Chapter 1

As soon as the words left my mouth, the entire living room fell into a deathly silence.

One of the flies buzzed around twice before landing on the chandelier, grumbling to itself.

"That's right. The master of the house did it. The murder weapon's the dumbbell he uses for workouts. After killing the victim, he dumped it in the garbage shed behind the house.

"He merely ransacked the safe for show. You humans always label us flies and mosquitoes as pests, but we'd never do something this brutal to our own kind.

"Lions and tigers have nothing on you. Humans are the most terrifying creatures in this world!"

Naturally, Egbert Woodward, the director of the Forensic Science Center, couldn't hear the fly's musings. He whipped his head around, his temper instantly flaring.

"Watch your mouth! You're just an intern. What gives you the right to run your mouth here? You seriously don't know your place, do you? Zip it! One more word, and you can pack your bags and get the hell out of here!"

He was the cornerstone of the Forensic Science Center, a man whose judgment was regarded as infallible.

The forensic examiners and crime scene investigators around him immediately chimed in. "Cut it out, Charlotte. How could Dr. Woodward's judgment possibly be wrong? This is definitely a robbery gone wrong!"

"Young'uns will do anything to make a name for themselves these days, even if it means throwing away their principles. Is this really necessary?"

"Do you have any idea how much trouble you'll cause by suspecting the victim's family without any evidence?"

Not a single soul believed me.

I tightened my grip on the forceps in my hand. There was no way I could reveal my secret that I could hear flies' inner thoughts. If I actually came clean, they would only have me committed to a mental asylum.

I had no choice but to rely on professional reasoning. "We're all professional investigators here. Historically speaking, in any spousal homicide case, the partner is always the prime suspect. Therefore, my suspicion is entirely justified."

"Your suspicion is justified?" Dr. Woodward scoffed, his voice dripping with utter contempt.

"You're just a green young lady who's read a couple of textbooks, and now you think you can teach me how to do my job? Anyone in the world could kill their wife, but Mr. Cox is the last person who would ever do such a thing!"

Several police officers who were standing nearby chimed in as well. "Mr. Cox is widely recognized as a model husband. Everyone knows he and his wife had a blissful marriage. Every time they appeared in public, they were always hand in hand.

"Mr. Cox doesn't even have a single female employee around him. The man's a longtime philanthropist who gives back to the community. How could someone like him possibly kill his wife?

"Besides, he's so devastated that he had to be rushed to the hospital. Your accusation is not only hurtful, but it's also completely unfounded!"

Just then, the sound of footsteps echoed from the villa's entrance. William Cox stumbled in, dressed in a hospital gown. The puncture mark from his IV drip was still visible on his wrist, and his face was ghastly pale.

He threw himself beside the corpse of his wife, Helen Watson, pounding his chest and wailing, "Honey, you died such a horrible death! I'll definitely track down the killer and make them pay for what they did to you! Now that you're gone… I don't want to live either!"

The people around him immediately stepped forward to comfort him.

"Mr. Cox, I'm so sorry for your loss, but you have to stay strong and take care of yourself."

"Don't worry. We won't rest until we bring the killer to justice!"

At that moment, Helen's golden retriever slipped past the police cordon. It nuzzled against my leg and barked twice.

I heard its thoughts loud and clear.

"This drama king is putting on another performance again! Their love story's pure fiction. That old geezer's a gold digger who married into the family and wanted the family estate all to himself.

"He's Prince Charming in public, but he's been keeping a mistress on the side for ages. Last night, Helen discovered the text messages he sent to his mistress, and she wanted a divorce. She wanted him to leave with nothing to his name, so he killed her.

"Before she kicked the bucket, she managed to scratch him up pretty good." The golden retriever sighed. "What's the point of getting married anyway? Only a single pringle like me won't get hurt…"

My heart missed a beat. I took a step forward and placed my hand on William's shoulder. "Please dry your tears, Mr. Cox. We're going to need you to cooperate with us so we can collect a DNA sample from you."