Even though it was considered taboo in traditional Chanaean culture, Roxanne didn’t care about that anymore. She nodded firmly and said, “Finding out the truth about my mom’s death is more important than following customs. Winnie mustn’t get away with it!”
Lucian understood her determination and said, “My dad has invited an old detective to help. He worked as a coroner for seven or eight years, so he’s good at what he does and will be here soon.”
With everything in place, Roxanne suddenly felt more at ease. That night, she dreamt of her mother. Even though they talked about a lot, she couldn’t remember what her mother said when she woke up. Maybe she’s trying to tell me something?
Regardless, Roxanne was even more determined to exhume the remains and perform an autopsy now.
The next day, she went through her usual routine of getting her kids ready for school and having breakfast with them before sending them off. When she returned, she found that her husband was accompanied by an old and lean man dressed in simple clothes.
“This is Bill Chapman,” Lucian introduced. Roxanne nodded and said, “Hello, Mr. Chapman. Thanks for coming to help us out.”
The old detective, Bill, nodded back with a friendly smile and said, “Let’s go. The weather is nice right now, so we can move quickly. By the way, have the police arrived at the site?”
Lucian confirmed that the police had sent officers to the cemetery, and they drove for half an hour to get there.
When they arrived, the cemetery was silent, and the golden sunlight shone on rows of gravestones, creating a peaceful atmosphere. Several police officers were already at Roxanne’s mother’s grave taking photos and collecting evidence.
Lucian, Roxanne, and Bill approached them quickly, and Bill greeted the officers, who showed him great respect. Everyone looked to Lucian and Roxanne, waiting for their confirmation. Roxanne nodded at her husband, who responded with a reassuring look.
“Officers, thank you for your hard work. Let’s begin!” Roxanne said to everyone. In her heart, she spoke to her mother. Mom, forgive me for being disobedient and disturbing your peace. I have to let the truth of your death come to light. We can’t let that evil woman get away with it!
Lucian didn’t let Roxanne watch the exhumation process and instead pulled her to the entrance of the cemetery to wait.
“Don’t worry, Darling. These officers are very professional. They just need to take some bones for testing. Once the testing is done, the bones will be returned intact. Nothing will be lost!” Lucian reassured her.
Roxanne wasn’t superstitious, but she made al suggestion. “Honey, after the testing is done, can we move the grave? Although I don’t think my father is qualified to be buried next to my mother, my mother truly loved him in her lifetime. That’s why she was so selfless. If only she could have decided enough was enough, maybe things would have been different!”
Lucian nodded in agreement as it was no problem to do so. This cemetery was small in scale and far away, which made it inconvenient for visits anyway.
After working for almost three hours, Bill and the group of officers came out. The officers nodded at Roxanne and Lucian before saying, “We can confirm that the remains of Ms. Jarvis” mother show signs of poisoning before death, and it was quite severe. Of course, we need to take the samples back for further testing to see what kind of poison was used. It won’t take long, though. You’ll only need to wait around one or two days for the results!”
When Bill heard this, he frowned and said, “You punks should work overtime and get the results within a day!”
The other officers hurriedly nodded in response. Bill asked the young officers to leave first and then went back to the car with Lucian and Roxanne. The first sentence out of his mouth was his conclusion. “If I’m not mistaken, it’s mercury poisoning!”
Mercury, also known as quicksilver, was the only metal that existed in liquid form under normal temperature and pressure. It could evaporate at room temperature, and the vapor and compounds of mercury were highly toxic.
Thermometers contained this substance, and if accidentally broken, one had to be extremely careful due to the toxicity of the mercury vapor. Roxanne was stunned when she heard the answer.
As a doctor, she had treated patients with mercury poisoning before. Most of these individuals had been accidentally exposed to small amounts of mercury and had suffered long-lasting agony afterward.
Mercury had a powerful impact on various parts of the human body, including the nervous, digestive, respiratory, skin, and urinary systems. The toxicity would gradually increase and cause problems in all parts of the body. The initial symptoms involved headaches, dizziness, insomnia, and irritability, and soon the signs of poisoning would eventually spread throughout the entire body, leading to organ failure.
