Chasing Murder

Chapter 6

"Lucas, I know you have a lot to say, and I know you've done some illegal things, but do you think those things compare to murder? Scarlett's body was just found, and when we approached you, you fled. What are you so afraid of? Are you really the one who killed Scarlett?" I crossed my arms, stood up, and walked slowly behind Lucas, whispering in his ear, "Lucas, even if you don't talk today, we, the police, will eventually uncover the truth. When that happens, we'll know about everything you've done. If I were you, I'd come clean now. Perhaps, the police can still help you to some extent."

From my angle, I could even see beads of sweat slowly forming on Lucas's forehead. After hearing my words, he began to swallow nervously.

"Are you scared? Scared of what? Scared that we'll find out you're the killer?" I continued to press.

"I...I didn't kill her. I swear I didn't. We broke up a long time ago, and I haven't contacted her since. You have to believe me; I would never kill anyone." Lucas exclaimed, sweating profusely, grabbing my arm tightly.

Seeing this, Benjamin wanted to slam the table but was stopped by a glance from me.

I looked down at Lucas, then patted his shoulder, saying, "So, do you want us to help you, or do you want to take your so-called secrets to court for judgment?"

Of course, I believed Lucas didn't commit murder, but what good was my belief? Some things had to be said by him personally.

After a moment of silence, Lucas finally lifted his head and confessed that he and Scarlett had broken up a long time ago. The reason he ran when he saw the police was because he was afraid his secret of blackmailing Scarlett with certain photos to make money would be exposed. Additionally, he had borrowed a lot of money from external sources, and debt collectors were constantly chasing after him. This made him paranoid, and he saw everyone as a debt collector, prompting him to flee when he saw the police.

　　I pursed my lips, crossed my arms, and then asked, "So, you're saying you once used those photos of Scarlett to blackmail her into making money for you?"

Lucas nodded, saying Scarlett used to be obedient. Since they got together, Scarlett always followed his lead. But for some reason, in recent months, Scarlett started to defy him, even refusing to engage in prostitution at night. Lucas had a violent streak, and whenever Scarlett disobeyed, he would hit her until she agreed to take on the job. But in the past few months, Scarlett seemed like a different person. Not only did she ignore Lucas, but she also didn't care if he exposed the photos, even threatening that he would pay the price if he did.

"And then?" I leaned on the interrogation table and asked in a low voice.

Lucas cautiously looked up at me, then pursed his lips and said, "After that, I tried to contact her many times, but she wouldn't see me. Until one day, my friend suddenly messaged me, asking if Scarlett and I had broken up. I said no, but he told me Scarlett's social media had been updating with some hand-holding photos for the past half month..."

"Wait, hand-holding photos? Why did your friend immediately think of a breakup when he saw hand-holding photos?" I asked in confusion.

He shook his head and raised his hand to show me his left hand. Squinting, I noticed that his left pinky finger was missing.

Lucas told us that he dropped out of junior high school and came to California to work. During that time, he developed a gambling addiction and, because of cheating, had his finger chopped off. That's why his friend thought they had broken up after seeing those photos.

"Though I was a thug, to be honest, I didn't really like Scarlett back then. I was planning to break up with her once I got some money. That's why I didn't go see her at first. I only called her afterward to arrange a meeting," Lucas explained.