Chapter 220: The Knocking on the Door in the Dead of Night! Jane: I Won't Fall in the Same Place Twice!
"Are you sure it's not because she's pure and pretty?" Kalinda teased.
"Maybe 1%," Chuck looked at her and said bluntly. "I'm not unaware of female beauty. Good looks are an asset, and no one understands the importance of natural gifts better than me."
"..." Kalinda's smile froze on her face.
What does that mean! Is he saying she's ugly again?
"Let's continue investigating the case," Jane couldn't help but chuckle and smooth things over. "This is a very good development, which means that Bianca might really be innocent, right?"
"Yes," Kalinda took a deep breath to suppress her frustration, glanced at Jane, who had amusement in her eyes, and said with a half-smile, "You seem to be very interested in this case? Is there anything special about this case to you?"
"No!" Jane immediately denied.
"Hmm?" Kalinda had only intended to tease Jane, who wore a "Chuck thinks I'm beautiful" expression on her face, but she hadn't expected Jane to react so strongly. Being an excellent investigator herself, with her extensive experience and knowledge, she immediately sensed something was off.
"Really, no!" Jane realized her attitude was wrong and quickly pretended not to care.
"Heh." Kalinda glanced at Jane, then at Chuck, giving her a knowing look that left Jane speechless.
"Looks like I'm getting old, out of touch with you young people." Seeing Jane's rosy complexion and radiant glow, Kalinda, who had initially planned to skip the topic, couldn't resist making a casual remark.
"..." Jane's face flushed instantly, avoiding Kalinda's gaze.
This was something she had just said to Kinder, expressing her shock at how wild college students were; now Kalinda was using it to tease her.
"How are things between you and Mrs. Florrick?" Chuck, noticing Jane subtly tugging at him, proactively changed the subject.
Kalinda's smile froze again. She glared at Chuck and strode ahead in her high heels.
Although she had noticed Jane's subtle movements and knew Chuck was acting on someone else's behalf, this blunt and awkward topic change still made her extremely annoyed.
Having witnessed Chuck's keen observation of micro-expressions and his ability to read situations, she simply didn't believe he was unaware of her and Mrs. Florrick's current awkward situation.
"What's wrong with her?" Jane, seeing Kalinda leave, finally recovered slightly from her embarrassment and then became somewhat curious. "Does she have some kind of history with that so-called 'good wife'?"
Because of the former Chicago State's Attorney and potential future political powerhouse, Mrs. Florrick's influence was no longer limited to Chicago; she was a household name throughout the United States, and the term "good wife" had become synonymous with her.
"Mrs. Florrick thought Kalinda was her best friend, but then she found out Kalinda wasn't just her best friend—they were also Eskimo sisters," Chuck stated bluntly. "Of course, not as close as you and Monica. Now that Mrs. Florrick has found out, she's cut ties with Kalinda."
"Monica and I aren't Eskimo sisters!!!" Jane exclaimed in frustration.
The so-called Eskimo sisters refer to women who have slept with the same man.
Chuck didn't say anything, just walked away.
Jane stood there, frustrated for a moment, then chased after him, complaining, "Since you knew they were having a falling out, why did you bring it up?"
"Didn't you tell me to change the subject?" Chuck looked at her seriously. "Didn't I succeed?"
"..." Jane was speechless.
One sentence was enough to shut everyone up; who dared say he hadn't succeeded!
The three of them arrived at the boys' dormitory.
Kalinda was already standing there, knocking on the door. "Josh Mundy?"
A young white man opened the door, his eyes lighting up when he saw Kalinda. "Kalinda, right? What can I do for you?"
"You told us you came upstairs after the shooting, right?" Kalinda ignored Josh's hormone-driven expression, despite his girlfriend being in custody and his friend being murdered, and confirmed.
"Yes." Josh's gaze couldn't help but shift to Jane, a look of interest on his face. "And this is...?"
"FBI!" Jane disliked this kind of look, expressionlessly pulling out her badge.
The enthusiasm in Josh's eyes immediately vanished, replaced by tension.
It was fortunate he had already opened the door; otherwise, the thought of 'FBI! Open up!' flashing through his mind would have terrified him.
After all, American college students were breeding grounds for all sorts of trouble, easy targets.
Besides, this was the FBI!
The era when Director Hoover ruled half of America with the FBI had just passed, and everyone thought that was the FBI's peak. But those who truly understand know that this was just the beginning.
Even if he was just a college student on drugs, even if he were as innocent as a newborn baby, so what? As long as the FBI agents who came had any competence at all, whatever crime they said you committed, you would be found guilty, without the slightest doubt. Their efficiency was so high it was almost supernatural, like they could reverse cause and effect.
