The suspect died just a 7-minute walk from where Kurt's wife fell into the water.
Robert showed up at the crime scene, and the place was already swarming with other officers. The area was taped off.
The female suspect was lying face down on the slope by the river, wearing only thermal underwear, still bleeding.
No phone, no ID, just a big black bag with a gray down jacket stuffed inside.
Robert moved closer, looking for clues. When he saw her face, he thought it might be Lyra.
Lyra Cole, 34, was Kurt's girlfriend from 16 years ago. She was the only one who got punished and sent to prison back then.
Now, all the dead folks were tied to the Ella case, which seemed way too coincidental.
The forensic team worked all night. By dawn, the trace examiners found a fingerprint, probably Kurt's wife's, on the zipper of the down jacket. They also found a tiny piece of nail art from Kurt's wife's nail in the torn part of the jacket.
Usually, when two people come into contact, they leave something of theirs on the other person.
The officers went over the case again.
"To figure out who killed Lyra, we need to know who pushed Kurt's wife into the river. These two murders are definitely connected."
Ethan was puzzled and asked, "Wasn't it Lyra who pushed her?"
Robert put up photos of Lyra and Kurt's wife on the whiteboard. "The person who pushed Kurt's wife into the river might not be just Lyra. There's another suspect."
He then put up a photo of Sophia. "Sophia."
Ethan asked, "Didn't she save Kurt's wife? And she was under our watch the whole time."
Robert explained, "First, Sophia takes thirty minutes specifically to eat Mexican food, which is odd. There are Mexican restaurants near her workplace. Second, she just happened to be at the place where Kurt's family often goes and saved his wife."
It was like she knew what was going to happen last night.
Robert put up photos taken during Sophia's interrogation on the whiteboard. "Look closely at her micro-expressions."
In the first photo, Sophia clenched her hand when she heard about Kurt's 7-year-old son.
In another photo, Sophia's eye twitched slightly when she heard that the two kids would lose their mom so young.
Even though she tried to keep a straight face, her micro-expressions gave her away.
In previous interrogations, Sophia was always expressionless. This time, for the first time, she couldn't hide her emotions, revealing that the words had struck a chord.
Robert put up another photo. "Check this one out."
This was a photo of Sophia when Robert told her that the person she saved was Kurt's wife.
"When I revealed Kurt's wife's identity, she looked surprised, but it was totally fake. Check out this picture; her facial sides are uneven, and the expression lasted more than two seconds," Robert said. "Plus, her pupils didn't change at all."
No matter how well someone was trained, their pupils would react to real emotions, giving away their true feelings.
But Sophia's pupils stayed the same, meaning she was acting.
Robert concluded, "I think she not only met Kurt but also his wife. She showed up at the pavilion on purpose."
Sophia lied to the cops again.
Ethan asked, "I have a few questions. First, why would Lyra want to kill Kurt's wife? Second, if Sophia and Lyra teamed up to kill Kurt's wife, why did Sophia save her in the end, and why did Lyra end up dead? With Sophia under surveillance, she couldn't have killed Lyra. So, who did it, and how did she manage to find an accomplice? She's broke now."
When she was 14, her dad got cancer. She sold the house to pay for his treatment, but he still died.
After that, she made money through part-time jobs. With job salaries, government help, and school scholarships, she got by. Even now, as an intern at the hospital, she only made $200.
Robert said, "That's what we need to figure out next."
"One more thing." Robert posted a photo of Tony's death on the whiteboard.
Pointing to the photos of Lyra and Tony, he said, "Lyra and Tony were both involved in Ella's brutal murder, and Kurt's wife is connected to Kurt. Sophia was at both crime scenes. These three murders have to be linked."
He continued, "So we should focus our investigation on these people, and as for Sophia, keep the cops on her."
At the hospital.
"Sophia." Jeremy still didn't give up.
"You seem happy today." Jeremy circled around her.
Sophia gave him a surprised look. She quickly adjusted herself, going back to her emotionless state. Showing emotions wasn't a good idea.
Jeremy handed her a bag. "I bought too much breakfast. Help me eat it, or it'll go to waste."
The logo on the bag was clear; the food from this place was pricey.
"I'm allergic to it," Sophia said.
Jeremy said skeptically, "But I see you often buy this food."
Sophia was a bit surprised; she didn't expect Jeremy to be so observant. But she still wanted to turn him down.
"I'm allergic to romance," Sophia said. "You're not my type."
She quickened her pace, leaving Jeremy behind. Before getting off work, Sophia got another call from a virtual number, again with a disguised voice.
The last two times Sophia got such calls, Tony died, and Lyra died. Who would be the next?