Chapter 2575: Dear Detective Mr. 27

Sheriff Bruce hadn't thought that much; seeing him hesitate, he sternly repeated the question.

Joshua only then felt as if driven to desperation, he lowered his head deeply, his shoulders trembling slightly.

"... Because we... we love each other."

The Living Room fell into silence, for a full three seconds.

Count Olga sucked in a breath of cold air, his eyes bulging, his body swayed, he nearly fainted from lack of breath.

Fortunately, Julian sitting beside him reacted quickly, picking up a cup of water and bringing it to his lips, softly comforting him, barely helping him regain his breath.

Miss Eleanor also raised her head in surprise, but the first person she looked at was actually John Olga across from her, her expression complex and hard to read, before turning to Joshua, her face showing astonishment.

Jin Chen caught Eleanor's subtle reaction in his eyes, raising an eyebrow.

"Really strange," he thought, "as Vincent's fiancée, she doesn't know Vincent and Joshua's relationship, yet she seems aware of his and John's affairs?"

Sheriff Bruce, equally shocked: "..."

He grabbed the tea on the table and took a big gulp to calm himself, then stammered.

"You... you continue!"

Joshua, having given up, tearfully recounted in a low voice.

He recounted that he and Vincent should have loved each other, but family marriage alliances pressed on, they had originally planned to elope to London to escape all this.

But at the last moment, Vincent still couldn't put aside family and familial responsibility, painfully abandoning the plan.

This excuse sounded reasonable, but upon closer examination it was full of holes that wouldn't hold up.

Sheriff Bruce frowned: "We've investigated this for so long, repeatedly asking about that night's situation—why have you never mentioned this?"

Joshua's tears flowed even more fiercely, appearing extremely fragile and devoted: "I just feel... there's no need to let outsiders know. I love him so much, he's already gone... I should protect his reputation, not let this... this unacceptable love tarnish his name."

Sheriff Bruce: "..."

Such words were still too ahead of their time for him; for a moment he didn't know how to respond.

Jin Chen smoothly took over the conversation, producing the button and idly playing with it between his fingers.

"Then it's my turn to ask questions next." Jin Chen lifted his gaze, staring straight at Joshua.

"Mr. Cline, or rather, your personal valet Silas," he raised the button, "do you recognize this button?"

Joshua's pupils contracted sharply, his complexion slightly changed.

He opened his mouth, intending to rebut.

But Jin Chen gave him no chance: "You needn't rush to deny. This morning, after obtaining Count Olga's permission, we already inspected the servants' quarters."

"Quite coincidentally, the missing button's spot was found on a coat in Mr. Silas's wardrobe."

He paused briefly, his gaze sweeping over Joshua's suddenly grim expression.

"And this button, I found it near the entrance to the ice cellar beneath Zhuang Yuan; do either of you have an explanation?"

Joshua drew a deep breath, forcing composure: "... What could this mean? Inspector, it's just a button that accidentally fell off... perhaps he dropped it accidentally while fetching ice earlier."

Jin Chen ignored his excuse, instead assessing Silas's physique, especially his legs.

"Routine ice-fetching doesn't require a senior personal valet to do it himself, and besides, you're still guests."

He shifted tone: "Let's return to how Vincent Young Master died—a toxin that can poison someone unnoticed, act slowly, and be hard to trace, which can be achieved via ice."

Alric lowered his eyes, seeing Cyril still lightly twining and playing with his fingers even in this tense standoff.

But seeing that he seemed to be organizing his thoughts this way, I could only permit the small gesture, pulling down my sleeve and re-clasping his hand.

Jin Chen's lips curled slightly: "So, your valet Silas extracted and concentrated the toxin from specially cultivated black orchids, freezing it into thin ice shards."

"On the night of the incident, you entered Vincent's study on the pretext of a headache, perhaps even kindly comforting the distressed Vincent after learning his fiancée Eleanor was meeting her lover..."

Everyone present: "???"

"Wait!"

"What lover?"

"Did some more explosive secret just slip by earlier?"

"Eleanor and her lover meeting secretly?"

Count Olga, who had just caught his breath, heard this news and his vision went dark again.

This is the fiancée he personally selected for Vincent!

Only Alric turned his head to glance at Jin Chen, a smile flickering in his eyes, and whispered, "You've frightened them quite a bit, Cyril."

"Fine, I'm sorry."

Jin Chen shrugged insincerely, then tossed out another bomb: "In that case, I'll add one more thing."

"Miss Eleanor, you previously testified that around ten o'clock on the night of the incident, you had a brief rendezvous with Vincent Young Master under the flower arbor in the garden, but we understand Vincent Young Master is severely allergic to the flowers grown there, and hardly ever approaches that spot."

"So, who exactly was the person you met under the flower arbor that night?"

Eleanor: "..."

She lifted her head, fingers clutching the hem of her dress, pleadingly gazing at Julian seated beside the count.

But Julian avoided her gaze, staring expressionlessly elsewhere.

Sheriff Bruce started, looking at Jin Chen: "This matter! Such an important clue! Why didn't you tell me?"

Jin Chen said calmly: "Personal emotional disputes, if unrelated to the murder case, fall outside my investigation and disclosure scope."

He skillfully steered the topic back: "In short, after Vincent came into contact with that thin ice laced with deadly poison, the toxin slowly seeped through his skin; the melting ice left no trace. The delay in the toxin's onset conveniently allowed a servant to later bump into Vincent playing the harp, and to open the study window, providing you with an alibi."

The fragility and sorrow on Joshua's face vanished completely, replaced by a cold, distorted rigidity.

The corners of his mouth twitched a few times, attempting to squeeze out a scornful laugh, but he failed.

"All this... is merely your speculation, isn't it?" he retorted in a dry voice, "How could I know what book he would read that night, or prove the ice was placed by me?"

Alric timely handed warm tea to Jin Chen, taking over the conversation, his voice calm and authoritative.

"Around seven o'clock, Pastor Goodwin went to the study and had a heated argument with Vincent; as one of the parties blamed by Pastor Goodwin, you are well aware of this conflict and deeply know how the argument would affect Vincent."

A'er Ruike curled his lips, continuing: "This probability is enough for you to take a gamble, isn't it?"

Qiao Shuya closed their eyes completely, their shoulders slumped.

When he opened his eyes again, his gaze became terrifying.

"... The person who poisoned is me." He hoarsely admitted, "Your reasoning is quite interesting."

He even revealed a strange smile.

But immediately, his tone shifted abruptly: "But it's a pity, you guessed wrong on one point—I never thought……really wanting him dead."

Qiao Shuya turned a deaf ear to Count Olga's scolding, using their gaze to stop Silas, who was about to act.

He let two inspectors step forward and put on handcuffs.

As they passed Jin Chen, Qiao Shuya's steps paused slightly, they turned their head, and that strange smile deepened a bit.

"You got the most important part wrong……but I've remembered you, Detective Cyril."

A'er Ruike's gaze suddenly sharpened, quickly pulling Jin Chen behind them to block Qiao Shuya's line of sight.

His gaze icy, he locked eyes with Qiao Shuya, hinting a warning.

Qiao Shuya gave a low laugh, said no more, and was obediently taken away by the inspectors from the Living Room.