Those who suffered from chronic mercury poisoning basically experienced every kind of pain the human body could possibly go through. As Roxanne heard the news, anger surged within her, causing her to tremble uncontrollably.
She clenched her teeth, and her eyes burned with fury. “Winnie, you have no heart! My mother had to endure unbearable pain every day before she died, yet she was still worrying about me. She must have been in so much agony!”
The pain was worse than death itself! Winnie Chardon, how I wish I could kill you! Tears streamed down her face like a flood. As Roxanne’s tears flowed, Lucian held her tightly and whispered reassuring words into her ear.
Bill’s face grew somber, but his eyes flashed with determination as he promised, “Don’t worry. I’ll help you catch the culprit responsible for your mother’s death!”
Once they arrived home, Roxanne’s emotions were still too overwhelming for her to stay still. She felt a burning desire to confront Winnie and make her suffer the same torment caused by mercury poisoning..
Soon, Cayden provided feedback that Winnie had taken the bait and agreed to meet with the people Lucian had arranged to discuss the villa’s sale price that night. However, to ensure Winnie couldn’t escape, Lucian instructed Cayden to get as many people as possible to block all the paths out of the city.
As night fell, the police confirmed that Roxanne’s mother had indeed suffered from mercury poisoning that had accumulated over time. They were currently preparing an arrest warrant. Once the process was approved, they could proceed to arrest and interrogate the suspect.
Lucian was stressing over Roxanne’s emotional fluctuations in the last few days. She kept going from being angry to breaking down and then finding some relief, only to go back to being angry again in a vicious cycle. He was afraid that she wouldn’t be able to handle it anymore.
Thus, he left her at home and went to the police station himself to urge them to speed up the process. Fortunately, the arrest warrant was officially issued, and four police officers went to the suburban villa to bring Winnie back to the police station.
As Winnie was only considered a suspect in the case and was required to cooperate with the investigation, they could only hold Winnie for twenty-four hours.
At the police station, Winnie was completely unafraid and full of arrogance. When she spotted Lucian but didn’t see Roxanne, she smirked coldly. “You can’t just pin any charges on me without evidence. Go ahead and investigate all you want. It doesn’t matter to me.”
Even the police officers were angered by Winnie’s arrogance, and they took her to the interrogation room with stern expressions.
Lucian waited at the door. When Bill came out, he shook his head slightly, his expression serious. “According to the forensic report, Ms. Jarvis’ mother had been suffering from the illness for three years. In other words, she had been exposed to mercury very early on. Based on the time of death, Winnie forced Grant to divorce Ms. Jarvis’ mother and entered the Jarvis family a year after the illness began. That means there’s a one-year interval between the two events.”
Lucian’s expression turned grim as he pondered over the words. After a few seconds, he asked, “Maybe Winnie had already set her sights on my mother-in-law from the beginning and secretly poisoned her early on?”
Bill shook his head and refuted that statement. “Ms. Jarvis mentioned her mother’s normal daily routine yesterday. Her mother was always at home taking care of the family and would have been alerted to any strange behavior from random women. I was also considering whether Grant helped Winnie do this, but if that were the case, he would have shown remorse and mentioned it before his death.”
Lucian believed this too. Grant’s behavior before his death was indeed remorseful. However, the fact that he took his own life is perplexing. Was he helping Winnie to keep the secret?
This whole case is becoming more and more confusing. Why is Winnie so arrogant and fearless? Don’t tell me it’s really because we won’t be able to find any evidence.
Bill muttered suddenly, “You should try to get Ms. Jarvis to remember more about what happened. We can see if her mother had any unusual behavior back then.”
Lucian nodded. “Mr. Chapman, I’ll go back and talk to Roxanne again. You don’t have to overwork yourself. Please rest more. Thank you very much for your help!”
“Don’t worry; I’m going to watch how these brats conduct their interrogation next. Who knows, maybe I’ll find something,” Bill said. He waved to Lucian before immediately heading back into the police station.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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