âOkay.âIf my words canât reassure her, I hope the police will be able to give her a more definitive answer.
âOkay.âIf my words canât reassure her, I hope the police will be able to give her a more definitive answer.Xavier took out his phone and called James as Winnie wanted.In no time, the call was connected. Without bothering with pleasantries, Winnie cut straight to the chase.âOfficer Clark, I suspect that the person killed at the school in the mountains that day might possibly be Haroldâs substitute. Do you have a way of proving that the dead body currently in your possession is indeed Harold Horton?ââWhy would you suspect that? Did you unearth some new evidence?â James evidently attached great importance to her claim.Winnie frowned. âI know itâs exceedingly hasty of me to draw such a conclusion, but oneâs intuition is incredibly accurate at times. I have such a suspicion because I had a dream last night.âShe then proceeded to narrate the entire dream to the police officer.James was silent for two seconds before he replied, âAlthough the dream canât be used as evidence, weâll still investigate in this direction. We got a photo of Harold from the manâs subordinate. Mr. Fairchild met Harold previously, so Iâll send the photo over right away. Iâd like Mr. Fairchild to help confirm whether the person in the photo is Harold. Then we can use facial reconstruction to see whether the deceasedâs countenance matches the photo.âWinnie gave a firm nod of agreement. âSure. I think thatâs a great idea.ââIn that case, please send the photo over, Officer Clark,â Xavier interjected.âOkay, Iâve already sent it over. Do have a look.â Jamesâ voice had just rung out when Xavier received a photo on his phone.Xavier tapped on the picture and scrutinized it for some time. Subsequently, he said to James on the phone with his eyes pinned on Winnie, âYes, itâs Harold.ââGot it. Iâll make the arrangements and notify you when the results are out,â James promised.âWait, Officer Clark!â Afraid that the man would hang up, Winnie hastily asked, âCaptain Gibson used the phone I handed the police to contact Haroldâs accomplice, yes? How are things going now? Has the person been arrested?âJamesâ tone changed as he said, âDonât mention it. That person played us for a fool. Later, he phoned again and said he was going to the chemical plant. However, he didnât make an appearance at all. I suspect heâd long since seen through us and was deliberately toying with us.ââItâs a pity that he got off, then.âAfter the call ended, Winnie was sent to the hospital.Before she set out, Lisanne phoned and encouraged her, saying, âGo and have your surgery with peace of mind, Winnie. My fever has abated, and the red lines on my body havenât worsened for the time being. When you have regained your sight after the surgery, perhaps I might even be able to go to the hospital to visit you.âSimilarly, the other staff in the quarantine room wished her luck.Xavier was beyond worried inwardly, but he still comforted Winnie. âThe surgery is bound to be successful since weâve received blessings from so many people.âShortly after, Josiah took Winnie and Xavier to the hospital.While they waited for the surgery to commence, Winnieâs brows remained knitted together perpetually.Xavier was also apprehensive to the point that he became taciturn.Feeling that the atmosphere there was too tense, Josiah took the initiative to tell a few jokes he found on the internet on the spot. Unfortunately, even he himself didnât find them funny.Naturally, Winnie understood his kind intentions.She lifted her hand and nudged him, teasing, âStop it, Dr.
Houghton. I was initially nonchalant, but Iâve now gotten nervous after hearing your jokes.ââHuh?
Really? If so, just pretend that you didnât hear anything.â As he said that, he frantically put his phone away. Thereafter, he studied her with worry brimming in his eyes. âBut youâve been frowning since we came to the hospital.ââYeah, but it has nothing to do with the surgery. The doctors who will be operating on me are all professionals. Iâve got nothing to worry about.â Winnieâs expression was solemn.Xavier grasped her glove-covered hands. âYouâre still fretting about the matter with Harold? Officer Clark has promised to contact us as soon as the results are out.âWinnie merely grunted in response. âIâm waiting for the results now. How much longer is it until the surgery?âGlancing at his watch, Josiah answered, âTwenty minutes. Itâs best that you donât think too much now.âRight then, a knock sounded from outside.At once, he sprang to his feet and went over to open the door.âWhy are you here, Officer Lockhart?â he exclaimed in surprise.At that moment, Greta was standing at the door with a bouquet of flowers in her hands.Her gaze skimmed past the man to fall on Winnie. Grinning, she replied, âIâm here on behalf of everyone to visit Ms. Garland.âJosiah swiftly twisted his body sideways to allow her in.
âCome on in. It so happens that we were speaking of you guys a second ago.ââOh, really? Is it because youâre all waiting for the report Captain Clark promised?â Greta sat down across from Winnie with the bouquet of flowers.Gazing in her direction, Winnie admitted, âYeah. Is the report out?ââYes. You can rest easy. We used the most advanced facial reconstruction technology to restore his appearance according to the deceasedâs facial bones and profile. It indicated a similarity of ninety percent with Harold in the photo. Thatâs already a pretty high match. Weâve also tested the blood on the toy you found with the word Marsh written on it and confirmed that it matches that of the deceased. Ms.
Garland, the deceased is none other than Harold Horton himself, no doubt. You can have your surgery with peace of mind. Oh yes, I even brought you a bouquet of flowers, but it doesnât give off much fragrance. Can you guess the flower?â Gretaâs tone was lighthearted.When Winnie obtained the answer from Greta, her anxiety faded significantly.She was wearing a mask then and couldnât smell the flowers, so she shook her head smilingly.âNope, I have no idea. Why donât you tell me?âA flash of craftiness showed on Gretaâs face. âItâs boring if I tell you directly. You can have a look for yourself after the surgery.âTwenty minutes passed in the blink of an eye, and Winnie was wheeled into the operating room.Under the surgical lights, anesthetic drops were dribbled into her eyes.After that, her eyes had no sensation of anything the doctors did.The laser surgery didnât take long. An hour later, the procedure ended.Nonetheless, the effects of the anesthetic lasted for two hours. For that reason, her eyes were still covered with two pieces of gauze even when she was wheeled out of the operating room after the surgery.The doctor advised that it was best to wait another hour for the anesthetic to pass before she opened her eyes.Everyone waited in the hospital room with Winnie for an hour.An hour later, Josiah personally removed the gauze from her eyes.