Chapter 32: Mummified Corpse Found Under the Overpass

Back at the station, Henry had already slipped into his uniform. Even though he was supposed to have two days off, he got stuck with overtime. Olivia headed back to her dorm to grab a few things and then made her way to the bathhouse for a quick shower.

Just as she was about to crash, her phone buzzed. It was William. "Olivia, we've got an urgent mission!"

She dropped her phone, threw on some clothes, grabbed her hat, and bolted out the door. By the time she got to the station, everyone was geared up and ready to roll.

Henry briefed the team, "A mummified body was found under the Starlight Town overpass. Let's gear up and secure the scene!"

Olivia got assigned to help the forensic team. She suited up, grabbed her gear, and hopped into the car.

Even though it was nighttime, the area under the overpass was lit up like a Christmas tree, with a crowd gathered around. Henry jumped out of the car and told William and the others to clear the onlookers.

Olivia followed Ethan to check out the mummified body. She was in charge of collecting evidence, bagging items found around the body, and sending them to the forensic department for analysis.

Ethan took a quick look and said, "The victim's been dead for at least five years. The clothes are in good shape, wrapped in black plastic, so the body's pretty well-preserved. No decay on the clothing. Looks like the cause of death is multiple stab wounds, judging by the holes in the clothes. Let's get the body to the forensic department for a detailed autopsy."

Olivia nodded, pulled out a body bag, and carefully placed the mummified body inside. She snapped some photos of the scene for evidence. After all that, she was sweating. Even though it was March, the night was still pretty chilly, and a gust of wind made her shiver.

Henry watched her from a distance, wanting to go over but holding back. He turned around to assign other tasks.

At 3:30 AM, everyone got back to the Detective Units. Olivia felt frozen to the bone. She had just changed her clothes and hadn't even had a chance to sit down before she got called to the morgue.

Ethan called out, "Olivia, we're short-handed today. I need your help."

Without a second thought, Olivia agreed. The autopsy dragged on until noon, and by the time Olivia came out, she was dizzy and exhausted.

Henry noticed her condition as soon as he walked in. "What's wrong? Why is your face so red?" he asked.

He touched her forehead, finding it burning hot, and his expression turned serious.

Henry scolded, "What's wrong with you? Why didn't you say anything about having such a high fever?"

Already feeling miserable, Olivia felt even more upset when Henry scolded her, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Seeing her like this, Henry was both angry and worried. He helped Olivia out the door and drove straight to the hospital. When they checked her temperature, it was 104 degrees Fahrenheit, which shocked the doctor.

The doctor said, "Good thing you came early, or it could have turned into pneumonia!"

Henry helped Olivia get an IV and then took off his police jacket to cover her.

Olivia protested weakly, "Don't use your uniform; it doesn't look good and will get dirty!"

Henry retorted, "If you don't want to get scolded, just keep quiet!"

Olivia felt wronged, but seeing Henry's stern face, she held back her feelings.

After the IV, Olivia broke into a sweat, and her fever subsided, but she felt even weaker. Henry took her back to the dorm to rest and then headed back to the station.

The autopsy results had just come out, and they needed to hold a case analysis meeting. When Olivia woke up, it was already dark outside.

She got dressed, and when she flicked on the light, she noticed a small thermos on the table with a note.

The note was written in Henry's strong and bold handwriting: "There's soup inside. Report to the station tomorrow morning!"

Olivia felt a warm sensation in her heart. The soup was still warm. After drinking it, she broke out in a sweat and felt much better. So, she changed her clothes and headed to the station.

With such a big case, everyone was pulling an all-nighter. When William and the others saw Olivia, they all came over to check on her.

William asked, "I heard you were sick. How are you? Maybe you should go back to the dorm and rest. We've got things covered here!"

Touched by her colleagues' concern, Olivia replied, "I'm feeling much better now. With everyone so busy, I can't sleep either. Let's work together!"

William smiled and handed Olivia a stack of files.

William explained, "After hearing about the mummified body found under the overpass yesterday, the Starlight Town police sent someone over to investigate. They provided a clue: eight years ago, someone mysteriously disappeared in their jurisdiction. They found his car with bloodstains on it, but no body. Despite all efforts, the case remained unsolved."

Olivia nodded, looking through the files. The characteristics matched the mummified body.

Olivia suggested, "Then we should go to the Starlight Town police station early in the morning. We might find some clues about the mummified body!"

William agreed. He had just suggested going with Olivia, but Henry refused. Now that Olivia was fine, they set a time to leave early the next morning.

Olivia took the autopsy report. To confirm if the mummified body was the missing person from Starlight Town, they needed the family to identify it. William drove, and they left the station for Starlight Town at six.

By the time Henry found out, it was already 9 AM. He was helpless. Olivia was still so stubborn even when sick.

The Starlight Town police took the case seriously and pulled out the files from eight years ago. Olivia saw the condition of the car at the time, covered in blood and fingerprints, but they couldn't identify which belonged to the perpetrator.

An officer explained, "A taxi driver saw the suspect's face back then, and we had a sketch made. But eight years ago, the computer network wasn't advanced enough to identify the person in the sketch."

Olivia nodded, carefully examining the sketch and taking a photo with her phone. They then visited the victim's family, Gemma White, and informed her that they might have found her husband's body. Gemma burst into tears. "It's been eight years, with no sign of him alive or dead!"

The officers sympathized and tried to comfort her. "Gemma, you've waited eight years. Finally, there's news. This is a good thing. Let's go to the Detective Units. If it really is Preston, we should give him a proper burial."

Gemma nodded through her tears. Olivia and the Starlight Town officers took her back to the Detective Units. As soon as Gemma saw the body, she confirmed it was her husband and collapsed in tears.

Ethan took tissue samples from the body and items Gemma brought, including her child's hair, for DNA testing. The results confirmed that the mummified body was indeed Preston Vaughn, who had been missing for eight years.

William said, "Even though we've identified the victim, we still have no leads on the suspect!"

Olivia argued, "With so many clues, we can definitely find the killer. Let's go over everything again and see if we missed anything. There's no way the suspect didn't leave any trace!"