Chapter 624: She Made Me Do It
Chapter 624: Chapter 624: She Made Me Do It
In the interrogation room, the stark white light shone on James Yelric’s face, which was slick with cold sweat.
He swallowed hard, his whole body trembling. "Officer, I... I didn’t kill anyone. C-Can you just let me go?"
Henry Stark eyed him coolly. "James Yelric, what was your relationship with Polly Eames?"
"Polly Eames was my girlfriend." James Yelric’s eye twitched, but his tone was calm. "But she’s been missing for days. Who knows if she ran off with another man, leaving me to take care of her two kids."
"Is that so?" Henry Stark’s dark eyes narrowed as he asked in a low voice, "Who did Polly Eames run off with?"
"How would I know?" James Yelric sighed. "I’m out earning money, and she’s fooling around behind my back. How could I possibly know?"
Henry Stark’s voice was grave. "You say Polly Eames ran off with another man, but we found her body in the freezer at your house."
A look of shock appeared on James Yelric’s face, sweat pouring down his forehead. "P-Polly Eames is dead? And in my freezer? That’s impossible! You have to be joking!"
Henry Stark’s gaze was sharp, his tone ice-cold. "The freezer was sealed with tape. We lifted your fingerprints from it."
Hearing this, James Yelric’s eyes darted about guiltily. "You must have made a mistake. I wasn’t the one who taped it. It was Polly Eames’s daughter. She told me the freezer was broken and needed to be taped up."
A look of sheer absurdity crossed Henry Stark’s face.
’Is James Yelric really trying to pin this on Willow?’
His tone grew even sharper. "James Yelric, we also found out that you’re a frequent gambler. You once demanded Polly Eames sleep with a creditor to pay off your gambling debts."
James Yelric stared at him in terror. "You..."
’He’d only ever told Polly Eames about those things. How did the police know?’
"James Yelric, why did you kill Polly Eames?" Henry Stark’s dark brows knitted together as he demanded angrily, "Was it because she refused to sleep with someone to pay your debts, so you held a grudge and killed her?"
James Yelric’s cuffed hands clenched into tight fists. He suddenly became agitated, saying indignantly, "That’s not what happened!"
"Then what did happen? Why did you kill Polly Eames?"
"She forced my hand! I didn’t want to kill her!" James Yelric stomped his foot in frustration.
Henry Stark asked calmly, "Then why did you end up killing Polly Eames?"
James Yelric then realized what he had just said. His face went pale, and he said hastily, "No, I didn’t kill her!"
Kyle Morgan tapped the end of his pen on the table. "James Yelric," he warned, "you’d better confess and hope for leniency. This is your last chance to get a reduced sentence. Don’t wait until it’s too late to have regrets."
James Yelric’s face was even paler than the interrogation room walls. His facial muscles twitched uncontrollably, his twisted expression a mask of unconcealable pain.
After what seemed like an eternity, he slammed his head hard against the table and roared, his voice thick with tears, "I had no choice but to ask her to sleep with someone else! Who would ever want his own woman to sleep with another man otherwise?"
His voice was filled with agitation. "I couldn’t pay back that much money! She was the only one who could help me, but she had to be so heartless! I begged her, but she still wouldn’t agree!"
’This guy has to be crazy,’ Kyle Morgan thought. ’He’s the one who lost the money gambling, so what right does he have to make someone else bear the consequences?’
Henry Stark’s thin lips barely moved as he said in a low voice, "Polly Eames wouldn’t agree to sell her body to pay your debt, so you killed her?"
"It’s not that I wanted to kill her, she forced me!" James Yelric roared angrily. "She would rather kill herself than help me!"
That night, James Yelric bought Polly Eames a red dress.
"Josephine, try on this dress."
Polly Eames was stunned. Holding the new dress, her face lit up with a smile. "Why did you suddenly buy me a dress?"
James Yelric didn’t explain, just told her to try it on.
Polly Eames changed into the dress and stood in front of the shabby wardrobe, looking in the mirror. "It fits perfectly, but it’s a little too revealing."
It was a V-neck slip dress. Normally, she didn’t even dare to wear a tank top.
James Yelric sized up her figure with a satisfied expression. "You look beautiful in it."
Polly Eames had a great figure, curvy in all the right places, but she usually wore loose-fitting clothes.
"Was it expensive? Can we return it?" Polly Eames asked.
"No need to return it." James Yelric lit a cigarette and, exhaling a cloud of smoke, said, "The most important thing is that you like it."
Polly Eames looked at him, a bit surprised. "James, why would you suddenly buy me a dress?"
James Yelric sighed. "Josephine, you know? I always hate that I’m not rich. Why can’t I give you and the kids a good life? Why can’t I let you buy whatever you want, so you don’t have to work so hard?"
He took another drag from his cigarette. "So, I put all my hopes on gambling. I wanted to win big, to give you all a good life."
Polly Eames frowned, sensing there was more to his words. "James, what are you trying to say?"
"Josephine, I wanted to win so badly," James Yelric said in anguish. "But the more I wanted to win, the more reality seemed to work against me!"
"What on earth happened?" Polly Eames asked uneasily.
"Josephine, now you’re the only one who can help me." James Yelric walked over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders.
Polly Eames suddenly felt her back stiffen and her scalp tingle with dread. "James, what... what’s wrong with you?"
"I’m sorry. I lost everything."
"How much did you lose?"
"I took a loan from a loan shark. With the compounding interest, I already owe 100,000."
"One hundred thousand?" Polly Eames’s eyes were fixed on him, her voice frantic with anger. "Are you insane? How could we possibly pay back that much money?"
"We can!" James Yelric said excitedly. "Josephine, I’ve already figured out a way to pay it all back!"
A terrible feeling washed over Polly Eames, and she instinctively took a step back. "What are you planning to do?"
"Josephine, you’re the only one who can help me now!"
"No, I can’t help you."
"You can!" James Yelric’s expression was almost manic. "Josephine, you have such a great body... The loan shark boss said that if you’re willing to spend a few nights with him, my entire debt will be cleared!"
"What did you say?" Polly Eames’s face was a mask of disbelief. "James, I’m your wife! I’m not some cheap woman you can sell!"
"Josephine, I know I’m wronging you!" James Yelric pleaded. "But you’re the only one who can help me!"
Polly Eames shook her head violently, utterly resistant. "No! I can’t do it! Stop pushing me!"
"Josephine, it’s just for a few nights! It’ll be over before you know it!" James Yelric tried to persuade her. "If you don’t help me, I’m a dead man! The loan shark already made a threat—if you don’t sleep with him, he’ll have his men chop off my hands and feet!"
"I won’t do it!" Polly Eames was a sobbing mess, on the verge of a complete breakdown. "I’d rather die! Don’t say another word!"