Chapter 192: Jane: Mrs. Boland, I just want to ask you one question, what are you trying to achieve by going to such lengths?
"I know."
Claire ignored the usual bickering between her gay brother and father, answered a phone call, said something, and hung up. Facing everyone's gaze, she pursed her lips and said, "Chuck and the others are interviewing people again."
"That's good news, isn't it?"
Jay laughed. "I told you Chuck knew what he was doing."
"It's not him investigating now."
Claire said with a bitter face, "It's his so-called detective assistant. He seems to be training her. Damn it, why does he have to train her on this case! If he had investigated it himself, the case would probably be over by now, and we wouldn't have to worry about being suspected."
"How do you know he doesn't train her at other times?"
Phil revealed a playful smile, but after being glared at by his wife Claire, he could only suppress the smile that all men understand.
Still, what made him feel gratified was that his father-in-law, Jay, who had always looked down on him, was also smiling, and was the only one among the four men and two women in the room who understood him.
"Dr. Wolfe, last night when I got home, I mentioned that you were back in town working with me on a case. My wife insisted that I invite you over for dinner, and she kept reminding me about it this morning. The kids overheard and almost didn't want to go to school. You know they all admire you. Luckily, Bernadette hadn't left yet, which is why they all went to school obediently."
Detective Rostenkowski drove Chuck and Jane around town for interviews. After all, everyone has a job, even housewives.
They have to cook breakfast for the children, drive them to school, and then clean, shop, prepare dinner, and so on. These may seem like trivial matters, but they are incredibly time-consuming and energy-draining. Full-time housewives with many children are anything but idle.
While the police might ask them to come to the station for questioning, they were all from the same town, and elections and police funding depend on taxpayers. So, when it wasn't necessary, it was always good to accommodate others.
"Bernadette?"
Jane's heart skipped a beat when she heard this, and she glanced at Chuck.
"Yes."
Detective Rostenkowski's face lit up with a fatherly smile. "Bernie is my eldest daughter, Bernadette Maryann Rostenkowski. She's twelve years old and attends St. Mary's School. Don't let her young age fool you; she's already helping out at home. My wife would have a really hard time taking care of so many children on her own without her help. Bernie is truly a precious daughter God has given us."
"I'm sure she is,"
Jane agreed with a smile.
It seemed that the young, precocious, and well-developed daughter the patrol officers were talking about must be this Bernie.
"St. Mary's School? Sounds like a Catholic school?"
"Oh, right!"
Detective Rostenkowski's lips curled into a slight sigh. "My wife is a devout believer and has always been overly worried about Bernie, so she insisted that Bernie attend her childhood school... However, St. Mary's School is a semi-boarding, semi-day girls' school, so Bernie doesn't live on campus."
"That's good."
Jane nodded. "No matter how mature someone is, a 12-year-old is still a child, and children need the long-term presence of their parents to have a happy childhood; nothing else can replace that."
"That's exactly what I think!"
Detective Rostenkowski nodded happily. "That's one of the reasons I insisted on it. Even God cannot replace the role of parents in raising children, and besides, many times boarding school doesn't involve God..."
He stopped abruptly, his expression shifting slightly.
He wasn't a naive fool; as a seasoned detective, he had seen the darker side of society and knew that many glamorous appearances often concealed the ugliest realities. Even in so-called houses of God, those who represent God and consider themselves God's representatives are even more worthy of vigilance.
Those places, rife with scandals, were even more appalling.
So even though his devout wife insisted he wear a cross necklace and pray before meals, he remained unyielding on the issue of whether his daughter should board at St. Mary's School.
Finally, through his insistence and by arguing that his eldest daughter, Bernie, could help care for her younger siblings and the daycare children, he persuaded his wife.
"You did the right thing,"
Chuck unusually offered his praise.
"Haha."
Detective Rostenkowski laughed heartily upon hearing Chuck's words. "When we have dinner tonight, you must tell my wife this yourself. We all trust your judgment! Even my wife!"
"Dinner tonight?"
Jane smiled. "You don't mind if I join you for a free meal, do you? You know our line of work, we're exposed to the dark side constantly, and what we need most is to experience the beauty of happy families to dilute this negative influence and maintain a healthy mindset."
"Of course not."
Detective Rostenkowski slapped his forehead. "I invited you both!"
Saying this, he looked at Jane in the rearview mirror and smiled. "It's clear that Dr. Wolfe values you highly, so you're part of the family too."
"Thank you."
Jane couldn't resist the common sentiment; upon hearing the word "family," she, like everyone else in America, whether good or bad, felt a jolt, her eyes revealing the unique emotion and joy of being treated as family.
Actually, she was mainly curious about this Bernie.
And that niece.
"Okay, we're here!"
