17 Chapter 17 The Bootlicker In The End..._1

In the evening, Aiden came to the prison's visitation room and as soon as he entered, he saw the witch Daili, whom he had commissioned to monitor, sprawled asleep on the iron table, with crumbs of butter berry pie stuck at the corner of her mouth.

Looking at her sweetly sleeping face, Aiden's eyes twitched.

He turned back to the door and, reaching out to the guard watching outside the visitation room, said, "Lend me your baton for a second."

When Aiden got the baton, he returned to the table and stared at Daili for a while before slamming the table with the baton.

With a loud "clang," Daili screamed as she woke up, springing up instantly like she was on a coil.

"Good morning, Daili, did you sleep well?" Aiden asked, smiling thinly as he tapped the baton in his palm.

"Warden?" It was only then that Daili realized who had woken her up. Clutching her chest with her manacled hands, she let out a sigh of relief, "Don't scare me like that, my heart almost stopped."

"Wipe your mouth after eating," Aiden pointed to the corner of his own mouth to remind Daili.

"Ah, my apologies for you seeing me in such an unseemly manner," Daili said, extending her tongue to lick the corner of her mouth, but she still missed a spot.

"You didn't clean it off, wipe it with your hand," Aiden frowned.

"Then how about the warden helps me wipe it off?" Daili cooed at Aiden, stretching her fair neck and tilting her face toward him.

"Sure, I can," Aiden replied with a "kind" smile, his right hand slowly raising fingers clasped, a motion that seemed to prepare for a ground-shaking slap.

"Alright, alright, I'll wipe it myself!" Daili quickly backtracked, wiping the corner of her mouth with her fingers.

"If my memory serves me correctly, I believe I did commission you to perform a surveillance task," Aiden said sternly as he took a seat opposite Daili, placing the baton on the table with an intimidating presence, "I left you in the visitation room all afternoon with your casting privileges intact and even went out of my way to buy you pastries. And here I find you sleeping on the table the moment I come in; I hope you're not toying with me."

"How could that be?" Daili hurriedly smiled apologetically, poking her index finger as she carefully argued, "I'm just too tired, using summoning magic for extended periods really drains spiritual power, and besides, I can't keep an eye on the target right now."

"What do you mean?"

"I can only possess animals to monitor him, but he went into a place I can't enter," Daili spread her hands with a helpless look.

"What place?"

"A nightclub called Midnight Rose on Fireworks Alley, led in by a chubby man..."

"Wait a minute!" Aiden immediately reacted, "Say that again."

"He went to a nightclub called Midnight Rose..."

"Not that, the other half!" Aiden's gaze was piercing as he focused on Daili.

"He went there with a chubby man."

"Was it that mounted police with the handlebar mustache, who ushered me out of the reception room this morning?"

"Umm... it seems like him," Daili pondered before giving a definite answer.

It was Jaron Lorton, Aiden concluded in his mind.

"When did they meet?" Aiden pressed on.

"Around 8:30 in the evening, I think. It seemed like the chubby man had arranged to meet the little devil."

So these two were in cahoots; it seems my speculation was more or less correct.

From the information provided by Veronica, it appears that Jaron Lorton is currently the most likely true murderer, while Bruce Cain tampered with the evidence to protect him, framing Veronica for the crime.

If this deduction is accurate, the two men undoubtedly have formed a complicit relationship; if one is investigated, the other will surely feel the pressure.

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Today, he had arranged to talk with Bruce, but Jaron hurriedly rushed to the parlor to interrupt their meeting, and even asked Bruce out for a private chat that night... Was he trying to warn him?

If that was the case, what means did Jaron use to induce Bruce to give false testimony?

Did he lure him with money, or coerce him using his official authority and background... or was it a combination of both?

To find the flaws in the false testimony Bruce had given, this point must be clarified.

"Tell me about the kid's agenda for today," Aiden instructed Daili.

"I've written it down on paper for you to review," Daili said, handing over a report she had placed on the table.

Aiden took it and suddenly furrowed his brow, lifting and shaking the paper: "Why is this paper wet?"

The report had a large area soaked with wetness, and a small portion of the ink-written words had been smeared.

"This, well..." Daili pursed her lips and offered an embarrassed smile, "I accidentally spilled water while drinking..."

"You drooled while sleeping, didn't you!"

Aiden bluntly pointed it out, then spread the paper on the table and began to read the contents closely.

"2:10 PM, left the police station for patrol in the uptown district. While passing the Royal Opera House, stood in line outside to book two tickets... Hm?" Aiden thought for a moment, "I recall those tickets aren't cheap."

The Royal Opera House is the most luxurious theater in Silvertown, and during the staging of a popular play, a single ticket would cost at least several shillings. Converted to Aiden's original world, that's roughly the equivalent of concert tickets for big stars that are close to a thousand bucks at face value, and would double once in the hands of scalpers.

"He must be planning a date with a girl; keep reading, and you'll see," Daili said with a meaningful smile.

Continuing, Aiden read: "Returned to the police station at 5 PM, left work at 5:30 PM, then headed to the Queen's Hotel. Took a seat by the window, and at a little past 6 PM, a female companion arrived; the two dined until 7 PM..."

He looked up and asked Daili, "How old did the female companion look?"

"About twenty, definitely very young."

"A lover?"

"It's a bit more nuanced than that. From what I see, the kid seems to be pursuing her," Daili said with a meaningful smile, "Look further down; after they finished dinner, they went shopping, and the kid even bought the girl a coat, but he didn't even get to hold her hand during the entire time."

Aiden fell into thought again. The average cost at the Queen's Hotel is about ten shillings, which is approximately equivalent to the slightly pricey restaurants in Aiden's past life with an average per-person cost of four to five hundred.

Bruce earned just over a pound a week as a trainee police officer, and even with a recent promotion, the increase wouldn't have been substantial. In terms of economic strength, it wasn't much different from those office workers earning a monthly salary of four to five thousand.

If Bruce came from a middle-class family, such spending would be understandable, but according to Veronica, he seemed to come from a rather impoverished background.

If that was truly the case, for him to splurge so extravagantly on courting a girl...

"He's either stumbled onto a fortune or he's just downright pathetic," Aiden murmured.

Upon hearing this, Daili showed Aiden a sly smile, "Actually, I'm your adoring doggy, woof woof!"

She gestured with her hands to mimic the shape of dog paws and put on a cutesy pose.

"Ha, you...," Aiden raised an eyebrow at her, "should be considered my lackey."

"Heartbroken, and here I was, smitten with you," Daili theatrically collapsed onto the table, feigning heartache.

Aiden ignored her and kept his gaze fixed on the report.

He never believed such words from prisoners.

In his eyes, there was no room for any emotional bond between him and the female prisoners he used, only transactions of interest.

After all, the most taboo thing in his line of work was to easily trust a prisoner.

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