Grim Reaper Game

Chapter 5 Murder in the Neighboring College

The librarian put away the remaining books on the table while he spoke slowly. “You don’t have to hide anything. I’ve been working as a librarian in Drakonia College for over a decade, and I’ve seen my share of incidents like this.”

I was speechless. This old man sure was into gossip.

“Honestly, it’s not what you think. I was only interested in the book she borrowed,” I said.

“Hehe…” The old man chuckled without denying what I said.

I felt somewhat embarrassed by his chuckle. Deciding to ignore him, I turned around and left the library.

After that, my life went back to normal. I attended classes, had meals, and slept as usual. The only thing different was that I no longer played any mobile games. Whenever I had time, I would go to the library.

While silently reading, I seemed to have rediscovered the simple joys in life from the time I was a child.

I constantly hoped to bump into Suzie again, but she never came to the library after the last time.

Time went by very quickly. In the blink of an eye, a week had passed.

On Thursday, I was about to head out for lunch when my phone started ringing. It was a call from Henry.

He asked where I was and if I wanted to have lunch with him at the canteen. I told him I was in my room.

Not long after, someone kicked the door open.

Bang!

Henry walked in while rapping.

“Hey! Can’t you be a little gentler? You nearly broke the door!” I exclaimed unhappily.

“It only feels good if I get to kick a door open!” Henry said.

I cursed at him and ignored him after that.

When Henry saw my reaction, he approached me and rested an arm on my shoulder. “Hey, Azrael. Have you found any fun mobile games lately?”

“No, I haven’t. I’ve been reading a lot lately. I’ve stopped playing mobile games,” I replied.

Henry laughed. “What’s the matter? Have you turned over a new leaf? Have you stopped playing mobile games and become studious instead?”

“You should probably stay away from mobile games…” I said meekly.

“Fine. Reading is good anyway! Let’s go eat. Lunch is on me today. I’m using my card!” Henry said.

“Why are you so generous today? This is not like you at all. Cut to the chase!”

“Why is it unlike me? I’ve always been generous!” Henry replied awkwardly.

With that, he suddenly lowered his voice. “Azrael, did you hear about the murder case in our neighboring college, Drakonia College of Science and Technology?”

“Of course. A professor was poisoned and he died there,” I said.

“Would you like to investigate this case? What I mean is to find out the truth behind his death,” Henry said.

I gave Henry a surprised look. I did not understand why he would suddenly propose such an idea. Was this something a student should even get involved in?

“Why are you suddenly so interested in this?” I asked out of curiosity.

“Hehe…” Henry chuckled like a fool. “I’ll tell you the truth. My brother is a police officer. You know that. This case happened to be assigned to him this time.”

“What does that have to do with you? You’re not a police officer,” I said.

“I was having dinner with him last night. He brought this case up. I had a little too much to drink and started bragging about how easy this case was. We got into an argument.”

“What happened then?” I asked.

“Well, we made a bet… I don’t have to find the real culprit. I only need to provide some useful clues to get a huge reward!”

I was speechless. Knowing Henry, this was not surprising at all.

“The reward goes to you, not me. I have nothing to do with it. I’m not going!” I declined decisively.

“Azrael, come on! You’ve got a keen eye, a sharp mind, and a head full of knowledge. Isn’t looking for some clues a piece of cake for you?” Henry tried to persuade me.

To be honest, what he said made me feel pretty good about myself. However, I still made it clear I was declining the offer.

“Damn. You’re heartless. I’ve already made it obvious. Why won’t you say yes?” Henry asked in a disappointed manner.

“Henry, do you think you can bribe me with a single meal? Do I look like that kind of person to you?” I gave him the side-eye.

Henry caught on rather quickly, instantly taking the hint. “I’ll pay for all your meals for ten days,” he said through gritted teeth.

“Every meal has to have an egg and a drumstick, or else the answer is no,” I said.

“s**t! You’re a filthy businessman! I can’t afford that even if I sell all my valuables! You seem like a gentleman on the surface, but you’re actually a beast. You heartless man…” Henry complained.

“Is that a yes or no?” I asked calmly.

Henry immediately smiled fakely. “Yes, yes! I accept the offer!”

I smiled. “Alright. Let’s get straight to the point! Tell me what you know.”

“Okay.” Henry thought for a moment. “The incident took place three days ago. That night, Cain Wood, Jamie Freeman, Frank Cohen, and Steven White from Drakonia College of Science and Technology were having dinner together. They shared the same food and alcohol, but Cain was the only one who got poisoned and died. The remaining three were all fine. This is very strange,” Henry explained.

“Tell me about the four of them in detail,” I said.

