Chapter 246: Strange Woman

James's gaze became sharp as he asked coldly, "Where's the address?"

Sophia replied, "It's in a church near the suburbs."

After knowing the exact address, James expressed, "That place used to be abandoned, but it seems someone rented it later. I once solved a case there."

Sophia asked curiously, "In the church?"

"Yes." James nodded, "Once, one of Jade's students went missing. Someone killed her and hid her in the church."

Sophia frowned slightly, "Was it the case you solved with your former partner, Ava?"

James was a bit surprised. He glanced at Sophia and nodded slowly.

Sophia had heard about this from Jade, but she only knew that Jade lost a student and didn't know that the student had died.

It was obvious that Jade had deliberately hidden this matter.

Sophia couldn't help but sigh, "This woman is unfathomable."

"Did Jade tell you this?" James asked.

Sophia nodded, "Yes."

James said calmly, "Although I helped her find the student and solve the case, I had never met her before. Ava was the one handling it."

Sophia shook her head helplessly. "Ignoring her was a mistake. I suspect she might be the mastermind."

James stood there, his voice heavy, "I thought of that."

Sophia looked into the distance and remarked, "And I'll go so far as to say, there was definitely something off about the water she gave us. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been hypnotized so quickly. This hypnosis has side effects. After I woke up, I felt like I had forgotten some memories, and some memories became blurry. And those victims had the same situation."

James asked, "Are you sure it was the water?"

Sophia thought for a moment, "After we went in, she didn't use anything else on me. The only thing I didn't guard against was drinking the water. I don't believe her hypnosis is so magical that a few words could make me fall asleep."

"Of course, it's normal if you don't believe it. After all, she handed us the jug and cups so easily, clearly not afraid of inspection. But I can't think of any other possibility." She added.

Just as Sophia finished speaking, Alan's call came in.

"The water set has been checked, and the water inside was also tested. No illegal substances were found. I even drank some after coming back and didn't feel anything wrong."

Sophia was stunned, "That's impossible."

"I had both the technical department and food safety experts check it. There really is no problem." Alan explained.

Sophia was a bit surprised. "Could I have been wrong?"

Alan asked puzzledly, "Why do you think the water had a problem?"

"Because I fell asleep after drinking it, and when I woke up, some of my memories were blurry." She replied.

Alan thought for a moment, "I suggest you get a physical check-up. Maybe the problem isn't with the water. But whatever you were exposed to, if there are illegal substances in your blood, they can be detected. It won't lie."

Sophia's eyes lit up. "You're right."

"Also, I have something to tell you. Samuel has already conducted an autopsy on Vivian's body."

Sophia looked at the tracking location on her phone. Samuel had already returned to the Development Zone branch and was indeed conducting the autopsy. Sophia could even hear him talking to others.

"The body had multiple severe fractures, especially comminuted fractures. There were twisted limbs, limbs twisted in the opposite direction, and shattered bones."

"Her head was severely crushed and deformed due to impact, with brain tissue lacerations and even external spillage. We can see her face was disfigured, with a lot of blood and cerebrospinal fluid flowing from her mouth, nose, and ears."

"Her internal organs were ruptured, especially her abdomen, which was swollen like a water-filled balloon. It's confirmed she died from the fall."

"Fingerprints have also been matched, and it is indeed Vivian."

"As for her fingernails, no other person's skin tissue was found, so we can rule out homicide."

Sophia listened quietly. She took off her earphones and said to James, "The deceased has been confirmed as Vivian, so the person in the church is very likely Jade."

James nodded, "Then let's go there tonight."

Alan asked curiously, "Where are you going? Should I come with you?"

Sophia glanced at him, "You better not. Finish your work first."

Alan said seriously, "I feel like this case isn't over yet. What are you two planning?"

James turned and walked away.

Sophia waved at Alan, "We're leaving now."

Alan sighed, "You think I'll slow you down, right?"

Sophia replied, "It's under investigation. Don't get involved. I'll tell you when we have results."

After leaving, Sophia first went to a nearby hospital for a blood test. She received shocking news from the doctor that her blood contained some strange, illegal substances, but they didn't know what it was yet.

Sophia thought for a moment and seemed to understand something. She then went to the church based on the location.

James expressed, "This place used to be a film studio area. All the buildings were for filming. Later, due to a lack of funds, it became an abandoned building project. No one has taken over since, and these buildings were gradually rented out."

Sophia looked up, "So who rented this church?"

James replied, "Jade."

Sophia wasn't surprised; it matched her guess.

She looked at her watch; there was an hour until 8 PM.

Sophia turned her head. "Let's go eat first."

James nodded. He glanced at the burger joint behind him, paused, looked up at it for a while, and then left.

Sophia asked, "Don't you like it?"

James said heavily, "Let's go somewhere else."

Sophia thought for a moment, guessing it might be because Ava had been there.

"Then let's go to the Emerald City specialty restaurant next door." Sophia pointed.

Sophia took James inside, and soon they found a seat.

She sat in a corner, ordered the food, and looked around.

The restaurant was quite busy, almost full of people.

The walls were covered with posters promoting the restaurant.

While Sophia was observing, a woman wearing a headscarf walked in. She sat near the door and ordered a meal for one.

The woman's appearance caught Sophia's attention. Her headscarf was large, similar to those worn by women from Muslim regions, wrapping herself tightly, leaving only her eyes exposed.

Her eyes were bright, and there was a flower pattern on her chest.

They had seen this flower before.