As for how Arthur guessed that Brenda intended to accuse someone she knew within the community, it was also thanks to her reaction.
Although they all lived under the same social system, the way community members treated each other differed in various cases.
In a small community like this neighborhood, residents often restrained themselves when talking about others, as if it were a kind of collective unconscious cover-up. In contrast, in a big city, it was perfectly normal for a neighbor to complain to the police about excessive noise from next door.
Regarding this difference in social consciousness, Arthur believed it came from many aspects, but primarily from the "importance of individuals within the community."
The easiest way to understand this is that the death of the old priest in this small neighborhood was like a rock thrown into a calm lake. Because the place was so small, to the point where one person was connected to almost every other individual in the community, when someone died, the community would ripple so intensely.
If this death had occurred in a big city, it would have been just another Monday morning.
This also applied to Brenda's cautious attitude. She was worried that her accusation against someone in the community would offend that person and others. Because the place was too small, every individual had a certain "importance," a kind of vague status. As a result, whether they wanted to or not, everyone who was part of the community would subconsciously protect their own "status." In contrast, in a big city, most accusations about minor annoyances caused by others were made by people who subconsciously didn't feel they had any weight within the community and society. Therefore, their accusations were an expression of their desire to gain importance, to gain respect and attention.
Returning to the main topic, Brenda took a deep breath and began to tell Arthur and Sarah about something she thought could help with the investigation.
It was a conflict between the priest and a man named Scott.
This man was not originally a resident here but had moved in three years ago. During this time, he had a dispute with someone else, and the priest had stepped in to mediate and ruled that Scott was in the wrong. Scott then escalated the situation, even having several intense arguments with the priest. Eventually, the matter passed, and almost no one mentioned it again.
The last time they argued was about a month ago.
"A month ago?"
Hearing this, Sarah raised an eyebrow. She glanced at Arthur and saw that he had a similar expression.
Arthur continued to ask.
"Mrs. Brenda, can you… point out who this Scott person is?"
"He's not here right now, but I can show you his house."
"Alright, thank you for your help."
Arthur said with a firm tone.
Immediately after, Arthur picked up his phone and called the headquarters.
"We have a new lead. We now have a potential suspect. A man named Scott who had a conflict with the victim. Please investigate this person."
After reporting, Arthur turned to Sarah. She understood that besides the official investigation, he also wanted to go and personally investigate this suspect himself.
However, Sarah asked him with a confused tone.
"Didn't you say the killer should be a weak person compared to an old man? But according to Mrs. Brenda, this Scott guy is clearly a strong, adult man, right?"
"We don't know yet. We can't confirm."
Arthur took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a drag, calming his mind.
"It's possible the pattern I established was wrong. After all, I don't expect it to be 100% accurate."
"Besides..."
Arthur put out the cigarette butt and said softly.
"I'm having another suspicion."
"Although we can sympathize with the fact that shock can cause someone's information processing to malfunction, making them forget important things at a crucial moment. But Sarah, don't you find it strange that last time when we questioned her, she didn't mention anything about Scott, but when we met her again, she did?"
...
Finally, Sarah and Arthur arrived at Scott's house.
It was a medium-sized wooden house, slightly tucked into the woods. A dusty, rugged pickup truck was parked next to the house. Arthur looked at the house. According to Brenda, Scott had bought this house, which was why it looked a bit old.
Just as before, Sarah was the primary one to interact, while Arthur stayed back to focus on observing and taking notes.
Scott greeted them with a less-than-friendly attitude, but faced with the authority of their police badges, he had to humbly invite them inside.
Sarah didn't beat around the bush. After a few initial questions about his personal information, Sarah went straight to the point.
"Scott, where were you on Sunday night to Monday morning?"
"I… I was just sleeping at home. I had to get up early that morning to go to the factory. It's my job."
"Is there anyone or anything that can prove that?"
Scott hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.
"I live alone."
"Alright, let's move on to the next question. I heard that you had a conflict with that old priest. Can you tell me the details about that?"
At this question, Scott's expression clearly turned ugly. He knew he had become a suspect.
However, this was an interrogation by the police, so Scott could only restrain himself and speak in the calmest tone possible.
"I didn't kill him! What I'm saying is the truth."
"As for who the killer is, we are still trying to find out. Please cooperate."
Sarah's voice remained cold and emotionless, directly dismissing Scott's defense.