it has a fake plate."
"So, I’ve concluded that Charlotte Shaw was likely taken in that car."
"..." Felix Preston clenched his fists, the atmosphere around him turning frigid.
Kevin Collins patted his shoulder and said softly, "I’ve already dispatched units to start a street-by-street search for the black car. The roads are bad tonight, so they couldn’t have gotten out of Aethelburg in such a short time. Try not to worry too much."
"Thank you, Uncle Collins," Mason Shaw said sincerely.
Kevin Collins waved his hand. "Don’t just stand around here. You should all come back to the station with me and cooperate with the investigation. At best, this is a missing person case. At worst, it’s a kidnapping. Every second we waste puts Charlotte Shaw in more danger."
"Alright." Mason Shaw grabbed Felix Preston’s arm, practically dragging him into the car.
The Aethelburg Police Department was unusually bustling tonight.
A dozen or so people were gathered in the lobby of the police department, waiting to be called into an office one by one to assist with the investigation.
"It was definitely Cecilia Quincy! It had to be her!" Julia Dawson clenched her fists, her eyes red with anger. "In all of Aethelburg, she’s the only one who sees our Bloom as a thorn in her side! She must be jealous that Bloom has a happy family and a successful career now, so she wanted to destroy her!"
"Dammit, I’m gonna go grab her and slap her to death!"
"Calm down!" Mina Jennings hooked an arm around her neck, pressing her down onto a cold metal chair. Tears welled in Mina’s own eyes. "Cecilia Quincy is a strong suspect, but that doesn’t necessarily mean she did this."
"Ethan Lockwood already dumped her. She probably doesn’t have the guts to commit a crime like this."
Hannah Sutton picked up the thread, "Besides, the Quincy Family just got caught up in that unfinished building scandal. They’re a complete mess internally. She wouldn’t have the time or energy to plot against Charlotte."
"...If it wasn’t Ethan Lockwood, and it wasn’t Cecilia Quincy, then who else could have kidnapped my sister-in-law?" Lynn Preston wiped away a couple of tears, then wiped them on Jasper Linden’s sleeve.
"It was Willow Quincy."
Felix Preston sat behind the long table, telling Kevin Collins calmly but firmly, "It was Willow Quincy. Willow Quincy of the Quincy Group."
"Isn’t he Charlotte Shaw’s former brother?" Kevin Collins frowned. "Why would you think it’s him?"
Felix Preston gritted his teeth, his pale jaw visibly trembling under the harsh lights.
Kevin Collins asked, "Felix, what would be Willow Quincy’s motive for kidnapping Charlotte Shaw?"
Felix Preston took off his glasses and stared at Kevin Collins with red-rimmed eyes. "...Willow Quincy is in love with Charlotte Shaw."
"...What?" Kevin Collins’s expression changed slightly.
Felix Preston repeated, word for word, "Willow Quincy is in love with Charlotte Shaw. He was already in love with her back when she was Sonia Quincy."
Kevin Collins’s sharp gaze narrowed, his voice laced with disbelief. "...Are you telling me that Willow Quincy is in love with his own... biological sister?"
"Yes." Felix Preston’s voice was laced with intense hatred. "He’s in love with his own sister."
"What’s your evidence?" Kevin Collins asked.
"...I’ve been in two car accidents, and Willow Quincy was connected to both of them. You can pull the records from the branch station to verify."
Upon hearing this, Kevin Collins immediately gave the female officer nearby a look.
The officer understood and quickly left the office to retrieve the files.
Five minutes later, she returned with two light-blue folders.
"Chief Collins." She placed the folders in front of Kevin Collins and stepped back.
Kevin Collins glanced at Felix Preston before picking up the folders to examine the information inside.
With a dark expression, Felix Preston waited patiently.
SLAP—
After some time, Kevin Collins finally put the folders down.
"Both accidents are indeed connected to Willow Quincy, but one was only a suspicion and the other was ruled a coincidence. This is nowhere near enough to establish motive for him."
Felix Preston said, "Willow Quincy only has one motive."
"He’s in love with Charlotte Shaw, and he wants to steal her away from me. He told me so himself."
"He told you himself?" Kevin Collins frowned. "Are you saying Willow Quincy personally admitted to you that he’s in love with Charlotte Shaw?"
"Yes." Felix’s voice trembled. "Not only did he admit it to me, but he also blatantly confessed his feelings to Charlotte Shaw. But she was disgusted by him and slapped him across the face."
"And the second car accident wasn’t a coincidence. It was his malicious plan. He wanted me to ’accidentally’ die in a crash so he could take Charlotte Shaw for himself as a matter of course."
At this point, Felix Preston had nothing left to hide. He recounted everything in detail: the two car accidents, Willow Quincy stalking Charlotte Shaw, and how he’d tried to persuade Charlotte to divorce him.
Although he couldn’t produce any evidence for these claims, saying them out loud would at least increase suspicion on Willow Quincy and give Kevin Collins enough reason to investigate him.
Kevin Collins listened to him carefully and immediately sent someone to contact Willow Quincy.
Meanwhile, in the lobby outside the office.
Renee Sinclair stood alone in a corner, her hands by her sides clenched into tight fists.
’Shut up!!’ she raged internally, her eyes red. ’I said, shut up!’
"Host, what do you think you’re doing?"
The mechanical female voice sounded as if it were smiling, its tone dripping with obvious mockery.
"Charlotte Shaw has been kidnapped, so there’s an opening next to Felix Preston! Even fate is giving you this opportunity, so why don’t you seize it?"
Renee Sinclair bit her lip hard. "Charlotte Shaw is only missing for now, she’s not dead. What are you so pleased about?"
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
The mechanical female voice let out a few sinister laughs. "If Charlotte Shaw can disappear for no reason, she can also die out there without anyone ever knowing."
"Host, there’s an item in the System’s redemption shop called the Yellow Springs Drink. As long as you earn enough affection points and redeem it, I can make sure Charlotte Shaw never comes back."
Renee Sinclair said, "I can’t earn that many affection points, and I wouldn’t redeem that thing anyway."
The mechanical voice ignored her completely, continuing on its own, "The Yellow Springs Drink is colorless and odorless. Charlotte Shaw only needs to drink a tiny bit, and she’ll die from all sorts of ’accidents’ within three days. Once she’s dead, you’ll be the only one left by Felix Preston’s side, Host. Aren’t you tempted?"
"..." Renee Sinclair shot a vicious glare into the empty air, saying nothing.
The mechanical voice continued its tireless persuasion, "If she drinks the Yellow Springs Drink, Charlotte Shaw’s death will become an accident. You won’t be suspected of anything, Host."
"Are you sure you don’t want to give it a try?"
