Chapter 34: The Protein Powder Disguise

Chapter 34: Chapter 34: The Protein Powder Disguise

Captain Lynch and the supervisor, who hadn’t left yet, raised their eyebrows in curiosity upon hearing what Evan Keller said.

They took the lab report from his hand and quickly skimmed through it.

When he saw the final conclusion, Captain Lynch’s eyes widened in disbelief.

"Is everything on here true?" Captain Lynch asked, pointing at the last line, his expression unusually serious.

’If this is really true,’ he thought, ’then that girl’s death was a terrible injustice.’

’No, that’s not quite right,’ he corrected himself. ’After all, she did willingly take the stuff.’

"I asked the bureau’s forensic examiner to put a rush on it yesterday. The analysis data was faxed over first thing this morning." Evan Keller took back the lab report and gave it a little shake, a hint of pride in his voice.

Zoe Sawyer and Sean Hughes leaned in, pushing Evan’s hand down to get a better look.

They were stunned when they saw the section listing the components: protein powder, instant milk tea mix, and stimulants.

"So, Teacher Scott thought his daughter had become a junkie, but what she was actually taking... was protein powder?" Sean Hughes’s voice was filled with disbelief. He was so shocked that he spoke louder without realizing it, his voice cracking.

Zoe Sawyer rubbed her chin. ’This is just like that rock sugar kingpin case!’

’I just wonder if they use fakes to scam everyone, or just to rip off these young punks.’

Soon enough, Zoe’s question was answered. "We followed the lead to those young punks," Evan explained, "and focused our interrogation on the one who gave the stuff to Mia Scott.

He knew from the start that it was just protein powder. The whole thing was a scheme he and his friends cooked up to scam Mia Scott and squeeze more money out of her.

Mia Scott had never been around that kind of stuff before. Plus, since powdered drugs can be taken orally, and with her so-called friends egging her on, she was easily convinced it was the real deal."

As he spoke, Evan’s expression turned regretful. He’d been hoping they could follow the lead all the way up and bust the supply chain.

"So she was up all night and out of it during the day not because drugs were getting her high, but because of the stimulants and protein powder?

And don’t tell me the instant milk tea mix was to improve the flavor?" Sean Hughes asked, following Evan’s logic.

Evan Keller nodded. "Exactly. They bought the cheapest protein powder they could find and were worried it would taste awful, so they mixed in the milk tea powder.

Mia Scott trusted them, so she never suspected a thing. According to their statements, Mia did complain at one point that it tasted disgusting and seemed reluctant, but they eventually convinced her to keep drinking it."

As for real drugs?

They didn’t have the connections to get any, nor did they have the guts to actually sell them to anyone else.

After all, they were well aware of the massive gap between a petty punk and an actual drug dealer.

The latter was fast money, but they knew they couldn’t handle that kind of business. All they could do was run petty scams on the side for some spending cash.

Listening on the sidelines, Zoe Sawyer had a complicated expression. She never imagined this would be the truth behind it all.

’If Teacher Scott and his wife find out,’ she wondered, ’will they hate themselves for acting without knowing the full story?’

"Let’s go! Let them play tough! With this report, I refuse to believe we can’t crack the two of them!" Captain Lynch made a copy of the report from Evan and handed it to the officer who had interrogated Ms. Donovan the day before.

Zoe Sawyer and Sean Hughes trotted after them.

A moment later, they were standing outside the interrogation room, listening to a mournful wail from within, accompanied by the sound of someone repeatedly slamming their fists on the table.

"I don’t believe it! I don’t believe it! You must have made this all up!" Teacher Scott’s expression was manic as he snatched the lab report and tore it to shreds.

His anger was laced with panic. ’If that report is real, then what was all of that for?

Does that mean we were just blind and stupid?

If I admit it, does that mean my whole family is brainless? That we were played for fools by a bunch of punks?

And we had someone kill Mia because of it...’

’No! It’s all fake! This must be a trick the police are using to get us to change our story!

I can’t fall for it!’

Teacher Scott’s expression shifted rapidly, and Captain Lynch, standing opposite him, saw it all clearly.

"There’s no reason for us to lie to you about this. If you don’t believe us, we can bring those punks in here.

The only question is whether you can handle the truth. Or would you rather let Mia be buried with the label of a junkie than admit your own mistake?"

That last sentence pierced Teacher Scott’s heart like an arrow.

Teacher Scott collapsed onto the table, his hands digging into his hair. Agonized wails and sobs echoed from beneath his hunched form.

"Quick! Get the doctor!"

Just then, Zoe heard someone burst out of Ms. Donovan’s interrogation room, shouting to the officer on guard to call for a doctor.

A young officer came running, pulling the doctor from the infirmary along.

A few moments later, the doctor came out. ℯ

Zoe Sawyer and Sean Hughes went over to ask, "What happened to the person in there?"

"It’s nothing. The shock was too much for her. She couldn’t handle it and fainted, but she’s awake now.

Judging by her state, I imagine the interrogation will be over soon." The doctor gave a brief explanation, then left with his medical kit.

Things went more or less as the doctor predicted.

While Captain Lynch was still at a stalemate with Teacher Scott, Ms. Donovan was brought out of the other room.

Zoe was taken aback the moment she saw her.

The expression on her face was one of complete, utter despair.

Ms. Donovan’s face was ashen, her eyes completely vacant. It felt like you could wave a hand in front of her face and she wouldn’t even notice.

She had to be supported by two officers just to walk.

"She confessed to everything. What she did, what her husband did... she told us it all."

Evan Keller, who had been in Ms. Donovan’s interrogation the entire time, let out a long breath and walked over to Zoe Sawyer and Sean Hughes.

Her story was mostly the same as what Teacher Scott told them yesterday.

But she also revealed the crucial detail that had been glossed over.

The person who murdered Mia Scott was the boyfriend of Shirley Miller, the victim in the second case.

They had used a middleman to arrange a criss-cross murder.

Since the two parties had never had any contact, they figured the police would never be able to trace the crime back to them, as they were seemingly unrelated.

Both parties specifically chose to act when the security cameras at both locations were broken.

And it worked out just as they’d planned. Initially, the police didn’t suspect the other party at all.

As family members of the victims, they had perfect alibis for the time of the murders, allowing them to be quickly cleared of suspicion.

"How did they get in touch with the middleman?"