Chapter 258 The Bystander
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++8 Pearls
The bald man shook his head helplessly. “After that, I covered up the camera. Over time, I pretty much forgot there was even a monitor here.”
Jean found it absurd.
So neither the police, the shop owner, nor the current investigators had thought to check this footage.
If she hadn’t come here to look for herself, this clue would’ve been completely overlooked?
“Sir, can you pull up the footage?” Jean asked anxiously
The man nodded. “Of course. I was planning to show it to you anyway, but-”
A sudden shift in tone made Jean pause, “But what?”
The man scratched his head sheepishly. “It’s just… I haven’t touched that thing in ages. No clue if it even still works. If it’s busted, there’s nothing I can do…”
“It’s alright. Just give it a try,” Jean said calmly.
The man eagerly went to check the system.
The good news: the monitor still worked.
The bad news: there was no footage of Thomas. Nothing significant turned up.
Jean let out a frustrated sigh.
“Didn’t find the evidence you needed?” the bald man asked when he saw her disappointment.
Jean quickly pulled herself together. Her gaze left the screen and landed on him. She smiled faintly. “Doesn’t matter. Thank you anyway.”
He waved it off, looking genuinely sorry. “Too bad I couldn’t help more…”
Just before leaving, Jean couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d missed something. She ran through the footage one more time.
And this time, she spotted it.
“Here. Someone’s here.” Jean’s eyes locked onto the monitor, her expression grave.
The man followed her gaze, squinting hard at the screen. After a while, he asked, confused, “Where? I don’t see anyone.”
Jean pointed to the bottom–left corner of the screen. “Right there.”
In the footage, a small figure was curled up on a bench by the road, completely still–almost blending into the night itself. If you didn’t look closely, you’d miss him entirely.
Because the lighting was so poor, all Jean could make out was the rough outline of the person. Everything else was just shadows.
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Inu, May 8
Chapter 258 The Bystander.
“Do you recognize this person?” Jean asked, brows furrowed as she pointed at the screen.
She and Jolene had reviewed nearly every piece of surveillance available.
None of it showed a third person.
Aside from Asher and the girl who filed the complaint, here was no one else.
Thomas, any passersby, any witnesses–completely absent.
Which meant the person on the bench might’ve been the only bystander present that night.
Of course, that didn’t mean he’d actually seen anything
+8 Pearls
Jean wasn’t sure if the man had witnessed the event or was simply there by coincidence, completely unaware of what had happened.
But she had to find out.
To do that, she needed to track him down.”
“Do you remember anything, sir?” Jean prompted, seeing the man squinting hard at the screen, deep in thought.
“I…” The man’s brows furrowed even more, but after a brief silence, his face suddenly lit up. He raised his eyebrows in excitement and said, “I think I know who that is!”
Jean arched a brow. “Who?”
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