The Fake Heiress and Her Purrfect Partner novel Chapter 252

Chapter 252

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Fiona gripped her grandmother tightly, her tone unwavering. “Grandma, it’s exactly because someone lost their life here that we have to find out the real culprit.”

She met her grandmother’s frightened gaze, her voice weighed down with sorrow. “Have you forgotten? This house was designed by my parents, and I grew up here.

“I can’t let it turn into a place marked by tragedy without knowing the truth.”

Nina caught the contradiction right away and whispered, “Simon, did you notice? Fiona’s grandmother and Danny are both doing everything they can to make Fiona sell the house.”

Simon tapped Pearlie, who had been peeking out of Nina’s pocket, watching the show unfold. “Since the gecko pointed out that her grandma went into the hidden room and touched the body, she must have left some trace behind.

“There must be some evidence on her. Pearlie, it’s your turn to play detective.”

Nina nodded and scooped Pearlie out of her pocket. “Pearlie, go check if Elowen has any unusual scent on her. See if it matches the scent on the body.”

‘Finally, it’s my turn to shine,’ Pearlie thought, excitement bubbling up inside.

Pearlie raised her little paws, finally getting a chance to stretch and get moving.

Pearlie scurried over to Elowen’s feet and started sniffing her all over.

Elowen backed away in fright from Pearlie, shrieking, “What are you doing? Get this creature away from me.”

Fiona blinked in surprise at Nina’s move.

Then she realized that Pearlie was the animal detective she herself had brought.

Fiona’s voice trembled with shock and worry. “Ms. Summer, are you actually suspecting my grandma? She’s almost eighty. There’s no way she could’ve done something like that.”

But as soon as she said it, Fiona’s heart skipped a beat. Her grandma might be pushing eighty, but she was still tough as nails.

Just a few days ago, Fiona had seen her out in the garden, trimming the plants all by herself and even hauling around pots nearly as tall as she was.

“No, that’s impossible,” Fiona blurted out.

Nina didn’t bother to explain. She just gently set Pearlie down next to the body.

Pearlie immediately perked up her tail and circled the body, snifting intently.

When she got close to the neck and hands, she excitedly bounced in place.

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Chapter 252

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“Nina, this is it,” Pearlie said, practically bouncing with excitement. “The bitter medicine smell from Elowen is here, and it’s super, super strong.”

Nina’s eyes sparkled. “Pearlie says there’s that strong medicine smell from Elowen all over the body, and it’s super intense.”

Simon turned to Fiona, his tone serious. “We need to take a look at her personal belongings.”

Elowen was shaking all over with rage, slamming her cane hard against the floor. “This is a setup. I’m an old lady, and I still have to be treated like this? I’ll report you for this.”

Nina met her gaze calmly. “If someone helped commit the crime, age wouldn’t matter.”

“You’re making baseless accusations,” Elowen snapped, jabbing her finger at them. “I’ll sue the police for defamation.”

Fiona felt like she was being ripped in two. Deep down, she knew Nina wasn’t the type to throw out wild accusations about her grandma.

But her heart just refused to believe her grandma could be the one who did it.

That feeling was driving her crazy; she wanted answers right now, but she was scared out of her mind that the truth would be the nightmare she dreaded.

Simon stepped in front of Nina, blocking Fiona’s piercing look. “Mrs. Lane, I understand how you must be feeling. But Nina and her animal detectives always take things seriously.

“They’d never throw out wild accusations without evidence.”

Under Fiona’s conflicted gaze, everyone made their way into Elowen’s room.

Pearlie sniffed around the moment she entered, then darted straight to the nightstand. With a few quick swipes of her tiny paws, she snatched up a blue asthma inhaler.

“This is it. The smell is exactly the same as the one by the body,” Pearlie said.

Clutching the inhaler, Pearlie bounced over to Nina to give her the news.

“Pearlie says the smell on the body is a perfect match for this inhaler,” Nina spoke in a low, somber tone.

Simon held up the blue inhaler, his gaze burning with intensity.

“For someone with asthma, grabbing your inhaler during heavy activity or when you’re stressed out is totally normal,” he said.

He turned to Elowen, whose face had gone ghostly pale, and spoke each word with deliberate emphasis.

“For you, hauling a body would be the hardest thing you could possibly do,” he said.

“Ridiculous,” Elowen snapped, shaking with rage like a cat whose tail had just been stepped on. “You expect me to believe an animal’s nose is real evidence? Letting critters play detective. What a farce.”

10:49 Tue, Jan 20

Chapter 252

Nina quickly snuggled Pearlie’s fluffy little head into her arms.

She firmly cupped Pearlie’s sensitive ears with both hands, whispering softly to comfort her.

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“Not listening, blah,” Nina murmured playfully. “Pearlie’s an official detective, not some amateur; she doesn’t waste time arguing with laymen.”

Fiona was rooted to the spot, pale as a ghost, still clutching onto that last bit of hope.

Her voice shook, like she was grabbing at the last straw. “Detective, what Pearlie found that can’t actually be used as real evidence, can it? You still need hard, undeniable proof to close the case, right?”

The forensic officer came over with his sampling kit. “We’ve already snipped fabric from the victim’s collar and cuffs; these spots hold onto trace chemicals better than anywhere else.”

Another technician checked his watch. “Give us as little as two hours, and we’ll have the comparison report ready.”

“At that point, we’ll be able to tell you for sure whether the chemical traces on the victim are an exact match for the medicine in this inhaler,” the officer said.

They needed two hours.

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