Chapter 317 This Is Premeditated Murder

Chapter 317 This Is Premeditated Murder

"Henry won't be here for another ten minutes or so."

After hanging up, Benjamin put away his phone and took Rachel’s hand. Feeling how cold it was, he took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

"It's cold outside. Let's wait in the car."

Benjamin opened the back door and guided her inside.

After thinking for a moment, he took out his phone and postponed their restaurant reservation by about an hour and a half.

Perhaps it was the warmth from his palm. The blood in Rachel’s body, chilled by the early summer night breeze, slowly began to warm again.

Rachel quietly leaned her head against his shoulder, letting her emotions settle little by little.

More than ten minutes later, Henry arrived with a police officer.

They were all familiar with one another now, so Rachel didn't feel awkward. She stepped out of the car with Benjamin and greeted Henry with a smile.

Henry nodded. Seeing the jacket on her shoulders and Benjamin holding her hand, he immediately understood.

He raised an eyebrow at Benjamin with a teasing look, but asked no questions. After taking the black tracking device Benjamin handed him, he quickly focused on the matter at hand.

After reviewing the dashcam footage on Rachel's phone, he circled the car and carefully examined the brakes.

"Someone tampered with it,” he said. “They were skilled—the signs aren’t obvious. But once the car starts moving and the brakes are pressed a few times, the brake line will snap.

After the accident, even if the traffic police inspect the vehicle, they'd probably conclude that the brake line broke during the crash because the driver pressed the brakes too frequently, causing it to wear out and break."

Henry gave his conclusion, his expression somewhat grim.

This was premeditated murder!

He looked up at Rachel and said, "I'll have the traffic police help tow the car away for investigation. Ms. Davis, would it be convenient for you to come to the police station to give us a statement so we can open a case?"

Rachel nodded. "Sure, of course."

She rode in Benjamin's car to the police station and stayed inside for about forty minutes.

When Henry asked if she had any enemies, she only mentioned Nancy's name.

Henry knew about the conflict between Rachel and Nancy. Two months ago, Nancy spread online rumors slandering Rachel and Benjamin.

As a result, Nancy had spent two months in jail.

Henry also thought Nancy had strong motive.

He said, "I understand. I'll investigate this matter. Please rest assured, Ms. Davis, if there's any progress on this case, I'll notify you promptly.

Also regarding the car, after the traffic police finish their inspection and evidence collection, I'll call you, or I can have someone send it directly to a repair shop for you."

"Alright, thank you for your help." Rachel nodded.

After discussing most of the details and helping them extract evidence from the dashcam footage, Rachel and Benjamin finally left the police station.

Benjamin took her to the restaurant he had booked for the evening. Perhaps her mood had been ruined by the incident—she looked somewhat subdued, her brows slightly furrowed.

He tried to comfort her a few times, but it didn't help much.

When they got home, the elevator stopped on the 11th floor.

As Rachel was about to turn and say goodbye to him, Benjamin followed her out of the elevator.

Standing right in front of her, he reached out to wrap his arm around her slender waist, pulling her into his embrace. He asked softly in her ear, "Are you worried, or scared?"

If she hadn't been careful enough to spot that tracking device, he didn't dare think about what might have happened tonight.

Rachel paused, then raised her hands to wrap around his waist, pressing her face against his chest.

Listening to his strong heartbeat, she said softly, "I'm not really scared, it's just... unsettling."

Nancy right now was like a time bomb buried in a gutter—who knew when it would completely explode beside her.

Anyone who knew such danger constantly lurked around them would probably be scared out of their wits.

And she was merely feeling unsettled.

Come to think of it, she really had that text message to thank.

That text message had saved her life.

Saved her life countless times, actually.

Benjamin held her even tighter, tilted his head to kiss her temple, and after a moment said, "I'll stay with you tonight."

Rachel shook her head gently. "Don't. You should go back and check on Max. I'll be fine alone. I feel much better after this hug. Nancy won't be a threat to me."

Although they were together now, they still maintained good boundaries in their daily lives.

They hadn't moved in together just because they lived close to each other.

The chances of them sleeping together at night couldn't even be called occasional.

Benjamin didn't respond, just held her quietly like this, gently resting his chin on top of her head, then slowly lowering it to rest on her shoulder.

His head tilted slightly, burying into the crook of her neck.

He breathed in the faint jasmine scent that was uniquely hers.

After holding her for who knows how long, Rachel pulled away from his embrace, lifted her head and kissed his chin. "Go back. Get some rest."

Benjamin paused, then raised his hand to cup the back of her head, and his cool lips pressed down.

He gently traced the shape of her lips, sucking one moment, licking the next, kissing her slowly and steadily.

When her breathing became uneven and she tried to open her mouth slightly to catch her breath, his tongue entered, gently rolling around her soft tongue, making the kiss tender and lingering.

But Benjamin kept strict control, and soon he released her.

Seeing Rachel's eyes shimmer with moisture, his throat tightened.

He never deliberately hid or felt embarrassed about his desire for her.

Liking someone, loving someone, naturally came with desire.

But he would restrain and suppress this desire.

He wouldn't let it easily break free from its cage and frighten her.

Pushing down the restlessness in his heart, he pecked her lips again lightly, his voice growing husky. "Go inside. Sleep early. Call me anytime if you need anything."

"Okay."

Rachel climbed out of that gentle, lingering swamp, a hint of smile in her eyes. "Good night."

Benjamin reached up to touch her face. "Mm, good night."

Only after watching her go inside did he turn and enter the elevator.

Rachel tossed her bag onto the round armchair in her bedroom, ignored everything else, and headed straight for the bathroom.

While filling the bathtub, she dropped in a jasmine-scented bath oil ball, then returned to the sink to wash up.

After the bathtub filled with water, she put on a face mask, lifted her leg and stepped in to lie down.

Every pore in her body got to relax and enjoy complete comfort.

More than ten minutes later, she got up, drained the bathtub, removed the face mask, washed her face, and casually applied some essence and face cream before being too lazy to continue.

She skipped and ignored all the other steps.

It wasn't that she was tired—she was just lazy and didn't feel like moving.

Not long after lying in bed, she fell into a deep sleep.

She had another dream, dreaming of her mother Joan. The scene was still blurry, even her mother's face was unclear.

She only saw her sitting in the courtyard, holding a paintbrush and palette, the warm winter sun shining on her.

This was the mother she had known for decades.

The distance was too far—she couldn't see clearly what her mother was painting. She wanted to walk a few steps forward to see the painting clearly.

But just as she took a step, the scene suddenly shifted.

Joan was on the phone with someone, walking hurriedly, her expression somewhat tense, with a hint of anger. Rachel didn't know where she was coming from or where she was going.

This dream wasn't kind—it was even somewhat cruel.

It didn't give Rachel the answers she wanted. Instead, it threw out a bunch of chaotic, illogical scenes afterward.

When she woke up, except for that short segment about Joan, she couldn't remember anything else.

Rachel rubbed her aching neck, glanced at the time on her phone, threw off the covers and got up to wash and change clothes.

When she came out, she saw Benjamin in the kitchen making fresh juice for her.

Her steps paused. This wasn't the first time she'd seen such a scene.

Although they weren't living together, they ate breakfast together because they lived close by. As long as he wasn't working overtime and Rachel wasn't going to the hospital, Benjamin would cook dinner for her too.

She walked over and gently wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. Like lovers in the throes of romance, she tilted her head to look at the plates of breakfast on the counter.

Her voice was cheerful and smiling, with a liveliness and playfulness rarely seen. "Breakfast is quite lavish today."