Chapter 142 Pulling His Clothes Fearfully
The night fell, far away from the city center, a half moon hung behind the clouds. Every gust of wind brought a thick atmosphere of terror.
Ashley never thought of herself as particularly timid before, but today, seeing the police cordon at the crime scene and the eerie silence around, a heavy fear surged in her heart.
During the day, she didn't feel so scared, but being at the scene at night made her admit that her mental resilience was lacking.
Seeing through her fear, Damian slowed his pace, trying to get her closer to him, and asked, "Are you scared?"
Ashley's body involuntarily leaned towards him, unwilling to admit, "I'm a professional; I've experienced these things before."
Suddenly quickening his pace, Damian, with his long strides, rapidly put distance between himself and others, leaving behind only an elongated shadow on the ground.
Ashley hurried to catch up, her voice trembling with nervousness, "What are you doing?"
With his back to her, the night covering Damian's expression, he slowed down again and said softly, "If you're scared, just say it. We're so close. I know your temper, personality, and your courage very well."
Ashley wanted to tell him, "I'm different now!" but she couldn't bring herself to say it in the end.
She decided to face the situation at the dark crime scene. Because of genuine fear, she whispered, "It's right here."
Damian scanned the surroundings with a glance and said, "Can't I see such an obvious caution tape? The victim was right there in the alley. Do you want to go in?"
Of course, she had to go in. Ashley bit her lip quietly to encourage herself, 'Don't be afraid. You're a professional attorney. There will be many cases like this in the future. You have a scientific education. Don't be afraid of anything!'
Prepared mentally, Ashley quietly exhaled and said, "Don't just stand there; let's go in and take a look."
She didn't realize it herself, but her words were defiant while her body tensed.
Damian smiled, walked past her, lifted the police cordon, and said, "Please, Ashley."
Ashley rolled her eyes at him. This was no joking matter.
After the incident, there were no street lights in the alley, and it was unclear what the community managers were thinking!
Ashley took out her phone as a flashlight, and Damian did the same—the two beams of light split to search for clues. The traces on the ground had already been cleaned. Ashley noticed the faint bloodstains in the corner, evidence of a struggle of a once living being.
Damian remarked, "Looking at the bloodstains, it seems like they were thrown, not scraped."
Ashley didn't speak but reached out, grabbing his sleeve and standing shoulder to shoulder with him in front of the evidence. Her heart pounded like a drum. Damian said, "The analysis from the prosecutor's office also points to this, but there's a question. Under what circumstances could she exert such force? Would the victim struggle to fling the blood out? If the perpetrator were a man, then in the face of absolute strength disparity, a woman would have no chance to fight back."
Damian felt his sleeve sink and turned to see a slender hand under the light, a few fingers gripping a piece of fabric, not daring to pull or let go.
Moving a few centimeters closer to Ashley, he asked, "Have you seen the corpse?"
Ashley shook her head, "Not yet. It needs to be requested. I'll see it tomorrow."
Damian inquired, "Aren't you scared now?"
Ashley's scalp tingled, "Can you not say that here? Whether I'm scared or not, I will face it. Let's analyze the scene first, okay?"
Her goose bumps stood on end.
Damian chuckled, "You're too timid. You shouldn't take on criminal cases in the future. You worry too much. You can still make money by taking on civil lawsuits and financial disputes."
Ashley regretted coming with Damian, even though it wasn't her idea in the first place. "Can you please be quiet?"
Next, Ashley carefully examined the footprints on the ground. The police marked the victim's footprints with white chalk, mixing them up and making them indistinguishable. There were some dragging marks and heel marks on the ground.
Ashley couldn't bear to think about what the victim had gone through. Ashley thought to herself, 'From a normal person's perspective, when a girl is attacked, the first reaction would be to call for help, then struggle as much as possible, grabbing or scratching. But why do I feel like it wasn't just one person?'
Suddenly looking up at Damian, Ashley said, "I suspect there were two people at the scene!"
Damian wasn't part of the criminal investigation team or a lawyer, but after examining the scene, he came to the same conclusion as Ashley, "Anything else?"
Bending down, Ashley carefully examined the footprints and remaining bloodstains, then imagined that night, slowly saying, "The girl lives about 1.8 miles away in the community. What was she doing here in the middle of the night? There are no restaurants nearby, no night markets, and it's unlikely she was just out for a walk."
She entered a state of serious contemplation, her expression focused, her eyes revealing a calm determination, and said, "I speculate that she was invited here to meet someone, and it was someone she was quite familiar with. Without a certain level of trust, any adult with some judgment wouldn't take such a risk. The country has been chanting slogans for years, emphasizing self-protection awareness, and it has had some effect."
Captivated by the determination in her eyes, Damian remained silent, listening attentively to her analysis.
"To find out more, we need to investigate the girl's call records, WhatsApp, and all communication app chats. However, everything else on the girl was left intact, except her phone, which was taken. The perpetrator was probably afraid of being traced."
Damian nodded, "So, where do you plan to start?"
After a moment of thought, Ashley said, "Damian, can you help me with something?"
Damian considered playing along but thought better of it, given the circumstances. "You want me to play the role of the perpetrator?"
Talking to intelligent people has its benefits. "I want to know how much difference there is in strength between adult men and women," Ashley said.
Damian smirked. He was no ordinary adult man.
"I suppose I could," Damian replied.
Ashley slowed her pace cautiously, and Damian, taking advantage of her distraction, suddenly reached out from behind, wrapped his arm around her neck, and pulled her close!
Before she could react, Ashley felt a sharp pain in her throat, causing her to cough uncontrollably.
"Isn't this going too far?" she managed to say.
Damian remarked, "Attacking from behind is already quite easy. Don't forget the perpetrator also had a weapon. Did the police mention anything about the victim's clothing?"
Stammering, Ashley replied, "The clothes were torn, with obvious signs of tearing."
Damian's long fingers traced his lips as he said, "So, it was attempted assault turned into murder."
Though she knew he was discussing the case, Ashley's face flushed as she said, "It's just a suspicion; we're not sure about the specifics."
Damian spoke earnestly, "Wouldn't a scene reconstruction make everything clear?"
Biting her fingernails nervously, a habit she hadn't been able to shake for many years, Ashley said, "I don't think it's necessary."
Before she could finish her sentence, Damian's towering figure suddenly lunged at her, his strong hand tearing open her suit jacket.
