Chapter 2568

In the winter garden beside the cemetery, the evergreen plants were washed by the rain and became exceptionally lush.

John did not hold an umbrella, standing under a tall laurel tree, gazing far off toward the church, as if listening to the faint prayer sounds drifting from that direction.

Hearing Jin Chen's approaching footsteps, he did not turn around and softly expressed his gratitude.

"Thank you, Mr. Xilier. You did not tell anyone… about what happened that night."

Jin Chen stood still one step behind him.

"You are not the real culprit, and my duty is to uncover the truth; I have no need or reason to do so."

Only then did John turn to face him.

In just a couple of days, he seemed to have grown thinner again, his eye sockets sunk, sorrow and grief about to overflow.

"Do you… now suspect Joshua, just like Sheriff Bruce does?"

Jin Chen did not answer directly, but said, "I have never ruled out my suspicion of him. After the funeral, I will speak with him privately."

John nodded and took something out of his suit's inner pocket.

It was a boxwood page-turner inlaid with tiny mother-of-pearl, clearly an expensive personal item.

"This is the Christmas gift I gave Vincent last year…"

John's voice sank, unable to hide his pain: "Last night… I couldn't help sorting through some of his belongings, wanting to keep a memento."

"I found it in the gap of the sofa in the small sitting room where he and Joshua often spent time."

Jin Chen: "……"

This matter has become a mess.

He took the page-turner silently.

【【How terrible.】】 Ling Gun Gun sighed softly again in his mind.

"Are you giving this to me as evidence to identify Joshua?" Jin Chen examined the page-turner and asked.

John looked at Jin Chen and said, "You might not know… Vincent never actually read the Divine Comedy in his life."

"His faith in Catholicism was far less devout than outsiders thought; the book laid open before him…"

He took a deep breath and said, "It was Joshua Cline who gave it to him on his birthday."

Jin Chen pondered, rubbing the smooth wooden rod.

Suddenly, he glanced at John's suit jacket, the collar slightly open, revealing a dark-gold brooch pinned to the vest's collar.

Jin Chen's gaze lingered on the brooch for a moment, and he asked, slightly puzzled.

"Mr. John, why do you wear the brooch on the inside of your suit? That seems uncommon."

John startled, instinctively touched the brooch, and a mixture of tenderness and pain flickered in his eyes.

"This is the last gift Vincent gave me." He said softly.

Jin Chen: "?"

Wait……

He recalled what Detective Aierruike had said to Miss Eleanor that day.

—There is a hidden compartment beneath Vincent's desk, containing a golden brooch.

—He would give the golden brooch to the person he truly loves.

【【What a partner!】】 Ling Gun Gun was startled.

Jin Chen's gaze became somewhat complex.

He looked at John, asking cautiously, "When exactly did you receive this brooch?"

John wondered, "About half a month ago, he gave it to me privately in the study."

Noticing the change in Jin Chen's expression, he pressed, "Mr. Xilier, is there something wrong with this brooch?"

Jin Chen hesitated.

He could not determine whether this dark-gold brooch was the one Aierruike mentioned, and rashly voicing the speculation about the 'beloved one' would be overly cruel and inappropriate at this moment.

"Perhaps I am overthinking it," Jin Chen chose to temporarily conceal, "After I confirm some details, perhaps telling you in a couple of days would be more suitable."

He paused, then shifted the topic: "If you don't mind, could you tell me more about young master Vincent's past? Any small detail might help the truth."

After the memorial service ended, the crowd began to disperse slowly.

Only after returning from the garden to the church's main hall did Jin Chen discover that Aierruike was no longer where he had been.

He asked the church attendant who was tidying up the equipment nearby.

The attendant respectfully replied, "Mr. Xilier, Detective Aierruike has been invited by Count Olger to the manor's main hall for a talk; he just left a short while ago."

——

Aierruike came out of the manor's main hall, descended the short steps before the door, and looked for a familiar figure.

His gaze swept over the lawn and settled on the flower arbor not far away.

Jin Chen sat on the white bench beneath the flower arbor, his head slightly bowed.

He opened a notebook on his lap, held a pencil between his fingers, and focused on writing and drawing on one of its pages.

On the overcast rainy day, amidst the layers of intertwining vines, the youth sitting quietly there looked as beautiful as an angel stepped out of an ancient myth, making one reluctant to disturb him.

Aierruike also noticed that a few young maids not far away were pretending to wipe the glass of the corridor, but occasionally glanced toward the flower arbor.

A subtle sense of concern quietly rose in his heart.

Aierruike walked toward the flower arbor; perhaps hearing footsteps, Jin Chen lifted his head and turned his gaze.

Seeing that it was Aierruike, his blue eyes filled with warmth and affection, and the corners of his mouth curved gently.

"A'erruike," he said softly, closing the book on his knee, "I'm waiting for you here."

A'erruike walked up to him and reached out his hand.

Jin Chen grasped it, burying his soft cheek in the palm, and then placed a kiss on the palm.

"What is Yuehan looking for you to do?" A'eruike asked, his tone only then easing.

Upon mentioning Yuehan, Jin Chen remembered the important matter.

He pulled A'eruike to sit beside him; the bench under the flower stand was not spacious, and their arms and thighs inevitably touched.

"By the way, I was just about to tell you about him," Jin Chen's tone turned serious. "A'eruike, Yuehan is not the murderer—I can guarantee that. Today he came to me and provided some more clues; I think they're quite valuable."

"Can you guarantee that?" A'eruike's green eyes narrowed slightly; the gentlemanly gentleness he had to maintain almost slipped.

They've only met a few times? Xili'er actually dares to trust Yuehan·A'erge so firmly?

Such trust made him inexplicably displeased, even arousing irritation.

He leaned slightly toward Jin Chen, closing the distance between them, his voice tense: "Really? When did you and he…… become friends who can trust each other and talk privately, Xili'er?"

Jin Chen gave a doubtful hum, lifted his eyes, met A'eruike's gaze, suddenly understood something, and the corner of his mouth curled meaningfully.

"Why can't it be, A'eruike?"