Chapter 285: Detective Chuck Saw Me and Not Only Didn't Surrender, But Dared to Run?
Cross Estate.
Chuck received a call from Monica and rushed to the hospital first before arriving here. After getting out of the car, he looked up and saw Beth Harmon standing at the door.
"Where's Linda?"
Chuck walked over.
"She wasn't feeling well, so she went upstairs to rest."
Beth Harmon looked into his eyes.
"Is that so?"
Chuck held her gaze.
"Mr. Cross has passed away."
Beth Harmon said calmly.
"Sudden heart attack."
Chuck said flatly. "Just like his ex-wife."
"His ex-wife?"
Beth Harmon was stunned.
"Yes,"
Chuck said. "His ex-wife died of a sudden heart attack, and before that, he'd taken out a large life insurance policy on her.
Last time, Linda came to me for help, afraid of the chess grandmaster's intelligence, and asked me to protect her.
I investigated him.
So I had my suspicions.
But I thought, with his intelligence, he wouldn't use the same method to kill another wife and collect insurance money.
Because even an ordinary detective could connect those dots.
Even without being a cop, that connection would be enough to get a court order to exhume his ex-wife's body and investigate the cause of death.
But now he's dead.
Seems I gave him too much credit.
So now I'm about 80 percent certain that his ex-wife was also poisoned by him,
creating the illusion of a sudden heart attack."
Last time, because of Linda's special request, he'd only intimidated Patrick Cross, and before he could investigate the ex-wife, Patrick had already backed down.
So Chuck hadn't continued.
"You can fake a sudden heart attack?" Beth Harmon asked.
"Absolutely,"
Chuck said, gesturing toward the garden. "You recognize that?"
Beth Harmon shook her head.
She was completely absorbed in chess and paid little attention to anything else.
"That's oleander,"
Chuck explained. "Beautiful to look at, but deadly poisonous. Dehydrate the sap, grind it into powder, and 0.25 grams is enough to kill an adult.
The cause of death would look exactly like a sudden heart attack. He and his ex-wife had oleanders in their yard too."
Beth Harmon fell silent.
She thought of Esther; in their limited interactions, she'd often seen Esther playing with those oleanders in the garden.
"Was it Linda?"
Chuck suddenly asked.
"No,"
Beth Harmon immediately shook her head.
"I hope not."
Chuck looked at her. "I know you like her because she can provide you with a stable environment for chess and give you enough freedom.
But her drinking will affect you eventually.
You're intelligent, but you're still too young to feel the impact yet.
Once you start experimenting with it, it might feel good at first. You might even think it helps your game.
But I have to tell you.
Alcohol, like any other drug, will damage your nervous system. Little by little, it'll completely destroy you in the end.
So if you want to truly become world chess champion, staying away from alcohol, drugs, and all other crutches, and truly exploring your own potential—that's the only way."
"I understand."
Beth Harmon looked at him. "I won't be affected by Linda's habits, and Mr. Cross wasn't poisoned by Linda.
She's been with me the whole time. You also said this is just a possibility. It's also possible that Mr. Cross really did die of a sudden heart attack."
"As long as Linda agrees to an autopsy,"
Chuck said. "Even if she doesn't, it's fine. As long as I ask, the judge will still issue a warrant.
Whether it's oleander toxin or some other poison, it'll show up in the examination.
I hope she'll agree to an autopsy voluntarily."
"Why?"
Beth Harmon asked, puzzled. "You already had a conflict with him, and now he's dead. Does it matter how he died?"
"Doesn't matter to me,"
Chuck nodded, looking at her. "But it matters to you. Because an alcoholic Linda might be an obstacle to your growth, but not a real threat.
However, if an alcoholic Linda crosses that line, her entire mindset will change. She'll
go from being weak and vulnerable to becoming dangerous.
If you're living with someone like that, and your life is still controlled by her, sooner or later you'll be in danger."
"Why are you being so good to me?"
Beth Harmon asked, already sensing the answer. "It's because of Paige, isn't it?"
"You two can be friends,"
Chuck adjusted his reading glasses. "A worthy opponent is a gift in life."
