Chapter 16

Alexander said, "But Lily's background is pretty simple. She doesn't owe anyone money, and all her friends and family say she's a polite kid. She comes from a regular family, and her parents are good people. She shouldn't have any enemies.

He added, "But I'm really curious, if you think this person is Lily, why hasn't she gone home? Why isn't she answering her parents' calls?" From the surveillance video, it didn't look like she was being forced.

Why would a perfectly normal girl just vanish?

At this moment, Alexander hit the pause button again, freezing the screen where Lily was looking around.

From her profile, it seemed like she noticed something. Then she took off her mask, showing her face.

Alexander said, "I remember in the case file, there were notes about Lily and her photos; she didn't usually wear hats. But in the surveillance, she's dressed like this, clearly trying not to be recognized, or maybe avoiding something?"

A scene flashed in Zoey's mind. She quickly went back to her notebook and started the surveillance from the beginning, from when Ella first got on the bus.

She focused on a woman standing next to Ella-she was facing the camera, wearing a plain coat, a hat, and a mask. In that scene, she even looked down at her phone, making it impossible to see her face.

The only thing that stood out was her nice long hair, which was pressed against her chest from the back.

In the surveillance video, when Ella realized she was being harassed, she first looked at those two men!

At that moment, the woman with the hat also seemed to glance at Ella. But her head movement was so slight, she still couldn't see her face.

Zoey followed the video and saw that when Ella got off the bus, the woman got off too.

She confirmed that the woman wasn't Lily. This woman's hair was a bit shorter than Lily's, and the texture was different.

Other than that, there wasn't much else. She had an average build, and her height was similar to Ella's. But this woman gave Zoey an indescribable feeling.

Yet Zoey still suspected her, even without any evidence.

Zoey went back to Alexander's computer, grabbed the mouse from his hand, and controlled the speed and progress of the surveillance. Soon, the woman with the hat and mask appeared again!

In the transition from winter to spring in Emerald City, everyone was wearing similar coats. That woman with red hair covering her coat looked a bit bulky.

The victim arrived at the station, got off quickly, and then the red-haired woman followed.

Zoey paused the surveillance again and went to check Dennis's. She went through it from start to finish at the same speed, but Dennis's surveillance was really hard to watch and she couldn't stand it.

After watching for a bit, she took a screenshot.

Then she handed Dennis's notebook back to him.

Zoey laid out the screenshots from the surveillance, comparing them one by one, and turned to the others. She said, "I've found something interesting and have some thoughts."

Dennis and Charles both looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

Alexander said, "Go on." He was curious too.

Zoey uploaded her findings to her laptop, playing the three screenshots in a slideshow. "Look, this is what I just found. Do you notice something? The victims' builds are almost the same, all around 5.5 feet; they are all very slim women."

"I found the woman next to Ella on the bus where she was harassed, and Alexander found Lily at the place where Aria was harassed. At first glance, their outfits blend into the crowd, but..." The slideshow showed another photo. She looked at it and asked, "Do you notice anything? They are not just similar; even their hair is the same."

"Oh my god!" Charles's eyes widened. "Could she be Lily pretending to be missing?"

Zoey just glanced at him and silently pulled up another picture. "Look, when Stella was harassed, this woman was also there! She was around the victim and even followed her for a while."

Because Stella was disabled and had difficulty walking, Zoey observed more carefully.

After Dennis watched, his expression became serious. "This is indeed a discovery."

Charles looked at everyone in confusion. "So what does it mean?"

Dennis sighed and patted his shoulder. "It means all the victims are connected! You really are slow, no wonder Officer Davis calls you an idiot!"

Charles still didn't get it.

Dennis continued, "Zoey means, it's highly likely that the person causing the victims to be harassed is the previous victim!"

Zoey quickly waved her hand. "No, that's not what I meant."

Dennis looked at her, puzzled.

Dennis and Charles were both confused. Alexander smiled slightly. "Zoey means, Lawrence isn't very tall, and his build is small for a man. If he disguises himself a bit, he could actually look like a woman."

Alexander's fingers tapped the laptop screen. "See? Every action he takes is to hide his male attributes. Lowering his head hides his Adam's apple, and long hair makes us think he's a woman. At a glance, we wouldn't suspect him."

He added, "In other words, even at the scene, it would be hard to suspect him. And what Zoey wants to tell you is, these people are all Lawrence in disguise!"

Zoey's gaze slowly fell on Alexander.

Only Alexander's thinking was on the same wavelength as hers.

After hearing his clear explanation, Dennis also understood. "So, if we hadn't caught Lawrence, he would have kept disguising himself as a woman and looking for the next target? His counter-surveillance skills are too good."