Chapter 10 Section ten

"What do you think, Willy?" Back in the car, Ron asked Willy, who was steering the wheel, as soon as the car started. "It doesn't look like you're lying," Willie said. "Paula Denton is not very conspicuous, she behaves well, doesn't offend guests, and is clean when it comes to money. In this case, she can't Mess with those guys in the gang. So, there is no reason to be killed, is that the case?" Ron also agreed: "That's right." "We've all seen the face on the corpse, and it doesn't give people that impression. She doesn't look like a scheming old fritter who wanders around, nor does she look like the type who relies on her pretty face to say one thing. Otherwise, she Nor would you have a friend like Maria Serrano."

"Didn't they say that she is one of the best among them in terms of honesty?" "yes." "Willie, if this is the truth, then this case is less and less about hatred. There is no reason for a woman like that to be hated." Willie nodded silently and said, "Perhaps the pervert is inhuman, but Paula has a child. If she kills the mother, the child becomes an orphan, let alone a child with aphasia. If he knows her Given the family situation, you probably won't be able to do anything wrong, right?" "Wait, Willie," Ron said immediately, "Don't forget, this isn't murder, it's a heart attack. The reason why some perverts say it's because someone cut off a dead woman's sex organs, And hung the body on a tree."

"Oh, that's right, I'm almost being led into a ditch by them," Willie said. "The body has been ruined like this. Of course others will think that this woman was also killed by that person. Everyone will think so. This is a trap. Things have been turned into a mess like this." "Well, that's what happened." Willie nodded repeatedly. "Are you talking about Anthony Metton you're meeting later?" Ron asked. "Ok?" "It's him in your subconscious, right? You think he would think this way: This woman is raising a child alone, and that child has aphasia. If she kills her mother, the child will be too pitiful."

Willie nodded his head two or three times, and said, "Yeah, Ron, you're so right. That's what I felt subconsciously. Since he's the owner of the lighting store, he probably knows about Paula's family. As long as he is not an extremely cold-blooded animal, he should be concerned about that child." "Besides, he is still very attached to Paula, and looks forward to marrying her." "Yes. He must have given up in the end." "Ok." "However, if he is such a person, he will definitely call a doctor when he sees Paula clutching her heart with a pained expression on her face. How could he just watch her die and goug out her part with a knife..."

"Wait, Willy, stop the car. Extra!" Ron yelled. In the newsstand on Southwest M Avenue, the two big characters outside the number are impressively visible.At the same time, a line of red text "Bloody Murder Case" also flew into the eyes. "It's still out after all," Willie growled. As soon as the car stopped, Ron opened the door like flying and jumped out. He rushed across the sidewalk and brought back a passport. He returned to the passenger seat, closed the door, and said "Okay, let's drive".There was a silence.Willy turned the steering wheel, casting glances at Ron now and then.

"Look, there's a sickening murder in Glover Archibald's woods. Hmm, it's quite sensational." After a while, Ron raised his head and said this.Willie also snorted after hearing this. "The girl died in a miserable state. She was neatly dressed, her hands were raised, her wrists were tied, and she was cruelly hung under a tree. What is even more heinous is that her underwear was torn open, exposing the muscles of her vulva They were deeply gouged out with a knife, causing internal organs such as the vagina and uterus to fall off, and they were crumbling like snakes between the legs.

"On the ground at the scene, blood flowed like a river. The Washington Eastern District Police Department fell into extreme chaos because of this most bizarre murder case since the establishment of the department. Hey, I said it all, this is not a murder case!" Ron roared with anger and blood. "There are too many inauthentic adjectives." Willie said calmly. "Blood flowed like a river? What was he talking about? The body was ruined after death, and the amount of bleeding was not much at all. The brain of the person who wrote this is the most chaotic since the establishment of our bureau!"

Ron angrily threw the extra number on the back seat. "I can't wait to kick this guy's head off!" "Isn't that to be expected," Willie said, sighing. "Yeah. Pulp fiction is better than that." "Freddy's a real underachiever. Is Paula Denton's name in the papers, and the police are trying to find any witnesses?" "Don't dream, the newspaper won't think about us at all!" "It's not just to whet readers' appetites, so as to sell their follow-up reports." Wiley said. The car drove into P Street.Slowing down, Willie said, "We'll be on Southwest Canal Street in a minute .

