Noah Raines arrived quickly, holding an envelope containing the autopsy report.
"Take a look."
He tossed the document to Leo Grant and sat down as Mrs. Hayes poured him a cup of tea.
Leo examined the autopsy report carefully; on the surface, it indeed appeared to be a natural death with no visible traces.
"There's candy residue on his hand."
Leo frowned slightly and said, "The deceased touched something sugary before dying, leaving candy residue on his hands. It's highly suspicious, but it doesn't prove anything."
"I don't think it's a natural death. It must be intentional."
Noah crossed his arms and spoke methodically.
The possibility of a natural fall does not exist; these people are professionally trained and couldn't possibly be that careless.
Candy?
Lollipop?
Leo's pupils contracted suddenly. A terrifying thought occurred to him, but he quickly dismissed it.
The little girl is just so sweet and innocent. How could she possibly understand such things? You can't suspect her just because she has candy.
"What did you think of?"
Leo's pupils changed, and Noah noticed it clearly.
Leo shook his head, "Nothing."
"It does feel strange."
Noah folded his hands behind his head and sighed softly.
Strange indeed.
"Hey, you're really planning to keep the little girl here?"
His gaze fell on Holly Sawyer, who was intently watching TV, and Noah asked with a tilt of his chin.
The little girl was adorably innocent, and he inexplicably felt she was a perfect match for Leo.
"Yeah, she doesn't want to leave."
Leo nodded, finding himself unexpectedly soft-hearted toward the little girl.
"You think she might have a crush on you, getting close on purpose?"
Noah teased, even whistling slightly.
He was only joking, of course; he truly thought the little girl seemed to have no ulterior motives.
"Get out."
Leo gave Noah a playful punch.
The little girl couldn't possibly have such thoughts; she's just so pure.
"Brother, I want to go out and play."
The little girl trotted over, gently biting her lip, looking at Leo expectantly.
She clung tightly to Leo's shirt hem, eyeing Noah Raines cautiously, as if particularly afraid of him.
"Why are you so afraid of me?"
Looking into her eyes, Noah scratched his head in bemusement.
He wasn't terrifying at all, so why was the girl so afraid of him? It made no sense.
Compared to Leo, Leo should be the scarier one; his personality wasn't that likeable, after all. Noah considered himself outgoing and charming, the most popular one, probably?
"I... I'm not..."
Holly clung to Leo's shirt hem, timidly glancing at Noah and stuttering.
She claimed not to be afraid, but her stammer betrayed her.
Noah Raines: "..."
What difference does it make if she's basically saying she's scared?
"You look so scary; why not just go home?"
Leo laughed, nudging Noah's foot playfully.
Noah Raines: "???"
He's scary?
How is he scary?
He's so handsome, charming, and attractive, beloved by all. There's no way he's scary.
"Little girl, am I really scary?"
Noah pointed at himself and asked Holly.
Holly shook her head.
"Just feels like you're not a good guy."
The little girl bit her lip, whispering, her voice cautious.
Not a good guy?
Noah was stunned, looking at the little girl, unable to comprehend the difference.
The difference between looking scary and not seeming like a good guy wasn't that big, was it?
Leo burst into laughter, gently ruffling Holly's hair, his eyes smiling.
The little girl was truly adorable.
"His name is Noah Raines, he's my good brother; we've been friends since childhood, and he's not a bad person. No need to be afraid, understand, Holly?"
Leo pulled the girl to his side, speaking softly.
Her courage was quite small.
"Oh, I understand, Holly knows."
Holly nodded with a look of understanding.
"Here, have some candy."
The little girl pouted, taking a pink-wrapped candy from her pocket, handing it to Noah with her slender hand.
Staring at the candy suddenly thrust before him, Noah was about to shake his head when he caught a look from Leo, "Thank you, little girl."
With a smiling expression, Noah took the candy from her.
He, a grown man, had no interest in candy, really. If it weren't for that look from Leo, he'd probably have refused.
Seeing Noah take the candy, the little girl smiled. She tilted her head, smiling innocently.
"Brother Raines, aren't you going to eat it?"
Holly curiously asked, seeing Noah just holding the candy.
"The candy's sweet, Brother Raines. Don't you like it?"
A hint of disappointment instantly appeared in her eyes, and she lowered her head, looking sad.
"Well, I..."
Noah's lip twitched unconsciously, staring at the candy, not sure how to start.
White peach oolong flavored lollipop.
"Want me to unwrap it for you?"
Seeing the little girl upset, Leo glared at Noah.
The little girl was so innocent; seeing her sad, Leo couldn't stand it and wanted to see her smile.
"Okay, okay, I'll eat it now."
Noah took a deep breath, opened the wrapper, and popped the candy into his mouth.
The candy was sweet, the flavor... felt so familiar.
Noah was suddenly startled; the taste eerily resembled the candy residue in the black-clad man's hand.
This little girl...
But seeing her shy demeanor, Noah quickly dismissed the thought from his mind.
"Little girl, did you sneak out to play today?"
Noah asked, staring into Holly's eyes.
Holly shook her head, her gaze clear, devoid of any ripples.
"What are you imagining?"
Leo frowned, sensing the change in Noah's demeanor after tasting the candy; his gaze toward the little girl altered.
The little girl simply liked candy, nothing more.
"Miss Sawyer was with me the whole time. I didn't have a chance to take her out to play; she's nearly bored out of her wits."
Mrs. Hayes came over with a plate of cut fruit, looking at Holly empathetically.
Holly just naturally wanted to play, being cooped up all day was certainly suffocating.