Chapter 230: Shocking! The Murderer is Him! Is This a Distortion of Humanity or a Decline in Morality?
Monica burst out laughing, then realized that laughing in this situation was inappropriate, so she forced herself to hold it in and apologized repeatedly. "Sorry, sorry."
"Is this why you called me here?"
Chandler looked at Chief Randy Fischer with twitching lips.
"Yes."
Chief Randy Fischer, thinking the others still didn't understand, looked around, leaned close to Chandler, and explained in a low voice. "I remember you said your mother is Nora Bing, and this Jonna's book, In Bed: Jonna's Story, is a similar book your mother is good at writing."
"So you think my family has a long tradition of humor?"
Chandler almost jumped up, and said self-deprecatingly. "Then let me tell you... you've really come to the right person! My mother is Nora Bing, and no one knows more about things in bed than her! And my father is performing in Vegas now, and no one understands the mindset of a Vegas performer better than him."
"Really?"
The naturally oblivious Chief Randy Fischer completely missed Chandler's almost explosive self-deprecation and sarcasm, and said happily. "I really didn't know your father was so similar to Jonna. It seems we really came to the right person!"
"..."
Chandler was speechless. Faced with this peculiar existence who naturally deflected his humor, he was truly helpless.
Monica, who knew the inside story, almost burst out laughing. She finally understood why Chandler and Chief Randy Fischer were considered a legendary duo.
It was hilarious!
"Why do you think this isn't suicide?"
Chandler asked wearily.
"Look!"
Chief Randy Fischer gestured to a check on the table. "This is a check from the New York publisher for her, which hasn't been deposited into her account yet. It's a full $50,000."
He lowered his voice again, looking at Chandler questioningly. "For a former Vegas performer and now a newcomer to romance novels, that must be quite a lot, right?"
"Holy crap!"
Monica exclaimed. "Writing romance novels is that profitable? A $50,000 advance before publication? That's enough for a dream wedding..."
"What dream wedding?"
Chief Randy Fischer looked over in surprise.
"Nothing."
Monica glanced at Chuck, who had been observing the scene, and seeing he wasn't paying attention, shook her head with a mixture of relief and disappointment.
Of course, not every girl dreams of a grand wedding, and in her mind, a grand and perfect wedding would cost around $50,000.
These days, the dollar is still very strong. Even Rachel, from a wealthier upper-middle-class family—her father a renowned orthopedic surgeon—and marrying a very successful dentist, only spent $40,000 on their wedding.
So $50,000 really is a lot.
Hmm.
Something seems off.
Her dream wedding is nothing more than an advance for a newcomer's romance novel... This isn't a good sign.
"$50,000 isn't as much as you think. It's barely enough for one dream wedding."
Chandler knew what Monica meant by a dream wedding and couldn't help but tease. "But how many dream weddings does a woman—well, I'm specifically referring to the female author of romance novels—have in her lifetime? $50,000 is nothing. My mother is a big earner, right? She's one of the richest female authors in the world, but how many times has she been married? Even I, her son, can't remember. She spent countless amounts of money on marriages and divorces. All I remember is the day she stops writing, she won't be leaving me any money."
"Is that so?"
Chief Randy Fischer was shocked and patted Chandler on the shoulder. "It was definitely the right decision to come to you. You've broadened my horizons. So, even though the $50,000 advance wasn't deposited into her account, it doesn't mean she didn't commit suicide."
"...You really know how to get to the point,"
Chandler retorted.
"Isn't that right?"
Chief Randy Fischer paused, then slapped his forehead. "Oh, right, how much did your dad earn as a performer?"
"Chuck!"
Chandler was also dumbfounded, not even in the mood to retort. He could only call out to get this airheaded man back on track.
"It's murder."
Chuck, who had been observing the scene, gave his judgment.
"Yes!"
Chief Randy Fischer, upon hearing Chuck's conclusion, immediately clenched his fist in delight. Seeing the others looking over, he smiled with a mixture of restraint and smugness. "After working with Monk for several years, I've developed some intuition for solving cases. Now Chuck has proven my intuition was right!"
