Free Web NovelChapter 54: Chapter 54: He Doesn’t Love Me at All
Mrs. Lawson put on her mask and followed the police car away, drawing curious stares from the passersby.
Henry Stark, sitting in the passenger seat, typed out a text message and sent it to Renee Jennings in the back seat.
*Miss Jennings, is Mrs. Lawson a suspect?*
Her phone buzzed.
Renee Jennings unlocked her phone and saw Henry Stark’s message.
She quickly typed her reply: *The Goldfish Sisters told me that Mr. Lawson was pushed off the cliff by Mrs. Lawson.*
Henry Stark’s dark eyes narrowed as he read the message, his expression turning grim.
He texted back: *Why would Mrs. Lawson do that?*
Renee: *Mrs. Lawson was having an affair with her cousin, and Mr. Lawson found out. He wanted a divorce and demanded she leave with nothing. Mrs. Lawson refused and told her cousin she wanted to get rid of Mr. Lawson.*
*Her cousin suggested she ask Mr. Lawson to go hiking. There are no cameras on the mountain, so she could push him off, and no one would be the wiser.*
*Little Goldfish said the cousin has been staying at their house with Mrs. Lawson this whole time. The day I brought Ginny over to Mr. Lawson’s house, it was Mrs. Lawson’s cousin who answered the door.*
After reading the messages, Henry Stark turned off his phone screen. He glanced up at the rearview mirror, discreetly observing Mrs. Lawson.
Her eyes were downcast and her brow was tightly furrowed. She looked restless and uneasy.
’Was she this uneasy when she pushed her husband, Silas Lawson, off the cliff with her own hands?’
At the police station, Mrs. Lawson was led into an interrogation room.
Henry Stark took Renee Jennings and the others into a conference room to go over the case details and plan their approach for the interrogation.
Kyle Morgan was stunned. "Captain, how did you come to suspect Mrs. Lawson is the killer?"
"Miss Jennings is the one who figured it out," Henry Stark said, then asked, "Has Mrs. Lawson’s cousin arrived yet?"
Sawyer shook his head. "Not yet. He said he’s out of town and can’t make it back in time."
"We’ll interrogate Mrs. Lawson first." Henry Stark stood up. Before leaving the conference room, he turned back to Kyle Morgan. "Take good care of our consultant."
"Yes, Captain!" Kyle Morgan immediately agreed.
Sawyer followed Henry Stark out, laptop in hand.
「In the interrogation room.」
Mrs. Lawson’s hands rested on her knees, twisting together anxiously. With every second that passed, she grew more apprehensive.
’Why did the police bring me here?’
’Did they find something?’
’I carefully went over my answers... I’m sure I didn’t say anything I shouldn’t have.’
Just then, the door to the interrogation room was pushed open.
Henry Stark sat across from her, his expression cold and severe.
Sawyer followed procedure, asking for her personal information.
Henry Stark’s lips parted slightly, his voice carrying an icy chill. "Mrs. Lawson, why did you push Mr. Lawson off the cliff?"
Hearing this, Mrs. Lawson’s heart skipped a beat. Her pupils contracted, her face a mask of disbelief. "Wh-what did you say?"
Henry Stark’s voice was cold as he pressed on. "Was it because Mr. Lawson found out about you and your cousin?"
A storm raged in Mrs. Lawson’s heart. Fear, like a violent undertow, threatened to pull her under and swallow her whole.
’How could he possibly...’
’How on earth does he know?’
’I was so careful with my answers just now. I didn’t let anything slip.’
"You’re surprised, aren’t you, Mrs. Lawson?" Henry Stark said slowly. "You must be wondering how we found out."
He paused for a moment before continuing, "Your cousin has already confessed. He’s hoping for a reduced sentence. According to his testimony, you were the one who wanted to kill Mr. Lawson because you didn’t want to be left with nothing in the divorce."
"Impossible!" Mrs. Lawson denied it instantly. "I don’t believe you!"
"People do all sorts of things when they’re desperate, Mrs. Lawson," Henry Stark said calmly. "Why don’t you tell us why you pushed Mr. Lawson off the cliff?"
Tears streamed down Mrs. Lawson’s face, her features contorted. "What’s the use of telling you anything? You don’t know the first thing about it!"
An instant later, realizing her outburst was a mistake, she stammered in a panic, "I didn’t do it! Silas Lawson fell off the cliff by himself! His death has nothing to do with me!"
"That’s fine. We’ll talk again once you’ve calmed down." Henry Stark led Sawyer out of the room.
Kyle Morgan saw them come out and asked in a hushed voice, "Captain, did she confess?"
"Not yet." Henry Stark shook his head. "Where’s Miss Jennings?"
Kyle Morgan replied, "She’s in the Director’s office."
Renee Jennings had assumed Quentin Lowell wanted to see her about a new case, but it turned out to be a personal matter.
"Miss Jennings, I’m terribly sorry to impose, but I was hoping I could trouble you to make a house call."
Quentin Lowell had a daughter late in life. Though he was already forty-three, he had a little girl who had just started kindergarten.
Recently, his daughter, Cecilia Lowell, had gotten a kitten. The cat was very affectionate when it first arrived, but by the next day, it had started ignoring Cecilia completely.
It wouldn’t let Cecilia hold or even pet it, and sometimes it would even hiss at her.
Quentin Lowell had considered getting rid of the kitten and buying a new one, but his daughter refused. He was at a complete loss and had no choice but to turn to Renee Jennings for help.
He had been planning to ask Henry Stark to give her a call, but as luck would have it, she was right here.
"It’s no trouble at all," Renee Jennings said with a smile. "If there’s nothing else, I’ll head out now."
Seeing her get up to leave, Quentin Lowell gathered his courage and said, "Could I get your contact information? I’ll have my wife add you on WeChat."
"Of course." Renee Jennings wrote down her WeChat ID for him.
As she walked out of Quentin Lowell’s office, she saw Henry Stark and went over to him. "Captain Stark, did she confess?" free𝑤ebnovel.com
"Not yet." Henry Stark handed her a printout of the transcript. "Take a look."
Renee Jennings scanned the pages and frowned. "What if I talk to her?"
Henry Stark was silent for a few seconds before nodding. "Okay."
The interrogation room door opened again. Renee Jennings saw Mrs. Lawson slumped over the table, her eyes vacant and her face stained with tears.
"Mrs. Lawson." She curled her finger and tapped lightly on the table. "Do you have the strength to talk right now?"
She was met with dead silence.
Renee Jennings glanced at Sawyer.
After a moment’s thought, she spoke again. "All of Mr. Lawson’s friends said he was a good person. Even you said so. So why did you cheat on him? Was there some compelling reason?"
As her words faded, a flicker of movement finally returned to Mrs. Lawson’s unfocused eyes.
She shot her head up to glare at Renee Jennings and let out a sudden, crazed laugh. "Good? Good, my ass!"
"So you don’t think he was a good man?" Renee Jennings sat down across from her as Sawyer quickly opened his laptop.
"He never loved me!" Mrs. Lawson’s voice was indignant and bitter. "He wouldn’t touch me at night! It didn’t matter how I tried to seduce him, it was like he couldn’t even see me! Fine! If he wouldn’t touch me, I’d just have to find a man who would!"
Renee Jennings’ delicate eyebrows knitted together. "If he didn’t love you, why did he marry you?"
"Why?" Mrs. Lawson sneered, hatred swimming in her eyes. "Because I look just like his first love, of course! If I had known, I never would have married him!"
