Chapter 302: I Can’t Possibly Be Number Three
Chapter 302: Chapter 302: I Can’t Possibly Be Number Three
"Una saw the video and was terrified. She rushed out to find Linus Hollis," Joy said. "I don’t know what happened after that."
"Joy, what you’ve told me is very helpful." Renee Jennings stroked its head and said softly, "Thank you."
Joy’s fluffy face was somber. "Is Una really never coming back?"
Renee Jennings took a deep breath and nodded. "That’s right."
Hearing this, tears instantly welled up in Joy’s big, round eyes. "I miss Una so much."
Renee Jennings said a few words to comfort Joy, then stood up and turned to Chloe Kent. "Ms. Kent, Joy can’t be left here alone. Its owner is still abroad, so..."
Before she could finish, she heard Chloe Kent say dejectedly, "I’ll take Joy home with me."
"Okay." Renee Jennings turned to Sawyer and the others. "We still need to find out what happened after Una went to see Linus Hollis, and whether he is, in fact, the killer."
Chloe Kent hugged Joy and asked nervously, "How are you going to find out?"
"We don’t know yet." Renee Jennings frowned slightly. "Why wouldn’t Linus Hollis agree to break up with Una?"
"Yeah." Sawyer found it odd, too. "He didn’t want to break up, but he got a new girlfriend?"
"Linus Hollis has a new girlfriend?" Chloe Kent was stunned.
"Yes," Sawyer said. "We saw him on a date with his new girlfriend today."
Levi Hollis asked, "Do you think his new girlfriend knows anything?"
"Hard to say," Renee Jennings said in a serious tone. "We’ll contact her in the morning and ask her to come to the station."
It was past three in the morning. After seeing Chloe Kent off, it was nearly four by the time Renee Jennings got home.
She hurried to the bathroom to wash up, and by the time she got into bed, it was half past four.
Renee Jennings was exhausted and fell asleep almost immediately.
She set an alarm for nine o’clock. After waking up and having breakfast, she drove straight to the station.
When Sawyer saw her, he asked, "Have you had breakfast?"
"I have," Renee Jennings said.
Sawyer nodded. "I’ve already contacted the girl, Eve. She said she can’t make it until ten."
"Okay." Renee Jennings glanced toward the interrogation room. "Have you questioned him this morning?"
"Not yet," Sawyer replied. "The Chief said to question Eve first."
Renee Jennings nodded in understanding.
Henry Stark came out of his office, saw her, and called softly, "Renee, come here for a minute."
"Okay." Renee Jennings followed him into the office and asked quizzically, "What’s up?"
"You’re here so early. Aren’t you tired?" Henry Stark’s eyes rested on her face. "Coffee?"
Hearing that, Renee Jennings smiled. "We have a case, don’t we? Of course I’d come in early. No coffee for me, thanks. I already had some at home."
"Alright, have a seat," Henry Stark said calmly. "I’ve already read Joy’s statement."
Renee Jennings sat on the sofa. "What’s your take on it?"
Henry Stark took a sip of his coffee. "The reason Linus Hollis didn’t want to break up with Moira Ford is most likely because he stood to gain something from her."
"Gain something?" Renee Jennings blinked, confused. "Her apartment, you mean?"
"It’s likely more than just the apartment," Henry Stark said, his voice deepening slightly.
Renee Jennings frowned, her expression puzzled. "But if Linus Hollis was staying with Moira Ford for his own benefit, why would he kill her?"
"That’s the million-dollar question." Henry Stark set down his coffee. "I’ve been wondering the same thing."
A moment later, there was a knock on the office door.
"Chief, Ivy Griffin is here." Kyle Morgan’s voice drifted in.
"Okay," Henry Stark responded, then looked at Renee Jennings. "Want to rest here for a bit?"
"No, thanks." Renee Jennings stood up. "I want to hear what Ivy Griffin has to say."
The two of them left the office, one after the other.
Ivy Griffin was already seated in Interrogation Room 3.
Henry Stark and Sawyer entered the interrogation room, while Renee Jennings and the others went through a different door to watch from behind the one-way mirror.
The restless Ivy Griffin saw them enter and quickly asked, "Officers, you said on the phone you wanted to ask about Linus Hollis. He isn’t in some kind of trouble, is he?"
"He’s connected to a murder case," Henry Stark said matter-of-factly.
"M-Murder?" Ivy Griffin’s face paled, and her voice trembled. "How can that be...?"
Henry Stark presented his credentials, his tone serious. "We need to ask you some questions regarding Linus Hollis. We expect your full cooperation and truthful answers."
Ivy Griffin said quickly, "I didn’t know Linus Hollis killed anyone."
Henry Stark’s gaze was steady. "What is your name?"
"Ivy Griffin."
"What is your relationship with Linus Hollis?"
Ivy Griffin bit her lower lip. "We’re a couple."
"How long have you two been together?"
"About four months."
Henry Stark glanced at the file in front of him. "Before you started dating, did you know Linus Hollis had a girlfriend?"
"No." Ivy Griffin frowned. "He had a girlfriend? He told me this was his first time in a relationship."
Henry Stark stated calmly, "He was dating Moira Ford for three years. At the end of March this year, Moira Ford discovered he was cheating and broke up with him."
"The end of March?" Ivy Griffin’s face went white as a sheet. She murmured in disbelief, "We’d only been together for a month at that point. He... he actually lied to me..."
"Not only that, but while he was dating you, he was also constantly harassing Moira Ford, begging her to take him back."
"How could he do that?" Ivy Griffin’s head was spinning, her eyes turning red. "How could he lie to two people at the same time...?"
Henry Stark continued, "What were you doing on the evening of June 1st?"
Ivy Griffin replied, "I went to a movie with a friend. After it ended, we went to her place for a late-night snack."
Henry Stark asked, "Did you have any contact with Linus Hollis on June 1st?"
"We chatted on WeChat."
"Would you mind showing us the chat history?"
"Of course." Ivy Griffin quickly found the chat history on her phone.
Henry Stark took her phone and read through the messages, his dark brows slowly drawing together.
Ivy Griffin had sent many photos to Linus Hollis, and his replies were always the same: *I wish I were there with you*, *I wish I were eating that with you*, *I miss you so much...*
He handed the phone back to Ivy Griffin.
"The night of June 1st... he wasn’t..." Ivy Griffin bit her lip, hesitating. "...committing the murder, was he?"
"Are you truly completely unaware that he murdered Moira Ford?" Henry Stark’s dark eyes narrowed, his gaze sharp and probing.
"I really didn’t know." Ivy Griffin shook her head frantically. "If I’d known he killed someone, I would’ve broken up with him immediately."
After a moment, she added, "No, that’s not right. If I had known he had a girlfriend in the first place, I never would have agreed to date him."
Afraid of being implicated, Ivy Griffin tearfully unlocked her phone. "You can look at our chat history from before we started dating! I really didn’t know Linus Hollis had a girlfriend! I could never be Number Three..."