Chapter 250: Chapter 250: The Last Phone Call Before Death

"How could you call that harsh?" Kyle Morgan cut in. "His fans cursing you is the same as him cursing you. You were being polite by not hitting him."

Renee Jennings blinked, seemingly convinced. "I guess that makes sense."

"But it’s so strange. The one who smeared Julian Nash was clearly Freestyle Pie, so why did all of their fans start attacking you?" Sawyer asked, looking utterly perplexed.

Renee Jennings went on the streaming platform and discovered Freestyle Pie had already deleted their account.

"What’s that supposed to mean?" Renee Jennings murmured in confusion.

"It’s possible the situation got out of hand and she got scared," Kyle Morgan analyzed.

Sawyer pouted. "People like that are just troublemakers with too much time on their hands."

Renee Jennings went back to her chat list and saw the DMs from strangers flooding in one after another.

She tapped on them. Where before a single glance showed nothing but a stream of profanity, now it was a stream of apologies.

"They’re apologizing to me," Renee Jennings said, holding up her phone with a hint of a smile in her voice.

Henry Stark looked at Kyle Morgan and ordered, "Arrange for someone to keep a discreet eye on Freestyle Pie."

"Got it." Kyle Morgan immediately left the conference room to make the arrangements.

「Half an hour later.」

Levi Hollis rushed into the conference room holding a file. "Evan Shepherd’s phone has been restored. At a little after four in the morning on May 23rd, he contacted a girl he had saved as ’Baby Rhonda.’ I’ve printed some of the chat logs. Take a look."

Fluffy, inside the eco-tank, was stunned. "Hey, doesn’t she share my name?"

The name Rhonda made Renee Jennings suddenly think of Renee Brooks, whom she had met a few days ago.

She used to visit Mrs. Forrest at Everwood Manor often. Evan Shepherd lived there too, so it was possible they had run into each other and, one thing leading to another, become acquainted.

Renee Jennings asked, "Do you have a picture of her?"

Levi Hollis flipped to the last page of the file. "Baby Rhonda’s social media feed is set to show only the last three days of posts. We found this photo in her chat history with Evan Shepherd."

As Renee Jennings got a clear look at the face, her slender brows slowly furrowed. "It really is her."

"You know her?" Sawyer asked.

"Not really," Renee Jennings explained. "Her name is Renee Brooks. I saw her at Mrs. Forrest’s house and discovered she’d stolen a lot of Mrs. Forrest’s expensive jewelry."

Sawyer said with disgust, "Sounds like a real piece of work."

"Contact her and have her come to the station to give a statement," Henry Stark ordered coolly.

"Understood," said Levi Hollis.

However, Renee Brooks was unwilling to cooperate with the investigation, lying that she was not in Zenvia.

"Should I ask for her address?" Renee Jennings offered. "She’s Auntie Brooks’s niece. Auntie Brooks should have it."

Henry Stark nodded. "Alright."

Renee Jennings picked up her phone to contact Mrs. Forrest and quickly got Renee Brooks’s address. It was an apartment building called The Platina Apartments, about two kilometers from Everwood Manor.

Henry Stark dispatched Kyle Morgan and Sawyer to The Platina Apartments.

Renee Brooks was curled up on the sofa, hugging her knees tightly. Her face was pale, her hair a mess, and her last conversation with Evan Shepherd replayed endlessly in her mind.

’He’s actually dead...’

’It was such a small thing. Why did he have to take it so hard? What a coward.’

’If he’s dead, he’s dead. But he’d better not come back to haunt me.’

Renee Brooks glanced at the floor-to-ceiling window on the balcony. It was pitch-black outside, but she felt as if a pair of eyes was hidden in the darkness, peering at her.

She scrambled up to pull the curtains shut, but before she could even breathe a sigh of relief, the phone on the sofa blared without warning. She jumped, her heart seizing in her chest.

Renee Brooks went back to the sofa, and when the name "Evan Shepherd" suddenly flashed on the screen, she broke out in a cold sweat.

But on closer inspection, she realized her eyes were playing tricks on her.

Renee Brooks took a deep breath and pressed "answer." "What is it?"

"Rhonda," the man on the other end said in a flippant tone. "I miss Evan Shepherd. Arrange for him to come see me."

Hearing that name, Renee Brooks’s nerves pulled even tighter. Her voice was laced with resistance. "Don’t mention him to me!"

"Why not?" the man said, sounding displeased. "Don’t you want the money anymore? Fine, then I’ll contact him myself. Give me his number."

Renee Brooks cried frantically, "He’s dead! It’s your fault he’s dead!"

"What?" The man sounded surprised, with a hint of regret in his voice. "He died after I only slept with him three times? What a shame. I wasn’t finished with him yet."

"Stop it!" Renee Brooks cried out in anguish. "Just stop talking!"

She hung up the phone, buried her head in her knees, and began to sob, her body shaking violently.

KNOCK KNOCK— A knock came from the door.

Her scalp prickled, and she instinctively choked back her sobs.

Kyle Morgan and Sawyer took turns knocking several times, but there was no response from inside.

The two exchanged a look, and Kyle Morgan raised his voice. "Is the resident of 602 home? There’s a gas leak in the pipes downstairs. We’re here for maintenance and inspection. If you’re home, please open the door. If there are no issues, we’ll be gone quickly."

About thirty seconds later, the door opened from the inside.

Renee Brooks, wearing a mask, asked them, "Is the gas leak dangerous? Should I find another place to stay for now?"

Kyle Morgan and Sawyer simultaneously presented their credentials.

When Renee Brooks saw their IDs, her expression faltered, and she instinctively tried to shut the door.

Kyle Morgan blocked it with his hand, his expression grim as he stared at her. "Renee Brooks, we called and asked you to come to the station. Why did you say you weren’t in Zenvia?"

A powerful sense of dread washed over Renee Brooks. Her gaze darted about guiltily. "I-I’m not Renee Brooks."

Sawyer smiled. "Your ID, please."

Renee Brooks glanced up at her, then lowered her gaze. "I lost it."

"No problem," Sawyer said calmly. "You may have lost your ID card, but surely you know the number, right?"

Renee Brooks pressed her lips together. "I don’t have it memorized."

Sawyer’s expression darkened. "Conveniently, I have a photo of Renee Brooks right here. Take off your mask so I can make a comparison."

Renee Brooks clenched her fists. After a standoff of about a minute, she said in defeat, "Fine, I admit it. I’m Renee Brooks. But I barely knew Evan Shepherd."

"You can save it for the station," Kyle Morgan said, gesturing for her to step out.

**

「In the interrogation room.」

Renee Brooks’s hands, resting on her lap, twisted together nervously. Fine beads of sweat formed on her forehead.

Henry Stark and Kyle Morgan sat across from her, their faces stern.

Kyle Morgan: "Name?"

"Renee Brooks."

"Age?"

"Twenty-four."

"What was your relationship to Evan Shepherd, the deceased in this case?"

Renee Brooks glanced up at them before lowering her head again. "We didn’t have one. We were just casual friends."

Henry Stark’s voice was flat. "Casual friends? Then why was the last call he made before he died to you?"

"I don’t know." Renee Brooks shook her head, her voice tinged with suppressed anguish. "How would I know?"

"Are you sure you and Evan Shepherd were just casual friends?" Henry Stark asked. "Just answer yes or no."

Renee Brooks wrestled with herself for a moment before taking a deep breath. "Yes."

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