Upon hearing that the killer was in the room, everyone looked around with fear in their eyes, their gazes filled with suspicion.
"Don't spout nonsense! It was Phantom Thief Kid who killed my mother!" Hunter, the eldest son, yelled. He was not going to be fooled by some Commissioner in front of him.
"It was Kid!" his sister, Marlene, also said.
Others, eager to clear their names, quickly agreed that the killer was Kid.
The reporter in the tree above filmed it all. Even though it wasn't dawn yet, the villa's lights were all on, making the area bright.
"Quiet!" Commissioner Stonberg's sharp gaze silenced everyone. "The key to this case is how Mrs. Roberts was set on fire without an open flame. The killer went to great lengths, using the victim's own habits to carry out a brilliant murder."
"Commissioner, how did the victim self-ignite?" one officer asked.
"This is actually quite simple," Stonberg replied. "Look at the victim's clothing. It's all pure wool. What does that make you think?"
The officers couldn't figure it out. "Commissioner, just tell us," one said.
"Static electricity," said Henry, the youngest son, his face full of sadness. "The blanket and woolen clothes in my mother's room rubbed together to generate static."
"Exactly, static electricity," Commissioner Stonberg said.
The faces of Hunter and Marlene changed as they realized. The woolen clothes they had gifted their mother had likely caused the static electricity.
Henry then looked at his older sister. "Marlene, did you kill Mom?" he asked.
"You're talking nonsense! Why would I kill Mom?" Marlene shot back.
"Not necessarily," Hunter spoke up, trying to eliminate his competition for the inheritance. "I heard you've been planning to start your own company, but you don't have much funding. You've been borrowing money from Mom with no results." He added, "You know, you've been trying to get money from her, but didn't, and now you're angry enough to kill her."
Marlene fired back, "And you—didn't you lose all your money gambling in Vegas? You had a fight with Mom this afternoon. You killed her, didn't you?"
Then she turned to the Commissioner. "I didn't kill her! It was Hunter!"
Stonberg didn't pay attention to them. Instead, he continued his reasoning for everyone: "I suspected Miss Marlene because she gave the pajamas. You may recall Mrs. Roberts screamed twice, the first scream caused by Miss Marlene."
"You're lying!" Marlene shouted, panic rising. "It had nothing to do with me! Phantom Thief Kid must have come and scared Mom awake!"
Stonberg chuckled. "You underestimate Kid's skills." He then pulled out something from his pocket. "Why is this gem, which originally belonged to Mrs. Roberts but was stolen by Phantom Thief Kid, now in your room?" The gem was found in Marlene's room.
"This…" Marlene admitted to taking the gem, but she quickly added, "But I didn't kill her!"
"I know you didn't kill her," Stonberg said. "Then I suspected Hunter. This afternoon, he suddenly sent the butler out to buy a gift—the very socks."
"Marlene and Henry both gave gifts. I couldn't just stand by while they won Mom's favor," Hunter explained. "I know Henry. His girlfriend has never been accepted by Mom, so he's been trying to get some money to leave the house. I bet you didn't get Mom's money, so you were so angry you killed her." He pointed at his younger brother.
"Hunter! How can you say that?" Henry's face turned bright red. He hadn't expected his older brother to go so far in his pursuit of the inheritance.
This was a real spectacle. The reporter in the tree almost laughed himself to death. Rich families sure know how to make a mess. Watching them fight was ugly. But the reporter also wondered, when did the Commissioner become such a great detective? Wasn't he only in power because of his family's connections? Could it be that he had hidden talents?
The Commissioner's reasoning continued. A ray of light appeared in the distance, signaling the dawn. The truth, hidden in the darkness, was about to be revealed.
Then the Commissioner shouted, "Everyone, shut up! Do you want to listen to your nonsense, or do you want to hear me uncover the truth?"
Finally, everyone quieted down. The three children of the deceased looked at the Commissioner, their eyes asking who the real killer was.
Others also turned to look at the Commissioner, eager to see him point out the killer. Stonberg's sharp gaze swept over everyone before he raised his hand.
Everyone's eyes focused on the Commissioner's slightly thicker finger, watching as he pointed to an unexpected person.
"The killer is you!" Stonberg announced. Behind him, the first rays of dawn broke the horizon, symbolizing that the Commissioner had led them to the truth.
The reporters were stunned. They had assumed the killer would be one of the deceased's three children, given that the items that caused the self-ignition had all been gifts from them. But the Commissioner pointed at the unexpected person—the butler. Yes, the killer was the butler.
The sudden twist left everyone dumbfounded. "Commissioner, how could the butler be the killer?" they asked.
"Yeah, wasn't it Marlene and Henry who planned to kill their mother?" Hunter, not forgetting to throw his siblings under the bus, said.
Marlene and Henry waited for the Commissioner's explanation.
"Heh, the pajamas, the socks, and the silver cross did cause static electricity, but the victim had been used to these habits for years. Why didn't the static ignite her before? The real reason her pajamas caught fire wasn't just static electricity—it needed another fuel source." The Commissioner's words were firm and clear, like a righteous figure in the light of dawn. "The truth is simple—what really caused Mrs. Roberts to self-ignite was liquid benzene."
Benzene is highly flammable and produces black smoke when it burns. The officers recalled that they had seen a lot of smoke when the fire started, but they had thought it was just from the pajamas burning.