This was god-tier power even in a fantasy world!
"I'm asking you a question!" Kalinda said, her tone sharp. "Are you sure you went upstairs after the gunshot? Could it be that you're high and misremembering?"
"I'm not misremembering! I'm sure!" Josh didn't dare look at Jane anymore, obediently answering Kalinda's question.
"You're lying!" Kalinda stared into his eyes. "You went upstairs first and then heard the gunshot!"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Josh said, flustered and lowering his head.
"You will," Kalinda laughed. "I've confirmed with you again and again, and you lied, removing yourself from the timeline when you could have committed the crime. Do you know how that will sound to the jurors? We'll speak with the prosecutor and tell her who should really be on trial!"
"I didn't kill Heather!" Josh was frightened and opened his mouth to speak.
"There's nothing to hide now," Chuck bluntly reminded him. "If you're not cleared of suspicion, you'll be the prime suspect, and your family doesn't have any money."
"...It really wasn't me!" After a moment of stunned silence, the last sentence, 'your family doesn't have any money,' completely dispelled any thoughts of concealment, and he blurted everything out. "I was just with Heather, planning to steal some of Bianca's stuff to resell for extra cash."
"Wait!" Jane felt she couldn't keep up with the young man's logic again, and said with a headache, "You conspired with your girlfriend's best friend to steal your girlfriend's things to resell for spending money?"
"Yes, just like he said, my family doesn't have any money," Josh told the truth. "Bianca's family is loaded, she's an only child, and she has all kinds of jewelry and necklaces hidden in safes... Dating Bianca and partying is expensive, and I'm a guy—I can't let women pay for everything, can I?"
"...You're incredibly shameless," Jane was shocked by Josh's audacity.
"Actually, this wasn't my idea," Josh wasn't ashamed at first, but seeing Jane and Kalinda's current expressions, he suddenly became a little embarrassed and explained. "It was all Heather's idea, otherwise I wouldn't have dared to suggest Bianca play this game."
At this point, he couldn't contain his excitement any longer, winking and grinning at Chuck, "Dude, do you know how this feels? God! I love college!"
He became increasingly smug.
He certainly had reason to be smug, because even the legendary player Barney Stinson from "How I Met Your Mother" had a championship belt specially made with his friends to see who could achieve the "Devil's Threesome" first—whoever did it first would wear the belt as a symbol of victory and glory.
While he didn't have the money, he had basically beaten the playboy Barney Stinson in college, something any guy could brag about!
Jane and Kalinda both looked at Chuck.
"You were in charge of getting the password, and Heather was in charge of stealing? And the guy who spoke up first after the incident was in charge of fencing the stolen goods?" Chuck didn't say anything like 'nobody knows more than me,' which genuinely relieved Jane. The established facts were already embarrassing enough; if Chuck were to brag to everyone like Josh Mundy, she would be utterly mortified.
"Yeah," Josh, somewhat disappointed at not getting the reaction he wanted, said, "I told Heather the password, intending to keep watch for her, but when I went upstairs, I heard gunshots. I ran over and saw Heather lying in a pool of blood, and Bianca standing there with a gun. I swear I'm telling the truth!"
Chuck glanced at him, nodded, and left.
Jane and the others followed.
"So Heather was also able to open the case and take out the pistol..." Kalinda walked thoughtfully, then, seeing Jane looking over, explained, "Perhaps after she opened the case, she found the self-defense pistol that Bianca's mother had always made her carry, picked it up, looked at it, accidentally discharged it, and shot herself. Bianca, awakened by the gunshot, groggily picked up the pistol, unsure what to do. This explains the bullet trajectory, and why the muzzle was so close to Heather's body."
She looked at Chuck, awaiting his judgment.
"That's certainly possible," Chuck deduced based on the existing evidence and agreed.
"So it was all an accidental misunderstanding?" Jane didn't know whether to laugh or what expression to make.
"It's also possible that Bianca had experienced what she was supposed to experience, then regretted it, discovered Heather and Josh's plan, and the drugs amplified her emotions," Chuck's tone shifted. "While Heather was opening the case and taking out the pistol, she suddenly grabbed the gun and shot Heather. Or perhaps she discovered Heather and Josh's plan from the beginning, and when Heather suggested taking drugs to facilitate the threesome, she went along with it, taking drugs and shooting her 'best friend,' saving her lawyers the trouble of racking their brains for a defense strategy."
"Wait, wait, you're making it sound like Bianca has antisocial personality disorder..." As an investigator for the law firm, Kalinda instinctively disliked making such inferences, but considering that one of the reasons Chuck couldn't confirm the truth of Bianca's words was that Bianca might have antisocial personality disorder, she couldn't completely rule out that possibility.
