CHAPTER 515: 302_2

On the other end of the phone, a slightly rough female voice came through.

"3:22 PM..." Nellie murmured.

That time was more than three hours before the teacher, Toddy, was murdered. That was enough time for someone to drive from downtown Los Angeles back to the small town.

She quickly asked, "Mayfair, can you confirm that it was Slip who swiped the card?"

"Positive! I asked my boyfriend, based on the card records, to check the place out. He discovered it was a back-alley clinic. Nellie, you know my boyfriend is a Los Angeles detective, so they were very cooperative. According to the clinic doctor’s account, Slip brought a girl with a very exaggerated figure for an abortion. The time they left was around 5 PM. You can check the surveillance footage at the town entrance for that timeframe."

"Thank you, Mayfair, I’ll take you out for a meal later!"

She hung up the phone.

Nellie’s breathing grew noticeably heavier. If the principal only left after 5 PM, then he definitely couldn’t be the murderer! Detective Dean was right! As for the girl who had the abortion, it was almost certainly the student, Selica! This meant that neither of them had the opportunity to commit the crime! So who killed Toddy, the teacher? Why was she murdered?

At that moment, the young policewoman felt her mind both excited and perplexed, dizzy, as if she had discovered a great treasure but didn’t know how to unlock it to find the hidden truth!

Suddenly, a figure flashed across Nellie’s mind.

"Detective Dean!"

A gleam appeared in her eyes. Detective Dean said that the murderer was either the student Selica or her father. So if I continue investigating Selica’s father, I will surely find out the truth!

With that thought, Nellie hurriedly headed towards her patrol car. She was determined to find Detective Dean so they could uncover the truth behind the case together!

「...」

Arriving at the small town’s motel, Nellie hurried upstairs.

But the old man at the front desk stopped her. "Hey, Nellie, are you looking for that handsome young man?"

Hearing herself called, Nellie stopped and nodded in confusion. "Old Regan, I need to see him about something urgent. What is it?"

The old man took a sticky note from the counter. "That young man is certainly handsome. It’s a pity he left at noon. He left this for you."

"He left?!"

Nellie felt a pang of disappointment hearing this news. The truth hadn’t been discovered yet. How could he just leave!

Nellie numbly took the sticky note from the old man. It bore a simple message:

"Nellie, you must be feeling very disappointed right now, but that’s reality. No one cares about the truth; they only care about whether the developments benefit them. I’m gone.

--Dean."

Nellie stared at the note, motionless, for a long time. It wasn’t until the front desk clerk called out to her that she snapped back to her senses.

The old man at the front desk looked at Nellie with concern. "Little Nellie, are you okay?"

The town was small, and the residents all knew each other. Seeing Nellie looking somewhat dejected, the old man, thinking he understood, consoled her, "Heh, it seems the little girl I watched grow up has finally learned what love is. Little Nellie, if you really like that lad, boldly go after him. You’re still young; you can afford to be impulsive."

Hearing a nickname she hadn’t been called in a long time, Nellie crumpled the note in her hand and threw it casually into a trash can. "I’d never fall for a coward who just runs off!"

He left? So what! To hell with reality! Hadn’t she returned to this small town, become its policewoman, precisely to protect the place where she grew up, and people like Old Regan who had watched her grow?

Nellie made up her mind. Even if it angered the Sheriff and the mayor, she would ensure that the hussy Selica, as well as the real murderer who killed Teacher Toddy, received the punishment they deserved!

「...」

Leaving the motel, Nellie drove the squad car back to the station, ready to quietly go to the student Selica’s home to continue her investigation.

Just as she was about to leave, the Sheriff appeared before her, a smirk on his face as he asked, "Nellie, where are you going instead of being on duty?"

Nellie tilted her chin up, her voice cold. "Problem?"

Seeing Nellie’s defiant gaze, the Sheriff sighed. "Nellie, I must remind you that Teacher Toddy’s murder case has been reported to the higher-ups again. The case is closed!"

Nellie pointed to her badge and said sarcastically,

"Is it really over?

"No, *this* tells me that justice not served is nothing but a shame-covering rag under a whore’s crotch!

"Do you still remember your oath?

"Sheriff, sir!"

The Sheriff’s face darkened. "Nellie! I won’t give you the opportunity to cause trouble!"

"Fuck you!"

Nellie’s pent-up rage erupted. Her slender leg shot out, precisely striking the Sheriff’s groin. Still not satisfied, she grabbed a folder from a nearby desk and smashed it repeatedly onto the Sheriff’s face, turning the scream rising in his throat into the low whimpers of a dying dog...

All this happened too fast. The officer on duty stared, dumbfounded, at the furious Nellie and the Sheriff on the ground, who looked like a dead dog. For a moment, he even forgot to intervene.

By the time he came to his senses, the Sheriff’s eyes had rolled back.

Attacking her superior felt good, alright. But Nellie also paid the price for her impulsiveness. She had her gun taken away and was locked up in the station’s temporary cell. She wouldn’t be getting out, at least not until the extent of the Sheriff’s injuries was determined. Afterward, the best she could hope for was to be allowed to resign.

Leaning against the cold wall, calmer now, Nellie sat cross-legged, her gaze resolute. She didn’t regret beating that damned pig. Her only regret was that her impulsiveness would delay by a few days the justice that should have been served. Bad people must receive their deserved punishment!

「...」

「Night fell.」

In the darkness, Dean listened to passersby discussing the incident, and his lips couldn’t help but twitch. He hadn’t expected the seemingly quiet policewoman Nellie to have such a violent side, to almost kick the Sheriff’s balls off and beat his face into a swollen mess. Yes. Dean had circled back. He didn’t care about justice or injustice; he only cared about the Experience Points he deserved, not a point less! He just hadn’t expected to come back and hear such explosive news from the mouths of passing residents.

It was a small town; secrets didn’t stay secret for long. The story was likely true. He just didn’t know what would happen to Nellie.

After some thought, Dean decided that once he returned, he’d ask Harry to get Old Hunter to find a way to transfer Nellie to the Los Angeles Detective Bureau. Old Hunter was now captain of the Fourth Squad; he should have that much authority.

Pushing these miscellaneous thoughts aside, Dean refocused his attention on the house in front of him. This was Selica’s home. Selica came from a single-parent family and was raised solely by her father, a lumberjack.

Selica was home, but her father hadn’t returned yet. Dean decided to wait. He wasn’t sure if it was Selica or her father who had killed Toddy. But none of that mattered. Scum like that should all be killed.

「...」

Time passed. It was after nine in the evening.

A weary-looking man, reeking of sweat, entered the house.

Selica was watching television. Seeing the man come in, a smile appeared on her face. With an astonishing springiness to her movements, she trotted over happily, exclaiming, "Welcome home, Father!"

But what greeted her was her father’s rough hand.

The man seized Selica by the neck, squeezing hard. He only loosened his grip when her face turned crimson and she was nearly breathless, then pushed her down. "You filthy whore, suck it!"

Roughly treated, Selica showed no fear. On the contrary, she seemed captivated by the sweaty odor emanating from him.