Chapter 83: Finding the Murder Scene

William let out a deep breath. He had no clue what was up with Olivia, but seeing Henry so worked up about it, he knew it had to be serious.

After going over the case, Olivia headed to the forensic department. She agreed with the initial autopsy results, but there were some details that needed a closer look. She changed into the proper gear and joined the forensic team for the autopsy.

"The inner wall of the deceased's trachea has a bunch of bubbles of different sizes, and there's bleeding in the lungs. This looks like classic drowning, but there's no retinal hemorrhage," the forensic expert pointed out, and Olivia took a careful look too.

"No retinal hemorrhage, no signs of a struggle. It's possible the victim was unconscious when she was thrown into the water. She might've already been out cold when she was tossed in!" Olivia concluded.

The forensic team realized this was a big clue for cracking the case.

After leaving the forensic department, Olivia went to find William.

Olivia said, "Get the team to the scene. That mine isn't the primary crime scene. Talk to the local villagers and see if there are any other similar mines around. Search thoroughly, at least a 1500-foot radius!"

William and his team followed Olivia's lead and searched all the mines within a 1500-foot radius. Meanwhile, Olivia chatted with the villagers.

"Who usually comes here?"

An old man who had been herding cattle there for years knew the area well.

"Who comes here? I don't even come here when I herd cattle. Officer, you don't know, this mine is haunted. The older folks know that a lot of people were crushed to death when it collapsed before, so we don't come here!"

Olivia nodded and made a note. The locals wouldn't come here, so the victim must've been an outsider.

So who brought her here? Olivia was mulling this over when William came running up.

"Olivia, we found it, we found it!"

Olivia quickly followed. After searching five mines, they found a small one 150 feet from where the body was discovered. Inside, there was straw and a burnt fire pit, showing someone had stayed there overnight.

The forensic team came over and found snacks similar to those in the victim's bag, long hair in the straw, and hair on the stone wall of the mine.

"These are all signs of a struggle. This must be the primary crime scene!" Olivia said, starting to collect evidence with the forensic team.

"Judging by the scene, there was a fierce struggle, meaning the victim was brought here on purpose!"

After the forensic examination, Olivia and her team held another case analysis meeting.

"Now, it's confirmed that the victim was murdered. Next, we need to identify her and find the killer. We need to widen our investigation. Judging by her clothes, she's probably not a local! Otherwise, she wouldn't have gone into the mine, given the local legends about it." Olivia concluded after talking to the villagers.

"It also shows that the killer must know the area well. Otherwise, he wouldn't have brought the victim to such a deserted place and caught her off guard! They must've had a close relationship. Now we need to talk to local residents to see if we can find any useful clues." Olivia had been there for a day, and the case was already moving forward.

William was really impressed by Olivia and insisted on taking her out for dinner. Olivia couldn't say no to his enthusiasm, but she didn't expect they'd end up at his house instead of a restaurant.

"William, isn't this a bit inconvenient?" she asked.

William shook his head. "Not at all. My parents are here too. They were thrilled when I told them my colleague from Emerald City was coming!"

Olivia was surprised to find out that William's parents were also in Seaside City.

As they headed upstairs, William explained.

"My parents are retired. I'm their only child, and they had me later in life, so they're in their sixties now. They were waiting for me to return to Silverlight City, but since I had to come to Seaside City for two years, they decided to buy a house here and stay with me!"

Olivia smiled. "I've heard of parents following their kids to school, but not to work. William, you're really lucky!" William grinned sheepishly. He did feel lucky, especially since he got to work with Henry as his boss and Olivia as a good friend.

As soon as they walked in, William's parents greeted them warmly.

"This is the first time William has brought a colleague home, and it's a female colleague!" William's mom, Emma Kate, said with a big smile, making Olivia feel a bit awkward.

"Mom, don't get any ideas. Olivia is just my colleague, not my girlfriend. Please don't scare her!" William clarified, which made his parents drop the idea.

"Olivia, what a lovely name. I heard you're from Silverlight City too?" William's dad, Thomas Brown, came over to ease the awkwardness.

"Thomas, Emma, nice to meet you. I'm Olivia, William's colleague. We've worked together in Emerald City for almost a year! You both look so young. William, you look a lot like Emma!" Olivia introduced herself and answered Thomas's question.

"Thomas, I was born in Silverlight City. My mom is retired now. She was a nurse before she retired!" Olivia didn't mention Ivan or her biological father, as it wasn't necessary to go into such detail on the first meeting.

Thomas nodded. Olivia was beautiful and polite, a very nice girl. But as a father, he felt that William might not be a match for her.

"Come on, don't just stand there, sit down! Thomas, go make dinner, and make sure to prepare more delicious vegetarian dishes. Don't forget to make a vegetable salad as well." Emma urged Thomas to cook, and Olivia was invited to sit on the sofa.

As soon as she sat down, Emma handed her a cup of tea.

"The weather in Seaside City is humid. This tea will make you feel better!" Olivia nodded, gratefully accepting it. But she noticed that William and Emma were drinking water, and it seemed like her tea was specially prepared, which puzzled her.

However, Olivia didn't ask and instead started chatting politely.

"Olivia, I heard from William that your former team leader was amazing. Is that true? I saw him a few times when I visited William, and he seemed very stern!" Emma's exaggerated expression made Olivia laugh.

"Mr. Phillips is a good person. Although he's a bit stern, he's very nice to both William and me, and he's very competent. He's now been promoted to deputy director, so William will probably see him again when he goes to Silverlight City!"

Olivia wasn't deliberately defending Henry; she just didn't want people to think he was harsh.