"New Jersey is so lucky to have a police chief like you."
After a few seconds of recovery, Chandler regained his fighting spirit and scoffed. "You have such amazing intuition~"
"Thank you."
Chief Randy Fischer accepted the 'praise' without question.
"Why is it murder instead of suicide?"
Monica, seeing that the two lively characters were always stuck in their comedic routine, instinctively stepped in to move things along.
"Look at this hanging rope,"
Chuck gestured for everyone to look at the still-hanging rope, "and this stool used for hanging—it's obvious she didn't hang herself."
Seeing everyone looking at him blankly, he explained. "A simple math problem: the hanging rope is 6.5 feet, the stool is 18 inches, the victim's body proportions are average, so how tall should the victim be?"
"..."
Monica tried hard to recall the simple math calculation, while Chief Randy Fischer thought for a moment, then gave up trying. His eyes lit up, he picked up the fallen stool, and prepared to recreate the hanging scene, then use his own height to estimate the victim's height.
"Damn it! Just tell us the answer directly, or just say there's something wrong here,"
Chandler scoffed. "We'll believe you."
"The victim was only 5'5", while the person who used this stool and rope to hang themselves must have been around 5'10","
Chuck said. "Even if she stood on tiptoe, it would be very difficult for her to put the rope around her neck. But she didn't need to go through all that trouble. She just needed to lower the rope to her neck, kick the stool away, and the stool would be high enough to hang her."
"She's a former Vegas performer, maybe it's a professional habit?"
Chandler questioned. "Her habit of raising her toes high and hanging the noose so high is to ensure she can hang herself?"
"That's possible,"
Chuck nodded.
"Well done!"
Chief Randy Fischer slapped Chandler on the shoulder, pleased. "I knew it was the right decision to call you."
"Yeah, because of my family's tradition of performing on tiptoes,"
Chandler rubbed his shoulder, self-deprecatingly adding. "But believe me, no one wants to witness their father performing on tiptoes. It's really hard to forget."
"That's even better,"
Chief Randy Fischer said wistfully. "I really wish I had that kind of memory of my father."
"..."
Chandler was speechless again.
Seeing Chandler's silence, Chief Randy Fischer assumed he didn't know and explained. "My father passed away a long time ago."
"No need to say anything, I know!"
Chandler interrupted.
He really wanted to say that even if your father died early, in terms of childhood trauma, he might not be worse off than me. If the two of them could switch lives, they would probably both choose Randy Fischer's.
"While it's possible, the probability is extremely low, isn't it?"
Monica looked at Chuck and asked. "And you have other reasons to prove it was murder, right?"
"Yes."
Chuck nodded, pointing to the crime scene photos taken by the forensic team. "People who hang themselves usually struggle violently in their last moments. The marks on the victim's neck and the lack of any signs of gripping the rope under their fingernails contradict this."
"But the preliminary autopsy results do indicate that she died of asphyxiation five days ago by hanging."
Chief Randy Fischer said. "It wasn't hung up after she was dead. How do you explain that?"
"She was sedated and unconscious, then hung up and suffocated."
Chuck gave his answer. "Didn't the forensic autopsy report say that sedatives were detected?"
"But the forensic pathologist said that many people who commit suicide by hanging try to overdose on sleeping pills or sedatives, and after failing, they choose to hang themselves. This is quite normal."
After Chief Randy Fischer finished speaking, he subconsciously looked at Chandler.
"..."
Chandler's lips twitched, and he said speechlessly. "Sorry, I really have no experience with this. My parents aren't the type to threaten suicide at the drop of a hat; they're much more resilient than me, so I don't have any family traditions to draw upon. But right now, I'm kind of tempted to try it. I'll give it a shot when I get home tonight and then tell you the result."
"You can't just try this,"
Chief Randy Fischer quickly stopped him. "Besides, if you try it and die, how will you tell me?"
"Don't worry, I won't let you off even if I become a ghost,"
Chandler mimicked a menacing smile.
Chief Randy Fischer immediately swallowed hard, feeling a little scared.
He couldn't help it.
He was superstitious.
