Chapter 219: The Shameless Scoundrels of Chicago
"Don't worry," Paige laughed when Chuck remained silent. "It's not that bad. You're not afraid of her sleepwalking—just avoid triggering her. Besides, I'm researching the effects of hypnosis..."
"Don't experiment on Monica again!" Chuck warned.
"Okay," Paige agreed with a smile. "I'm auditing Professor Rostow Daniels's hypnosis class. There are plenty of people who are into hypnosis that I can practice on. I don't need Monica anymore."
"Keep an eye on her," Chuck looked into Paige's eyes. "If you notice anything unusual in her normal state, tell me immediately."
"Want to pinky promise?" Paige held up her little finger to Chuck.
"I have to catch a flight," Chuck ignored her, tossed out a sentence, and left.
"Here you go." Monica returned with a Coke and handed it to Paige. Seeing Chuck leave, she didn't pay any attention and started tidying up for Paige.
Paige didn't drink it, but watched Monica's busy figure thoughtfully.
Morning. Columbia University campus.
"Monica."
"Lindsay."
Monica, who had come with Paige to audit Professor Rostow Daniels's hypnosis class, greeted a plain-looking blonde woman with a smile.
"Here you are again with Paige for class?" The blonde woman named Lindsay glanced at Paige.
"Yeah," Monica nodded. "How's Mary doing lately?"
Lindsay was Professor Rostow Daniels's assistant, and Mary was Lindsay's sister, a student at Columbia University.
"She's doing well," Lindsay smiled. "She's been really into cooking lately—maybe she'll switch careers and become a chef after graduation."
"A chef, huh?" Monica's expression turned nostalgic. "That used to be my dream and passion, because I love food. But since I quit after having a terrible boss, it feels like I've been so far removed from that profession."
Saying this, she gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Last night my friend said I sleepwalked into the kitchen. I don't know if it's my subconscious reminding me that I miss being a chef."
"No, you don't!" Paige, who was walking ahead alone, said slowly upon hearing this.
"I was just kidding. I love this job, especially you," Monica said loudly to Paige's retreating figure, but gave Lindsay a complicated look.
Lindsay smiled knowingly. "You were sleepwalking?"
"I don't know," Monica shook her head. "I have absolutely no memory of it, but my friend told me for sure that I scared her. I don't know why."
"I see," Lindsay nodded thoughtfully, then greeted a refined and handsome middle-aged man. "Dr. Daniels."
Columbia University psychology professor Dr. Rostow Daniels nodded to his female assistant, his gaze falling directly on Monica, his eyes lighting up. "Monica, welcome to audit the class."
"Dr. Daniels," Monica smiled politely. "I don't understand any of this. I'm just here with Paige."
"Just call me Rostow. Whatever you don't understand, you can ask me—I can help you." Dr. Daniels said warmly.
"She doesn't understand why she's so obsessed with Dr. Chuck Wolfe," Paige said with a smile. "Dr. Daniels, could you help her figure it out?"
"..." Dr. Daniels's smile faltered.
"Dr. Daniels, class is about to start," Lindsay, acting as his assistant, said, half-reminding and half-helping her boss out of the awkward situation.
"Right, I'll head in first." Dr. Daniels glanced at his watch, his smile returning. He glanced at Paige, smiled at Monica, and then turned and went inside.
"Paige, why did you bring that up?" Monica complained somewhat embarrassedly.
"Did I say something wrong?" Paige laughed. "You should thank me for getting rid of a problem with just one sentence. Otherwise, being targeted by a seemingly charming player who's good at psychology and hypnosis wouldn't be a pleasant experience. Besides, I promised Chuck I'd keep an eye on you for him."
"Keep an eye on me for what?" Monica didn't know if Paige was telling the truth, but hearing Chuck's extra instructions, she couldn't help but smile, then asked in surprise, "Player? You mean Dr. Daniels?"
"What do you think, Lindsay?" Paige didn't answer, but instead threw the question to the assistant, Lindsay.
Lindsay looked unsure how to answer, and her eyes flickered after Paige looked away.
Meanwhile, Chuck and Jane met at the airport and flew directly to Chicago.
