The Captain I Married by Chance novel Chapter 86

Before she had a chance to think it over, there was a knock on the glass door.

"Dr. Hayes, are you ready?"

"Coming," Nora replied, walking quickly toward the door.

Since Julia was away, another assistant was there to help Nora with the autopsy.

Nora took a deep breath, picked up her tools, and said, "We can begin."

***

"So?"

Water rushed from the faucet. Hearing the voice, Nora didn't look up and continued washing her hands. Her tone was light. "It's consistent with the preliminary findings."

"The fatal wound is on the victim's head. The edges of the wound are irregular and jagged, ruling out a knife or other sharp object. The subcutaneous tissue is severely damaged, forming hematomas, and there are contusions around the wound. There are also traces of dust and soil on the surface of the wound, indicating the murder weapon was likely an irregular-shaped rock with no sharp edges."

"The other injuries on the body were caused by the same weapon."

"What's noteworthy are the scratch marks I found on the victim. Examination confirmed they were made by fingernails, which means the killer should have the victim's skin tissue under their nails."

"But it will be difficult to find the killer based on that alone. If we can identify a suspect quickly, we might be able to get a blood test reaction. The longer we wait, the harder it will be to use this to lock onto the perpetrator."

Leaning against the wall, Nathan nodded.

"We've already narrowed down the pool of suspects."

Nora had just finished washing her hands and turned off the faucet.

The sound of water stopped abruptly. She turned her head to look at Nathan. "You've already narrowed it down?"

"Yes."

At this point, Nathan took a deep breath and quietly recounted Chloe's family situation.

"From what we've gathered, Chloe's mother died when she was young. Her father, Timothy Scott, worked alone in the city, sending money back to pay for Chloe's tuition and living expenses."

"When Chloe was sixteen, Timothy hit it off with a coworker. They had a small, private ceremony and settled into life as husband and wife."

"Timothy's second wife brought a son who was two years older than Chloe. The money Timothy earned, which had been enough for him and his daughter with a little left over, now made life for the family of four extremely difficult."

"Timothy's earnings had to be used for the whole family, while his wife's income was spent only on herself and her son."

"According to the officers who conducted the interviews, while Timothy was working out of town, Chloe was constantly bullied at home by her stepmother and stepbrother. She had to attend school during the day and do chores when she got home, often staying up late into the night to wash her stepmother's clothes."

Nora's brow furrowed tightly.

"Things took a turn early last year. Timothy was injured in an accident at work, and the family lost its income. The stepmother then forced Chloe to drop out of school and start working at a textile factory through a relative's introduction."