"To quote a high-ranking executive at a major company: everyone who makes it to our position has antisocial personality disorder," Chuck looked at her. "In your opinion, which is more likely: the only child in a wealthy family, raised with elite education by her mother, possessing a strong sense of self-preservation, and even keeping a handgun in her college dorm room?"
"Can you prove it?" Kalinda frowned.
"Can you get us into Bianca's house?" Chuck countered.
"You want to go see her mother?" Kalinda immediately understood.
"It's not that I can't see through all antisocial personalities, but I can't see through those who have been trained to disguise themselves over a long period of time, or those who are exceptionally gifted at it," Chuck nodded. "If we could go to her house and see her mother, preferably look at video footage of Bianca from childhood to adulthood, we might be able to tell if she has antisocial personality disorder."
"I need to talk to Diane," Kalinda didn't agree immediately, and went to the side to make a phone call. After a while, she hung up and came back. "Diane said she's very grateful for your help. Your work is finished, and the payment will be transferred to you promptly. The rest is up to us."
"Okay," Chuck nodded. "Now just take us to the hotel."
"Okay," Kalinda breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Chuck didn't argue, and quickly went to get the car.
"Okay? That's it?" Jane said incredulously. "According to your thinking, there's a high chance that Bianca did it on purpose."
"Is Heather a good person?" Chuck asked instead of answering.
"...No," Jane understood Chuck's meaning, but some of the concepts instilled in her as a law enforcement officer were influencing her. "But this is still illegal, and it's premeditated murder. Even if Heather isn't a good person, she doesn't deserve to die. Shouldn't we continue the investigation?"
"First of all, Heather isn't a good person, and there are no innocent victims in this case. Secondly, I was hired by Lockhart & Gardner Law Firm to be a consultant, not by the prosecutor prosecuting Bianca," Chuck said calmly. "I've done what I can. Lockhart & Gardner Law Firm won't let me continue. As long as I get paid in full, for me, this is over."
Seeing that Jane was still somewhat unhappy, Chuck reminded her, "If you're really obsessed with absolute justice and find it hard to let go, don't forget that even prosecutors make plea deals with criminals all the time. Deals have become an art form. Business is business. Don't waste your time on this. Do you have unlimited time and energy?"
Jane: "..."
"Get in the car," Kalinda had already driven over and honked the horn.
Jane had no choice but to suppress her inner complaints and get into the car with Chuck, heading to the hotel they had booked in advance.
"Chuck." As soon as they got out of the car, Alex greeted them and smiled at the surprised Jane. "You must be Jane, right? I've heard so much about you."
"...I've never heard of you at all," Jane looked at Alex, whose looks clearly exceeded the experimental baseline, and forced a smile.
"Girls, have fun," Kalinda said teasingly, then drove off.
Alex smiled and led the two to the reserved rooms, enthusiastically engaging Jane in conversation. Although Jane wasn't keen on talking to her, Alex, being a professional at HR, diligently tried to befriend Jane, and soon Jane's smile became much more natural.
That evening, Alex was pleasantly surprised to find that Chuck had kept her company for a considerable time. Although it was more intense, she was happy about it.
Moreover, compared to before, Chuck, wearing black-rimmed glasses, truly captivated her.
When she held Chuck's hands in her own, tilted her head back to look at him leaning down behind her, and gazed into his eyes through his black-rimmed glasses for a long time, she seemed to see a different Chuck, and a radiant smile involuntarily bloomed on her lips.
Late at night, after Alex left, Jane, who had been tossing and turning for a long time listening to the sounds and initially wanted to ignore Chuck, finally came over. Habits lead to compulsions, and it's clear she's caught between severe and moderate obsessive-compulsive tendencies; she's developed some OCD herself.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Jane, who was requesting urgent research from Dr. Wolfe, suddenly heard a knock on the door and immediately yelled, grabbing Chuck who was about to open it and refusing to let him go.
Monica's situation had been strange; she'd been caught off guard and, lacking experience, had caused that mess. She absolutely wouldn't allow it to happen again!
"It's not Alex!" Chuck made her let go, got dressed, and went out.
Jane hurriedly started dressing herself as well. Although she believed Chuck wouldn't lie to her, what if he was wrong? She wouldn't be ambushed again!
When she quickly dressed and emerged, still irritated, she saw a square-jawed blonde woman in a well-tailored pantsuit standing there. Seeing her displeased expression, the woman smiled and introduced herself: "Sorry for disturbing you so late at night. I'm Janet Reno, the Chicago prosecutor in charge of Bianca and Heather's case."
(End of Chapter)
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