"In summary, Mr. Barton's, or rather … Mr. John Lovecraft's, motive for the crime is clear." Feng Bujue looked at Jack and Nancy and said, "Your brother's temperament, ability, and experience are stronger than the two of you and Denis combined. When he was in his twenties, he was already a godly thief with extraordinary skills. After ten years in prison, he undoubtedly became an even more ruthless person.
Today, he's patient, determined, and secretive. When such a person makes up his mind to kill someone, his execution is astonishing. Something that an ordinary person would have to prepare and hesitate for at least a few days, he could do it immediately.
So … Mr. Barton had already taken action before he got down from the branch. He immediately used the pliers in his hand to cut off an iron wire tied to a branch (commonly used in landscape design to make trees grow in a predetermined shape), which was the murder weapon, and took it back to the house. "
Feng Bujue leaned back in his chair and raised his head. "After the gunshot incident, Barton took advantage of the moment when Denis was alone in the room and knocked on the door. Denis didn't know that his threatening conversation had been overheard. He thought that Barton was still in the dark. Barton naturally pretended that he didn't know anything. He only said that he had entered the house to do some chores, such as removing insects from the bonsai in the corner. "
"In that case … Even if Mr. Barton was wearing gloves when he entered the house, Denis wouldn't have found it strange," Scofield continued. This detective, who had accompanied Brother Jue throughout his investigation and reasoning, had a certain level of detective ability. At the very least, he hadn't forgotten the details of the case.
"Very correct, Detective." Feng Bujue nodded and said, "Thus, the scene of Denis smoking on the sofa and Barton busying himself in his blind spot appeared. Then … the next scene was a murder. " He looked at Barton. "Just like how you stood up silently and tried to approach me … When the crime happened, you quietly and quickly approached Denis from behind and strangled him with the weapon in your pocket.
Everything was going smoothly, but just as you were about to escape, someone knocked on the door of the room.
Mrs. Odetta was worried that the focus of her husband and Denis's argument was her, so she wanted to talk to the latter. She didn't know that a murder had happened in the guest room in front of her. "
"Hmph …" Feng Bujue sneered and continued to say to Barton, "As I've always emphasized, you're not an ordinary person. Mr. Barton, you're very good. An ordinary person might have been rash in such a situation, but you … were as calm as ever and came up with a plan.
The door of the guest room was locked at the time, so you weren't worried that Odetta would find you. You just had to keep quiet and escape through the window. But that wasn't enough for you … Since there was a murder, there had to be a murderer, and Mrs. Odetta was the perfect scapegoat.
She had the motive and the ability to commit the crime. The key was … she was indeed at the scene when the murder happened. "
Feng Bujue tilted his head and smiled. "I remember everything you said, Mr. Barton …" He repeated, "'I'm about the same age as Young Master Denis. Actually, I understand him. If I had a rich father and wanted to marry a stepmother who was five or six years younger than me, I'd be against it too. '"He smiled again." Obviously, you said that from the bottom of your heart. You came to this mansion eight years ago, and Mrs. Odetta married into the Lovecraft family seven years ago. I think … back then, you and Denis must have had the same attitude. Both of you strongly opposed the marriage between your father and Odetta, but one was in the light and the other was in the dark.
There's no doubt that you want Colston's inheritance more than Denis, don't you? Because he owed you, his indifference caused the death of your mother, and his alienation and denial of you led you astray. Even though you finally came to this house many years later, you were still a gardener, not the owner of this place.
Then … at least after his death, let him repay you with his family's property.
Now that Denis is dead, if Mrs. Odetta is convicted of murder … then in a few years, when Colston's two legs are gone and the contents of his will are made public … you, John Lovecraft, can inherit most of his family's property and become the head of this family. "
"What a dangerous guy …" When Scofield heard this, he couldn't help but turn to stare at Barton's face and mutter.
Feng Bujue turned back and said to everyone, "So … Mr. Barton didn't plan to escape through the window, but because there was someone outside the door, he did it on the spur of the moment. He used wire to lock the window and set up a secret room so that he could have a backup plan. Because he knew that a case like this would be difficult to solve in a short period of time with the police force of a small town. As long as he could confuse the public for the time being, there would be plenty of opportunities to frame him later. For example, making a key and throwing it in the corner of Mrs. Odetta's room … It would be a piece of cake for him. "
Brother Jue paused for a moment and continued, "After the murder, Barton disposed of the murder weapon and quickly returned to the villa. If it were anyone else, they would've most likely returned to their room and waited anxiously for the body to be found. But he … came to my room as fast as he could and wittily put on a rather interesting performance in front of me.
Those words were half true and half false, and were quite deceptive. The only thing I didn't understand at the time was … What was the point of him telling me all this? Was it really so that I, an outsider, could persuade this family not to do anything stupid?
But not long after the crime, I understood his intentions … Before the body was found, Barton imperceptibly instilled an idea in my mind, 'If there was anyone who would kill Denis, it would definitely be Mrs. Odetta.' He was indeed very clever, because when he fabricated the conversation between Colston and Denis, he made it sound like Denis was going to kill Odetta. The actual situation was the opposite, but it seemed logical. "
"Hah …" Feng Bujue chuckled coldly before turning his gaze back to Barton. "Because I said in the corridor, 'at the very least, I am a detective', you purposely came up with this trick after you committed the crime. Your idea was … Even if your words didn't mislead me, it didn't matter. Anyway, when the body was found, you were with me, the detective. From a psychological point of view, it was very likely that I directly excluded you from the list of suspects. "
"Phew …" Barton sighed deeply. "Now that I think about it, coming to you … was a huge mistake." He smiled bitterly. "I underestimated you …"
"From your life experience, you must have thought highly of yourself. You wouldn't take a normal detective seriously at all." Feng Bujue smiled. "Using this so-called detective to achieve your goal … This kind of extremely ironic and interesting thing, if it were me, I would also try it."
