Chapter 2364

"Wait a minute. Just because you're making accusations doesn't mean I'm the killer. Isn't this a bit disrespectful?" Janice exclaimed, feeling anxious now.

Astin stepped closer, his demeanor calm yet assertive. "We're not presenting evidence yet. You'll understand everything soon enough."

Before Astin could continue, Zenon interjected dismissively, "This sounds like nonsense. How could an old man possibly transport a living person back and forth? It's absurd."

Warick nodded in agreement, his confusion evident. "Yes, the surveillance footage and Charlotte both support that claim."

Astin shook his head and pulled a wrench from his pocket. "Everyone, remember the toolbox I mentioned? You might think moving a person from one room to another is difficult, but what if there's a durable rope involved?"

Zenon, puzzled, asked, "Are you suggesting that the old man used the wrench to create some sort of pulley system?"

Astin nodded, continuing, "Parker crafted a special rope that can easily lift heavy objects. Captain Fern already confirmed this."

The crowd turned to Jules, who nodded affirmatively.

Astin continued, "I understand that this might sound a bit abstract, but let me explain. The hotel rooms are similar, each with a balcony. Parker used the clotheslines from two balconies to move back and forth.

"As for the alleged alibi, we can reexamine the timeline. The encounter with Charlotte was before they took action, so it was likely that the alibi was intentionally created.

"He got up early, met Charlotte, and then returned to the hotel either through the back door or the balcony. But this doesn't need to be proven right now, especially since he just attacked me.

"I'll explain that part later. For now, continuing with this premise, the next step was placing Winsten in the room..."

Zenon suddenly sneered, "What you're saying might be somewhat plausible, but there's one thing-there's no way that vibration was caused by a human. Are you sure it's related? And the vibration lasted for only about a minute or so. Are you sure your reasoning is correct?"

Astin snapped his fingers. "Zenon, you're right. The vibration wasn't due to anything else. In fact, it was a signal."

Astin continued, "Let's put aside the reason for the vibration for a moment. The vibration was actually a signal that everything was ready. I'm right, aren't I? Because after Parker secured Winsten, he needed to go back outside.

"So, he must have set up some kind of vibrational signal to alert Janice since text messages or phone calls would've been traceable. This method is both simpler and more complex. I have a guess which I'll explain later.

"To continue reconstructing the scene, the victim was initially bound but then fell hanging when the vibration went off. By then, Parker's setup was complete, and the conductive threads were fully inside his body. Next, Janice just needed to open the door..."

Zenon interrupted, "Isn't it a bit strange? Why go through all this trouble? Why not just kill Winsten directly?"

Astin replied, "Hold on, Zenon. Indeed, killing Winsten directly would've been simpler. However, the reason for the complexity is that Janice wanted to kill Winsten herself.

"You might think there's no connection between them, but you've overlooked one crucial detail. Parker mentioned something-Janice's son was deceived by a

woman.

"Charlotte."

At this moment, Charlotte walked over and handed Astin a document. Astin extracted a report from it.

Astin continued, "The death of Janice's son has been confirmed. While the cause is still unknown, I deduce that after being deceived by his ex-girlfriend, he was left disheartened. And everyone, here's the crucial point. His ex-girlfriend, as I've discovered, is none other than the hotel's owner, Fleur. Am I right?"

Astin pointed directly at Fleur, who appeared shocked and distressed.

Astin pressed on, "Fleur swindled all of Janice's son's savings, then disappeared with the money. She used the stolen funds to start this hotel with her current partner, Winsten."

At this revelation, Fleur broke into a cold sweat. She fidgeted nervously, her face drained of all color.