Chapter 649: Chapter 647 Old Path (Seven)_1 Chapter 649: Chapter 647 Old Path (Seven)_1 “`
Chief Jones ultimately did not accept Fu Qian’s suggestion, becoming even more silent for a while.
It was obvious that the recent experience had shaken his professional confidence to a certain degree.
After leading everyone back along the way they had come, he did not offer any explanation and simply had the two cars continue driving forward.
And after driving just a few hundred meters, he called a halt again.
At their current location, a fork in the road appeared suddenly in front of them.
After some consideration, Jones had his subordinate turn the car onto the right-hand path.
Compared to the other, this road was noticeably narrower and looked older.
Not far ahead, a bright yellow car came into view, parked quietly in the middle of the road.
In front of the car, the road had clearly reached an end, blocked by a pile of rocks and dirt.
“Your wife’s car?”
Jones had been keeping an eye on the reactions of the two in the back seat all this time. Seeing Harold suddenly sit up, he asked, unsurprisingly.
“Yes, she left in this car this morning.”
Harold stared straight ahead, his expression quite complex.
“Then let’s go check it out.”
Jones did not say much, signaling for them to get out of the car.
By the time Kateman and the others caught up, he was already standing silently beside the car.
“There’s no one in the car and the window appears to have been smashed from the outside.”
Seeing that he did not speak, the young officer promptly stepped forward to share the burden, analyzing the scene before them with professionalism.
And it was clear he knew his stuff.
From where Fu Qian stood, one could see that the driver’s door of the car was wide open, and the glass window had been shattered to pieces.
The direction of the scattered fragments indeed indicated that someone had smashed it from the outside.
However, at that moment, not only was the car empty, there was not even a trace of blood to be seen.
As the young officer continued his analysis, his expression grew increasingly grave.
“Looks like things are quite serious. Mrs. Harrold might have been attacked.”
“Oh, why do you say that?”
The tone of Jones’s voice remained steady and unchanged.
…
Although uncertain why the Chief seemed displeased, the young officer hesitated only briefly before swiftly sharing his reasons.
“The shattered glass is from the side window. Usually, this would mean that after the car had stopped, someone from outside smashed it to open the door.”
“Since the road is blocked ahead, it’s easy to think that Mrs. Harrold took a wrong turn and had to stop here.”
“Under these circumstances, suddenly someone comes to harm her. She locks the car windows, but the attacker simply smashes the glass and opens the door to take her away.”
“Looking inside the car, it seems quite likely that Mrs. Harrold tried to resist, but unfortunately ended up failing.”
The officer pointed to the messy interior of the car. Besides the broken glass, the glove compartment had also been opened, and various items including a sun hat were scattered around.
It’s unclear whether Mrs. Harrold was looking for a weapon to defend herself or if the perpetrator searched the car afterward.
“Sounds reasonable.”
Jones hummed slowly, turning his gaze to the victim’s family member.
“Did your wife say where she was going when she left today?”
“No…”
Harold stood there looking into the car, his body even trembling slightly.
“She hasn’t told me where she goes for a long time.”
He sounded sincere, and it seemed unlikely he was making it up.
Poor guy, his status in the family didn’t look too good.
“`
Fu Qian silently mused to himself.
“Okay.”
Jones didn’t seem surprised by the claim, his eyes slightly narrowed as he watched the volunteers behind him.
“After you came yesterday, did you encounter any strange people on this road?”
Strange people…
The group exchanged glances, and all shook their heads eventually.
“It seems you have a different opinion?”
Fu Qian, the only one who hadn’t moved, was quickly targeted by Jones again.
“Nothing more, I just feel that things are moving in a positive direction. I initially thought it was some sort of supernatural event, but now it at least looks like a normal murder case.”
“…You think this is a positive development?”
“Of course, supernatural events are much more troublesome to deal with, sometimes they don’t even make sense at all.”
What the hell is wrong with the thought process of today’s youth!
Although he didn’t continue the conversation, Fu Qian saw that very sentence in Jones’s eyes.
In fact, it wasn’t just him. Kateman and the others were also stunned, as if they were meeting him for the first time.
Despite his nonsensical talk, Fu Qian’s demeanor had a strong influence, and it brought a considerable sense of calm to the eerie scene, easing the atmosphere significantly.
“Just kidding, I actually find it a bit strange.”
Seeing the killing intent in Jones’s eyes hard to restrain, Fu Qian chuckled and waved his hand.
“Let’s not even talk about why Mrs. Harold went out, although it’s my first time here, I can tell this road has been abandoned for quite a while.”
“For a local, is it not a bit far-fetched to say she merely took the wrong turn and ended up here?”
“So I’m thinking, did she drive into this place and encounter the attacker, or did the attack start before that, forcing her to choose this road?”
…
Jones frowned as he stared at Fu Qian’s face, clearly not expecting him to seriously analyze the situation.
After a while, he huffed, turning to look at the silent young police officer.
“Your explanation makes sense logically, but if you think about it carefully, there are still many dubious aspects in the details. At the very least, Mrs. Harold’s behavior is indeed not normal.”
This was undoubtedly an acknowledgment of Fu Qian’s judgement.
…
Though it was embarrassing for an amateur to point out problems, the young officer wasn’t stubborn. After hearing what his superior had said, he also reluctantly nodded, his face filled with worry, because the situation had suddenly become more complex.
“Let’s head back for now.”
Jones didn’t say much else, he just gave an order to leave and looked towards Kateman and his group.
“Although we still can’t confirm what has happened, there seems to be some uncontrollable danger here. Living up in the mountains might not be safe.”
“Do you want to consider staying at home instead?”
…
“We’d rather not impose, and besides, we have many people, so moving together should be less dangerous.”
In response to Jones’s kindness, Kateman and the others instinctively looked at Lei, who, after some thought, still declined his uncle’s offer.
“If it really gets too scary, we can leave earlier.”
Right, a very rational choice, and one that fits the behavior of characters courting death.
Fu Qian silently commented.
“That’s up to you, but remember to say goodbye to your aunt before you leave, she’s been looking forward to seeing you for a long time.”
With Lei saying this, Jones didn’t insist any further and chose to respect their fate.
After admonishing them, he looked up toward the mountain.
“It’s still early, for safety’s sake, let’s escort you back first.”