Chapter 306: The Rise of Leonard—Ask Me Who I Know... My Best Friend!
"I didn't kill him!"
Under the mayor's insistent gaze, the bald chief of staff could only look at Detective Chuck, who was rumored to be able to read people like a book.
"That's a lie,"
Chuck said bluntly. "Was your reason for killing him related to the ceremony?"
This time, without the bald chief of staff speaking, his eyes and expression already gave Chuck the answer.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
The bald chief of staff stared directly at Chuck.
As the mayor's chief of staff, he had access to considerable information, and given his urgent need for it, he was actually more familiar with Detective Chuck's investigative methods than most people.
He knew that even if Chuck could determine whether someone was lying through micro-expressions, knowing someone was lying was one thing, but figuring out the specific content of that lie was entirely another.
So as long as he didn't get asked the right questions and didn't lead them to evidence based on his answers, he could still walk away unscathed.
"Do you have video of the ceremony?"
Chuck looked at the mayor.
"Yes,"
the mayor nodded.
His staff would record all of these ceremonial events as part of documenting his achievements, so of course they would be archived.
"Dennis…"
The mayor knew something was wrong as soon as he started to speak, so he picked up the phone and called another aide, asking them to pull up the video.
"Why don't you go back and watch it at your leisure?"
the mayor suggested, noticing the video's length.
"No need, we'll have the answer shortly."
Chuck played it at ten times speed.
The mayor stared in disbelief at the completely blurred video: "You seriously think you can see anything?"
"Here!"
Chuck ignored him, watched for a bit, then turned off the fast-forward. The video showed the mayor giving a speech.
"This time capsule is a giant stainless steel vacuum bottle, and the information inside will be left to our great-great-great-grandchildren.
Oh, I see our honored guest has arrived.
A hundred years from now, our descendants will be able to read the story of today's world's oldest person.
I wrote a letter to my descendants.
I also had my family and staff do the same.
Finally, I also invited our guest of honor to write down his life story, and I put a copy of it in as well.
I promise you,
if you live another five years, and I'm still in office, we'll dig up this treasure and add another chapter to your story.
What do you think? See you in five years?"
In the video, the world's oldest person shakes hands with the mayor: "It's a deal!"
"What's wrong with that?"
The mayor looked at Chuck, puzzled.
"The secret is in this letter."
Chuck rewound the video to the part where the mayor was holding a stack of letters written by his team, pointing to the expression on the bald chief of staff's face as he pulled the letter from his pocket.
"What secret?"
The mayor couldn't help but glance at the bald chief of staff.
"Most likely it's evidence of a crime,"
Chuck said, looking at the chief of staff. "We'll know as soon as we retrieve the time capsule."
"You don't have a warrant!"
The bald chief of staff couldn't hold back any longer, raising his voice. Seeing the mayor's expression change, he added in a lower voice, "They don't have a warrant; they have no legal right to do this."
"I do!"
The mayor was silent for a few seconds, then said, "I authorize retrieval of the time capsule."
"Randy, take him with you,"
Chuck pointed to the bald chief of staff.
"You have no right…"
The bald chief of staff was about to speak when Randy interrupted him: "Actually, we now suspect you of involvement in multiple homicides and have the right to detain you."
The group went to where the time capsule was buried, dug it out, opened it, and retrieved the envelope belonging to the bald chief of staff.
Randy opened the letter and read aloud: "On December 2nd, 1989, I killed Darren Foley with my car. I will never forgive myself. God forgive me. Signed Dennis Campbell."
He then held up the letter in disbelief: "This is a confession!"
"Darren Foley, 17 years old, killed in a hit-and-run three years ago,"
Chuck said.
"Dennis..."
The mayor shook his head in disappointment, then asked, puzzled, "But why did you kill Miles Horning and that security guard?"
"The reason is obvious,"
Chuck reminded him. "Yesterday was Miles Horning's 115th birthday—five years after the ceremony—and you're still in office.
So, according to the agreement, you need to reopen this time capsule that was supposed to be sealed for 100 years. Which just happens to contain his confession."
"Steven, please, how long have we known each other?"
The bald chief of staff could only look to the mayor for help.
"Obviously, I had no idea you were this kind of person!"
the mayor said bluntly.
"It was an accident, I swear!"
the chief of staff pleaded.
