Chapter 461: Attempted Murder

Chapter 461: Chapter 461: Attempted Murder

Mr. Morrison asked as he opened the door, his voice laced with anxiety.

Captain Crowe nodded to one of his officers. The officer understood immediately and handed the elderly couple a printout of the chat logs between their son and his girlfriend.

The couple was confused at first, but their expressions changed drastically the moment they saw the contents.

They flipped through the pages rapidly, staring at their son in utter disbelief.

Morrison was huddled in the corner, head in his hands, occasionally peeking at what was happening.

When he heard Captain Crowe ask about the children’s room, his heart had leaped into his throat, and a wave of panic washed over him.

Before he could figure out why the police had zeroed in on that specific room so quickly, he saw them pull out a stack of papers and hand them to his parents.

His parents’ expressions had gone from confused to something else entirely after seeing the documents, as if he’d committed some unforgivable sin.

Morrison knew it was over.

’I’m completely finished.’

’The police must have found out everything he and his girlfriend did, and now they’ve told my parents.’

Mrs. Morrison’s hands trembled as she read the chat logs. She couldn’t believe her own son had said these things.

’Those two are his children, too!’

Mrs. Morrison walked over to her son, raised her hand, and slapped him hard across the face. "You heartless bastard! They’re your children! You were going to let them fall to their deaths, all for some woman?

Did she put you up to this? I told you she was no good, but you wouldn’t listen! To think you divorced Linda’s mother for a woman like her!"

The angrier she got, the more she railed at him. Mrs. Morrison struck her son’s shoulder hard again, her voice filled with bitter disappointment.

Ms. Crawford and Zoe Sawyer watched in silence.

They had read the chat logs, too. While it was true his girlfriend had instigated it and made the initial suggestion, things never would have escalated this far if Morrison had just been firm and refused.

To put it bluntly, he wanted to get rid of the two "burdens" as well.

And not by giving them back to their mother, but by getting rid of them for good—so they would never, ever be a part of his life again.

The two children were too young to understand what was going on.

Panicked by the unfolding scene, they clung to their grandfather’s legs and hid behind him, peeking out with half their faces to watch.

They wanted to go to their mother, but their grandmother was hitting someone, which scared them.

After berating and hitting her son, Mrs. Morrison managed to force a smile. She looked at the police and said, "It’s a misunderstanding. This is all just a misunderstanding. We’re family. We would never do something like this.

This is a family matter. We can handle it ourselves, in private."

As she spoke, she frantically shot glances at Ms. Crawford, signaling for her to say something and explain things to the police.

’Whatever the problem was, they could have just discussed it as a family in private. Why make such a big deal out of it and call the police!’

"Besides, Officer, it’s all that woman’s fault! She bewitched my son! Just arrest her. Can’t you let my son go?" Seeing that Ms. Crawford remained impassive, with no intention of speaking up for Morrison, Mrs. Morrison grew desperate and pointed to the girlfriend, who was pinned to the ground nearby.

She thought she was acting in her son’s best interest and assumed he would play along.

But the moment she finished, Morrison blurted out, contradicting her. "That’s not true! We planned it together.

Besides, it was just a thought! We didn’t do anything, the kids are fine. There’s no need to blow this out of proportion."

In his mind, all he’d done was have the thought. He hadn’t acted on it yet. The kids were perfectly fine, so it couldn’t possibly be a crime.

Meanwhile, Captain Crowe entered the children’s room with two of his officers.

Just as the elderly couple had said, the room was in the middle of being organized.

But it wasn’t being organized in the way they’d imagined. Everything was still in its original place, untouched. Only the guardrail on the bay window looked suspicious.

Captain Crowe went over to inspect it and discovered saw marks on the bars. A child, let alone an adult, could break it with a gentle push or by simply leaning against it!

They were just balanced so well that the damage was impossible to spot unless you were right up close.

Combined with the timeline and tasks mentioned in the chat logs, Morrison and his girlfriend’s intentions were crystal clear.

’They were clearly trying to use this to stage an "accident" where the children would fall to their deaths!’

There were even shoe prints from Morrison on the bay window. Captain Crowe signaled to a nearby officer to photograph them as evidence.

Once they confirmed there was no other evidence in the room, the three officers stepped out.

Mrs. Morrison was still clutching an officer’s sleeve, trying to reason with him that her son hadn’t committed any crime.

He was just saying things to appease his girlfriend; it wasn’t serious. They couldn’t take her son away.

She also tried to play the sympathy card, saying her son was the family’s pillar, that everyone depended on his salary to live. If he were arrested, the elderly couple and the children would lose their only source of income.

She begged Captain Crowe and his men to be lenient and not take Morrison into custody.

Captain Crowe remained unmoved by her plea. He stated plainly, "Are you aware that the guardrail on the bay window in the children’s room was sawn through?

If the window were open, a child sitting there could fall just by leaning against it. Did you know that?"

The tearful protests Mrs. Morrison was about to make died in her throat. She truly had no idea.

’Her son never let her in that room!’

Mr. Morrison, holding his two grandchildren’s hands, asked in a trembling voice, "Sawn through?"

"Yes, sawn through," Captain Crowe confirmed. He then looked at Morrison, who was still huddled on the floor. "And a crime isn’t only a crime when someone actually dies.

A case like this is attempted murder. That’s still a prison sentence."

The moment he heard he could be sentenced, Morrison protested, arguing again that they were just blowing off steam and never actually intended to do anything.

Nearby, his girlfriend struggled and chimed in, "That’s right! We were just venting!"

"Save it for the station," Captain Crowe said, in no mood to argue any further. He signaled for his officers to escort the two of them out.

Worried about their son, Mr. and Mrs. Morrison started to follow.

As for their two grandchildren?

’Their mother was right there; they could just leave the kids with her. Their son’s situation was more important now.’

Ms. Crawford pulled her two children into her arms, and the frantic pounding of her heart finally began to subside.

"Thank God, you’re both safe. You’re safe," Ms. Crawford murmured, kissing her children. "Mommy’s going to keep you with me from now on, I promise."

That inexplicable fear of losing her children finally vanished in that moment.