So Willie slowly approached the sidewalk and stopped.The house was built of brick, and the storefront was as large as the two small grocery stores that lined the street to its left and right. Ron jumped out of the car again, hurried across the sidewalk, and pushed open the shop door.He knew that he was in a hurry, and at the same time, he also understood that he needed to be more cautious at a time like this. The store was filled with countless lamps, and he went straight in, looking for Anthony Metton.At this time, a young clerk suddenly flashed out from the side and blocked the way.Seeing that this person was only in his early twenties, he guessed that this person could not be Anthony Mayton, so he said, "I want to see Mr. Anthony Mayton."

The young man replied immediately: "He just went out and will be back in a while." "Where did you go? A business matter?" "Go get lunch...ah, he's back." Looking back, a small, bald man just opened the glass door and entered the room.He was carrying a paper bag and a white milk bottle.Willie was right behind the man. "Mr. Anthony Metton?" Ron leaned forward and asked, taking off his hat. "I am." As he spoke, Anthony smiled kindly. Willie stood behind him, so that the two policemen double-teamed Anthony.This is the best formation for catching.Ron flashed his badge.Anthony instantly put away the smile on his face.Then, without saying a word, he handed the paper package and milk to the young clerk.The clerk took the things, seemed to be taken aback for a moment, then turned right slowly, and hurried to the depths of the store.