Although the evidence against him was now irrefutable, if the mayor was willing to help, he could not only reduce his sentence but also make his time in prison easier.
This was crucial.
During his years as the mayor's chief of staff, he had engaged in numerous political power plays.
He often used a single line as his trump card to crush his opponents:
"Still not backing down? Do you want to end up in prison and become some big guy's girlfriend?"
Whenever he said this, opponents who still wanted to resist would go pale and surrender completely.
Because it contained an undeniable truth,
and a very painful reality at that!
But now he was arrested for a crime and about to be thrown into prison.
Despite his tall, imposing stature and bald head, these wouldn't be considered deterrents by his burly, rough fellow inmates.
Being fresh meat was enough.
Besides, as the mayor's chief of staff, he was wealthy, powerful, and well-groomed.
He was now only begging the mayor to arrange for him a decent facility and a safe cell.
He really didn't want to be someone's girlfriend!
"I had been drinking. I don't remember hitting anyone. When I woke up, I found a dent in the fender, with blood and hair on it. I thought maybe it was some kind of animal. I prayed to God it was an animal..."
Randy stepped forward and handcuffed him, then looked at Chuck with some confusion: "I have a question—why did he commit murder?"
Seeing the mayor's surprised look, he quickly explained: "I know, it's because the time capsule was about to be opened. He was worried about his crimes being exposed, but opening the time capsule only meant adding a page to the oldest person's letter; it didn't mean opening and reading anyone else's letters. So he had no reason to kill two people to cover it up."
"..."
The bald chief of staff, now handcuffed, was stunned.
"You've identified the key issue."
Chuck looked at Randy and nodded. "He really didn't need to do this. If he had any better judgment, he would have realized that even if they did open the time capsule that day, they would never open anyone else's letters.
Because those letters are personal and private, written to future generations.
Only five years have passed; there's no reason to open them.
He was just too terrified and did something stupid."
"Poor oldest living person, and that security guard."
Randy shook his head. "They were killed over something like this."
Then he felt something was still off and looked at his pale-faced, bald prisoner with confusion. "Something still doesn't add up. Why did you write that letter five years ago? Didn't you see this coming? Did you not believe the world's oldest person could live another five years? Or did you not believe your mayor could be re-elected?"
"…"
The bald chief of staff's face grew even paler as he tried to explain to the mayor, whose face had also lost some color.
"Steven, I believed you could be re-elected. You know I believed in you and wanted you to be re-elected."
"I just really didn't expect a 110-year-old to live for another 5 years.
And I was such an idiot!
I was too afraid of being exposed, that's why I did all this."
"You're really not cut out for American politics."
Chuck shook his head, looking at the pale-faced, bald chief of staff.
"Why do you say that?"
Randy asked curiously.
Chuck didn't explain.
But there was deep understanding in the mayor's eyes.
Everyone knew that Americans who committed crimes usually went to church, confessed to a priest, and then continued their lives. Why bother with a written confession?
That's just not how things are done here!
Randy arrested the incredibly foolish chief of staff, and the case was closed.
Chuck didn't comfort the mayor who had just suffered such a scandal; he left directly.
After something like this, it was nearly impossible for the mayor to be re-elected, and without the position, the mayor was nothing.
Professor Alicia Harper's new home.
"Boss, you're back."
Lisa saw Chuck return and immediately rushed over happily, gazing at him with her husky-like eyes.
Chuck nodded to her.
Lisa then circled around Chuck, recounting the day's events: "I made breakfast and lunch for Alicia, and she really enjoyed it. This afternoon we got a bit restless, so she asked me to drive her around Peaceful Town…"
Chuck listened as he headed upstairs.
Professor Alicia Harper heard the commotion, saw them enter, and asked with a smile, "How'd the case go?"
"Solved,"
Chuck briefly explained.
"Wow, boss, you're amazing!"
Lisa exclaimed immediately.
Professor Alicia Harper looked at the somewhat effusive Lisa with a strange expression, especially seeing her husky-like eyes gazing at Chuck; the feeling was even more peculiar.
"What will happen to this chief of staff?"
Professor Alicia Harper could only suppress her unease and casually asked.
"He probably won't become someone else's girlfriend."
Chuck said bluntly, and seeing Professor Alicia Harper's puzzled expression, he explained, "The mayor will help him once he realizes the chief of staff would rather commit murder than choose an easier method to avoid exposing his crime."