"You're my opponent!"
Beth Harmon's eyes suddenly hardened.
"No, not me."
Chuck shook his head.
"You think I'm not good enough?"
Beth Harmon stared stubbornly at Chuck. "You think I can't beat Paige?"
"You'll have to prove it yourself."
Chuck looked at her. "When you win the world championship and defeat Paige three times in a row, then I'll play you."
"Deal!"
Beth Harmon agreed immediately, her eyes filled with competitive fire.
Outside the estate.
Esther and the other two drove away. Sitting in the back seat, she kept fiddling with one earbud. Seeing Linda looking at her frequently, she smiled and placed the other earbud into Linda's ear.
The conversation coming through was between Chuck and Beth.
"Oh my God!"
Linda exclaimed, looking at Esther in fear. "He actually figured it out! What do we do now?"
"You heard it yourself,"
Esther laughed. "Even Detective Chuck suspected you first, let alone other cops. Because Patrick is dead, you're the biggest beneficiary, aren't you?"
"But I didn't kill him..."
Linda said weakly.
"Can you prove it?"
Esther's smile was wicked. "No, you can't! Now you should just hope that Detective Chuck dies soon, so this'll all be over.
No one will investigate anymore. Your husband just had a sudden heart attack, and you can inherit everything and live happily ever after with us."
"What are you planning to do?"
Linda's eyes showed her inner struggle.
"Are you sure you can bear to lose your precious daughter, Beth Harmon?"
Esther looked at her.
"What does this have to do with Beth?"
Linda exclaimed, glancing instinctively at David, who was driving. "Detective Chuck isn't that kind of person!"
"Not that kind of person?"
David scoffed. "As long as someone's attractive, age doesn't matter—they're just another conquest! No man can resist that kind of temptation."
"Yeah."
Esther chuckled. "Actually, at first I thought about having Beth seduce Detective Chuck and filming some compromising videos, so we'd all be in it together and nothing could go wrong.
I didn't see anything wrong with that.
After all, I secretly investigated him
and found out he really enjoys working with kids.
That alone says something.
But now it's unnecessary."
"Why?"
Linda asked instinctively.
"He's too smart!"
Esther's eyes turned cold. "I'm not confident I can control him, so he might as well die!"
With that, she pulled a remote control from her pocket and pressed it decisively.
BOOM!
A violent explosion came from behind. Linda whipped around in horror and saw a burst of flames shooting into the sky.
"Jesus, babe!"
David, who was driving, was drenched in sweat.
He never expected an explosion, and when did Esther set this up? How did she get all those explosives?
"It's just a shame it's daytime."
Esther turned around and leaned over the back seat to look. The rising smoke and flames made a childlike yet cruel smile appear on her lips.
"It would be even more beautiful and spectacular at night, wouldn't it?"
David and Linda were both stunned speechless.
"Well?"
Esther immediately turned her head and looked at them, her tone threatening.
"You're absolutely right."
Linda's face turned pale.
"Babe, you're in charge!"
David wiped his sweat and smiled obsequiously, his words carrying a double meaning.
Before, because of his brother's death, he would not only replace his brother, but would also have relationships with his two nieces that far exceeded normal family boundaries.
He'd been thrilled about it.
This kind of scenario only existed in the darkest corners of high society. He'd only heard rumors before, but now he could experience it firsthand.
He'd been so pleased with himself that his mentality had shifted, and he felt he controlled everything.
But seeing that violent explosion, his heart trembled again and again, and he realized that in this new family arrangement, the one who truly called the shots wasn't him, but Esther!
"Isn't it a shame about your precious Beth?"
Esther looked at him with a knowing smile.
"Not a shame at all! How can she compare to you?"
David flattered her sincerely.
Any lingering attraction to Beth had been completely extinguished by that explosion; at least, he had absolutely no such thoughts now.
"I also think a family of three is the most stable and happiest,"
Esther smiled sweetly. "Having Beth around would just complicate things, but now it's perfect..."
Her smile suddenly froze.
"What's wrong?"
Linda, who had been watching her closely, was keenly observing, her survival instincts kicking in.
