Chapter 12: The Truth Reverses; He's the One Who's Infertile

Rocky walked into Leo’s office with a coffee. "Clara is so sweet—and rich. This is the expensive brand."

He looked at Leo’s desk and noticed it was empty. He leaned in with a grin. "Cap, why are you the only one without a cup? I felt the vibe in the elevator this morning. Did you guys have a lovers' quarrel?"

Leo gave him a lethal glare. "Am I too poor to buy my own coffee? Do I have to drink hers?"

Rocky noted the icy frost on Leo’s face. "Cap, I didn't mean it like that. I’m just curious—she’s only been here a short time. How did you manage to piss her off already?"

"Stop imagining things," Leo said with a tone that brooked no argument.

Rocky took a sip of his coffee. "Man, this is good." Seeing Leo’s face darken further, he dropped the subject. He set the cup down and got serious. "Cap, can we close Jane Ginger's case?"

Leo looked down at Jasper Xu’s testimony again. "There are two points that don't add up."

Rocky followed his gaze.

"First," Leo said coldly, "Jasper claims he strangled Jane and then hit her with an ashtray. The autopsy report shows that Jane was still alive when she was being strangled. Why did Jasper think he had killed her instantly?"

Rocky nodded thoughtfully. "True. If she was already 'dead,' why bother with the ashtray?"

Leo pointed to another part of the statement. "Second, Jasper says Jane was watching the video of him and Lynn on the sofa, in a total emotional breakdown. In that state, would she really have the presence of mind to spray a massive amount of rose perfume on herself?"

During the autopsy, Clara had found rose perfume in Jane’s remains. Only a heavy application before death would allow the scent to seep into the bone marrow via bodily fluids.

Rocky frowned. "You're right. A grieving woman wouldn't douse herself in perfume."

"Unless—" Leo’s eyes narrowed. He stood up abruptly. "Come with me to the Forensics Lab."

Rocky blinked. "Do you need me?"

"If I tell you to come, you come."

"Yes, sir!" Rocky was now certain: the Captain was definitely fighting with Clara.

Forensics Lab.

Clara was looking at her data. She said to her assistant, Vicky, "There’s something off about the Jane Ginger case. Normal perfume application shouldn't penetrate the bone..."

She noted the suspicion in her report. "Vicky, take this to Captain Sterling."

Just then, Leo and Rocky walked in. Clara and Leo’s eyes met unexpectedly.

"Captain, Rocky," Vicky greeted them, handing the report to Leo.

"Clara, you and the Captain are totally in sync," Rocky laughed. "You both spotted the same red flag."

Clara looked at Leo again. He was expressionless. "Forensic Ye, when you performed the autopsy, did you find anything unusual about the victim's uterus?"

Clara handed him a file. "The uterus was intact, the fallopian tubes were clear, and the ovaries were of normal size."

Leo’s lips thinned into a straight line. He immediately ordered a check on where Jasper and Jane had their medical checkups years ago.

Once they had the location, Leo, Rocky, and Clara headed to the City Hospital. Rocky drove, Leo sat in the passenger seat, and Clara sat in the back. The silence was deafening.

Rocky tried to lighten the mood. "Clara, did you know Arthur and I used to be arch-enemies?"

Clara shook her head. "No."

"In elementary school, Arthur hogged the pull-up bar. I got mad and tried to pull him down. I ended up pulling his pants down instead. Turns out he wasn't wearing underwear."

"We were both mortified. The other kids started cheering. I tried to pull his pants back up, but he got so panicked he... well, he peed. Right on my face. We’ve hated each other ever since."

Clara laughed. "So how did you make up?"

"We ended up in the same police academy and realized we were both 'catfished' by the same person online. This 'girl' had a voice like a sweet angel, but turned out to be an old man with hairy legs. We cried together, and the rest is history."

Clara smiled. "Soul brothers in misery."

"So," Rocky pivoted, "what happened with you and our Captain? Did you fight?"

"Who's fighting with him—"

Before Clara could finish, Leo let out a sharp cough from the front seat. Clara stopped. She glanced at Leo, then at Rocky. "Rocky, you're getting sneaky, trying to bait me. I barely know your boss, why would we fight?"

Rocky chuckled. "Actually, our Cap is a great guy. Cold outside, warm inside."

Clara scoffed internally.

Warm inside? All he does is piss me off.

"What kind of man do you like, Clara?"

"Clean-shaven, refined, well-mannered, with a good sense of humor."

Basically, the opposite of a dog like Leo Sterling!

At the hospital, they met with the director. An hour later, they were in the archives.

Leo put on gloves and scanned the documents. He finished Jane’s report and moved to Jasper’s. When his eyes hit the words "Azoospermia" (Infertility), his eyes narrowed.

Just as he suspected. The one who couldn't have children wasn't Jane. It was Jasper.

After copying the files, they returned to the station. Jasper was brought back into the interrogation room.

Jasper looked at Leo with bloodshot eyes. "Officer, I confessed. Just sentence me. There’s no need for more... I take full responsibility."

Leo threw the two medical reports onto the table, his voice like ice. "You weren't the only one who killed Jane Ginger. Are you going to keep protecting them?"

Jasper hesitated, his gaze falling on the reports. As he realized what they were, his pupils dilated with shock.

"H-How... how is that possible?"