Chapter 411: I Won’t Allow You to Tell Her

Chapter 411: Chapter 411: I Won’t Allow You to Tell Her

Although Eliza Lynch found Zoe Sawyer’s question a bit odd, she still recalled the moment she had opened the door.

"There was nothing. It was just the scented oil I’d picked out. The room had been closed up, so the fragrance was a little strong," Eliza Lynch answered, recalling the moment she opened the door and sounding quite certain.

Zoe Sawyer stroked her chin thoughtfully. After nodding to the two of them, she pulled Heath Hale toward the office, explaining her idea as they walked.

"If someone just started smoking, three or four cigarettes a day would be enough to leave a noticeable smell on their clothes and hair.

But Eliza Lynch said his breath reeked of it. That means he either just finished a cigarette, or he’s a pack-a-day heavy smoker. Of course, it’s also possible that Eliza has a very sensitive nose and she’s exaggerating a faint smell.

Right now, we just need to find a veteran officer who’s also a heavy smoker to bring Kai Thorne a cup of water and say a few words to him. That should be enough to test our theory!" Zoe Sawyer said.

This was all information she’d researched and noted down back when she was writing her novel. She never expected it would come in handy here.

Heath Hale immediately understood Zoe Sawyer’s plan. She was going to use this method to verify whether Kai Thorne was actually a smoker!

The autopsy results weren’t back yet, and Kai Thorne was clearly being uncooperative. They had no choice but to find another way to test their hypothesis.

Soon, Heath Hale found a colleague from Team Two on a break—a well-known heavy smoker at the station.

"Mr. Kirk, do you have a minute? We need your help with something." Zoe Sawyer and Heath Hale quickly zeroed in on Mr. Kirk, who was smoking in the station’s designated smoking area.

Mr. Kirk, having been called over, saw Zoe Sawyer behind Heath Hale and quickly stubbed out his cigarette. He waved away the smoke around him and asked with a smile, "I have time. What’s up?"

Heath Hale pointed to the pack of cigarettes on the table. "We’re interrogating a suspect. Mr. Kirk, we need you to bring him a cup of water so he gets a whiff of the smoke on you, and then just say a few words to him."

Someone who’s been smoking three or four cigarettes a day for over a week and then suddenly stops for two days will have a completely different reaction to the smell of smoke than a non-smoker!

Mr. Kirk raised an eyebrow in surprise. He hadn’t expected the two of them to approach him so seriously just to ask him to deliver a cup of water.

But it wasn’t a big deal. Mr. Kirk didn’t hesitate and agreed on the spot.

"Alright, let’s go." Mr. Kirk waved a hand and followed them to the interrogation room door.

Mr. Kirk poured a cup of warm water and entered the interrogation room. He walked up to Kai Thorne and said gently, "Have some water."

Outside the interrogation room, Zoe Sawyer and Heath Hale stared intently at Kai Thorne, afraid of missing the slightest reaction.

The moment Mr. Kirk spoke, Kai Thorne couldn’t help but frown.

The acrid, bitter, almost foul smell hit his nostrils. Kai Thorne instinctively held his breath and leaned back slightly.

Perhaps thinking his reaction was too obvious and would give him away, Kai Thorne straightened his back and sat up properly.

He reached out to take the water Mr. Kirk offered, murmured a "thank you," and stared fixedly at the officer, as if waiting for the questioning to continue.

But Mr. Kirk was only there to deliver water. After Kai Thorne took it, he simply stood up straight, said nothing, and walked out.

Watching the man’s retreating back, Kai Thorne blinked in confusion. ’Wasn’t he here to question me?’

Then he looked down at the hand that had accidentally brushed against Mr. Kirk’s fingers when he took the cup.

Kai Thorne cautiously raised his hand to his nose, then shook it with a look of disgust. He poured a little of the warm water Mr. Kirk had given him and used it to wash his fingertips.

"Alright, anything else I can help you with?" Mr. Kirk asked, placing his hands on his hips and grinning at Zoe Sawyer and Heath Hale.

"No, that’s all! Thank you, Mr. Kirk!" Zoe Sawyer’s face lit up with delight as she watched Kai Thorne’s actions. Her theory had just taken a huge leap in the right direction.

"It was nothing. I’m not busy anyway. Alright, you two get back to it. Call me if you need anything else." Mr. Kirk waved and left the area.

Heath Hale looked at Zoe Sawyer, whose eyes were shining, and chuckled. "Hypothesis confirmed. Ready to press on and continue the interrogation?"

"Let’s go!"

Zoe Sawyer clenched her fists in excitement as they re-entered the interrogation room.

The moment they walked in, they noticed that Kai Thorne, who had just been wearing a look of disgust, had instantly reverted to his ’I don’t know anything’ facade and was picking at his nails again.

This time, however, Zoe Sawyer and Heath Hale weren’t going to waste any more time with him.

Zoe Sawyer stared at the suspect sitting across from her and stated with conviction, "Marcus Thompson tried to steal your identity. He wanted to take your place and live your comfortable life."

Kai Thorne, who had been wondering what to say next, snapped his head up at Zoe Sawyer’s words and stared at her, his eyes fixed on her.

Then, perhaps realizing his reaction was too emotional, he lowered his head again and pretended nothing had happened. "I don’t know what you’re talking about."

"Eliza Lynch told us that a while ago, you suddenly started smoking and drinking, and your clothes changed to match Marcus Thompson’s style. But based on our little experiment just now, your reaction tells me you’ve never smoked a day in your life.

So, I don’t need to tell you who it was in your home, living with Eliza Lynch under your name, do I? You already know.

Or do you just have a thing for being cuckolded? Do you enjoy watching your twin brother take your place and live with your wife?" Zoe Sawyer watched Kai Thorne’s expression, enunciating every word.

Seeing the color drain from Kai Thorne’s face, Zoe Sawyer knew she had guessed right again.

Kai Thorne knew perfectly well that Marcus Thompson had been impersonating him at home!

"I don’t know what you’re talking about! You’d better watch what you say, or I’ll sue you for defamation!" Kai Thorne’s voice was agitated. He slammed his hand on the table, his expression turning ferocious.

Zoe Sawyer’s expression remained casual. "If you want proof, I can provide it.

However, as a victim in this case, Mrs. Lynch has the right to know the whole truth. If she were to find out about what you and Marcus Thompson did, do you think your marriage could survive?"

She wasn’t just making an empty threat.

Anyone would have a hard time accepting that kind of behavior, let alone someone like Eliza Lynch, who had been doted on her entire life.

If she found out that the person living as her husband during that time was actually Marcus Thompson—a man she’d always detested—and that Kai Thorne knew all about it, she would surely find it unacceptable.

Zoe Sawyer could even predict how things would end between them once the truth came out.

"You can’t tell her!"