The Fake Heiress and Her Purrfect Partner novel Chapter 139

Chapter 139

Chapter 139

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Nina set down her pen and studied the portrait. The outline of a woman was now clear. Dark blue tops and black jeans.

She sent the suspect’s portrait to Simon, then turned to the white wagtails.

“When did they start arguing?” she asked.

The rowdy little birds chirped back honestly.

“Just after night fell! There were tons of people around, and it was buzzing with excitement.”

“Totally! There was food everywhere!”

Nina quickly checked the sunset time from three days ago. It was about 5:30 in the evening.

“Where exactly did they argue on the snack street? Can you take me there now?” she asked.

The birds nodded eagerly. No way they’d say no to her.

“This way, boss!”

“Follow us!”

Mr. Crow had flown off to take care of a side quest, but the rowdy little birds didn’t dare mess around.

That was because a little snowy was peering curiously out of Nina’s pocket.

This little guy could zip up a tree in seconds and was an absolute master at cleaning out bird nests!

That was when the birds finally realized that Nina could talk to every animal around, and tracking them down would be child’s play for her.

If she wanted, she could have the snowy ferret clean out their home whenever she pleased.

Just thinking about that instantly made the white wagtails drop their tough act.

On the way, Nina asked, “Any idea why those two were getting into it?”

“Oh, we only spotted them because they were squabbling so loudly!”

The white wagtails cocked their heads. Birds always loved some juicy gossip.

“The girl in the dark blue top was saying the victim was jealous of her talent and kept badmouthing her out of spite!”

Nina paused for a moment, doubt flickering in her mind. ‘Wait, could this really be about revenge?’

The mention of “talent” instantly called back what Simon had said while inspecting the corpse sculpture. He’d

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Chapter 139

noted that the killer definitely had some skill when it came to art.

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“The girl who got into that fight with the victim might just be the killer herself!’ Nina’s heart thumped at the thought.

Nina shot Simon a quick message, spilling the gist of what the birds had overheard during the quarrel.

The white wagtails led Nina and her animal detective squad to the base of a big tree right by Jelasburg University snack street.

It was still early, and the snack street was pretty deserted. Few stalls were open yet.

Nina scanned the area for security cameras, then dialed Simon’s number.

“Simon, I’ve got some eyewitness birds!” she blurted out.

She squinted at the camera number. “A bunch of white wagtails saw the victim arguing with another girl right here on the snack street!

“I’m standing exactly where they fought three days ago, probably around 5:30 PM or later.”

Nina rattled off the camera number to Simon.

Simon replied right away, “Got it, I’ll have Zacariah pull up the footage ASAP!”

With the snack street’s security cameras on their side, they’d be able to track down the suspect in no time!

But soon, Simon shot Nina a message that made her heart jump into her throat.

[Nina, the cops checked the suspect’s portrait against every student and staff member at Jelasburg University. There’s no match. So the killer’s an outsider.]

The hunt just leveled up.

Nina gripped her phone and decided to find Tabby King and confirm the details. After all, the “Grand Tabby” hadn’t even seen the suspect’s portrait yet!

She was wandering along the campus path, scanning all around, when a sleek black stray cat silently glided up to her feet, looked up, and purred in a small voice, “Are you here to see Tabby King?”

Seeing Nina nod, the black cat gave its tail an extra proud flick. “Come with me! Tabby King is hosting a kitty conference right now!”

Nina, curiosity bubbling, trailed after the little black cat into a secluded patch of trees. The very next second, she couldn’t help but stare in astonishment.

There sat a neat circle of stray cats. Each one sported a different coat pattern or color. And right in the middle, perched atop a rock, Tabby King was holding court, paw raised with authority, looking every bit the host of a full-on feline council.

Spotting Nina, Tabby King offered a cool, dignified nod. “Perfect timing. We were just discussing the victim.”

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Chapter 139

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An orange cat quickly reported, “We often spot the victim around campus with another girl. That one is always asking her questions and looking for advice!”

A calico cat softly chimed in. “We can’t quite make out everything they’re saying, but the victim always seems really earnest, and the other girl is constantly nodding along!”

Nina pulled out the portrait and showed it to the cats. “Is this the girl you’re talking about?”

A bunch of cats instantly crowded in, glanced at the picture, and slapped their paws down with total confidence.

“That’s her! No way we’re wrong!” one of the cats declared.

“She’s not from this school. She just comes to ask the victim for advice.”

“She always treated the victim to food! The victim called her Quinn.”

“The victim kept telling Quinn not to go all out, saying it was tough for her to make money at her part-time gigs.”

Nina pressed further, “A part-time job? Do any of you know where she works?”

All the stray cats tilted their heads at the same time, scrunching up their little faces as they tried hard to remember.

“She said she works at a supermarket! And she’d always bring snacks for the victim!” one cat meowed helpfully.

“Oh yeah! I always saw her carrying a supermarket bag. The kind with a little fish drawn on it, and some weird human scribbles!” chimed in another.

“But none of us cats can read any of that funny human writing,” one added sheepishly.

Tabby King arched his tail with flair and barked out an order, “Aren’t you trash can pros? Get moving and dig around! Find me a bag that matches!”

A handful of kittens’ eyes sparkled, and they started showering Tabby King with compliments.

“Tabby King, you’re a genius!”

“You’re totally the boss of us!”

But Tabby King didn’t fall for it, lifting a paw to give the plump silver tabby next to him a playful swipe on the backside.

“Save the sweet talk! Go fetch that bag now!”

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