Chapter 27: Finding the Real Culprit

"Seriously, there are people out there without a Facebook account?" Olivia thought, sitting on her bed, staring at her phone in disbelief. She scratched her head, then finally crashed on the bed and fell asleep.

The next day, Olivia hit up a bunch of banks and made some interesting finds. By the time she got back to the police station, it was already dark. She dropped her findings in front of Henry.

"Hey, Mr. Phillips, check this out," Olivia said. "I went to a bunch of major banks in Emerald City and looked into the accounts of Alan and his son Axel. On the morning of August 14th last year, someone tried to withdraw money using Alan's bank card and driver's license. Since it was a big amount, they had to be there in person. After leaving the bank, this person hit up another branch and pulled out $30,000 from an ATM."

Olivia had grabbed some surveillance footage and printed out the face of the person who showed up. This guy had been withdrawing a total of three hundred grand from different ATMs over the next three days.

"Here are some clearer pics," Olivia continued. "I've already sent them to William for comparison!"

Soon enough, William came running in.

"Mr. Phillips, we found him," William reported. "This guy's name is Clifford Hayes, and he lives in that neighborhood too. He's got a record and has been detained a few times for gambling!"

Henry nodded and glanced at Olivia, noticing the dark circles under her eyes and the sweat on her forehead. She probably hadn't taken a break all day, running around everywhere.

"Arrest Clifford tonight. Don't let him get away!" Henry instructed.

William nodded and headed out to find Clifford. Olivia wanted to tag along but was stopped by Henry.

"There's food on your desk. Go eat. You'll need to help William with the interrogation tonight," Henry said.

Olivia nodded and ran to her desk, finding a lunchbox that wasn't hers.

"Remember to wash it clean after you eat!" Henry's voice came from behind.

Startled, Olivia knocked over her chair and almost fell, but Henry caught her arm.

"Always so clumsy. How do you even look like a police officer?" Henry scolded.

Several colleagues nearby looked at Olivia with sympathy. They'd all been trained by Henry.

Olivia blushed and didn't dare look at Henry. She only let out a sigh of relief after he left.

"So strict. I wonder who'll be unlucky enough to be his wife in the future!" Olivia remarked, making her colleagues chuckle. She laughed too.

Olivia sat down and ate her meal obediently. The food was still warm and tasted good, but it didn't seem like cafeteria food.

But she didn't think much of it. She hadn't eaten all day and finished all the food. She felt her appetite was pretty big now.

The arrest team went to Clifford's house, only to be told that Clifford hadn't been home for days, probably out gambling again. William took people to Clifford's usual gambling spot.

They waited until two in the morning before seeing Clifford swagger out of the yard, lighting a cigarette at the door. Just as he lit the cigarette, a group of people rushed out of a nearby car and pinned him to the ground.

"Clifford, you're under arrest. Come with us to the station for questioning!" William announced.

Upon hearing that Clifford had been caught, Henry came out of his office to arrange the interrogation, only to see Olivia curled up asleep on a bench in the office.

Henry frowned a bit and walked over to nudge Olivia, who immediately sat up.

"Mr. Phillips, has William returned? The interrogation room is ready. I'll head there now!" Olivia said, starting to run but getting pulled back by Henry.

"Go wash your face and wake up. Look at you, all dirty. Clean up your uniform!" Henry scolded.

Olivia, feeling a bit embarrassed, headed to the washroom. Looking at herself in the mirror, she couldn't help but agree with Henry. She looked a mess.

By the time she washed up and tidied her appearance, William had returned to the station with Clifford. Clifford looked pretty nervous when he saw the police.

Clifford was wearing a tracksuit. His hair was long and unkempt, his face covered in stubble, and his skin was dark and dirty. It was clear he hadn't taken care of himself in a while.

Olivia started the interrogation. "Do you know why you're here?"

Clifford shook his head. "Is it because I gambled?"

Olivia sneered, "Do you know Alan?"

At the mention of Alan, Clifford got even more nervous and quickly shook his head. "I don't know him. Really!"

He said it so earnestly that Olivia almost laughed. 'Is there any point in lying?' she thought.

"Don't know him? Then why were you using his and his son's bank cards to withdraw money? Clifford, do you think we're fools?" Olivia raised her voice, throwing several printed photos and account information in front of him.

"These are the evidence of you withdrawing three hundred thousand dollars from Alan's family's account over three days starting August 13th. Clifford, I'll ask you again, do you know Alan?" Olivia said dominantly.

Her intense pressure startled even William, let alone Clifford, who couldn't handle it.

"I'll tell you the truth. I killed them all!" Clifford confessed.

Olivia turned and gave William a look, then let him take over the questioning while she stepped outside the interrogation room.

In the hallway, Henry was watching the interrogation through the window. Olivia stood beside him.

"Mr. Phillips, I request a warrant to search Clifford's house," Olivia said.

"Other colleagues are already on it. William will handle the interrogation tonight. You go back to the dorm and rest. You'll present the case tomorrow," Henry replied.

Olivia wanted to say she could work overtime with everyone, but Henry's stern gaze left her no choice but to obediently return to the dorm.

Too tired to shower, Olivia just washed up briefly and fell asleep.

The next morning, she woke up to find her period had started, which annoyed her.

Since coming to Emerald City, Olivia's period had been irregular, possibly due to work stress or adjusting to the new environment. Her period also caused her stomach to ache all day. Early in the morning, Olivia lay on the bed, feeling miserable.

"Of all days, it had to be today. You really are a stumbling block in my career path!" she muttered to herself. Her stomach hurt too much to eat breakfast, so she just bought a sandwich and headed to the police station.

She hadn't finished her sandwich when William came out of the interrogation room with dark circles under his eyes.

"William, thank you for your hard work!" Olivia greeted him.