It wasn’t long until Susan returned with a copy of the footage.
Susan: I’ve made some progress. What about you two? How’s it going?
Timothy: I asked around, but everyone’s saying they only realized it after the girl’s stomach burst. Some only found out after the police came over.
Susan: What about on your side, Ian? Did the chief administrators say anything?
Ian came online after Susan tagged him.
Ian: I spoke to them. According to the cops, the burger was contaminated with organophosphates from Zaylynn’s fingernails, and that caused that girl’s stomach to combust and rupture.
Both siblings were taken aback.
Organophosphates from Zaylynn’s fingernails? How dangerous could nail polish even be?
Neither of them could believe what they had read.
But after the three reassembled, Ian took out a piece of the burger he had obtained from the chief administrators, and they noticed how it reeked of a pungent scent.
“It turns out that Zaylynn had gotten her nails done at a newly-opened salon, and then she went to grab some food after Andy Rind’s talk.”
Ian laid all the information he had received on the table, including some photographs.
Susan felt her stomach drop as she saw them.
This is the latest crystal nail manicure. I’ve never had my nails done this way, but I remember a friend talking about it before. It’s really popular these days.
The manicure is done by painting excessive layers of clear-colored polish onto each nail.
It contains lots of chemicals and doesn’t dry easily.
Everyone’s expressions looked sullen.
“So, the girl really died because of Zaylynn?”
“You can put it that way.”
Ian nodded at the conclusion while opening a bottle of mineral water in front of him and taking a huge sip of the drink.
He rarely involved himself with matters unrelated to him, but for some reason, he had spent so much time today running around everywhere for a girl who had nothing to do with him.
The young man really had changed.
He had become much warmer and more humane.
Feeling devastated, Susan gripped her temples as she sat there. The mere thought of an innocent girl getting locked up behind bars made her nose sting.
“Okay. I think we should still look into this. Something just doesn’t seem right. By the way, Ian, don’t you have someone at home who’s a chemistry whizz? Could you get him to find out what’s inside the nail polish?”
“You mean…”
“I’ll go get my nails done the same way Zaylynn did, then we’ll go see him and get him to check if the contents of the nail polish are lethal enough to kill someone.”
Susan’s cheeks reddened with excitement at her own suggestion.
Ian pondered for a moment.
We can give it a try, but if that doesn’t work, we can get someone to conduct a blanket search on whichever area those burgers had passed through.
The young man was determined to get to the bottom of this case.
Half an hour later, Susan made her way to the same nail salon with the company of Zaylynn’s close friend, Felicia Johnson.
As soon as they headed out, someone hiding in a dark corner nearby began to panic.
“Susan’s gone to the nail salon. Could she have figured out something?”
“Don’t panic,” a voice responded to her. “That stuff vanishes in thin air. She won’t be able to find out about anything no matter how hard she tries. Besides, we have our own people working inside that nail salon. You don’t have to worry at all.”
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