Aurelia POV
Evelyn and I got back to our chairs, and so did Austin and Carl. This case was finally about to move forward. It felt like a whole spider web spinning across my mind...
I went to the Items Room. Yeah, this is a special room where we keep the items we either collect during investigations or receive from clients in order to relate the case with objects—or sometimes as gifts. We do accept them, but nothing is really mine, hers, or his. It's ours.
The stale air that hit me the moment I opened the door was enough evidence that nobody cleaned this place. Now I understood why Evelyn had sent me.
I searched the top and bottom shelves of the first row but found nothing. Then, on the second row, on the middle shelf right beside a small black box, I finally found the phone.
I doubt anyone barely comes here.
Anyway, I went back carrying the phone.
"Thank you, Aurelia," Evelyn chirped.
"Yeah, yeah, fine. I'm never going back to that room. It has such stagnant air... although the boxes smelled good, so I somehow managed."
"Boxes? Never mind." Evelyn took the phone I had placed on my desk and asked, "Is this phone charged?"
"I don't know. Turn it on and check how much charge is left, or just plug it into the charger. It looks like it uses a Type-C charger."
While the phone was charging, I was about to prepare the draft when Evelyn said,
"Aurelia, I have an idea."
"Say."
I kept my eyes fixed on my computer while listening to what she had to say.
"As the phone is still charging, and it won't work properly until it's considerably charged, so—"
"So?"
I turned towards her with a huge question mark on my face.
"Shall we stalk his Instagram account?"
"Wow, Evelyn. That's actually a very good idea. Do you have his ID?"
"No."
We both looked at each other in subtle disappointment.
Then I said,
"Don't worry, Evelyn. I can find his ID... and his photos too."
I immediately started searching for his account through my Instagram.
After a few searches, I finally found it. Luckily, it wasn't private—it was public.
"Evelyn, look! I found his Insta handle."
"Really?"
She quickly leaned over to look at my computer screen where his profile was open. We started scrolling through his photos.
"See! See! Here... he's wearing the silver ring."
"Dio mio... then it's true. He does possess the ring..."
"Aurelia, print these photos and show them to Sir."
"Okay!!"
I walked to the printer to print the photos so we could confirm that the ring was indeed his.
While I stood there waiting as the printer made its usual noises, a male employee from a nearby department approached me.
"Hi. You're Aurelia Vale, right?"
At that moment, I wanted to say no, but unfortunately, I was wearing my ID card, which clearly said otherwise.
"Yes... that's me."
"You're very famous in our department."
"Your department? How? I just joined."
Man... are you kidding me right now? At least find a better topic to talk about.
"In our Finance Department, your beauty and talent are very commendable."
I forced myself to hide my expression and gave him a polite laugh, agreeing to whatever he said. True or false... who cares?
Just as I let out that small laugh, someone called my name from behind.
"Miss Aurelia Vale!"
I turned around to see who it was.
Then I realized...
It was my boss.
"Yes, Sir?"
"Report to my cabin immediately."
"I'm done for..."
I muttered, turned back to the male employee, gave him a polite goodbye smile, picked up my printouts, and headed to Vincent's cabin.
"So, Miss Vale. Found any leads?"
"Yes, Sir. These photos... he's seen wearing the same silver ring on his index finger throughout."
"It might be different from the ring we found. We don't have enough evidence yet. Rings like these are produced in lakhs across the country."
"Yes. For that, Austin and Carl are requesting the CCTV footage from the parking lot and the streets leading to the riverside."
"Hmm... what about your draft?"
"Not done."
"Why not? Because you were busy chit-chatting with an employee from the Finance Department?"
"No. Because I was helping Evelyn find these photos from that doctor's Instagram account."
He gave me a disappointed look for absolutely no reason.
"Okay. You can go."
Sometimes I wonder...
Do men have random mood swings just like Vincent just had?
I went back to my desk and told Evelyn everything that had just happened.
She gave me a teasing expression, as if she already knew what had caused Vincent's mood swing.
Anyway...
I started preparing the draft. It continued until evening, when Austin suddenly exclaimed that he had finally obtained the CCTV footage after contacting several employees.
We all gathered around his desk and began watching the footage with complete seriousness.
A few moments later, we noticed a man tampering with Matthew's car before running away.
It wasn't the doctor.
The man in the footage had hair, while at that exact time the doctor was inside the cabin talking to Matthew.
So, either it was someone the doctor had hired... or someone he didn't know at all.
I noted down the timestamps so it would be easier to document and locate the footage later.
Carl had already obtained the call records, so if any number connected to the man in the CCTV footage, then my theory would finally be complete.
After hours of calling the police station, company employees, random men and women...
We finally broke through the web.
The man had been contacted by the doctor ten hours before the incident—right after Matthew landed in Los Angeles.
I edited the draft and finalized it.
It proved that my theory had been right all along.
We finally had enough evidence to proceed.
Knock...
Knock...
"Come in."
"Yes, Sir. My draft is ready, and we now have all the evidence proving that my theory was correct. This is a murder, not an accident."
I said everything in one breath because I couldn't control my excitement.
Without saying a word, he simply pushed his glass of water towards me.
I quickly drank it.
"Hmm. Then I'll send a legal notice to the company, ask them to arrange their lawyers, and file the petition to reopen this case in court."
He looked at me before adding,
"Very good, Vale."
"Thank you, Sir."
"And yes, after I send the emails and complete all the formalities, we'll all go for a team dinner this Saturday. By then, everything should be done."
"Okay."
At that very moment...
It felt like I was flying across the sky with unicorns and my spirit animal—Nythera.
It doesn't actually exist.
It's simply a combination of three names...
Mute Swan.
Black Cat.
And Red Fox.