Detective Rostenkowski stopped the car, peered out, and said to Chuck and Jane, "This is Mrs. Heather's house. She's a member of the town's women's committee, a strong and good woman."
He sighed, "It's just a shame she's had such a hard life. First, her husband died young, and now her only daughter, during her rebellious teenage years, was out joyriding with her friends one night when she crashed into a tree and died."
"What a tragedy!"
Jane exclaimed, "I know all too well what a girl's rebellious phase is like. I was very rebellious back then too. I even made plans with my best friend to run away from home, but my parents found out and stopped me. I fought with them for a long time."
"And then?"
Detective Rostenkowski looked at Jane with interest.
Parents' hearts are always full of love and concern. His eldest daughter, Bernie, was very responsible, but she was already 12 and about to enter her rebellious phase. Seeing the struggles of Mrs. Heather's rebellious daughter, even though he didn't agree with his wife's excessive restrictions on their daughter, he sometimes had no choice but to accept them with conflicted feelings.
For example, not allowing her to ride a bicycle...
"No matter how much I threw a tantrum, they just wouldn't agree to my idea of traveling the world alone. My mother quit her job to accompany me, and whenever my father had time off, the three of us would drive around together."
Jane's face showed a happy smile. "Sometimes we would drive thousands of miles from east to west to visit my sister. At first, I was very reluctant because what I really wanted wasn't to see the world, but to be free.
But as time passed with this companionship, one day it seemed like my rebellious phase was over, and I stopped throwing tantrums.
Then I heard what happened to my best friend who had left on her own.
She didn't come with me, but still insisted on running away from home to see the world. She was tricked into joining a cult on a compound and became like a living zombie.
I still can't forget the scene when her family found her and forcibly brought her back; her lifeless eyes, and how she, without caring that anyone was present, stripped off all her clothes and swam naked in the river.
Her mother's heartbroken scolding was met with the explanation that it was just normal life on that compound...
At that moment, I was incredibly grateful that my parents, despite their heartbreak and frustration, had persevered and patiently insisted on keeping me safe."
"Damn it!"
Detective Rostenkowski cursed as he got out of the car.
It was obvious what her runaway friend had gone through. America had the world's largest concentration of cults; even if her body wasn't completely destroyed in that kind of place, her mind was likely ruined.
This filled the father, who had more than one daughter, with a sense of dread.
Jane got out of the car and looked at the detached house in front of her, asking Detective Rostenkowski, "How is she now?"
"She's been suppressing her grief and continuing her charity work."
Detective Rostenkowski said admiringly, "A rare and wonderful woman!"
The three of them went to the house and knocked on the door. "Mrs. Heather, it's me."
"Mike, you're here. Come in."
Mrs. Heather opened the door and let them in. "Tea or coffee?"
"Coffee."
"No, thank you."
"No, thank you,"
Detective Rostenkowski said, while Chuck and Jane both shook their heads.
"That's just Dr. Wolfe's habit,"
Detective Rostenkowski quickly explained when he saw Mrs. Heather looking at Chuck and Jane with surprise. "He does the same when he comes to my house."
"I've heard about that,"
Mrs. Heather nodded, bringing Detective Rostenkowski only a cup of coffee before sitting down opposite them. "If there's anything I can help you with, just ask."
Detective Rostenkowski looked at Jane.
"Mrs. Heather, you're a member of the town's women's committee and you attended last night's party. What are your thoughts on this case?"
Jane asked. "Who's the first suspect that comes to mind?"
"This..."
Mrs. Heather shook her head hesitantly. "I really don't know. And living in a small town, the worst thing you can do is spread rumors without evidence. That can cause a lot of trouble for the person being accused."
"I'm sorry, I understand,"
Jane glanced at her. "But do you know where Scarlett got so much cash?"
"So much cash?"
Mrs. Heather lowered her head.
"Yes! A cash income of $5,000 a week."
Jane pressed, "Haven isn't that big, and you're a member of the Women's Committee, often seen with Scarlett. Even if you don't know who the suspect is, you should at least have heard about making that much money, right?"
"I really don't know."
Mrs. Heather hesitated before saying, "But I did see Scarlett using a second phone, and she often goes to the next town to buy supplies and have things made."
"Damn it!"
Detective Rostenkowski cursed in frustration. When Jane looked over, he explained, "There are many drug dealers in the next town, and having a burner phone fits the characteristics of a drug dealer. Although it's hard to believe, Scarlett, the chairwoman of the Women's Committee and the town's top housewife, really seems to have been involved in drug dealing."
"You're not surprised."
Jane looked at the calm Mrs. Heather.
"Sigh."
Mrs. Heather sighed, "Actually, some people in town who should know do know, but they just don't say it."
"You know?"
Detective Rostenkowski stared wide-eyed at Mrs. Heather.
