Chapter 81: Who Is the Murderer?

When put this way, everything fits logically. Even if that little girl, Irene, had some talent for deduction, there are many talented people out there. How many of them are as smooth sailing as she is? Ha! She portrays herself as a modern woman, but in the end, isn't she still relying on a man? Kashi was getting impatient. At home, he had always been tolerant of Helen, to the point of fear, but when it came to important matters, Kashi never backed down: "Alright, let me ask you, are you going or not?" Helen genuinely loved her husband and knew clearly that he was her only support. She wouldn't really make him angry, so she smiled and said, "Of course I'll go. I'm just talking to you, aren't I?" Her voice was so sweet that it reminded Kashi of their younger, more romantic days, and his tone softened considerably: "Then do it soon. Buy more things that mother hasn't tried." When Joanna came home, she saw Helen getting ready to go out. Surprised, she asked, "Mom, where are you going? It's almost time for dinner." A servant handed over the purchased gifts to the driver. Helen looked at the gifts with some dissatisfaction and directed the servant to replace them with a few high-end but essentially worthless ones. Then she smiled at her precious daughter: "I'm going to your grandmother's." Joanna was taken aback, a flicker of light in her eyes: "Mom, I haven't seen Grandma many times. Let me go with you." Helen wasn't willing: "What are you going to do there? The place has poor security and is dirty and smelly." Joanna didn't give up: "Then why are you going there, Mom?" Helen sighed: "It's that damned girl. She's staying there and won't leave, and the family wants to bring her back." Helen didn't notice that the moment she finished speaking, Joanna's face twitched slightly, looking almost like a neurotic killer. But within a second, she regained her composure. Helen adjusted Joanna's collar and said, "You don't have much time off. You should go out with your classmates and friends. I think Joyce is pretty good. I've heard he often invites you to the movies, right?" Joanna shyly lowered her head. Helen smiled and said, "If you can marry Joyce, Mom will be at ease." Joanna whispered, "Mom, Joyce and I have only just started seeing each other." Helen pursed her lips and smiled. Seeing her daughter shyly, she said, "If you two really like each other, make the most of it. If you have a child, Joyce's family will definitely accept you." The Joyce family was very conservative and valued offspring greatly. Unlike some families with countless illegitimate children, whose biological fathers didn't care at all. Moreover, the Joyce family was strictly educated, and it was unlikely they would blatantly bring mistresses or multiple partners in front of the wife. Joanna lightly shook Helen's hand: "Mom, what are you talking about?" Helen laughed: "Alright, I won't interfere in your matters with Joyce. You know what you're doing. No matter what, you're better than Irene. Recently, I've heard from your father that she's found an old man to support her." Worry flashed in Joanna's eyes. Contrary to her usual behavior, she didn't echo Helen's words and instead returned to her room. After Helen left, Joanna dialed a familiar number on her phone: "Joanna? How's it going at the new place?" There seemed to be many people on the other end, and someone joked, "Don't ask. She must be doing well. She hasn't contacted us in so long!" Finally, a steady voice answered, free from the noisy background: "Hello? What's up?" Only then did Joanna whisper, "You said someone came looking for Irene last time? Did you tell them anything about her whereabouts?" The male voice chuckled lightly: "Of course not. Didn't you and Mom repeatedly remind us? Mom treats your words like the queen's orders." Joanna squinted her eyes: "What if someone offered Dad and Mom money to make them talk?" The man chuckled again: "Dad and Mom took the money but gave them false information." Joanna finally breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good. Thank you, brother." This person was actually the eldest son of the family that had previously switched babies, Felipe. "No problem." The call ended shortly after. To be honest, Joanna didn't trust this brother, who had never been close to her, at first. But later, she realized that Felipe never hindered her affairs and even helped occasionally. She then developed a great tolerance for Felipe's cold demeanor and reticence. She even somewhat enjoyed it. She always felt that her adoptive parents weren't very bright. Being with them often made her feel irritated by their stupidity. At such times, being with Felipe was the best choice. This brother wouldn't talk much to her, giving her the time to do whatever she wanted, which was very relaxing. It was just a pity. Joanna thought regretfully that she had previously roped her adoptive parents onto her side with a promise. She said she would buy them a house in the city center of City A and cover all their living expenses and promised Felipe she would buy him luxury cars and a mansion, and help him find a wife. Felipe's expression at that time was something Joanna always found uncertain. He neither looked thrilled nor displayed disbelief. Oh well. Who cares? They were just a bunch of leeches, deserving to be washed away by the tides of time, never to climb up again. Joanna felt completely at ease. This way, the identity of the wealthy heiress would be hers alone. On the other side, the detective agency welcomed its first customer. The timing was perfect. The law allowing private detectives had just come into effect the day before he arrived at the agency. If he had come a day earlier, Irene could only have sympathized. Irene knew this person. He was the young boy she and Emma had encountered early in the morning in the park. After about a month, that case still hadn't been solved? Had the police become that incompetent? Irene frowned slightly, wondering if there were internal issues within the police force. She led the boy inside as she pondered. The boy sat nervously on the sofa, habitually lowering his head, his long hair covering his eyes, giving him a gloomy appearance. Emma handed him a cup of fruit tea, and the boy looked up and softly said thank you. Irene smiled as she sat on the sofa, discreetly observing everything. For her first client, Irene had already made some preliminary judgments. This was a child from a poor family, a good student, who was shy and had few friends of his age. Polite, not extreme. Such a person is calm, and unlikely to act impulsively or commit murder accidentally. She remembered what the boy had said before, but now, she needed him to provide more information to determine who the murderer was.