Chapter 297: He Didn’t Kill Anyone
Chapter 297: Chapter 297: He Didn’t Kill Anyone
Linus Hollis clenched his jaw and slowly stood up.
Zachary Conway yanked his hands over and cuffed him.
"Linus..." Mindy looked at him anxiously. "You didn’t do it, did you?"
"Of course not." Linus Hollis’s back was ramrod straight, his voice firm. "I could never do something like that."
"Okay." Mindy nodded. "I believe you."
Linus Hollis forced a smile. "Mindy, thank you for trusting me."
Zachary Conway led Linus Hollis away.
People from the surrounding tents who had overheard their conversation looked at each other, their eyes wide with shock.
"Oh my god, he killed someone?"
"So he’s not just a scumbag, he’s a murderer!"
"That’s terrifying!"
"..."
Hearing the others muttering, Mindy frowned. "You don’t know anything," she snapped. "What gives you the right to call him a murderer? He didn’t kill anyone!"
"Miss, what’s your relationship with that guy?" someone asked curiously.
Mindy hesitated for a few seconds before replying, "We’re friends."
She had met Linus Hollis while traveling. They added each other on WeChat and chatted for a while, eventually discovering they both worked in Zenvia. After that, they started talking more frequently and would occasionally go out for a meal.
She could sense that Linus Hollis wanted to pursue her, but he hadn’t officially made a move yet.
"Then do you know who was sitting in your spot before you got here?" someone else asked.
Mindy, of course, had no idea, so a helpful bystander answered, "It was his girlfriend, but she got scared away by a snake. And then you showed up."
"What?" Mindy didn’t believe it at all. She rolled her eyes and said, "Don’t talk nonsense. That girl obviously had the wrong person. My friend already told me all about it."
Seeing that she was in denial, Nicole Sinclair pursed her lips. "Forget it, everyone. Let’s just drop it. Let people make their own choices."
Mindy was left speechless. She grabbed her bag to leave, but then she saw a group of uniformed officers entering the barbecue campground in an orderly fashion.
"Why are there so many police officers?" a guest exclaimed.
"What’s going on? I think I just saw someone get taken away!"
"I heard that guy dumped a body in the lake..."
The campground manager hurried over, hands pressed together in apology to the gathered guests. "I’m so sorry, everyone. The police are conducting an investigation, and we have to cooperate fully. I’m truly sorry for the disruption to your meal. To make up for it, we’ll give everyone a twenty-percent discount on their total bill at checkout."
The guests were understanding; after all, it was an unforeseen disaster for the business as well.
The guests hurried to finish grilling and eating, wanting to be done before the police started to recover the body. They figured they’d lose their appetites soon enough...
"Renee Jennings, can Kohl help?" Henry Stark asked softly.
Before Renee Jennings could speak, Kohl cut in, "Yes! Of course I can! I know where that big box is. I’ll lead you to it!"
"How are you so amazing?" Renee Jennings chuckled, then nodded to Henry Stark. "It’s willing to help. It says it will lead us to the big box."
Kohl was delighted by the praise. "You think I’m amazing?"
"Yes," Renee Jennings affirmed.
Kohl wasn’t modest in the slightest. "You have good taste, then," it said, flicking its tongue.
Renee Jennings gave a helpless smile.
Officers from the criminal investigation team and the local police station set up a cordon, and a high-powered lamp illuminated the dark, deep surface of the lake.
Renee Jennings and her group paid their bill and walked toward the lake.
Nicole Sinclair watched from a distance, her eyes filled with admiration.
When her brother and sister-in-law heard the police were about to start recovering the body, they urged her to leave.
But Nicole Sinclair shook her head. "Sean, Sis, you guys go on ahead. I’m staying here to watch."
"What’s so interesting about a dead body?" her brother and sister-in-law said, exasperated.
A smile touched Nicole Sinclair’s lips as she gazed in Renee Jennings’ direction. "The body isn’t interesting to look at, but my idol is!"
"Who’s your idol?" Sean asked.
Sister-in-law Sinclair said, "That influencer, Renee Jennings, the one you were calling out to earlier?"
"Yep." Nicole Sinclair nodded. "She’s amazing!"
Sean sighed. "What’s so amazing about an influencer?"
Nicole Sinclair said defensively, "Renee is different from other influencers!"
"Alright, alright, that’s enough," Sister-in-law Sinclair said, shooting her husband a glare. "We’ll wait here with Nina for a bit."
"A dumped body... aren’t you guys scared?" Sean frowned.
Sister-in-law Sinclair replied, "If you get scared, you can just hug me and Nina."
"That’s right!" Nicole Sinclair nodded. "Sis and I will protect you!"
Sean: "..."
His one-man protest was futile, so he had no choice but to accompany his wife and sister toward the lake.
Nicole Sinclair stood outside the police tape and watched Renee Jennings, Kohl the snake coiled around her arm, speaking with several officers in wetsuits.
Sean saw it too and asked, confused, "Is this influencer really that big of a deal? It seems like those officers are really listening to her."
"She’s incredible," Nicole Sinclair said proudly, and began recounting the various incidents from Renee Jennings’s live streams.
The people nearby listened intently, and many started asking for Renee Jennings’s account name so they could follow her.
Renee Jennings was oblivious to Nicole Sinclair recruiting new fans for her. She walked to the edge of the lake and slowly crouched down. Kohl, who had been coiled around her arm, immediately slid into the water.
Kohl went in first to confirm the suitcase’s location.
A moment later, ripples spread across the surface of the lake nearby. Kohl’s head emerged, its tongue flicking as it spoke to Renee Jennings. "Renee, you can let the two-leggers in the water now. I’ve found the box."
"Okay," Renee Jennings called back. She turned to Kyle Morgan and the other officers. "Kohl has confirmed the suitcase’s location. Follow it."
"Roger that!" Kyle Morgan and the others responded in unison. They crouched, then leaped, diving into the lake and sending up a spray of water.
The night was deep, and time ticked slowly by.
Ten minutes later, the surface of the lake rippled again as several heads broke through the water.
"They’re back!" Sawyer said excitedly.
’This recovery time has to be a new record!’
Dripping wet, Kyle Morgan and his colleagues dragged the heavy suitcase back to shore.
The black suitcase was placed on the grass, and an officer immediately began documenting the scene with a camera.
Henry Stark put on a mask and gloves and knelt before the suitcase.
When Renee Jennings saw this, a thought struck her. She immediately turned and covered Michelle Fuller’s eyes. "Don’t look. You’ll have nightmares."
"I won’t!" Michelle Fuller nodded quickly.
’To be honest, Renee Jennings was a little scared herself. She’d never seen a waterlogged corpse before.’
Sawyer seemed to sense this. He thoughtfully moved to her side and said softly, "It’s okay, Renee Jennings. Don’t force yourself. Just take your time."
"Okay, I know." Renee Jennings looked into Sawyer’s eyes and nodded slowly.
Henry Stark pulled the suitcase’s double zipper. His lips were pressed into a thin, tight line, his expression grave.
He slowly unzipped the suitcase.
The moment the case was opened, Renee Jennings couldn’t overcome her fear and instinctively squeezed her eyes shut.