Scott had no other choice and was forced to recount what had happened.
It turned out that at the time, Scott was relaxing at home watching a movie when a rock from outside suddenly shattered one of his windows.
In a fit of rage, Scott rushed outside to confront the culprit and saw a neighbor not far away, at an angle perfect for throwing a rock and breaking his window. Scott then rushed over to question the neighbor, who swore he had nothing to do with it, and a heated argument broke out.
Since neither side would back down, the highly respected old priest stepped in to mediate. The result, as Sarah and Arthur now knew, was that Scott believed the old priest had favored the neighbor because this person was an original member of the community, while Scott was just an outsider who had recently moved in a few years ago.
Because of this, Scott sought out the old priest to argue a few more times, and each time, the discussion ended unhappily.
"By the way, where do you work?"
"A chemical sorting plant."
"Alright, thank you for your cooperation."
After leaving Scott's house, Sarah glanced back at the closed door before turning to Arthur.
"This person has a motive, even if it's a bit forced. He's also a loner, his whereabouts are unconfirmed, and he has no alibi. His residence is quite secluded compared to the other households, so no one would know if he disappeared for a while. Plus, he works at a chemical sorting plant, so it's not impossible for him to make some kind of poison."
"Arthur, do you have any issues with what I'm saying?"
Arthur shook his head. Based on the physical evidence, Sarah's conclusions were sound and very reasonable.
Scott was indeed a potential suspect.
Seeing that Arthur had no objections, Sarah called the police station to request a search warrant.
He stood leaning against a tree, lighting the cigarette he had been saving from earlier. He began to ponder, his gaze passing through the gray smoke he had just exhaled.
In Arthur's mind, a room gradually took shape.
It was Scott's living room.
From the somewhat messy state of the living room, such as where things were thrown and the degree to which objects had been moved, Arthur deduced that the living room was Scott's main living area and the most "intimate" place projected from the room in his mind.
Because he lived in the living room for a long time, some very clear signs were visible, such as a small portion of the sofa fabric that had been stained by drool, which would have had to happen repeatedly to leave a stain that was so obvious. The location was also a perfect fit for where he would lay his head while sleeping on the sofa.
Or another sign, which was the level of chaos in the living room.
Many things are actually similar to some degree. For example, people usually only show one side of themselves when facing society and others, while they are a much more complex whole. This psychology is also reflected in the physical space, such as a living room—a place where people primarily receive guests—which will be arranged neatly and with a unified style, or at most, some of their personal achievements might be displayed. In other words, it is a display of their "best face."
But Scott's living room was the opposite. It was a complete mess.
From daily necessities to entertainment products, everything was piled up there. This was not his best face but his true face.
He was a person who just threw things wherever, paying little attention to details.
These things weren't very difficult to understand for a single man with a demanding job. The lifestyle of such a person would be very simple, not overly fastidious or complicated.
But could such a person have planned such a sinister and methodical murder?
Arthur was deep in thought.
Suddenly, Sarah tapped him on the shoulder.
"What are you thinking about?"
"Just a small concern."
Arthur put out the cigarette and threw it away, but Sarah didn't let him off the hook.
"It's obvious you're not satisfied with the conclusion that Scott is the killer. Tell me, what's your doubt?"
"Although in terms of physical evidence, Scott fits the profile of the killer, psychologically, I don't think he fits. You saw it, didn't you? How could such a sloppy person be the culprit who created a murder so meticulous that it has stumped us for days?"
To judge Scott as a sloppy person, Arthur didn't just rely on his demeanor but also on the traces he left behind in his daily life over a long period.
For example, the kettle on the stove. Arthur noticed that the area around the spout and the body of the kettle had several hazy layers on them. This was actually caused by the water boiling over and overflowing, which distorted the outer layer. This must have happened many times for the misty layer to be so severely deformed.
What careful person would live like that?
"Also, did you notice, Sarah? That Scott's expressions were very easy to read?"
Hearing this, Sarah frowned, showing that she didn't understand his question.
"What do you mean?"
"Expressions come from emotions, but human emotions are not a single pattern."
Arthur began to explain.
"Every type of expression we show on the outside is a mixture of different emotions. It just depends on which emotion is dominant and which is secondary, just like mixing colors."
"That's why there is a field called micro-expression recognition, which uses small details to deduce a complete emotional pattern. Because depending on the 'dosage' of different emotions, the resulting expression is also different. A single frown can represent up to ten different results."
"But with Scott, I noticed that his expressions were much closer to the standard than they should be."