Chapter 4

While Chief Hudson rushed me to the interview venue, Nathan was fielding questions from everyone and soaking in the praise.

Some of the parents whose children had been rescued in the human trafficking case even declared their intention to throw a lavish party to thank him.

Soon, my arrival put an end to the cheerful atmosphere.

As soon as the reporters saw me, they pounced on me, bombarding me with questions from all directions.

"Caleb here has a bit of a misunderstanding with Officer Sloan. I brought him over so that we can all clear things up," Chief Hudson said with a friendly smile before giving me a hard shove.

At his words, everyone's eyes widened, eager to hear what I would say.

Looking at the smug Nathan, I pondered briefly before asking with a sneer, "I came to ask you something. Since you claimed that I'd discussed all the cases I previously solved with you, what was the crucial clue that led to the discovery of the culprit in the chapel murder case?"

Chief Hudson's face immediately darkened. The words that came out of my mouth were completely at odds with the instructions he'd given me on the way here.

Before he could confront me about it, however, someone came up to me and slapped me hard across the face.

Just as he'd done in my previous life, Mr. Lowry wagged his finger at me and fumed, "You scoundrel! Not only have you been secretly claiming Nathan's deductions as your own behind my back, but you're still trying to stir up even more trouble now!"

Clutching my swollen cheek, I stared at the agitated Mr. Lowry in shock. For a moment, I couldn't wrap my head around the situation.

Mr. Lowry wasn't done, but Nathan ran over to us and pulled Mr. Lowry behind him.

With feigned indignation and a hurt expression, Nathan said, "Caleb, I really don't know why you're asking me that.

"Have you forgotten that I told you how I saw from the murderer's perspective that he'd organized the hundred-dollar bills in the victim's wallet by their serial numbers after he committed the crime? That's how I was able to determine the murderer suffers from severe obsessive compulsive disorder."

My mind went blank the moment I heard his answer.

The chapel murder case was the case that made me famous during my student days. Because of the murderer's special identity, not a single detail of the investigation had ever been published.

Even all the files I had compiled on the case had been destroyed. I'd been so certain Nathan couldn't possibly know anything about it.

Seeing my ashen face, everyone started mocking me.

"Did you think Nate would've forgotten just because so much time has passed? You wanted to make use of that to prove you didn't steal Nate's deductions, didn't you? How shameless of you!"

"Get the hell out of here! Just being in the same room as you disgusts me!"

"That's right! Get lost!"

The fired-up crowd shoved Chief Hudson and me out of the venue.

Furious that I'd ruined things again, Chief Hudson trembled with rage.

"You're on your own now," he snarled before leaving in the car.

I stood frozen, chuckling bitterly when I recalled how some of the people who'd shoved me earlier were the ones I'd personally saved from the hands of vicious murderers.

Everything felt meaningless now.

Just then, I received a message on my phone. Once I read it, my eyes widened in shock.

"So that's what's going on… No wonder Nathan can always figure out what I'm thinking!"

Laughing, I took out the police badge I'd cherished all along and tossed it into the nearest trash can.

The LED screen outside the mall was playing a news report. A burned body had been found on the outskirts of the city, and the victim's identity stunned everyone.

Raising my brows, I ignored the news and left.

From that moment on, I chose to resign from the police force. Now, I'd like to see how the rising star detective was going to solve this case.