Brother Jue stood up and stretched. "Actually, if you had done it in a different way and on a different day, making it look like a suicide or an accident, you might have succeeded." He yawned. "I really want to tell you to 'keep up the good work', but you're a first-degree murderer, and you're going to jail for the second time. Even if you don't get the death penalty, you won't have the chance to get out in this life … I can only give you my most sincere wishes, and hope that you can successfully escape prison one day."
"Uh … Mr. Feng, the police are here. You can't just say 'successfully escape prison' like that …" Scofield said as he wiped his sweat.
"You're just saying 'escape prison' like that …" Feng Bujue said. "Are you forcing me to mock your name?"
After Feng Bujue said this casually, he walked towards Barton without warning and leaned over to whisper something in his ear.
Other than Barton, no one else heard what Brother Jue said. After that, Feng Bujue turned around and walked towards the door, laughing as he walked … A malicious laugh …
"Where are you going?" Jack asked.
"I'm going to the toilet, can't I?" Feng Bujue leaned forward and replied in an arrogant tone. "If someone still wants to arrest me for theft when I return, then put the handcuffs on me."
Of course, Brother Jue didn't really want to go to the toilet. He heard the system prompt and wanted to find a place where no one was around to teleport.
…
It was another late autumn. There was no green left on the gray wasteland, and it was empty under the sky.
In this place where the forest and the mountains intersected, the roads and telephone poles seemed out of place.
My name is Scofield, Greike Scofield, the sheriff of a remote town.
The bright moonlight shone on the ground, illuminating the road ahead. Driving in such a scenery always brought back some memories.
A few years ago at this time, I went to the Lovecraft mansion in the mountains to solve a murder case.
A detective, in less than half a day, solved the puzzle and found the real murderer.
The strange thing was that I mistook him for another famous detective, but when I saw the picture of the famous detective in the newspaper, I realized that they were not the same person ….
Later, reports about this murder case did not appear in any mainstream media. Even Denis Lovecraft's obituary was not published in any newspaper. It seemed that … some big shot took action and suppressed the matter in a low-key way.
In April of the next year, John Barton, John Lovecraft, was sentenced to death by the Supreme Court. His father, Old Master Colston, died suddenly in a hotel room two weeks before the verdict.
The cause of death was still a mystery …
In the end, eighty percent of the Lovecraft family's property was divided equally between the second son, Jack, and the third daughter, Nancy. It was said that Jack used his money to open a large record company in the United States. Their advertising slogan was thought-provoking — to support young, ambitious musicians.
The remaining twenty percent of the property, as well as the real estate, was inherited by Mrs. Odetta, Colston's third wife. Mrs. Odetta donated the property in the mountains to the government after her husband's death. It was said that she had now moved to a winery in southeastern France.
Butler Henderson, who had served the Lovecraft family for many years, family doctor Powell, maids Oliver and Martha, including the lawyer who handled the will, did not receive a penny. Obviously, my judgment of Colston being "humane" was wrong. He was a selfish, hypocritical bastard. Fortunately, his daughter did not inherit his bad qualities. A month after her father's death, Miss Nancy took the initiative to give these people the severance pay they deserved.
As for the strange detective … I never saw him again. His back when he walked out of the restaurant that day was still vivid in my mind, but it was as if he disappeared around the corner outside the door and never came back.
After that, I tried to find out more information about this person, but I found nothing. He was like a ghost that did not exist in this world at all …
There were many strange legends in the land in front of me. Maybe … he was one of them.
…
March 1986, the capital of Asari, Ryan City No. 1 Detention Center.
On a hazy afternoon, Barton, wearing a prison uniform, handcuffs, and shackles, was brought to the interview room by a prison guard. Across the glass in front of him sat a woman in luxurious clothes.
The two of them picked up their phones and were silent for a few seconds. Then, Barton spoke first, "Long time no see, Carol."
Carol did not respond. She was wearing a big hat with the brim pulled low, and there was a veil in front of the brim.
"It seems that you have found out … Hmph … Now you should understand why I said 'you will thank me.'" Barton sneered. "In a sense, he is really like Colston. I investigated him a few years ago, and I knew at that time that he would sooner or later kill you, a sad woman, and use the family property he inherited from you to live with his lover. " Barton said in a deep voice, "Even if it's not for myself … I don't regret killing that kind of man at all."
"What you asked …" Carol's voice was also very cold. She was like a walking corpse. "Someone has already done it, and there will be a result soon."
"Oh … Thank you." Barton smiled.
"Is it really necessary to go to this extent?" Carol asked. "He is still your father, and with his physical condition, he doesn't have many years left to live, right?"
"This has nothing to do with you." Barton said this and suddenly laughed. "You are a very good person, Carol. There are some things that people like you will never understand … "He paused for a moment." But there are also some people who are not so kind. They will say, 'Since you can't enjoy his property as compensation, why don't you let him give you something else?' "
After Barton said this, he hung up the phone and laughed crazily.
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