Chapter 15: There's A Child

Those red letters really stood out, and anyone from Emerald City would recognize them in a heartbeat. The white shirt? Totally the uniform from Emerald City High School.

In the pic, Harper was hugging the kid from behind, her hands on the kid's shoulders, and the kid was holding onto her arms. They both looked super happy, with big, genuine smiles.

Sophia stared at the photo, totally stunned. She noticed they were about the same height and even had similar face shapes. Their eyes? Practically identical.

"Could she have a brother?" Sophia muttered, her heart racing.

She'd been digging into the few people who showed up but never thought there might be someone else in the villa. That was a curveball she didn't see coming.

They'd hidden this kid well. No matter when she came by, the kid was never around, which threw her off.

No wonder Harper said she was the murderer. It all made sense now.

Harper wasn't covering for Matthew but for this kid.

Abigail had mentioned getting up in the middle of the night to grab some clothes and saw a woman fall from the building across the way. She also saw someone not very tall, wearing white clothes with red letters, on the third floor.

At first, Sophia thought of Harper because she fit the description.

Sophia had specifically asked Harper if anyone else lived in the villa besides Bianca. Harper said it was just her and Matthew, and Matthew didn't allow outsiders because there were valuable things hidden there.

Sophia had been misled by Harper and missed the real murderer.

Sophia slapped her forehead and dashed downstairs, finding no one in the first-floor hall. She then ran to the villa's backyard.

A few people were by the coffin, getting ready to pry it open.

Daniel stood by and said, "You can't pry it open. These nails are special. Once they're in, they can't be removed. Even ten people couldn't get them out."

Matthew sighed, "I advise you not to open it."

The forensic expert ignored them, looking like he knew what he was doing, and quickly pulled out the first nail with a crowbar.

Sophia hurried over, catching everyone's attention.

Daniel quickly asked, "Ms. Brown, have you changed your mind?"

Sophia was puzzled, wondering why Daniel kept stopping the autopsy. But she didn't have time for that now.

Sophia glanced at Matthew and pointed to the third floor. "There's a kid in the photo frame upstairs. Who is that kid?"

Matthew looked confused. "What's wrong?"

Sophia said seriously, "He could very well be the murderer."

"Murderer? A kid?" Daniel looked at the third floor in shock. "What's going on? There's a kid here? Are you saying a kid killed Bianca?"

Sophia didn't have time to deal with Daniel and kept staring at Matthew, waiting for his answer.

After a bit, Matthew finally said, "He's Harper's son."

'Son? Not a brother?' Sophia was taken aback, thinking, 'Judging by the kid's age, he should be around fifteen. Harper is 31 now, so she had him when she was about sixteen?'

"Are you sure?" Sophia asked.

"I'm not lying to you. Harper did have a child at sixteen," Matthew said heavily. "When she was fifteen, she was assaulted and got pregnant. By the time she realized it, the baby was already formed."

Matthew continued, looking helpless, "A formed baby can't be aborted with a simple procedure; it requires induced labor. She decided to keep the baby, and that's the kid you saw."

Sophia glanced at James. "Why isn't this in Harper's records?"

James shrugged, "If it was done at a private clinic, there wouldn't be any records."

Sophia nodded and asked Matthew, "Is he currently attending Emerald City High School?"

Matthew lowered his head. "Yes."

"What's his name?" Sophia asked.

"Chase Anderson."

With that, Sophia turned and bolted out of the villa.

Daniel shouted, "Since we have a lead on the murderer, do we still need the autopsy?"

Sophia turned back and said, "Continue with the autopsy."

She ran quickly and soon disappeared from everyone's sight.

When she got to Emerald City High School, the school had just let out, and students were streaming out of the gate, all in their white uniforms, passing by Sophia one by one.

Sophia watched them carefully, not wanting to miss anyone.

But after waiting for over an hour, almost everyone had left, and there was still no sign of Chase.

Sophia had no choice but to go into the school and check each class.

Some classes had a few students left, but no Chase.

Then, Sophia went to the library, the activity room, and finally the playground.

The playground was huge, with lots of students playing. She walked around but couldn't find her target. Just as she was about to contact the guard, a clear voice sounded behind her. "Miss, are you looking for me?"

Sophia turned around and saw a student with a shaved head, wearing a white shirt.

He had bright eyes, a high nose, and smooth skin under the sun, looking very likable at first glance.

He was Chase; Sophia had seen his photo.

She just didn't expect him to have shaved his head.

"You know I'm looking for you?" Sophia was a bit surprised.

Chase smiled, "Do you know anyone else here?"

Sophia shook her head. "I don't know anyone else. What are you doing here?"

Chase pointed to the sky. "Sunbathing."

"Why are you sunbathing?"

"The doctor said sunbathing is good for me." Chase pointed to his head. "There's a tumor in my head."

He extended his hand and said calmly, "It's stage four."

Sophia was stunned.

Such a young kid with a malignant tumor, and he didn't seem afraid at all.

But what surprised her more was that Chase seemed to know her. "Have you seen me before?"

Chase nodded. He sat down beside her and calmly said, "Miss, the reagent you used last night was tetramethylbenzidine?"