Chapter 5, Doubts

Were there other people present at that time

"That sounds a bit strange," Aiden said, stroking his chin

"In other words, the death row inmate beat up some other people, right?" Flanda sighed and rubbed her forehead

"Do not easily trust criminals," Aiden replied casually, smiling. "I know, I know, I do not believe her; it is just that there are indeed many strange aspects to this case. The time from the verdict to the execution of the death penalty is less than two months, which is rather astonishing."

The female prison guard thought for a moment, shook her head, and said, "She doesn't seem to be injured."

"Take us over there to have a look." After a moment of silence, Aiden gestured for the female guard to lead the way.

Then how can it be explained that she killed someone, voluntarily returned the service weapon, yet did not turn herself in? If she intends to plead not guilty, why would she proactively hand over evidence that could convict her to the police? Even if she didn't find a way to replace the bullet, she should at least have disposed of the service weapon and then claimed that it was stolen, right?" Aiden crossed his arms, "After all, she is a police officer herself, and judging by her resume, she is not the type to be incompetent. It doesn't make sense for her to be this foolish, does it?"

Aiden and Flanda exchanged glances. The two inmates in Room 6 were the female thief Catherine and the pirate Anna, while the inmates in Room 13 were Phil and Veronica—surprisingly, that wolf girl caused trouble right after being transferred here

Yes, the person on duty at the storage facility testified that Veronica had nervously returned the sidearm in the early hours of the morning. His testimony, along with the firearm that was missing bullets, became crucial evidence for convicting Veronica

At 12:20 AM, gunshots were heard coming from the tavern where the incident occurred. Subsequently, the victim's body was discovered, having been shot in the back, with the bullet piercing the heart, resulting in immediate death. Upon the arrival of investigators, it was determined from the shell casings left at the scene that the caliber of the firearm used to kill the victim matched that of the service weapons used by the mounted police. Officer Veronica, who had had a confrontation with the victim earlier that day, was identified as a suspect. The investigation team then retrieved Veronica's service weapon from the mounted police's storage, discovering that one bullet was missing from her firearm.

Franda nodded: "This was also mentioned; the person on duty guarding the vault that day was a newcomer who had previously received guidance from Veronica. He stated that he did not check Veronica's sidearm at that time"

What caused the fight, has anything been clarified?

Yes, the tribunal has also recognized this. Werewolves are more likely to lose control of their emotions compared to ordinary people. " Franda provided an affirmative response, " After all, under normal circumstances, if she had retained even a shred of rationality while committing murder, it would have been impossible for her to use a police-issued firearm. If she had not used a police firearm, the investigation team would not have been able to identify her so quickly.

What about the prisoner 3308, the death row inmate?" Aiden asked again

The victim is the owner of a tavern in the Xiacheng District, aged twenty-eight. The initial conflict with the perpetrator arose from a counterfeit goods case. On March 26, a customer reported to Officer Veronica, who was patrolling the streets at the time, that the tavern was selling counterfeit liquor. After a preliminary investigation of the tavern, Veronica ordered it to be sealed and took the tavern's owner—who is the victim's husband—back to the police station. The next day, upon learning of the incident, the victim came to the police station to protest and verbally insulted Officer Veronica, leading to a confrontation between the two.

Franda recalled: "I heard that it was due to the incident of the mounted police killing someone that affected the reputation of the police force, so the higher authorities issued an order to handle it as soon as possible"

Well, perhaps... it is because she was too flustered after killing someone?" Flanda hesitated for a moment, then looked at Aiden with some confusion, "Sir, you can't really think that she is wronged, can you?"

"It is understandable that the superiors are exerting pressure, after all, this can be considered a major scandal for the mounted police unit." Aiden nodded

It is just a consideration of this possibility" Aiden shrugged

Franda sighed: "Sir, more than 70% of the prisoners here will argue that they have been wronged, and many of them were caught in the act. You must understand that the most important aspect of our line of work is..."

In the warden's office, Flanda was reading the information about Veronica to Aiden

"Wait a moment, did she also return the used sidearm to the armory?" Aiden raised his hand to interrupt her

During my time at the Inquisition, I handled several cases involving injuries caused by werewolves. When werewolves are enraged, they typically attack unarmed or throw nearby objects. In a state of anger, werewolves may unconsciously exhibit transformation symptoms. Although the transformation of female werewolves is not as pronounced as that of males, their fingers do thicken and claws emerge. Aiden mimicked the action of shooting with his hand, asking, "Is it not inconvenient to use a gun in such a state?" When werewolves are enraged, they typically attack unarmed or throw nearby objects. In a state of anger, werewolves may unconsciously exhibit transformation symptoms. Although the transformation of female werewolves is not as pronounced as that of males, their fingers do thicken and claws emerge. Aiden mimicked the action of shooting with his hand, asking, "Is it not inconvenient to use a gun in such a state?"

They have all been controlled by the riot police and are now transferred to the medical office. Inmate 3307 from Room 13 has suffered a head injury and is unconscious, but is currently not in danger. Two inmates from Room 6 have also sustained minor injuries

"When returning the sidearm according to the procedure, it should be subject to inspection. If it has been fired, it would be discovered on the spot, right?" Aiden raised a question

He retains the memories of "the former Aiden," who was the ace investigator of the past Inquisition, and in comparison to the violent werewolf cases in those memories, Veronica's act of killing with a gun is indeed somewhat unusual

"They are the two inmates from Cell No. 6 in the core area, as well as the two inmates from Cell No. 13," the female guard reported nervously

"Do not rush, let's clarify this properly. Which prisoners got into a fight?" Aiden calmly asked.

What is the current situation? Have the personnel been controlled? Aiden turned back to the female prison guard.

Still... not yet, when I heard the noise of smashing from inside and ran in, there was only that death row inmate standing in the changing room, and at that moment she was choking someone by the neck, looking very fierce... then I called the riot police over to subdue the person

No, the other inmates have already finished and gathered outside; at that time, there were only the four of them in the changing room

According to the statement above, the offender 3308 killed the victim out of personal animosity, so she must have committed the act in a state of emotional instability

The female prison guard answered cautiously, clearly worried about being reprimanded by her superior due to this matter

Warden! A female prison guard shouted anxiously to Aiden, not having time to salute, "Just now... there was a fight among the inmates over at the bathhouse!"

What happened?" Flanda was completely puzzled

At that moment, someone suddenly entered through the door without even knocking.

However, Warden, inmate 3308 is a mounted police officer. She should be very skilled with firearms. Even if there is a slight inconvenience, if a sidearm is readily available, it would not be impossible for her to instinctively draw her weapon and shoot.