Chapter 2

At 10:30 PM, I grabbed a ride-share and zoomed over to the police station.

I didn't drive myself because I was worried I'd lose it. I needed to stay as level-headed as possible.

The ride took about half an hour. I kept scrolling through the recent chat logs, but nothing seemed off.

Alan: [Nancy, have dinner on your own tonight. I ordered from that place next to our apartment. It should be there around 7 PM.]

Alan: [Nancy, it's been ages since I hung out with my college buddies. I want to catch up with them. Thinking back to college, it's been a wild ride. Meeting you has been the best thing in my life.]

The Facebook chat logs ended there. No more messages.

Neurologically speaking, when confronted with immense suffering, the brain automatically activated a shielding mechanism, rendering emotions numb to prevent the human mind from sustaining damage under extreme stress.

I tried to push the past out of my mind, to not think of myself as Alan's wife, but as a legal worker who needed to stay calm and find the truth.

But right now, I couldn't do that.

I quickly put on my sunglasses, turned my head, and covered my mouth to muffle my sobs. The driver couldn't see me crying in the rearview mirror. I was a strong woman, Alan's wife, and a legal worker. I needed to get my emotions in check within half an hour to thoroughly investigate this.

As I cried, I thought, 'I need to find out what happened to Alan. Why did he have to go through this? Did he piss someone off? Who could have a grudge against him? That's impossible. In college, Alan and I were at the same school. We weren't together then, but we met a few times in the club. Alan was honest, hardworking. Could it be a family feud? No way. Alan's an orphan who grew up in an orphanage. He doesn't even know his parents. How could he have family grudges?'

Then I remembered that photo. All my doubts pointed to Laura.

I opened a photo Alan had shared. It was a group shot of five people from their college days. Laura was in the middle, smiling and making a V sign. Alan and the others surrounded her, looking young and full of life.

Alan had said those were the best days of his early life. But I couldn't understand how a reunion with his closest friends turned into a murder, with one of his best friends as the suspect.

By then, the car had stopped at the police station. I snapped out of it, got out, and walked straight into the forensic room.

Two police officers and a forensic doctor were waiting for me. The forensic doctor looked pretty young, and the cops were discussing something with documents in hand.

When they saw me, the police offered some words of comfort. The forensic doctor took off his mask, revealing a young face, probably under thirty.

He said, "Mrs. Smith, I'm sorry for your loss. This news must be hard to take."

He seemed to know me, which wasn't surprising since I often dealt with forensic doctors at the prosecutor's office.

I nodded and said, "Go ahead. I can handle it."

The forensic doctor continued, "The autopsy report is out. The DNA sample from the deceased matches Mr. Smith's DNA sample. However, due to your involvement, we exercised caution and immediately investigated the client information from the KTV. We quickly conducted a screening and exclusion process, and the identity verification is correct. Also, please take a look at this..."

He pulled out a sealed plastic bag with a ring inside.

My heart sank. I took a deep breath and subconsciously touched the same ring on my right hand.

"Mrs. Smith..." The forensic doctor hesitated.

My throat felt tight, and I couldn't get a word out. My vision blurred, and I felt a sudden emptiness inside, filled with Alan's voice. I managed to say, "I understand. Thank you for your hard work."

I closed my eyes, holding back the tears, trying to keep myself together. My voice might have cracked a bit earlier, but I was doing my best to stay rational.

I added, "After the case is closed, please return the ring to me. If you need any cooperation, let me know. I'm always available."

I knew the case procedures and spoke up, not to show off my professionalism, but because I didn't want to hear anything else.

I took a deep breath, pulled out my phone, opened my contacts, and called Leonard Williams, the Deputy District Attorney in charge of criminal cases, my former boss. I didn't want to make this call, but for Alan, I had no choice.

The call connected, and I greeted, "Leonard, it's Nancy."

Leonard replied, "Nancy, I didn't expect you to call. I know about the situation. When you got married..."

I cut him off, "This is a major criminal case, requiring special handling. I'm sure your criminal investigation division and the detective team are on it. Even I know so much information, let alone you. Don't beat around the bush. You must have the preliminary case file. If the prosecution moves quickly, the first trial should be in a few days. You wouldn't wait until after the trial to comfort me with a lukewarm judgment, would you? That's not what I want!"

Then I said seriously, "I am the victim's family and a licensed attorney. I have the right to be Alan's criminal lawyer, but the process is too cumbersome. I want to know some details of the case file. I know I can't access it, but I want to see it, or you can tell me the contents. You've surely seen it already."

I didn't want to hear any excuses, blocking all his possible pretexts. I wanted to know the truth and why Alan died!

There was silence on the other end of the line. After a long time, Leonard said, "From what we know, this is a clear case of arson and murder. The suspect's methods were extremely cruel. Even with my years of experience as a prosecutor, I can't bear to look at it. And the victim is..."

I interrupted him, "Get to the point. Spare me the official pleasantries. I'm not a rookie. I can figure those out myself. Tell me, who are the witnesses, their testimonies, the time and place of the crime."

Leonard said firmly, his voice carrying the authority of an experienced prosecutor through the phone, "Nancy, I understand your feelings. I trained you myself. I know your character very well. Even though you left the prosecutor's office, please believe in the justice represented by the prosecutor's office!"

I didn't deny that, but I wouldn't give up either. I didn't respond, directly asking, "Alan went to attend a class reunion. Laura seems to be the prime suspect in this case. What about the other three? Are they witnesses or suspects? What were they doing and saying at the time? Were there people in the adjacent private rooms? Where were the Entertainment Club staff?"

My voice was tinged with urgency, oblivious to whom I was speaking. I only wanted more information; I had my judgment to make!

"No comment!" Leonard was clearly angry.

"Can I attend the first trial as the victim's family?" I almost shouted, venting my emotions, even startling the forensic doctor and police officers beside me. From my words, they already knew who I was calling.

Leonard said, "Follow the procedure and then you can come. The evidence is clear, and the information is sufficient. The trial will be the day after tomorrow afternoon. Everything you want to know will be in the courtroom."

Hearing this, I hung up the phone.