The Mirror Says You're The Murderer

One morning, I came back from the market and saw a crowd gathered downstairs in the compound.More than a dozen police cars were parked at the entrance. The neighbors stood around and were all talking at the same time.“Mr. Lane and his family died horribly. The old lady who was bedridden was chopped into pieces!”“Mr. Walker, you’re finally back. The neighbor’s family was slaughtered. Blood flowed down the second floor all the way to the first. It was terrifying.”Chopped into pieces? Hearing those words again after so many years, my heart skipped a beat.I rushed up to the second floor. Police tape sealed off the unit across from mine. My wife, Rebecca Parker, stood there with a group of officers collecting evidence. A forensic doctor examined the bodies. I took out my badge, then put on gloves. I stepped over the tape and entered the scene to inspect the bodies myself. The more I looked, the more shocked I became.The cuts were clean. A mirror sat on the coffee table.It was

“Y-yes, it’s you.”Warren’s hands shook. He could barely hold the mirror.Rebecca stepped forward and held the mirror steady. Jason ran over as well. He was afraid Warren would drop it.“The killer is you! I saw it!”Warren looked like he had seen something terrifying. He kept shaking. Then he pointed at me and shouted.“I didn’t expect you to be the killer. It wasn’t enough that you killed your parents-in-law. Why did you have to kill my mother too?”I looked at the three of them. They all had the same reaction. I froze for a moment.How was that possible?A mirror was just a mirror. It showed whoever stood in front of it.How could it show my face no matter who looked into it?But their grief did not look fake. What was so strange about that mirror? How could it make my wife, my trainee, and my neighbor all believe I was the killer?“I didn’t kill your mother. It wasn’t me.”I stared at Warren. He stood there with tears and snot on his face as he accused me.“I came back

“That mirror has nothing to do with me at all. If you don’t believe me, you can test it. There’s no way my fingerprints are on it!”Warren heard me and panicked. He turned around and shouted in defense.“What do you mean, it has nothing to do with you? You were afraid of leaving fingerprints, so you wrapped it in a plastic bag! I saw it myself!”I laughed even louder.“I’m not some weirdo who needs makeup. Why would I carry a mirror around? I’m not the killer.”Warren was breathing hard. His eyes were sharp and hostile.“Still won’t drop the act, huh? You’re a murderer. I saw it with my own eyes.”Rebecca stepped in to stop the argument.“That’s enough. I see you really won’t give up until you hit a dead end.”She turned to Warren.“Warren, you’re sure you saw it with your own eyes, right? We can’t let a criminal slip away easily.”Warren looked a little confused by her tone, but he still nodded hesitantly.“Officer, I’m telling you the truth. You can’t let Titus go.”Rebe

“H-how is that possible?”I gripped my phone tightly. I could not believe it.We had already caught the killer. Were we really going to let him go again because of a lack of evidence? Rebecca heard that, and her legs gave out. She dropped to her knees in front of the grave and could not get back up.I ended the call. My tone turned heavy.“The captain said the fingerprint lifted from the mirror doesn’t match the one from fifteen years ago. Warren is not the killer from back then.“Warren has confessed to today’s dismemberment case. But he refuses to admit anything about the case from fifteen years ago. It has been too long. Without solid evidence, we can’t convict him for that case.”Rebecca clutched my shirt tightly. Her eyes rolled back. She almost fainted.“Not him? How can it not be him?”I clenched my jaw. I raised my hand and wiped my tears.“Rebecca, don’t worry. I let him get away back then. This time, I’ll catch him and give your parents peace.”I helped Rebecca home

Peter came over excitedly with the comparison report. I finally let out a breath of relief.“It’s Warren’s.”When he heard my answer, Peter was shocked.“Warren? But we already collected all ten of his fingerprints. How is that possible?”Seeing that Peter still did not understand, I explained Warren’s secret.“He was born with a finger deformity. I checked his hands today. There were two surgical scars. The fingerprint from fifteen years ago must have come from his smallest deformed finger. After that, he had it removed and committed a new crime. The deformed finger was kept in the plastic surgery clinic, so the current fingerprints don’t match the old ones. But according to the doctor, Warren had two transplant surgeries. There might still be a victim we haven’t found.”I frowned and told Peter everything I knew. Peter shook his head in amazement.“That’s really unexpected. He transplanted his own finger, so there was no rejection. But who would think he had eleven fingers? Wh