"You were one of the buyers too, weren't you?"
Jane looked at the deathly silent room, glancing at Chuck, whose expression remained calm, and a thought struck her.
"I know it's not right, but sometimes I needed help to get through those painful times,"
Mrs. Heather said, covering her face and choking back tears.
"Who else knows?"
Jane asked gently.
"Mandy, Patchins, everyone on the committee except Gloria knows,"
Mrs. Heather wiped away her tears. "And some housewives and men who needed it in town."
"Gloria doesn't know?"
Jane looked at her to confirm. "I heard they're very close, and Gloria got into the Women's Committee entirely because of Scarlett's recommendation."
"She probably doesn't know,"
Mrs. Heather nodded. "Although Scarlett valued Gloria, we all knew she didn't consider her one of her own."
"Anyone else in town who bought from her?"
Jane thought to herself, "Small-town housewife politics is definitely real," and pressed on. "Since it's drug dealing, there must be conflicts of interest involved. Now you can tell me who you suspect."
"I really don't know."
Mrs. Heather looked at Jane sincerely. "These things were all one-on-one; only Scarlett knew the full picture, and she wouldn't tell anyone else. As for suspects, at first, like most people, I thought of Vic, but he's a good man, and he doesn't seem like the type... so I really don't know."
Since most wives are murdered by their husbands, everyone already had this suspicion. However, because there was no evidence, and this time it didn't seem to involve the kind-hearted husband, everyone just thought about it privately and didn't talk about it publicly.
After all, it was mostly, not all, the husbands who did it.
Jane asked a few more questions, then stood up and said, "That's all for today. We'll contact you again if there are any further questions."
Leaving Mrs. Heather's house, Jane shook her head and said, "Haven isn't so peaceful after all."
Seeing that Chuck didn't react, Jane looked at Detective Rostenkowski, whose face looked somewhat pale. "Now that it's basically confirmed that Scarlett was involved in drug dealing, can you send someone to the next town to arrest the people who supplied Scarlett with the drugs and bring them back for questioning?"
"Leave it to me."
Detective Rostenkowski nodded emphatically.
The issue of drug dealing has always been a major problem in the United States. Drug crimes are practically intractable, much like gun violence. After all, it's a complex issue with many political and social dimensions that make it nearly impossible to resolve.
As a detective, he was used to it and nothing surprised him anymore, but now even housewives were involved in drug dealing. It was shocking!
"Next, the Beth Boland family,"
Detective Rostenkowski said, suppressing these unpleasant thoughts. "Beth Boland also attended the party last night."
"Let's head over then,"
Jane's eyes lit up.
The three arrived at a detached house, rang the doorbell, and since they had communicated beforehand, the door opened quickly. Jane's eyes were immediately drawn to the woman who answered.
Beth Boland!
The woman whose photos had put so much pressure on her—now, although not as striking as in her wedding photos, time hadn't left too many marks on her face, especially against her incredibly impressive figure; her delicate features still stood out.
Jane wasn't from the East, otherwise she probably would have had even more colorful descriptions for Beth Boland.
"Mrs. Boland, yesterday morning you and Scarlett went to a spa. Could you tell me what you did there?"
After exchanging pleasantries, Jane sat down and scrutinized Beth Boland.
"This..."
Beth Boland glanced at Chuck subconsciously, a hint of embarrassment flashing in her eyes.
Jane's gaze sharpened. She looked at the still calm Chuck, then noticed Detective Rostenkowski's expression as he lowered his head, touching his nose and trying to suppress his embarrassment. Only then did she realize that this question seemed somewhat awkward.
What she was doing at the spa was indeed inconvenient to discuss in front of men.
"Why don't you two go outside and wait, I'll talk to Mrs. Boland first?"
"Okay!"
Detective Rostenkowski immediately stood up.
Under Jane's gaze, Chuck also got up and left.
"Can you tell me now?"
Jane smiled, "This is an investigation, there's nothing off-limits. If it's not related to the case, I'll keep it confidential, don't worry."
Beth Boland hesitated for a while, then stammered in a low voice, "Scarlett and I went to get Brazilian waxes..."
"..."
Jane's lips twitched. Looking at Beth Boland's delicate face and impressive figure, and then hearing what she had done, and recalling the glance she gave Chuck when she mentioned it, and her aunt's words about Chuck giving Mr. Boland special consideration, she couldn't help but let her imagination run wild.
You know, getting a Brazilian wax is definitely a painful process that women endure for their partners, a classic case of "a woman beautifies herself for her lover." Beth Boland, with her already stunning looks, is still going to such lengths... I really want to ask, "What are you trying to achieve by going to such extremes?"
(End of Chapter)
If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a Review!
P*atreon/Soulforger (50+ advanced chapters)
Buy me coffee - ko-fi*com/soulforger01