The Bride Beneath the Roses Chapter 9

I looked at Derek searchingly, saying word by word: "Derek, as the saying goes, the net of heaven is wide-meshed, yet nothing escapes it. Do you think what you've done leaves no trace? I'll be honest with you—I checked Lily's phone again. She frequently ordered takeout on HungryNow, and the delivery person was always Tom Reed. You had surveillance installed at home. Lily's legs were inconvenient, and she once asked Tom for help with something. So you suspected them. That's your motive for murder."

"Hmph! More unfounded speculation. You cops are truly incompetent."

Hearing this, I smiled: "Derek, do you see who's on the screen behind me?"

Hearing my words, Derek looked at the screen. When he saw the enlarged face, his expression immediately changed from arrogant to deathly pale.

"I... I don't know her." Derek pretended to be calm.

"Don't know her? Then let me reintroduce you to her."

I turned to look at the screen and continued: "Her name is Shannon Roberts, 27 years old. Five years ago, she dated you. You suspected her of cheating, so you abused her. You viciously shattered both her kneecaps. Because she fiercely resisted, you cruelly murdered her, then buried her body in the courtyard of that house. We verified that house—the property deed has your father's name on it. Derek, you probably never dreamed that the truth you concealed for five years would be exposed because wind blew down a wall. This is called the net of heaven being wide-meshed, yet nothing escaping it."

"Derek, you were too cruel. Lily's kneecaps weren't shattered from a fall. Maybe she did fall from upstairs, but her kneecaps were viciously smashed by you, because you felt only this way could she not leave you. And you, this murderer, brazenly deceived Shannon's parents, saying their daughter went south for work, causing the elderly couple to search for their child all over the country. But they didn't know their beloved daughter had long since become skeletal remains."

"Derek, hiding a corpse must have been very painful. So you lived in constant fear every day, afraid the body would be discovered. So later, when you wanted to kill again, you blatantly created accidents and suicides, because you thought if you planned well, you could escape legal punishment and wouldn't have to go through the trouble of disposing of bodies."

I suppressed my anger and said all this in one breath.

Derek's previously upright sitting posture visibly collapsed.

I took a deep breath, picked up my cup and drank some water. Derek suddenly laughed, then said despondently: "I could have concealed all my crimes, but heaven wouldn't spare me. I have nothing to say."

After speaking, Derek actually covered his face and cried.

He said he actually loved Shannon very much, but unfortunately, this woman was too promiscuous. She actually met an online friend behind his back and had relations with that friend.

He tried to keep her, but she adamantly refused. In a fit of anger, he killed Shannon.

Hearing Derek confess to Shannon's murder without hesitation, the weight on my heart finally lifted.

I couldn't help but sigh—people with Derek's personality type were truly terrifying.