The butler's face turned pale, but he couldn't admit to anything. "What evidence do you have? Are you claiming I'm the killer just because of the benzene? How can you prove that it was me who poured the benzene on Mrs. Roberts' pajamas?"
"Stop making excuses. It's not that simple to self-ignite. The blanket and woolen pajamas were habits the victim had kept for years, and she has been wearing socks to sleep for a long time. There has never been an incident like this. Even if she wore a silver necklace today, causing more static buildup, it still wouldn't be enough to cause self-ignition. The only explanation is the addition of fuel." The Commissioner replied. "Do you remember when I asked you about the scent in the victim's room? What did you tell me?"
"It was Indian spices, for better sleep," the butler said. "So what?"
"Wrong. Big mistake. That wasn't Indian spice; it was sandalwood, a Chinese fragrance. You must have used it to cover up the smell of benzene," the Commissioner explained. "How could a professional butler make such a mistake? You must have been nervous while carrying out the murder plan."
The butler's face changed repeatedly. The Commissioner had figured it all out. Although he hated Roberts, he was still afraid when he actually went to kill her, which is why he had mistakenly used the wrong incense. But there was still no direct evidence. "I'm human, mistakes happen. I grabbed the wrong one; it's not strange. Do you have any evidence?"
"Evidence?" The Commissioner smiled slightly and waved for the forensics team to come forward. One of them was holding a perfume bottle.
The butler broke into a cold sweat. That bottle was the container he had hidden the benzene in.
"After testing, the benzene in this bottle matches the benzene residue on the clothing, and it also has your fingerprints. Butler, do you have anything to say now? This evidence, combined with the forensics report, is enough to prove your guilt."
The butler finally knelt, tears of regret rolling down his face. "It was all her fault." It turned out that the butler had invested all his savings into Roberts' business, but she had used the money for environmental causes, causing him to go bankrupt, which made him resort to murder. He confessed everything, explaining how he had used Roberts' habits to plan the murder. The butler pleaded guilty.
"You killed my mother for a little money? Do you even know her worth?" Hunter shouted.
The butler raised his head and sneered. "Worth? Roberts, that crazy woman, is broke. She put all her money into environmental organizations. She even planned to frame Phantom Thief Kid and secretly sell fake gems to fill the financial gap. She's practically penniless. No, she isn't poor; she owes the bank a large sum, and her assets are about to be seized, including the 'Deep Sea Blue' gem."
"Impossible!" Hunter yelled.
But Marlene, with a grim expression, nodded. She knew about the situation at the company and was aware that the bank had given their mother a final warning. That's why she had been planning to start her own company, though she hadn't succeeded.
Henry stood there, stunned. He never imagined he would be without money.
"So the gem is real, and Phantom Thief Kid really returned it? It was the deceased who had been lying all along?" the Commissioner asked.
The butler and his daughter both nodded. "Yes, that's right." The butler went on to explain Roberts' plan to swap out real gems with fake ones for profit, leaving everyone in shock. No one expected someone of such high status to do such things.
The truth was revealed, and everyone clapped for the Commissioner.
"Brilliant! The Commissioner is amazing, just as good as Sherlock Holmes!" The officers admired the Commissioner's performance. "Commissioner, you really are impressive. I bet Phantom Thief Kid didn't dare to show up because he was afraid of you."
Everyone looked at the Commissioner with admiration. They hadn't realized his reasoning ability was so strong. It was the first time they had seen someone solve a case in just a few hours at a crime scene. But it seemed they had misjudged their admiration.
"Who said Phantom Thief Kid didn't come?" Commissioner Stonberg suddenly spoke, his tone slightly off-key.
The officers froze, staring at the Commissioner. They saw him grinning, and the expression on his face didn't resemble that of their usual Commissioner at all.
"Who are you?" the officers asked, dumbfounded.
The reporter in the tree was also stunned. Could there be another twist in the plot? He quickly focused his camera on the Commissioner, who now seemed to be glowing in the sunlight.
The Commissioner's voice had completely changed, now sounding younger. Everyone stared at him in disbelief.
"Phantom Thief Kid!" someone suddenly shouted.
Indeed, the Commissioner threw off his disguise, revealing the attire of Phantom Thief Kid. He shook his cape, catching the sunlight as it glowed. "I am Phantom Thief Kid, here to take the 'Deep Sea Blue' as promised."
...
Silence. No one had expected the Commissioner, who had been supporting justice just moments ago, to suddenly turn into Phantom Thief Kid and steal the gem. The gem shone beautifully under the sun, like a second sun.
Kid stood there, looking like a majestic statue, for all to admire. The surprise was so overwhelming that no one could find their voice. The sudden turn from justice to evil left everyone stunned. It was as if they'd eaten a piece of chocolate they couldn't taste or tasted a mix of flavors so complex that even the greatest writers would struggle to describe it.
The victims, the onlookers, the law enforcers, and the killer all looked up at Kid, their emotions beyond words.
"The case is solved, the truth about the gem is clear. As per our agreement, Phantom Thief Kid will now take the 'Deep Sea Blue' gem forever. Goodbye, everyone!" Liu A'dou pulled out his magic card gun and shot it at the roof. The gem and he both flew to the roof, then unfolded his glider and soared through the sky, circling twice before flying off into the distance. Leaving behind a trail of dropped glasses and dropped jaws. Perhaps these people would never forget today. Phantom Thief Kid had left an unforgettable memory, one far deeper than just stealing something.