Chapter 262: The mysterious third person

Words : 1245 Updated : Oct 3rd, 2025

Chapter 262: The mysterious third person After dropping Anne home, Augustine headed straight to the office. The moment he stepped in, he found Gustave waiting, standing near his desk with a composed but alert expression. "Sir," Gustave greeted him with a respectful nod. "How is Madam?" "She is fine," Augustine replied as he lowered himself into the chair. "She has been discharged." Without wasting another second, he asked, "Now tell me, what did you find?" Gustave stepped forward and placed a folder on the desk. "This is everything we gathered from Robert’s place. His body was found in the kitchen, lying in a pool of blood. Lorie’s body was discovered near the front door." Augustine opened the folder. A set of photographs greeted him, grim and unsettling, blood smeared across the floor, Robert’s lifeless body twisted unnaturally on the cold tiles of the kitchen. "He was stabbed multiple times," Gustave continued gravely. "At first glance, it looked like a case of mutual murder, like they killed each other during a fight. There was no sign of forced entry, no obvious evidence pointing to the presence of a third person. But..." He pointed at one of the photos. "Look here—in the hallway between the kitchen and the front door. Not a single blood stain. If Lorie had been attacked in or near the kitchen and tried to flee, there would be some trail. But the path is clean." Augustine narrowed his eyes, his mind already racing. "That’s the first red flag," Gustave added. "It suggests Robert didn’t kill her. Someone else was in that house, someone who made sure to leave no trace." He flipped to the next photo, zoomed in on Robert’s hand clutching a bloodied knife. "And there is this. The knife is in his right hand. But Robert was left-handed. If he had killed her in a fit of rage, or even in a premeditated act, he would’ve used his dominant hand." Augustine studied the photographs once more. Blood was pooled in two distinct spots—one in the kitchen where Robert lay, and another at the entrance where Lorie’s body had been found. But the stretch of hallway between them was spotless. Not a single drop of blood stained the floor. That alone defied logic. If Lorie had been stabbed and tried to escape, there should have been a trail, a smear, a splash, something. And then there was the detail about Robert’s hand. The knife was in his right hand. But he was left-handed. That inconsistency gnawed at Augustine’s instincts. It didn’t add up. "We reconstructed a possible sequence of events from last night," Gustave said, flipping through more pages in the file. "There were bruises all over Lorie’s body, aside from the stab wound. Robert may have assaulted her. See these?" He pointed to a close-up of her neck, where red marks were still visible. "Looks like he tried to strangle her." Augustine leaned in, his eyes scanning the image. "She probably fought back in desperation," Gustave continued, "managed to grab a knife and stabbed him in self-defense. Then she tried to run, got to the front door..." He tapped the image of her collapsed body near the threshold. "And that’s where someone else struck her down. Someone was waiting outside. Or someone followed her." Augustine nodded slowly, absorbing the theory. "It’s plausible. But we still need to identify the third person." "We are working on it," Gustave replied. "We’ve begun combing through nearby surveillance footage to see if anyone suspicious was caught around the area. But there is something else that doesn’t sit right with me." He paused for a second, then added, "Megan." Augustine’s eyes flicked to his with a frown. "She had been in contact with Lorie lately. However, when I dug deeper into their communication records today, it was as if someone had scrubbed everything clean. Messages, call logs— all wiped. It’s like she never contacted her at all. Someone deliberately erased the traces. And I can’t help but feel Megan is somehow involved. Why go through so much trouble unless she had something to hide?" The room fell silent for a beat as Augustine leaned back, fingers steepled under his chin. The things were turning far more sinister. And Megan might be the missing piece in this bloodstained puzzle. Megan’s resentment toward Anne wasn’t a secret anymore, and her dismissal from the company might have been the spark that tipped her over the edge. She had motive. It wouldn’t be shocking if she were somehow involved in the attempt on Anne’s life. But when that plan fell apart, she likely arranged for someone to eliminate Lorie to prevent the truth from being exposed. "She is proud and reckless," Gustave added, breaking the silence. "Impulsive enough to slip up if pushed. And we already have evidence against her of tampering with the DNA test result. Now is the time to expose her. Let’s bring her in and interrogate her. I’m confident she’ll break." But Augustine remained still. After a long pause, he finally spoke. "Megan isn’t the real problem. There is someone else, hiding in the background, shielding her and pulling strings. We need to find the person." Gustave frowned. "And how do you want to proceed?" "Keep eyes on her," Augustine instructed. "Don’t spook her. Just follow. Watch. We’ll find something." "Understood." Gustave gave a sharp nod. "I’ll let you know once the lab finishes analyzing the forensics from the scene." With that, he turned and left the office. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Anne had just stepped out of the bathroom, towel in hand, her hair damp and fresh from a shower, when the housekeeper entered the room. "Madam, someone named Paule is here to see you." Her eyes widened. "Papa?" Anne gasped, her heart skipping a beat. She let the towel slip from her hand and land forgotten on the bed as she rushed out of the room. Her feet barely touched the floor as she hurried to the living room, where she found him standing quietly with a bowed head and folded hands. He looked older than she remembered, his back hunched, his shoulders slumped in exhaustion. His skin was pale, and his eyes held a sorrowful weight. "Papa, why are you standing there?" She took his hand and gently led him to the sofa. "Please, sit down." Paule sank into the sofa, his gaze fixed on her with quiet guilt. "I was so worried when I heard about what happened. I wanted to come to the hospital, but I couldn’t." He paused, hesitating for a moment before continuing. "The police came. They took Patricia into custody. She has been charged with attempted murder. They believe she tried to poison you. And... your friend, Audrey, is in the hospital." Anne’s expression changed immediately, her features darkening with grief. "I went to the bakery because Lorie asked me to come. I never imagined it was a trap. I never thought they’d go that far." She closed her eyes briefly, letting out a heavy breath. "Because of me, Audrey is hurt. She could have died. And I can’t stop blaming myself for that." Her hands clenched in her lap, her body tense with emotion. "They have always treated me cruelly. I’ve lived with their hatred for years. But I have never imagined they could do something like this, to go so far..." Her voice trembled, but she lifted her chin, forcing herself to stay strong. "I’ll never forgive them. Never."

Chapter 262: The mysterious third person

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