16: Chapter 16 Investigation

Ballard's words made Madison's smile fade a little, but her eyes were still glancing toward Shaun.

"Officer, we already told Officer Sean yesterday, we were rehearsing a play..."

"Please let the person in charge come out to speak." Ballard interrupted her directly.

Madison was stunned for a moment.

Ballard stood there without any unnecessary movements, without raising her voice, or even changing her expression.

But there was an aura that made it impossible to continue being dismissive.

Madison glanced at Shaun, and Shaun shook his head slightly.

Madison curled her lip and turned to go inside: "Wait here."

Ballard stood in place, her hands hanging naturally, her gaze scanning every corner of the porch.

Standing next to her, Shaun could feel a kind of... how to put it, not tension, but an alertness ready to deal with any situation at any time.

It was as if she sensed a bit of danger.

"You saw her yesterday?" Ballard suddenly asked in a low voice.

"I did."

"She's quite enthusiastic toward you."

Shaun was silent for a second: "...We talked yesterday."

Ballard didn't say anything else.

Footsteps came from inside the door.

Cordelia Foxx walked out.

She was wearing a dark knit dress today with a beige cardigan over it, her hair tied up, revealing a slightly tired but still dignified face.

Walking to the door, her gaze first fell on Shaun, nodding slightly, then turned to Ballard.

"I am Cordelia Foxx, the owner of this house. May I ask what this is about?"

Cordelia's voice was still gentle and polite.

Ballard repeated what she had just said, then added: "At around 7:30 last night, an officer received a report of unusual noises here. He came here, went missing afterward, and was found dead early this morning."

"We need to know what happened to him here."

A complex expression flashed across Cordelia's face.

Shaun saw it clearly, but he couldn't tell if it was surprise, worry, or something else.

He didn't have any micro-expression reading skills.

"7:30 last night? We were having dinner then. All the girls were present."

Cordelia answered without the slightest hesitation.

Ballard followed up: "All of them?"

Cordelia nodded: "All of them. You can come in and see."

Ballard didn't move.

Instead, she took the initiative to explain the situation: "Ms. Foxx, I don't have a search warrant. But I can tell you that the deceased officer was named Joseph White, a policeman for fifteen years, with three children."

"His wife didn't even know he was dead this morning because we're still waiting for the autopsy results."

These words made Cordelia's eyes flicker slightly.

Ballard continued: "So I'm not conducting a search right now, just asking some questions. If you cooperate, I'll be grateful. If you don't, I'll go apply for a search warrant and bring twelve people to turn this place upside down. Your choice."

Cordelia was silent for two seconds, then she stepped aside: "Please, come in."

Ballard walked in.

Shaun followed behind her.

The hall was the same as yesterday.

No...

Not quite the same.

That "red wine stain" was gone, and the carpet was clean.

The overturned sofa was upright, the broken glass of the coffee table had been replaced, and the crooked paintings were hung straight.

Everything was in order, looking like a normal, decent living room should.

But Shaun noticed that the fire in the fireplace was burning brightly, which wasn't needed at all in the New Orleans weather.

Several girls were scattered around the hall.

Zoe sat on the sofa in the corner, a book in her hand, but her eyes kept glancing over here.

Queenie stood at the base of the stairs, holding a cup of something, staring warily at Ballard.

Madison leaned against the fireplace, arms crossed, with a "let's see what you can find out" expression.

One person was missing.

Fiona.

Shaun breathed a sigh of relief.

But halfway through, he realized Fiona's absence might be because she didn't deign to deal with such a scene.

Or maybe... because she was somewhere, looking through a window, watching it all.

The Supreme Witch didn't have a good temper; Shaun felt he had to be smart and not be completely reckless, otherwise, he might get caught in the crossfire...

Ballard stood in the center of the hall, her gaze slowly scanning everyone.

That scan was exactly the same as when she looked outside just now.

It was systematic, instinctive, passing over inch by inch like a scanner.

Then she asked: "What were you all doing between 7:30 and 9:30 last night?"

Cordelia replied: "Having dinner, then everyone went back to their rooms."

"How long did dinner last?"

"About an hour."

"And then?"

"Then I went back to my room to read," Cordelia pointed to the stairs, "My room is on the second floor."

Ballard turned to Zoe: "And you?"

Zoe was startled to be called: "I... I was in my room too."

"Can anyone prove it?"

"I..." Zoe's voice grew smaller, "I was alone."

There was no need to doubt Zoe; with her "Black Widow" ability, killing someone wasn't that easy...

Ballard didn't press further and turned to Queenie.

"And you?"

Queenie shrugged: "Watching TV, in my own room."

"Madison Montgomery?"

Hearing her name, Madison walked over from the fireplace but said: "I wasn't here last night."

Ballard's eyes narrowed.

"Not here?"

Madison nodded and walked over to Shaun, intentionally or unintentionally standing very close, and said: "I was out last night, with Shaun."

Ballard's gaze turned to Shaun.

There was no expression in that look, but Shaun could feel the weight in it.

"Is she telling the truth?"

Shaun was silent for a second.

"Yes."

Ballard stared at him for three seconds.

Then she looked away and turned back to Cordelia.

She asked: "Ms. Foxx, Officer White's call records show that the caller claimed to hear gunshots and screams from your place. At 7:30 last night, did you really hear nothing?"

Cordelia shook her head: "No."

"Then what did the caller hear?"

"Maybe a party next door. There's a house half a mile to the east that often hosts parties."

Ballard nodded and took a photo out of her pocket.

"Have any of you seen this man?"

The photo was White's ID picture, wearing his uniform, with a kind face, looking like an ordinary middle-aged policeman.

Cordelia took it and looked, then shook her head.

She handed the photo to Zoe, who also shook her head.

Handed it to Queenie, who shrugged.

Finally, it was handed to Madison.

Madison looked down at it.

In that instant, Shaun noticed her expression change.

It was very subtle, very brief; if he hadn't been staring at her, he wouldn't have noticed at all.

But both Ballard and Shaun saw it clearly...