Chapter 83

“My name is Tony Smith.

I am guilty of killing Shuart, a ten year old boy.

I can’t forgive myself, I still dream of that scene after all these years, my heart is filled with guilt …… ” Blackie reads stopping and lamenting.

“Poor Tony, he didn’t even know that Shuart wasn’t dead at the time and kept feeling guilty for something he didn’t do.”

“SHUT UP! Keep reading or I will.” David reached out to take the diary away.

“Don’t even think about it.” Blacky wasn’t going to miss the chance to show off and continued reading, “Fifteen years ago, when I was still living in Helm, I had a girlfriend in love, Cindy, who was a maid at Telson Manor, which was the largest and most beautiful manor in Helm.

Cindy had also always fantasized about owning one of these fantastic estates.

I have also been working hard for Cindy’s dream.

One day, Cindy approached me and said that Anna, the mistress of the manor, wanted to leave the manor and asked me to drive Anna to the city of Los Angeles and would pay a pricey commission.

I agreed. ……”

Marcus describes the crime that year in his journal, the first part of which matches Cindy’s and Cole’s descriptions, until there is a difference after the money is split.

Lawn took the kids and left.

I was dumbfounded and at a loss for words when confronted with the bodies of Anna and Shuart.

Cindy, although a woman, was more calm than I was and directed me to put the bodies in the car and drive to the Gobi near the city of Los Angeles where we were going to bury the car with the bodies.

That’s when something terrible happened, Shuart woke up.

He wasn’t dead! Just passed out.

I was so excited, I didn’t kill anyone, I’m not a murderer!

I was going to take him to the hospital for treatment, he would be fine.

But ……

Cindy stopped me.

She was pregnant with our daughter, my sweet Lisa.

Cindy questioned me what would happen if the child was born and learned that the parents were murderers and robbers.

I was speechless.

Cindy told me to kill Shuart, she said it would be better for everyone.

Shuart wouldn’t have to suffer anymore.

I hesitated.

I didn’t know what to do.

Cindy called me a coward and told me to give her the knife.

She was still carrying my baby, how could I let her do such a thing.

I did it.

Stabbed Shuart in the chest with the knife.

I killed him.

It was me.

I’m a murderer!

I couldn’t forgive myself.

I was afraid to tell anyone, even Dave, who I trusted the most.

I feel like I’m being punished by God every day I’m alive!”

After reading it, Blackie gave an exaggerated expression, “Wow wow, so the murderer is really Tony! I always thought he was wrongly accused.”

The lieutenant shook his head, “The real murderer is Cindy, we’re charging her with intentional homicide, not manslaughter.”

Black shrugged, “Will she admit it?”

The lieutenant said confidently, “With this diary, I’ll get her to confess.”

The survey team had been searching the warehouse, sorting and organizing everything inside.

Most of it was worthless clutter and junk, the things of value were Anna’s missing jewelry, but there was no sign of the oil painting.

Also found was a dagger, most likely the murder weapon that killed Shuart.

The group was busy until mid-afternoon, when they returned to the Detective Bureau.

As soon as they entered, Matthew greeted them, “Guys, welcome home, I have news for you too.”

“What news?”

“One good news, one bad news, which one first?”

Marcus said, “The bad news.”

“The paintings have been examined and there are no mezzanines in them, and no sign of that oil painting by the Impressionist master Schild Hassan.”

Marcus looked at Luke, “Man, that two hundred thousand dollars you’ve had your heart set on has flown again.”

Matthew continued, “The good news is that the bounty on that painting has been increased to three hundred thousand dollars, and it’s just as valid for the police.”

Hearing that the bounty had increased again, Luke couldn’t help but walk over to check it, revealing a thoughtful look.

It was not Hans, the original owner of the painting, who had increased the reward amount, but the insurance company.

Luke continued to check the content of the information, the oil painting had a huge insurance policy with the insurance company and had already paid out.

He thinks back to all the people involved.

Cole, Tony, Cindy, and Lawn, all of whom claim not to have seen the oil painting.

Because of Anna and Shuart’s deaths, the police had been assuming it was a robbery, and also had a preconceived notion that the oil painting had been taken like the rest of the property.

Suppose, if they are telling the truth, Anna did not take the oil painting in the first place and they have not seen it.

Where is the oil painting?

Hans, who was the only one of the remaining men who could have possibly hidden the oil painting.

Luke asked, “Lieutenant, did the police know that the oil painting was insured for a huge amount twenty years ago?”

The vice squad replied, “Of course, it’s normal for an expensive painting like this to be insured, do you suspect that Hans was supervising the theft?”

“There is no such possibility?”

“We investigated it at first, but we didn’t find out what happened to the painting.

And you shouldn’t underestimate the insurance investigators, they’ll track down a large policy like this for months, even years, and have long since rummaged through Hans’s house.”

Luke said, “What if Hans hadn’t kept that painting in his house all these years?”

“What do you mean?”

“David and I heard rumors of the ‘Telson Manor’ being haunted on this trip to Helm City, and we went to investigate at night and found that the person pretending to be a ghost was Hans.

We asked him why he was pretending to be a ghost.

His reason at the time was that because of insolvency the manor had been mortgaged to the bank, but he didn’t want the bank to sell the manor, and that it held memories of him and his family.

What if the memories he was talking about were the oil painting worth millions of dollars.

Telson Manor is already owned by the bank, it is unlikely that an insurance investigator would go there to investigate, and Telson Manor is so large that it would be too easy to hide an oil painting.

The reason why Hans is playing God is that he does not want the manor to be auctioned by the bank, so that he has no place to hide the oil painting, after all, no one is more familiar with the manor than him.

This is the best place for him to hide the oil paintings.”

David said, “The last time we arrested Cole and Cindy, I’ve already led a search of the Telson Manor and didn’t find the oil painting.”

Luke thought for a moment and said, “Hans saw us at the manor and already knew that the police had re-investigated the ‘disappearance case at Telson Manor’, and it’s likely that he returned to the manor to take the oil painting with him.”

The lieutenant nodded, “Reasoning is not a problem, do you have any evidence?”

Luke recalled for a moment, “When did Hans come to the station to identify the body?”

Jenny replied, “I was the one who received him, it would have been March 25th at five in the afternoon.”

“We met with Hans in the early morning hours of the 25th, when he acted very anxious when he heard that his wife’s body had been found, and left the estate before dawn to prepare for his trip to Los Angeles.

According to the time and the presumption of the drive, he could have arrived at the Los Angeles City Hall in the morning, and after noon at the latest.

But isn’t it a bit of a mouthful that he’s been dragging his feet until he arrives at five in the afternoon.”

The crowd was gradually convinced by Luke’s reasoning.

The vice squad analyzed smoothly, “With the case reopened, the insurance investigator will most likely refocus on the painting as well, and if the painting was really hidden by Hans, he definitely wouldn’t dare to exist in warehouses and banks.

In his haste, it would be difficult for him to find a more suitable place to hide the painting. If it were me, I would probably hide it at home.

Of course, it’s temporary, and I’d move as soon as a better place became available.

I’d put it under my nose until I found a suitable spot.”

Jenny said, “We don’t seem to have a reason to search his home and it will be hard to convince a judge to issue a warrant.”

Matthew said, “Guys, I found out where Hans lives now.

It’s an apartment located in Los Angeles, but the apartment is on Anna’s property.”

Susan nodded, “GOOD, we have no way to search Hans’ home.

But there is a reason to search the victim Anna’s apartment.”