"I want to ask you something." After Ron finished speaking, he motioned to the side to talk.Although there were no customers in the shop, he still found a seat that would not get in the way. "What's the matter?" Anthony asked as he followed closely.There was a nervous look on his face.But that's the level of nervousness anyone would display in the face of a surprise police visit.Anthony's air could not have been more natural. "It's about Miss Paula Denton," said Ron. "Paula?" Anthony said. "What's the matter with her? Could it be..." He hesitated. "Could it be what?" Ron asked with a move in his heart. "Has she been arrested?" Anthony's mouth twitched with tension.Ron stood upright without saying a word.He didn't want to be seen as disappointed.It seems that Anthony seems to be most worried about this, and other than that, he doesn't take any other aspects into consideration. Seeing that Ron and Willy standing aside were silent, Anthony continued: "Is what you want to ask about Paula's occupation? Well, it must be this?" After finishing speaking, he paused, Then he said, "How should I put it, this is not an honorable thing. But she was originally a decent woman, and she had no choice but to do this job. She was originally the kind of woman who cares about husbands and children, and has been planning to find another way out. But Nowadays, how can I find a job. The world is so bad, if there is a job, who would want to do this. Once I say it, you will understand? I once persuaded her to work in my shop, and she said that every day I'm afraid I won't be able to handle so many guests. But she also said that she should think about it." "She also considers coming to work here?" Hearing Ron's question, the owner of the lighting store nodded immediately: "She said, she has to think about it. But..." "But?" "She was worried about ruining the store's name." Then fell into silence. "Could she have been arrested..." He asked again. "No." Ron replied simply.However, he didn't want to go into details. Anthony's expression showed a hint of relief, but then it seemed to be replaced by a stronger anxiety. "Did something happen to her..." "You haven't seen the extras yet?" Ron asked. Anthony shook his head and said, "Here...the store cannot do without people. Please tell me, what happened?" "She's dead." Anthony was tongue-tied and stood in a daze: "What did you say?" Seeing his eye circles turn red, tears welled up in his eyes. "How is it possible..." Anthony said.He looked devastated.Such a heavy reaction can only be made when there is no ghost in mind.Ron couldn't help but believe him. "How did this happen?" Anthony asked again.Ron was silent, partly because he was watching the situation, and partly because he didn't know what to say. Anthony sighed deeply and began to tell: "My mind is full of Paula, every day, every day, imagining her coming to me and we run this store together. People may say that I am out of my mind That's right, this woman's past makes people look down on her face. Judging from her occupation alone, she is purely self-willed and depraved. She deserves to be looked down upon. She still can't let go of such a person... "I'm afraid everybody thinks I'm crazy. Maybe someone will tell me to think twice, and those bastards who know about her may spread rumors about me. But you see, I'm not old enough." Said that she has a dull temper and nothing but this store. For me, there will never be another woman as good as her in the future. "I mean it sincerely. No matter what others say, I really want to welcome her into the house with that child and live like a family from now on. This is my wish, and I want to fight with her Gossip, I have nothing to worry about. Then..." "Don't you have a wife?" Ron asked. "We left a long time ago, and I never married again. We have a son who has been living with his mother, and now he is independent, lives in a student dormitory, and works as a helper here. But... But this is too exciting No idea, what happened to Paula? She is a mother, she can't have any accidents, absolutely not. Mr. Police, what happened to Paula? I'm sorry, I'm a little excited..." As he spoke, Anthony took out a handkerchief and wiped the corners of his eyes. "Mr. Merton, do you know what's going on?" Ron asked. "Me? No, I don't know anything, I don't know anything." Anthony's voice became a little high-pitched. "I'm sorry to say that, Mr. Merton, but we are also on a routine basis, please understand. The day before yesterday, that is, the night of November 1st, did you meet Miss Denton?" "Number one, the day before yesterday? No." Anthony shook his head in denial. "Where have you been?" "The night before yesterday, I had dinner with my son after closing, and then we went to a tavern called Toynbee not far away. My son went back halfway, and I chatted with a neighbor named Jacob for a long time. Went home and went to bed afterward, it's the second floor here. Hi Jeff!" Anthony yelled.So, the clerk who was munching on a sandwich at a small table in the corner stood up and walked slowly towards this side. "We went to the fish shop there together, the night before yesterday, right?" "Yes." The son replied.The clerk is his son. "Where's Toynbee from?" "Well, that's right." "Understood," said Ron, "go ahead to lunch, please." After he finished speaking to his son, he turned to his father again: "Miss Denton has a bad heart, do you know that?" "Yes, she has been taking medicine. Is it because of this?" "Yeah," said Ron, "heart attack." "Oh." Anthony sighed deeply. "Don't you feel that any man is pestering her?" Anthony immediately shook his head again and again: "I don't know, I don't know." Suddenly, he raised his head and asked, "Didn't you say you had a heart attack? Why is there a man involved?" "For example, there is a man who is very close to her..." Ron avoided answering, just repeated his question. Anthony seemed to stare in Ron's face for a moment before saying, "No. I don't know, and I don't want to know." Then, "How did you find me? Who did you ask?" "Nobody," said Ron. "Miss Denton has your name in her little book." "Paula?" "Yes. You therefore seem to us to be the closest person to her." Hearing this, he closed his eyes hard.I saw a teardrop falling on the tip of the eyelashes of his left eye, like morning dew hanging on the tip of a leaf. "Ah, with your words, I am content." The owner of the lamp shop seemed to be sighing. "For me, who has long been disheartened, your words are like the language of a poet, and it sounds very useful." Ron listened and nodded silently, bearing a little touch and a strong disappointment behind the move.This man is not a murderer. "Well, I'm all right, Mr. Policeman, just tell me, I can handle it. If Paula had just died of a heart attack, you wouldn't have found me here, would you? Paula's gone What happened? What did someone do to her?" Ron stood silent for a long time, so overwhelmed with disappointment that he couldn't summon the energy to elaborate. "The newspaper is about to come out, so you can just read it. But Mr. Merton, listen to me, it's better not to read the extra numbers sold outside, it's all nonsense." As he spoke, he prayed in his heart, hoping that everything written in the newspaper would be in order. "Why, all the cases she's involved in have been published in newspapers and extras?" Anthony asked sadly. "Unfortunately," said Ron, "I want to bring the killer to justice. We'd have nothing to do if the investigation were to break down on your line. We've got to find out who brought this fate to good-natured Miss Denton." That man, bring him to justice. So we need clues. Do you understand? Do you know anything?" "I want to help you too..." Anthony said in pain, his right hand moved, as if he was suffering. "But I just can't think of anything, my brain is blank. She doesn't want to be in the limelight... Do you understand, she is inconspicuous, and it is impossible to get involved in the underworld. She doesn't take risks, and she doesn't do outrageous things. She never No gossip, no cheating. The little girls in the burger joints down the street are far more dangerous than her, and they flirt with customers at every turn. Paula never does that. She is A competent mother. Mr. Police, do you understand?" Anthony spoke quickly. Ron nodded: "I understand." He said, "That's why I want to catch the murderer as soon as possible." Anthony lowered his head, swayed from side to side and said, "But, it seems that I really can't help, unfortunately. I have been deliberately avoiding Paula's social circle, especially her male circle. Which man is she closer to? I don't want to know at all. So, I never asked her anything. As for those lecherous idiots who are only interested in her body, they are rubbish at all. I just hope she breaks with them as soon as possible. Others... I no longer know." "If you remember anything, please hang up and call the Eastern Washington Police Department. My name is Ron Harper and his name is Willie McGregor." "I can't promise you anything. I probably can't think of anything now, or tonight, or even tomorrow. The only people I know through Paula are her son, Martin, and her next door, Sierra. promise." Ron nodded and said, "Got it. We might come back." Then, he took Willie away.The moment he pushed open the store door, he looked back, only to see the thin and thin Anthony standing stiffly, his eyes staring at the ground in a daze.