"Don't worry, I'll have my good friend Phoebe help you get rid of him; she's an expert in spiritual matters,"
Monica joked. "For now, let's focus on the case."
That's right!
Even she, who was visiting a crime scene for the first time, could see that with Chandler and Chief Randy Fischer, these two natural comedians, the investigation always managed to veer off to who-knows-where.
"That is indeed a possibility."
Chuck still did not deny the possibility, nodding and saying. "But a performer can first take an overdose of sedatives to commit suicide, and if that fails, she can also painstakingly hang herself by standing on tiptoe, but she wouldn't design a mechanical device specifically for suicide, would she?"
Following his reminder, everyone saw four drill holes in the kitchen ceiling.
"These are newly drilled holes, no more than a week old."
Chuck then gestured for everyone to look at the dust on the ground. "You said it yourself, the body was found by the cleaning lady, who died five days ago, and they come to clean once a week."
"That's true."
Monica nodded. "If the cleaning lady had come, she would have cleaned up the dust from these drill holes."
"These four drill holes look like they're for installing some kind of mounting bracket."
Chandler nodded seriously, but the next second, noticing Chief Randy Fischer's nod and gaze, he couldn't help but make a self-deprecating joke. "Damn it, I don't want to comment on this!"
"I didn't expect you to comment?"
Chief Randy Fischer looked at him strangely. "And is there anything special about this?"
"Enough!"
Monica couldn't listen anymore and frowned, interrupting Chandler's antics.
If he continued, it would be disgusting.
She didn't want to hear about the strange, unspeakable quirks of Chandler's parents.
"So she was drugged and then a mechanical device was specially set up to hang her, in order to create the illusion of suicide."
Monica asked, puzzled. "But why go through all that trouble?"
"Because the killer wanted to create an alibi!"
Chandler and Chief Randy Fischer said in unison.
"Exactly,"
Chuck said. "There were no signs of forced entry, and the neighbors didn't hear anything. The killer must have been someone the victim knew, someone she let in. After they drank together, the killer drugged her drink, enough to make her unconscious but not fatal.
Once the victim was unconscious, he designed this timed hanging device to mislead the forensic doctor and the police, giving him a solid alibi to clear his name.
Afterward, he only needed to sneak over at any time within five days, remove the devices, and clean up the scene to create the illusion that the victim committed suicide five days ago, making people overlook the fact that the actual attack occurred six or seven days ago after the cleaning lady left."
"Who would go to such lengths to murder someone..."
Monica murmured to herself, then she, Chuck, and Chief Randy Fischer all looked at Chandler.
"...Okay, very funny, hahaha..."
Chandler was triggered by the three of them acting in unison, his lips twitching as he retorted. "I know the answer—it's the lover, I'm so glad you thought of me, it's my honor~"
"Actually, I was thinking of your mother, Nora Bing."
Chief Randy Fischer, as always, was naturally oblivious and spoke the truth.
"I'll give you one more chance to organize your thoughts."
Chandler said with a dark expression.
"Your mother, Nora Bing, is a queen-level character in romance novels, and lovers are all her specialty."
Chief Randy Fischer explained. "So when I mentioned the lover, I thought of her, and looked at you..."
"You said this is a memoir-style debut for a new author."
Monica changed the subject. "And someone who used to be a performer in Vegas, who can get a $50,000 advance before even debuting, must have something in this memoir that impressed the publisher—most likely it's related to celebrities."
"Check who she talked to on the phone six and seven days ago, and which celebrities were involved, and you'll know."
Chuck reminded him.
Chief Randy Fischer immediately arranged for an investigation, and after pinpointing the time, they easily found out who it was.
"Gentlemen, you'd never guess who it could be..."
After finishing the call, Chief Randy Fischer looked at everyone incredulously.
"It can't be the President, can it?"
Chandler scoffed. "If it is, then I might actually run for President like Chuck said, because anyone can be President."
"Even more shocking than the President!"
Chief Randy Fischer slowly uttered a name. "Wernher von Braun!"
"What!"
Monica exclaimed. "Legendary rocket scientist, American hero, Howard Jr.'s idol... how could it be him?"
(End of Chapter)
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