As soon as they exited the airport, they saw a smartly dressed young Indian woman wearing sunglasses standing coolly in front of an SUV, waving at Chuck and Jane.
"This is...?" Jane subconsciously looked at Chuck.
"Kalinda." Before Chuck could answer, the Indian woman smiled and stepped forward, removing her sunglasses and extending her hand to Jane, introducing herself. "An investigator from Lockhart & Gardner, a friend of Chuck's."
"Jane Banner!" Jane shook hands with Kalinda. "Chuck's assistant."
"You're gorgeous," Kalinda exclaimed. "No wonder he doesn't go for people like us."
"Thank you." Jane, somewhat unsure of Kalinda's background, could only smile awkwardly but politely. "You're overthinking it. You're beautiful too. I'm sure Chuck isn't put off by your looks..."
But under Kalinda's gaze—a look that seemed to say, 'Do you really think Chuck wouldn't say that?' and a hint of 'I suggest you be real with me'—she couldn't continue, and her impression of Kalinda improved considerably.
Yeah. Because she believed Chuck could actually say something like, "Your appearance doesn't meet the experimental baseline," to a woman.
And once a woman is told that to her face, unless she has absolutely no self-respect, she'll never have any interest in the man who said it again.
Most importantly, she didn't want to get shot for no reason one day. The more people involved, the higher the probability... Please, no more people!
"Let's go straight to the scene," Chuck said.
"You decide, Detective Chuck," Kalinda teased with a hint of envy and jealousy. She gentlemanly opened the car door for Jane, let her get in, then put her sunglasses back on, got into the driver's seat, and drove away.
"As you requested, we've sent you all the data. Do you have any promising leads?" Kalinda asked as she drove, getting to the point.
"Let's go to the scene first, then talk to the witnesses," Chuck said, looking at the scenery outside.
"That's it?" Kalinda subconsciously raised an eyebrow.
Although she had come to respect Chuck's abilities and considered him a friend, the rapid increase in his consulting fees still made her uneasy.
"Also, find the person who filmed the scene and see what else they captured," Chuck said calmly.
"Someone filmed the scene?" Kalinda was startled. "How did you know?"
Chuck glanced at her but didn't answer.
"..." Kalinda's lips twitched, but she didn't ask further. Instead, her mind raced, trying to find the answer herself.
University of Chicago. Student dormitory.
"At the time of the incident, the students were having a party. According to Josh Mundy, the protagonist of this 'Friends with Benefits at Half Price' situation, he was downstairs when Heather, the victim, who was his girlfriend Bianca's best friend, came to him and suggested they hook up. They went upstairs to do drugs, and afterwards they all crashed. He woke up thirsty and went downstairs to get some beer. After hearing the gunshot, he immediately ran upstairs and found Bianca holding a handgun and Heather lying in a pool of blood..."
Kalinda recounted the events of the case at the scene, combining photos taken afterward.
Chuck glanced at the scene and then walked out.
"Where are you going?" Kalinda followed.
"To find Kinder Bauer!" Chuck said as he walked.
"The girl who provided the photos to the police?" Kalinda was stunned. "You mean she had the complete video but only gave us the photos? Why?"
"You can ask her that," Chuck was already standing in front of Kinder Bauer's dorm room and knocked on the door.
"Who are you?" A pretty white girl with a pure and innocent look opened the door and was taken aback when she saw Chuck and the others.
"Kinder Bauer?" Chuck said, "Were you the one who provided the photos to the police?"
"Yes," Kinder said cautiously. "You're not the police!"
"We're investigating the case," Kalinda smiled. "Why didn't you provide the police with the video of the scene?"
"Video? I don't have one!" Kinder's eyes widened in panic, and she quickly denied it.
"No, you do!" Chuck said, "The photos you provided to the police and the ones you posted online look like the same photo, but the details are different. They're a series of screenshots taken from a video."
"I deleted it," Kinder said directly when she realized she couldn't hide it anymore.
"No, you didn't," Chuck looked at her. "Someone who likes to show off online wouldn't delete such valuable footage."
"..." Kinder was speechless, her eyes conflicted.
