Chapter 12: Indifferent Attitude

Just as Olivia was about to grab it for a closer look, a voice startled her from behind. "What are you doing?"

She had no idea when Henry had snuck up on her. She jumped back, bumping right into him.

"Sorry, Mr. Phillips! I didn't mean to. I was just here to drop off some food!" Olivia stammered, pointing at the lunch box on the table before bolting out of there.

Back at her desk, Olivia couldn't stop thinking about how solid Henry felt, like he was made of iron. Her shoulder still ached from the collision.

Then her mind wandered to the photo. 'Why does it look so familiar? Could that be Mr. Phillips' girlfriend?' she wondered.

Henry walked over, put the photo in the drawer, and started eating in silence.

The autopsy report came in, and they had a case meeting. William was handling this one, so Henry sat back, watching William present the case.

Olivia sat in the corner, jotting down notes, and Henry's gaze occasionally drifted her way.

"Preliminary autopsy shows the body belongs to Aurelia Kingsley, a resident of Starfield Town, aged fifty-three. I contacted the local authorities, but they haven't received any missing person report for Aurelia. She might have come to Emerald City before something happened. We need to go to Starfield Town to get a better understanding," William explained.

William finished, but Henry didn't look impressed.

"You spent all this time preparing, and this is it?" Henry's words made William go pale.

William usually seemed carefree, but he was actually pretty sensitive. Seeing the usually cheerful William getting chewed out by Henry, Olivia instinctively shrank back.

With Henry, there was no room for personal feelings. Olivia wondered, 'Could such a cold person really have a girlfriend?'

"Olivia, go with William to Starfield Town to gather information!" Henry ordered.

Olivia quickly responded, "Yes, got it!"

Henry gave Olivia a long look before leaving the room, while William slumped over the table.

"Mr. Phillips is too intense; I can't handle it!" William groaned.

Olivia walked over and tapped the table with her notebook. "Pull yourself together. This is your first case; you need to nail it!"

Hearing her words, William instantly perked up.

Actually, William looked pretty good too. Unlike Henry's rugged appearance, William had softer features.

He had a high nose bridge and was nearly 6 feet tall, but weighed only 140 pounds. Even women like Olivia envied his slim waist; he was thinner than many slightly plump girls.

This kind of physique was currently in vogue, so William was very popular among the women in the Detective Units. But Olivia wasn't one of them; she didn't care for that type.

After packing up and heading downstairs, William drove with Olivia to Starfield Town.

Starfield Town was way more desolate than Emerald City, and Aurelia lived in a poor village there.

Olivia and William found Aurelia's place. Her kids were all out working, leaving just two grandkids and her husband, Leo Schmidt, at home.

"Leo, do you know Aurelia?" William asked.

Hearing the name, Leo looked stunned for a moment and then answered, almost robotically, "She's my wife."

Olivia took in Leo and his home. His hair was already gray, and he spoke a bit unclearly, wearing a gray cotton coat. Even though he was the only adult at home, his clothes were clean.

The house was tidy too, with everything in the yard neatly arranged, and the two grandkids playing outside.

"Do you know where your wife is now?" William asked, sitting across from Leo.

Olivia sat nearby, silently observing Leo.

William's question seemed to confuse Leo.

"Aurelia left thirty years ago. How would I know where she went? She came back a few years ago, saying she had been deceived and sold to a remote area. Who knows if it's true? She didn't stay long before leaving again, saying she was going to find work. She didn't tell me where. She came back a few days ago, but left almost immediately," Leo spoke calmly, like he was talking about a stranger rather than his wife.

After all, a woman who had been gone for thirty years would have lost any sense of marital bond. So when Aurelia left to find work, Leo didn't stop her, and probably couldn't even if he tried.

But Olivia still caught a key point. "You mean Aurelia came back a few days ago?"

"Yes," Leo replied.

"Did she come back alone, or did she bring someone with her?" Olivia asked again.

"How did you know she brought someone back?" Leo asked, surprised.

Olivia had just guessed but didn't expect to be right.

"That was five days ago, on February 17th. She said she came back to see the grandkids. I didn't care. The next day, a woman named Lucy Kim came to the door. Aurelia said Lucy was a friend she worked with, and they were very close!" Leo explained.

Olivia looked at Leo and asked, "How do you know they were close?"

"When Lucy came, Aurelia spent a lot of money on food, and they even shared a bed at night. They must be close!" Leo replied, showing little emotion towards Aurelia.

"Leo, Aurelia is dead. She drowned. Her body was found by some fishermen last night," William said.

Leo's expression remained the same, as if he was talking about a stranger.

"What does her death have to do with me?" Leo retorted indifferently.

This statement made Olivia almost curse in anger.

"She was your wife, after all!" William stressed, also feeling helpless.

"I don't know about her affairs, and I can't control them. I don't know what she's been doing these years, and her death has nothing to do with me!" Leo insisted.

After leaving Leo's house, Olivia was fuming.

"How can he be so cold? That was a life, after all. He didn't even ask where the body was or if he needed to arrange the funeral?" William fumed.

Olivia wasn't as indignant as William; instead, she smiled and said, "Maybe the thirty years Aurelia was missing had already worn down their relationship. Now, to Leo, Aurelia was just a stranger."