Chapter 5 The case from four years ago

"Don't even think about touching my husband's body," Daisy said, standing in front of the morgue door. She greeted the three plainclothes officers who had just arrived with a sharp stare and no smile. "I'm taking my husband's body home. You can't stop me."

Gerald and Keya exchanged glances. Hans, who was standing slightly ahead of them, looked directly at Daisy. Her eyes were swollen, and she wasn't wearing any makeup. She had on nothing more than a casual yellow floral dress. Even so, her hair was still neatly styled.

"Mrs. Harrison, please calm down first. Let's talk this through, all right?" Hans said.

"I came here to take my husband's body home, Officer. Please don't stand in my way."

Without realizing it, Hans took a step forward. "Mrs. Harrison, there are several irregularities on your husband's body. We need to perform an autopsy so we can determine—"

"Enough!" Daisy cut him off, her voice rising sharply. This time, her jaw tightened, and both fists clenched until her knuckles turned white. "I've been patient long enough. You people keep saying there's something wrong with the body. Look at what you did to my father's body! All you did was damage it! And even now, there still isn't a single suspect in my father's case, is there?"

"We're sorry if the way the police handled things left you traumatized. Could you please give us a chance? A different team is handling your husband's case," Hans said.

Daisy gave him a sarcastic smile. "No. I've had enough of watching you people treat my father however you pleased. I won't let you touch someone I love ever again. Move."

Everyone in the hallway of the police hospital fell silent. Daisy's gaze swept across the faces of the young officers standing before her. Hans closed his eyes for a moment as he rubbed the bridge of his nose and lowered his head. Gerald looked Daisy up and down.

"Suspicious," Gerald muttered so quietly that only Keya could hear him.

Hans turned around and stepped closer to the narrow space between his two colleagues. He lowered his voice until it was almost a whisper. "What should we do now?"

"Let her have her way," Keya replied.

Those two words instantly made Gerald's and Hans's eyes widen. Keya remained perfectly calm despite the demanding looks both men shot her.

"Have you lost your mind? We could lose this case," Gerald hissed, emphasizing every word.

Keya shrugged. "We can't go against the victim's family's wishes, can we? Not unless we have solid proof that he didn't commit suicide. Right now, all we have are suspicions."

"Keya, you ...." Hans began, only for the words to trail off. He fell silent as he watched Keya step past him.

Slowly, Hans turned his head to follow her. Their team leader walked straight up to Daisy and stopped firmly in front of her. Gerald cursed under his breath, running a hand through the slicked-back hair he had carefully styled that morning.

"What now? You want to try your luck too? Don't bother," Daisy said curtly. Then she patted the center of her chest. "I'm not changing my mind. I'm taking my husband's body home. Do you understand?"

Keya gave a small nod and a faint smile. "All right, Mrs. Harrison. We respect your decision. Come with me. Let's go see your husband's body."

Keya briefly extended her left hand toward the gray steel door beside them. A black rectangular sign reading Morgue was mounted above it. For the first time, Daisy smiled at the police, her eyes glistening with tears.

"Why are you giving in so easily?" Daisy asked, narrowing her eyes at Keya.

"I'm a woman too. If I were in your position, I'd do exactly the same thing for the man I love. Wouldn't you?" Keya said.

Daisy stared at her for a moment. Then she smiled, a faint spark returning to her weary eyes. "Thank you for understanding."

Meanwhile, Gerald stood frozen with his mouth slightly open. He turned to follow Keya as she walked into the morgue. Then he looked at Hans, who also remained rooted to the spot.

"Hans, you're just going to stand there? We're about to lose our case," Gerald protested.

Hans ignored his colleague's complaint. He walked over to the steel door and pushed it open.

Inside the cold room, Keya and Daisy stood beside the body tray. Nick's body, pale and stiff, was covered with a white sheet up to his chest.

After Hans took his place beside Keya, he noticed Daisy on the opposite side biting her lower lip. Her tear-filled eyes slowly traced over her husband's body. She looked as though she was about to break down. But when Keya unzipped the body bag, Daisy froze.

"What are you doing? Are you putting my husband's body on display?" Daisy demanded, glaring at Keya.

"This is the body you want to take home, isn't it? Then look at him," Keya said, shifting her gaze to the body. "Our preliminary conclusion is that your husband committed suicide. I'm sorry if this sounds insensitive, but for the sake of the investigation, I have to ask. Was your marriage going well?"

"Detective, I'm grieving. How can you ...."

"I've seen the romantic moments you posted on social media. They looked wonderful. I hope your marriage was truly as beautiful off-camera as it appeared online," Keya interrupted without looking at Daisy, who stood there stunned. "What about your husband's work?"

Daisy pressed her lips together. Her gaze dropped to the floor. Her chest rose and fell unevenly. She swallowed with difficulty before taking a long, deep breath.

"Your husband went to his brother Raiden's abandoned building. Security camera footage from the area shows he arrived at eleven o'clock that night. Alone. He seemed very determined. We believe he fell from the fifth floor. At first glance, it looks like a suicide." Keya pointed to Nick's darkened lips. Daisy followed the gesture. "Your husband's lips show an irregularity. Mrs. Harrison, we're beginning to doubt the suicide theory."

"What ... what do you mean?" Daisy asked, breathing heavily.

"The back of your husband's head was crushed. He shouldn't have developed cyanosis before he died. Earlier, his lips had turned bluish, and there were also brownish patches around his face. Are you sure you don't want to know the true cause of your husband's death?" Keya gently rubbed Daisy's arm as she stood frozen.

Daisy staggered slightly to one side. She almost fell if both of her hands hadn't been gripping the body tray. Gerald deliberately moved closer to Daisy to steady her.

Daisy looked at her husband's body as she sobbed. Tears streamed down her cheeks like rain. The crying didn't last long. Afterward, she took several deep breaths, slowly exhaling each one. She continued sobbing between breaths until her lips trembled.

Then Daisy raised her eyes to Keya. With tears still filling them, she looked sharply at everyone in the room.

"You want my husband's body, don't you? I can give you permission ... on one condition ... my father's case."