"You know defense lawyers can call anyone to testify in court to prove the suspect's innocence, right?" Kalinda knew Chuck was right, so she began to use a combination of persuasion and pressure to help him. "If you lie, that's a crime. We just need to check if there's any useful information in the video that we don't know about, and we don't necessarily need the video as evidence."
"Come in." Kinder stepped aside to let Chuck and the others in, explaining hesitantly, "It's not that I don't want to help you, but I have my reasons. The video really can't be released."
"Why?" Jane asked, puzzled.
"You'll see when you watch it," Kinder walked to the table, opened her laptop, and clicked on the video.
"..." Jane was speechless.
The video started with the seemingly innocent and beautiful Kinder wearing a tight leather outfit, taking a selfie with her phone. The content of the video was very explicitly sexual, and it became increasingly graphic as Kinder, who was clearly drunk, acted and spoke.
"I'm drunk. This is the first time I've video chatted with my boyfriend like this... This can't get out."
"Don't worry, it's normal, it's nothing," Kalinda reassured her.
"You're overthinking it. You didn't hide from anyone, so there's nothing to expose," Chuck said bluntly.
"...I'm not worried about others." Kinder looked at herself in the video, seducing her boyfriend with words and actions in front of the camera, with a large group of classmates partying behind her. Just as Chuck said, it really wasn't a private matter. She could only awkwardly explain, "It's nothing for young people, but I'm worried my parents won't be able to handle it if they see it. They're more conservative..."
"Is it really nothing?" Jane couldn't help but voice her confusion. "Are college students this wild these days?"
"It really is nothing," Kinder glanced at Jane and tried to explain. "I would never do things like Bianca and Heather. Take that Asian girl next door, for example. She clearly has a boyfriend, but she's sleeping with his roommate. They're making a racket every night, and she even says she's going to save herself for marriage with her boyfriend..."
"That's bullshit!" Jane said incredulously. "They've already slept together, how can she save herself..."
At this point, seeing the strange looks from Kinder and Kalinda, she realized something and immediately made a disgusted face. "Ugh! Tell me it's not what I think!"
"It's exactly what you think," Kinder shrugged. "It's just self-deception. Compared to them, don't I seem much more normal?"
Chuck ignored her, continuing to watch the video, and then said, "Josh Mundy lied. He said he went upstairs after the gunshot, but in fact, he went upstairs first and then heard the gunshot."
"So it's possible that Josh Mundy shot and killed his girlfriend's best friend who propositioned him. Why?" Jane felt old, completely unable to keep up with the wild and twisted logic of young people.
"I don't know, but this is good news," Kalinda smiled. "Because it gives the jury a reasonable alternative suspect besides Bianca."
"Investigate this person!" Chuck scrolled through the video, pointing to Josh Mundy speaking to another guy immediately after the incident. "Maybe there will be an answer."
"Got it," Kalinda nodded in agreement.
"Can I delete this video?" Kinder tentatively asked. "I really don't want my parents to see it..."
"No, this is important evidence," Kalinda instinctively refused.
"Delete it," Chuck interrupted, glancing at Kinder. "If you don't want your parents to see it, don't do it again."
"Thank you, thank you," Kinder repeatedly thanked him and explained, "I was too drunk and couldn't control myself. I swear I've never done this before..."
Chuck didn't say anything more and walked straight out.
Kalinda glanced at Kinder, who immediately deleted the video, then at Chuck leaving, and could only follow, puzzled. "This is evidence that's in our favor!"
"You already know the content of the video. Can't you get the result you want without it?" Chuck retorted.
"...Of course I can." Kalinda wouldn't back down, so she had to give up this advantageous discovery. She knew that once the video was used as evidence, it almost certainly meant it would be exposed.
And once it was online, it almost meant it would never disappear. There was a high probability that Kinder's parents and family would see it. For parents with more conservative views, having their daughter's video made public would be a nightmare, incredibly painful.
If people used it to mock and humiliate them, some might even contemplate suicide.
"Hmm." Kalinda, relieved, suddenly stared at Chuck and clicked her tongue in amazement. "I never knew you had such a soft side!"
"Because I know she's telling the truth," Chuck said calmly. "Having a sense of shame is better than having none, and her family isn't well-off. Her parents have already sacrificed enough to send her to college; there's no need for her to pay another price."
(End of Chapter)
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