Chapter 87: Dog Eat Dog
Child Emperor weaved through the crowd for a moment before returning to King's side. Pinching his chin, he muttered thoughtfully to himself, "Mr. Robert has no obvious injuries on his body. There's only a small, blackened wound on his palm, and his skin has turned purple. I can only speculate that he died of poisoning. The exact cause will be determined after the police conduct an autopsy."
King glanced at Child Emperor, who was furrowing his small brows, then at Robert's body, covered by a white cloth in the living room, and the agitated guests. He secretly shook his head, realizing he knew nothing about deduction or solving cases, and figured he couldn't be of much help.
With that thought, he immediately closed his eyes to quietly rest, not bothering with these troublesome matters.
Child Emperor secretly glanced at the unconcerned King, pursed his lips, and said to himself, "Before Mr. Robert died, five people had left the living room: his wife Elu, his driver Luya, his business partner Cindy, his company subordinate Grell, and myself. Among everyone present, these five are the most suspected of poisoning. Of course, until the case is solved, others could also be the murderers."
"You yourself are also a suspect?!" King opened his eyes in surprise, looking at the earnest Child Emperor.
"The great detective Swartzkisod once said, 'Before the truth is revealed, everyone is suspected of guilt.'"
Child Emperor nodded, as if it were only natural.
King raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself, "Who is this great detective Swartzkisod? Why have I never heard of him?"
Child Emperor continued his rambling: "Elu is a virtuous and gentle wife who doesn't like appearing in public. Ah, she's Robert's current wife, whom he married after his first wife passed away. For many years, she has silently supported Robert. His driver, Luya, has been employed for over eight years, and Robert trusts him greatly. Cindy is one of the major shareholders of Mr. Robert's company. The two of them started the business together, sharing joys and sorrows for over thirty years, and together built today's toy giant. Their relationship is anything but ordinary. Grell is Mr. Robert's secretary; a position that involves business secrets is usually held by a trusted confidant. Lastly, I am Mr. Robert's special technical consultant, primarily helping Mr. Robert's company overcome technological challenges."
King again looked indifferently at the ceaselessly chattering Child Emperor, then closed his eyes and continued to rest. He certainly didn't have that much spare time for solving cases!
"Lazy uncle."
Child Emperor looked at King, who seemed completely unconcerned about the murder case, and couldn't help but complain. "He's one of the Hero Association's directors! As an S-class hero, don't you have any sense of responsibility to share the association's burdens?"
Grell walked over with a solemn expression. "Child Emperor, have you found any valuable clues?"
Child Emperor shook his head. "Not yet. Perhaps you can start by investigating Mr. Robert's cause of death."
"Mr. Robert's cause of death?" Grell nodded. "I understand. I'll instruct them to perform an autopsy quickly and clarify Mr. Robert's cause of death as soon as possible."
"Miss Elu, may I ask where you were during the period Mr. Robert died?"
After ruling out suspects who had remained in the living room and thus had no motive or opportunity to commit the murder, the police officer in charge of questioning turned his attention to Robert's wife, Elu.
Elu was a beautifully dressed lady of high standing. Though approaching forty, she still possessed an enduring charm. Every movement was full of grace, and every expression, be it a frown or a smile, revealed her allure. However, due to Robert's death, a hint of sorrow now lay hidden between her exquisite willow-like brows, making her a truly pitiable sight.
She pondered briefly, then said softly, "At that time, I was in my own bedroom."
The police officer asked again, "Miss Elu, do you have a witness?"
Elu slightly lowered her gaze. After hesitating for a moment, she finally pointed to the old driver, Luya. "Because I wanted Luya to help me buy some cosmetics, I called him to my bedroom and specifically instructed him on which brands to purchase."
"Heh, buying cosmetics? You slut, you're having Luya, that adulterer, deliver you cosmetics, aren't you?"
Just then, an angry voice rang out.
Everyone's gaze suddenly shifted to the speaker, who was none other than Robert's illegitimate son, Dastar. Earlier, Dastar had been kneeling before Robert's body, his face full of grief, paying no attention to anyone. Yet now, he had furiously cursed at his own stepmother.
Dastar, his face full of rage, pointed at Elu and cursed loudly, "You two adulterers! Don't think your filthy deeds can deceive everyone! In fact, my father had already discovered your affair and was preparing to divorce you, you bitch! You must have been unwilling to leave ignominiously, unable to get a single penny of my family's assets, so you seized the chance before my father could divorce you, killed him, and then tried to seize our family's fortune!"
"Wow!"
This news was explosive! Robert, the world's toy magnate, was actually cuckolded before he died. What's more, Robert had discovered his wife's affair with his driver and was preparing to deal with the two of them. However, before he could act, he himself had died.
If that's the case, then Elu and Luya now have a motive for murder!
The police and guests looked with suspicious eyes at Elu, whose pretty face was contorted in shameful rage, and the panicked Luya, wondering if Elu and Luya were truly Robert's murderers.
The police officer said solemnly, "Miss Elu, when Mr. Robert died, besides Mr. Luya, did anyone else see you in your bedroom?"
Elu angrily replied, "Just me and Luya, no one else. Officer, I truly did not harm my husband. Furthermore, Luya and I have never had an improper relationship."
Luya hastily echoed, "That's right! I merely often help Miss Elu buy cosmetics. Our relationship is pure; there has absolutely been no such filthy business as Young Master Dastar claims."
"Hmph."
Dastar snorted coldly and said nothing further.
To divert everyone's attention, Luya suddenly pointed at Grell and declared, "I think the person who killed the boss is definitely Grell! The boss trusted him immensely during his lifetime, but this disloyal fellow actually sold the company's business secrets and made ill-gotten gains. When the boss found out, he was furious and had already planned to report him to the police and have him arrested. Grell must have realized something was amiss and feared imprisonment, which is why he killed the boss!"
"Wow!"
The crowd looked at Luya and Grell, stunned. The insider revelations were more sensational than the last! If there were reporters present, they would probably die laughing; these two pieces of news were certainly worth hundreds of thousands.
"You're slandering me!"
Grell was shocked and enraged, pointing at Luya and shouting, "You adulterer! To clear your own suspicion, you're talking nonsense with a darkened conscience! Everyone in the company knows that I owe the boss a great debt of gratitude, and I have always been loyal to him. How could I possibly have killed the boss?!"
Luya sneered, "Whether you did it or not, you know it in your heart, and the boss knew it too!"
At this, the crowd again looked at Grell with a questioning gaze. Regardless of whether he killed Robert or not, if the matter of him selling company secrets was true, he was definitely headed for prison.
(end of chapter)