"Drive faster!"
Esther stared intently behind them and snarled at David.
"Yes, ma'am!"
David was completely obedient now, not daring to ask questions, and floored the accelerator, speeding off.
Esther continued lying there, watching behind them.
She saw another car approaching at an even faster speed.
"Shit!"
David saw it in the rearview mirror and cried out in terror. "Could it be the cops? How could they get here so fast?"
"Even worse!"
Esther said, her face ashen. "It's that detective Chuck!"
"Impossible!"
David shouted. "How could he survive an explosion like that?"
Just then, the car chasing them drew even closer.
Esther had sharp eyes and could vaguely see the people in the car behind through the window: "It must be that damn Beth! She warned him!"
"Beth isn't dead either?"
Linda turned her head in surprise.
"She's dead to me!"
Esther gritted her teeth, her pistol reappearing in her hand.
The two cars continued speeding, one after the other.
In the car behind.
Chuck drove calmly, while Beth, in the back seat, still had shock and lingering fear on her face. It took her a while to recover and murmur as she met Chuck's calm gaze in the rearview mirror.
"We're still alive?"
"With me here, what could possibly happen?"
Chuck said calmly.
"..."
Beth Harmon was speechless for a moment. The usually composed Beth suddenly understood how Sheldon felt facing Chuck.
However, she wasn't in the mood to dwell on it. Turning her head to look at the aftermath of the explosion behind the car, her thoughts instantly returned to before the blast.
She'd made a deal with Chuck then. Just as she was about to say that if she won, Chuck would grant her one request, Chuck suddenly grabbed her without warning.
Then he rushed toward the nearest back door, not slowing down to open it as he approached.
Instead, he slightly turned to the side, positioning her to avoid hitting the door.
What shocked her even more was that the back door didn't stop Chuck or bounce him back; instead, he smashed through it with his momentum.
Just like that, Chuck, carrying her, burst out of the estate as if there were no obstacles at all.
Just as she finally reacted and wanted to ask what was happening, the explosion occurred.
Amidst the roar,
she instinctively clung tightly to Chuck, letting him carry her away from the blast at incredible speed.
"It's Esther! And David! They left through the back door, they've been gone about five minutes..."
Once they were completely away from the explosion site, she immediately relayed the crucial information to Chuck.
"Get in! Buckle up!"
Chuck pulled her off him, shoved her into the back seat, fastened her seatbelt, and then floored it, chasing after them.
"How did you do that?"
Snapping out of her reverie, Beth Harmon asked, puzzled.
"Doctors have heightened senses, cops do too. Anyone in a profession involving life and death develops some awareness of danger,"
Chuck stated matter-of-factly. "As a detective, my danger sense is even stronger and more acute. Isn't that normal?"
"...What do we do now?"
Beth Harmon didn't press the question, focusing instead on the most pressing issue: "Linda's still in their hands."
"Don't worry, I'll catch them."
Chuck said, flooring the accelerator.
If he hadn't taken that second dose of the Water of Life, which boosted all his physical attributes and strengthened his danger sense,
his previous ability to dodge sniper fire wouldn't have been enough to ensure his safety in such a massive explosion.
Dodging a sniper shot only takes a split second, and with such a large-scale explosion, even if he'd sensed the danger and taken evasive action at the moment of detonation,
the sheer size of the blast zone meant he wouldn't have been able to escape in time.
Fortunately, thanks to the enhancement from the second dose of the Water of Life, he was able to remain a true action hero who never looks back at explosions.
However, it was clear he needed more Water of Life.
Otherwise, he couldn't guarantee his absolute safety if he encountered even greater danger next time.
As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Chuck had already caught up.
Seeing that his targets still had the audacity to flee at this point, Chuck slowed down slightly, rolled down the window, pulled out his service weapon, steered with his right hand as the car swayed from side to side, and casually fired four shots ahead.
With a series of pops, all four tires of the car in front were blown out.
Without tires, the rims scraped violently against the pavement, the speed dropped sharply, and the car was finally forced to stop on the side of the road.
(End of Chapter)
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