Chapter 982
Marlus was the last person to be questioned before the end of the workday.
As he had recently been working at the National Investigation Bureau, he was quickly called over, and Licnel arranged for him to be interviewed last.
Following the usual protocol, Elliot asked, “How was Nathaniel’s relationship with your mother?”
Mentioning Vanda made Marius’s eyes slightly teary, and he hesitated before replying, “It was very poor. When we were young, whenever Dad wasn’t around, Mom would often find an excuse to hit
him. Nathaniel hated her a lot…”
He went on to recount his past, and his account was quite different from the other servants at the
Nicholls residence.
Rubbing his temples, Elliot looked a bit weary.
Marius continued, “Since Mom stopped coming downstairs often, her interactions with Nathaniel
were almost non–existent. Although he disliked her, he wouldn’t have hated her enough to poison her. Plus, if he truly had the poison, he would more likely inject Romello with it.”
Elliot suddenly became interested and, along with Lionel, looked across the table at Marius,
“You’re the only one I’ve heard today who spoke up for Nathaniel, Elliot remarked.
Marius felt a bit awkward, explaining, “I’m not backing him. I’m just telling the truth. For him to
poison Mom, he’d have to steal the key to the top floor, risking being caught by Romello. The top floor is strictly controlled, and very few can access it. It just doesn’t add up. The cost of
committing a crime like this is too high.”
Having recently been on several missions with Jacob, he understood these logical matters a bit
better than before.
Elliot chuckled. “Well said. So, who do you think could have poisoned her?”
Marius lowered his head, falling into silence.
After pondering for a while, he finally said, “I don’t know. Romello has been acting strange lately,
but he couldn’t have done something like this.”
Lionel extinguished his cigarette and walked over, chiming in, “Nothing is impossible. The humant
heart is more complex than ‘you imagine. Some people, in pursuit of power, can become obsessed. They can even betray their own family members, and there have been many similar
cases at the National Investigation Bureau. I’m sure you’re aware of that.”
Marius did not refute the point and remained silent.
He remembered Romello asking all the servants to bury something from the top floor last night, the unidentified glass vial he took…
And then, late that night, Vanda had the incident.
However, he did not say anything, keeping his head down with a complex expression.
Just as it was time to clock out, Elliot sensed his unease and spoke understandingly, “It’s late today. You can go back and think it over. If you have any other leads, please let me know.”
He hesitated, then asked, “Mr. Jenkins, if this is really Romello’s doing, what would his punishment
be?”
Elliot adjusted his uniform as he replied, “Business is business. If he is truly responsible for this, he doesn’t deserve to be called a human for being capable of such beastly acts for his own benefit. Whatever the outcome, it will be what he deserves.”
“Understood, Mr. Jenkins.”
Marius lowered his head again, his gaze calming, and remained silent..
Though he resented Romello for sending him to the National Investigation Bureau and subjecting him to torture, Romello was still his brother. Moreover, the Nicholls family thrived under Romello’s
leadership.
He could not bring himself to make such an accusation.
Elliot noticed his change in demeanor and emphasized sternly, “Marius, silence in the face of knowledge is complicity. If Romello is really the culprit, the one who died is your own mother and the one being detained and questioned is also your half–brother, who shares your blood. Think
about it carefully.”
Marius evaded his gaze, feeling uneasy. Then, he nervously adjusted his trousers, nodding in
response.
Elliot did not linger and left the interrogation room, with Lionel silently trailing behind..
Once they were in the car headed back to the Jenkins estate, Elliot ordered, “Keep a close eye on Marius for now. I have a feeling he knows something, and perhaps he could be our breakthrough.”