“The victim, Cain, was an associate professor of chemistry at the college. Meanwhile, Jamie is a professor of mathematics, Frank is a professor of philosophy, and Steven is a postgraduate student taught by Cain.”

“How is their relationship? Do you have any idea?” I asked.

“Based on what my brother told me, they all appeared to be good on terms with each other. However, this was only on a superficial level. Secretly, there were many conflicts between them. That’s why my brother suspects the culprit is among them,” Henry said.

“Hmm. Go on,” I said.

“Jamie liked investing in the stock market, while Cain had no clue about stock investing. Jamie once borrowed 15,000 dollars from Cain, promising that he would share 60% of the profit with him while the remaining 40% would go to himself. In the beginning, they did earn some money. However, the stock market in the country crashed this year, and retail investors suffered heavy losses. Jamie lost all his capital and could not return Cain any of the money he borrowed.”

I nodded. “If his creditor disappeared, Jamie wouldn’t have to pay his debt anymore. His motive to commit murder is obvious!”

“As for Frank… We haven’t found any conflict between him and Cain for now.”

“What about Steven? Does he have bad blood with Cain?” I asked.

“According to Steven’s classmate, he wrote a decent thesis last year. However, they discovered that the thesis was published under Cain’s name,” Henry said.

“f**k. This dude actually stole his student’s work. That’s terrible. If I were Steven, I’d kill him too,” I said angrily.

“Haha! You’re more violent than I am. I think you’ve got greater potential in that regard than I do,” Henry said.

“Alright. How did Cain die?” I asked.

“The medical examiner said it was a case of poisoning by high-concentration cyanide.”

“Hmm. Cyanide is a highly toxic substance without needing to be highly concentrated. Having someone poisoned and dead within minutes is completely plausible. Did the four of them really share the same food and drinks? If someone poisoned their food and drinks, shouldn’t all four of them have died? I wonder where the poison was placed.”

“It was in the alcohol. It’s a bottle of 1997 Roman-something wine. The name was too hard to pronounce. I can’t remember it,” Henry said.

“1997 Romanée-Conti?” I asked.

“Ah, yes. That’s what it’s called,” Henry said and nodded.

“This wine is very expensive. Each bottle costs 1,500 dollars! Why would anyone drink such expensive wine if it wasn’t a special occasion? It seems there’s more going on than meets the eye. The cyanide was in the wine!” I exclaimed.

“Yeah. The bottle of wine was finished, and residues of cyanide were detected in both the bottle and Cain’s glass,” Henry said.

“It’s not surprising that cyanide residue was found in Cain’s glass, but it’s a little strange that it was in the bottle too. Why weren’t the other three poisoned?” I wondered out loud.

“Wait a second. Who bought the wine?” I asked.

“Cain did. He was also the one who threw the party. Based on the statements my brother collected from the other three, Cain was very enthusiastic during the party. He frequently poured drinks for all three of them,” Henry said.

My head began to hurt. Cain was the one who bought the wine, and he was also the one who poured the wine. In the end, he ended up poisoning himself and died. How could one explain this?

“What about the bottle? Whose fingerprints were on it?” I asked.

“Only Cain’s were found,” Henry answered.

I scratched my head. This was strange. Could Cain have committed suicide? It did not seem like it. He was more likely murdered.

If poison was added to the bottle, why was Cain the only one who died? Why were the other three unharmed? If poison was added to his glass, why was there also poison in the bottle? Moreover, only his fingerprints were found on the bottle. This was way too strange.

How exactly did the culprit poison Cain? What methods did he use?

“Well? I’ve said all I needed to say. If you don’t have lessons later, come with me to our neighboring college. What do you say?” Henry asked.

“Shut up!”

“Alright, alright. I’ll keep my mouth shut,” Henry said and fell silent.

I thought in silence and carefully recalled the information I received.

The culprit must have found out about the party in advance. That was how he could have prepared the poison and used a special, transparent kind of sticker on his fingers to prevent leaving any fingerprints behind.

The culprit must have known about the party ahead of time. Jamie, Frank, and Cain were colleagues. Steven, who was a student, had the closest relationship with Cain. He was most likely to have known about the party in advance.

Steven! He was Cain’s student and also a postgraduate student in chemistry…

Suddenly, a thought occurred to me. “Ahh! I’ve got it. If I were Steven, this is how I’d poison Cain!”

“What are you saying?” Henry was surprised.

I smiled confidently. “If I’m not mistaken, Steven is most likely the culprit. Of course, that does not exclude the possibility of collusion. In any case, Steven is the biggest suspect. Tell your brother to carry out a thorough investigation on Steven. Focus on the people around him. I’m sure your brother will find something!”

Henry seemed puzzled. “Really? Why do you think it’s Steven? What’s the reason?”