FreeNovel
Chapter 373
“Okay.”
If my words can’t reassure her, I hope the police will be able to give her a more definitive answer.
“Okay.”
If my words can’t reassure her, I hope the police will be able to give her a more definitive answer.
Xavier took out his phone and called James as Winnie wanted.
In no time, the call was connected. Without bothering with pleasantries, Winnie cut straight to the chase.
“Officer Clark, I suspect that the person killed at the school in the mountains that day might possibly be
Harold’s substitute. Do you have a way of proving that the dead body currently in your possession is
indeed Harold Horton?”
“Why would you suspect that? Did you unearth some new evidence?” James evidently attached great
importance to her claim.
Winnie frowned. “I know it’s exceedingly hasty of me to draw such a conclusion, but one’s intuition is
incredibly accurate at times. I have such a suspicion because I had a dream last night.”
She then proceeded to narrate the entire dream to the police officer.
James was silent for two seconds before he replied, “Although the dream can’t be used as evidence,
we’ll still investigate in this direction. We got a photo of Harold from the man’s subordinate. Mr. Fairchild
met Harold previously, so I’ll send the photo over right away. I’d like Mr. Fairchild to help confirm whether
the person in the photo is Harold. Then we can use facial reconstruction to see whether the deceased’s
countenance matches the photo.”
Winnie gave a firm nod of agreement. “Sure. I think that’s a great idea.”
“In that case, please send the photo over, Officer Clark,” Xavier interjected.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt“Okay, I’ve already sent it over. Do have a look.” James’ voice had just rung out when Xavier received a
photo on his phone.
Xavier tapped on the picture and scrutinized it for some time. Subsequently, he said to James on the
phone with his eyes pinned on Winnie, “Yes, it’s Harold.”
“Got it. I’ll make the arrangements and notify you when the results are out,” James promised.
“Wait, Officer Clark!” Afraid that the man would hang up, Winnie hastily asked, “Captain Gibson used the
phone I handed the police to contact Harold’s accomplice, yes? How are things going now? Has the
person been arrested?”
James’ tone changed as he said, “Don’t mention it. That person played us for a fool. Later, he phoned
again and said he was going to the chemical plant. However, he didn’t make an appearance at all. I
suspect he’d long since seen through us and was deliberately toying with us.”
“It’s a pity that he got off, then.”
After the call ended, Winnie was sent to the hospital.
Before she set out, Lisanne phoned and encouraged her, saying, “Go and have your surgery with peace
of mind, Winnie. My fever has abated, and the red lines on my body haven’t worsened for the time being.
When you have regained your sight after the surgery, perhaps I might even be able to go to the hospital
to visit you.”
Similarly, the other staff in the quarantine room wished her luck.
Xavier was beyond worried inwardly, but he still comforted Winnie. “The surgery is bound to be
successful since we’ve received blessings from so many people.”
Shortly after, Josiah took Winnie and Xavier to the hospital.
While they waited for the surgery to commence, Winnie’s brows remained knitted together perpetually.
Xavier was also apprehensive to the point that he became taciturn.
Feeling that the atmosphere there was too tense, Josiah took the initiative to tell a few jokes he found on
the internet on the spot.
Unfortunately, even he himself didn’t find them funny.
Naturally, Winnie understood his kind intentions.
She lifted her hand and nudged him, teasing, “Stop it, Dr. Houghton. I was initially nonchalant, but I’ve
now gotten nervous after hearing your jokes.”
“Huh? Really? If so, just pretend that you didn’t hear anything.” As he said that, he frantically put his
phone away. Thereafter, he studied her with worry brimming in his eyes. “But you’ve been frowning since
we came to the hospital.”
“Yeah, but it has nothing to do with the surgery. The doctors who will be operating on me are all
professionals. I’ve got nothing to worry about.” Winnie’s expression was solemn.
Xavier grasped her glove-covered hands. “You’re still fretting about the matter with Harold? Officer Clark
has promised to contact us as soon as the results are out.”
Winnie merely grunted in response. “I’m waiting for the results now. How much longer is it until the
surgery?”
Glancing at his watch, Josiah answered, “Twenty minutes. It’s best that you don’t think too much now.”
Right then, a knock sounded from outside.
At once, he sprang to his feet and went over to open the door.
“Why are you here, Officer Lockhart?” he exclaimed in surprise.
At that moment, Greta was standing at the door with a bouquet of flowers in her hands.
Her gaze skimmed past the man to fall on Winnie. Grinning, she replied, “I’m here on behalf of everyone
to visit Ms. Garland.”
Josiah swiftly twisted his body sideways to allow her in. “Come on in. It so happens that we were
speaking of you guys a second ago.”
“Oh, really? Is it because you’re all waiting for the report Captain Clark promised?” Greta sat down
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmacross from Winnie with the bouquet of flowers.
Gazing in her direction, Winnie admitted, “Yeah. Is the report out?”
“Yes. You can rest easy. We used the most advanced facial reconstruction technology to restore his
appearance according to the deceased’s facial bones and profile. It indicated a similarity of ninety
percent with Harold in the photo. That’s already a pretty high match. We’ve also tested the blood on the
toy you found with the word Marsh written on it and confirmed that it matches that of the deceased. Ms.
Garland, the deceased is none other than Harold Horton himself, no doubt. You can have your surgery
with peace of mind. Oh yes, I even brought you a bouquet of flowers, but it doesn’t give off much
fragrance. Can you guess the flower?” Greta’s tone was lighthearted.
When Winnie obtained the answer from Greta, her anxiety faded significantly.
She was wearing a mask then and couldn’t smell the flowers, so she shook her head smilingly.
“Nope, I have no idea. Why don’t you tell me?”
A flash of craftiness showed on Greta’s face. “It’s boring if I tell you directly. You can have a look for
yourself after the surgery.”
Twenty minutes passed in the blink of an eye, and Winnie was wheeled into the operating room.
Under the surgical lights, anesthetic drops were dribbled into her eyes.
After that, her eyes had no sensation of anything the doctors did.
The laser surgery didn’t take long. An hour later, the procedure ended.
Nonetheless, the effects of the anesthetic lasted for two hours. For that reason, her eyes were still
covered with two pieces of gauze even when she was wheeled out of the operating room after the
surgery.
The doctor advised that it was best to wait another hour for the anesthetic to pass before she opened her
eyes.
Everyone waited in the hospital room with Winnie for an hour.
An hour later, Josiah personally removed the gauze from her eyes.
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