Love’s Deadly Case

As soon as Olivia Smith stepped out of the airport in Emerald City, she was hit by the freezing cold. It was 14 degrees Fahrenheit, and all she had on was a beige trench coat, a black skirt, and black stockings. The icy wind whipped through her long hair, making her feel like she might turn into an ice sculpture if she stayed outside any longer.

Just then, her phone buzzed with a message. She glanced at it, frowned a bit, and flagged down a taxi.

"32 Maple Avenue," she told the driver.

This was Olivia's first time in Emerald City. Just last night, she was celebrating her graduation from the police academy with friends. Early this morning, she got a call saying she was temporarily assigned to Emerald City and had to report to the Detective Units by 9 AM.

In a mad rush, Olivia didn't even have time to pack. She bought a plane ticket and hurried over, only to find a task waiting for her as soon as she landed.

At 32 Maple Avenue, an excavator was digging in the yard. Nearby, cops were questioning the gatekeeper about the details. An hour ago, the gatekeeper, David Jones, had reported finding a human arm in a dry well in the yard of the repair shop.

The police arrived and pulled out the severed arm. After confirming it was indeed human, they brought in an excavator to dig up the well.

"Sir, I have no idea how the arm got in the well. The water pipes in the factory froze these past few days, and my boss asked me to check if the well could still be used. But who would've thought..." David said, trembling as he recalled the scene. He never imagined that when he lowered a bucket, he'd pull up an arm. It almost gave him a heart attack.

While the police were still questioning, someone was squatting under a tree not far from the well, munching on a hamburger.

"Mr. Phillips, how can you eat at a time like this? I..." Detective William Brown almost gagged.

It wasn't the arm that disgusted him, but his captain Henry Phillips' eating habits. He couldn't understand how Henry could eat in such a setting.

"If you can't handle this, you shouldn't be in this job. Go report to the traffic department. I can help you!" Henry said, still chewing his hamburger, his eyes glued to the excavator.

"It's open!" someone suddenly shouted excitedly.

Henry took the last bite of his hamburger and quickly ran over.

The well was dug open, but someone had to go down to retrieve the contents. The opening was too small for several officers to fit.

Henry was about to call for someone when Olivia arrived, stepping out of the taxi in high heels.

"I'll do it. Get me a protective suit, mask, and gloves!" Olivia called out.

Her sudden appearance startled everyone.

Henry sized her up. In such cold weather, Olivia was wearing a trench coat and black stockings, which made his face darken. Where did she come from?

"Who are you?" Henry asked.

Olivia pulled out her credentials from her bag and showed them to him. "I'm Olivia, just temporarily assigned to the Emerald City Police Department. Are you Mr. Phillips? I was just about to report to you!"

Henry frowned. It wasn't that he didn't believe her, but Olivia didn't look like a cop at all.

"Are you sure you can do this?" Henry questioned.

Olivia looked up at Henry. He had deep-set eyes, a chiseled face, short hair, and stood almost 6'2". Even in high heels, Olivia had to look up to meet his gaze.

Henry's police uniform screamed authority. Olivia liked him at first glance, but his tone made her wonder if he had a problem trusting her.

Instead of getting mad, Olivia turned to William. "Hey, can you help me find some clothes?"

Her face was still heavily made up, making her already striking appearance even more captivating.

William, who had never seen such a beautiful woman, was momentarily stunned before he snapped out of it. "Uh, I have some sportswear in my car. Will that work?"

Olivia nodded and smiled at him.

William looked like a sunny guy, unlike Henry's cold demeanor. He seemed young, probably fresh out of college. Facing Olivia, he blushed, which she found amusing.

William quickly fetched the clothes. Olivia didn't hesitate and changed into them. He also brought a pair of slightly worn sneakers.

"These are borrowed from the convenience store next door. Make do with them!" William said.

Olivia smiled at him. "Thanks. I'll pay you back for the clothes and shoes after we're done!"

With that, she tied up her long hair, put on a mask and protective suit, and asked the excavator to lower her with a steel cable.

Henry crossed his arms and watched coldly as Olivia tied the rope around herself and the excavator lowered her down.

William watched nervously and couldn't help but call out, "Olivia, be careful!"

Olivia nodded, carrying a fishing net as she descended. She stood on the well wall, carefully retrieving items and placing them in the net, then had the others pull them up with a rope.

She also collected evidence, taking samples of everything she found and placing them in evidence bags.

The temperature in the well was freezing, and the smell was awful. But Olivia stayed inside for over an hour without a single complaint. Henry watched from the well opening, his eyes narrowing slightly. At least Olivia was dedicated.

After retrieving all the remaining body parts and taking water samples, Olivia finally climbed out of the well.

In the yard, the retrieved body parts were laid out on the ground, which was covered with mats. Olivia barely had time to catch her breath before she started a preliminary autopsy after removing her protective suit.

Others, under Olivia's guidance, took photos and collected evidence, photographing everything retrieved and categorizing it.

While Olivia was conducting the autopsy, Henry made a phone call. "Mr. White, I have a female officer here who doesn't look like a cop!"

Laughter came from the other end of the line. "Henry, I specifically asked for Olivia from Silverlight City. Treat her well, and don't be so cold all the time! She'll be working with you, so take good care of her!"

"Mr. White, this is the Detective Units, not a daycare. I don't want overly attractive women on my team. Send her to another department; I don't want women on my team!" With that, Henry hung up, leaving Chief Benjamin White so angry he almost threw his phone.

The on-site autopsy was handed over to the forensic expert, Ethan Martinez, with Olivia following closely, not missing a single detail. When it was over, Ethan told William, "Based on the degree of decomposition, the time of death is around three months."

After Ethan spoke, Olivia looked up at the sky and added, "However, given the temperature conditions here, the cold would slow down the decomposition. Emerald City entered autumn about two months ago, so the exact time of death should be four to five months ago."