"What easier method?"
Lisa asked curiously.
"Get the mayor out of office."
Professor Alicia Harper immediately realized.
"Exactly."
Chuck nodded, "There are two conditions for opening the time capsule: one is that the oldest person lives for another 5 years, and the other is that the mayor is still in office.
As the mayor's chief of staff, he could easily get the mayor removed from office if he wanted to."
"Compared to murder, that would've been much smarter."
Lisa shook her head, "But getting the mayor removed would also damage his career, and most people have a gambler's mentality and wouldn't do that."
"That's why I said he's not cut out for American politics."
Chuck said, "Choosing this method of written confession from the beginning was reckless. Even if the oldest person doesn't live to 115, or the mayor can't be re-elected, it doesn't mean that only this scenario would expose the crime.
On the contrary, if it were going to be exposed, it would have been exposed long ago.
Those political enemies looking for dirt, or those bored teenagers looking for thrills, could dig up this time capsule at any time and gossip about what secrets the mayor and his chief of staff wrote inside."
"Only in the boss's eyes are they stupid,"
Lisa said admiringly. "If it were just the police, they would never have thought of this possibility."
Professor Alicia Harper's affectionate eyes were filled with helplessness as she watched this scene.
After Chuck assigned Lisa a task and she left, Alicia couldn't help but look at Chuck: "What do you plan to do about this assistant?"
"Lisa is an excellent research subject."
Chuck said bluntly.
"…"
Professor Alicia Harper was speechless.
Lisa's excellence was obvious to everyone.
She knew Chuck didn't shy away from facts, but his frankness still left her speechless.
"Do you have any additional research suggestions?"
Chuck asked, looking at her.
"What?"
Professor Alicia Harper was taken aback, then, under Chuck's gaze, she looked away somewhat uncomfortably.
"Are you aware of the changes in Peaceful Town?"
She didn't dare think too deeply and could only change the subject.
"Yes."
Chuck nodded.
"So you prefer this, don't you?"
Professor Alicia Harper couldn't help but ask.
"A diverse sample of research subjects leads to better research results,"
Chuck said. "But the premise is that it conforms to the foundation of scientific inquiry. I believe in natural selection, and I believe in my own choices, but I don't believe in other people's modifications."
"Other people's modifications can be excellent too."
Professor Alicia Harper laughed.
She finally understood; Dr. Brennan, the plastic surgeon, defined beauty based on his own aesthetic standards, completely ignoring Chuck's perspective.
The next day.
Bergen County High School.
A pale-faced, beautiful girl named Maria walked down the corridor, head down, avoiding eye contact with the boys and girls chatting and laughing on either side.
Compared to these confident students, she seemed somehow diminished, unaware of her own beauty.
Suddenly, she tripped over something and fell to the ground, her books scattering everywhere.
"Are you okay? I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to."
A punk-looking male student stood in front of her, barely suppressing a laugh and offering a completely insincere apology.
The others immediately burst into laughter.
"Maybe she should watch where she's going."
Someone piled on with a mocking laugh.
"Maybe you should shut up and think about that news story."
At that moment, a short figure appeared in front of Maria, snapping back at the boy who had mocked her.
"Leonard Hofstadter."
The upperclassman bully looked down at the short underclassman, his eyes narrowed with threat and mockery.
"What, it's been months, and you're still using that psycho Esther to scare people? You still carrying around her picture?"
Everyone laughed at this.
"That's something Howard did. I, Leonard Hofstadter, never need to do that!"
Little Leonard raised his chin and proudly pulled a photo from his pocket.
"That's Detective Chuck."
"I heard he's Detective Chuck's good friend."
"Last time Detective Chuck came here, he crushed the football team's balls for him. That's terrifying—don't mess with him."
The crowd whispered among themselves.
The punk students looked at the photo Leonard thrust in their faces, wanting to maintain their tough-guy image, but seeing Chuck's expressionless face in the picture, and being pulled and persuaded by their friends, they simply pointed at Leonard and walked away without another word.
Evil Esther was already behind bars, and had been there for months, so they'd long since stopped caring.
But the story of Chuck crushing a bunch of footballs for Leonard's sake still circulated at Bergen County High School, making anyone who thought about it think twice before bullying Leonard with sports equipment.
(End of Chapter)
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