"Miller went in and out of the Herbert residence countless times. Back when he was John's assistant, he often stayed overnight there. You could say he was more familiar with the place than many of the current staff."

"Of course, it's been several years since he last came here as a 'guest.' Plus, this time Miller was carrying out a planned crime, so he definitely would have come to scout the inside and outside of the mansion beforehand…"

"But in any case, combined with some information Sam obtained yesterday afternoon... it wasn't too difficult for Miller to sneak into this house."

"And so, around ten o'clock in the evening, Miller took advantage of the darkness and scaled the wall into Herbert Manor from an area without surveillance. He then made his way to the west side of the mansion and entered the house through an unlocked window on the first floor."

"This was, after all, a private residence and not a heavily guarded military facility. There were only a few security guards in total. In the evening, the cleaners and cooks would all return to the outbuildings, so no one noticed Miller entering the mansion."

"Thus, Miller brazenly came to John's bedroom, which was empty at the time, and hid behind the curtains of the French window."

"On the other hand, Sam... was at the Alfred Hotel bar, chatting with a detective he had just met, in order to create his alibi."

"At eleven o'clock, the agreed time to act, Sam went to the bar's restroom and used his cell phone to dial the phone in John's bedroom."

"That was an old-fashioned phone, with no extension and no call forwarding. Its power supply was also separate from the mansion's electrical system. John kept this phone in his bedroom to use it as a 'private line.' He only gave the number to a few people."

"Therefore, when he heard the phone ring, John, who was working in the study next door, got up and went to the bedroom to answer it."

"At that moment... Miller struck."

"He chose his position well. The curtains were only a few meters away from the table where the phone was placed, and he appeared directly behind John."

"However... an accident occurred."

"Miller didn't expect that John, a man almost ten years older than him, would still be in good shape and have good reflexes. After a struggle, John sidestepped and slammed into Miller, who slipped on the carpet and hit the back of his head on the corner of the table."

"The impact, bearing the weight of two adult men, caused irreparable damage to the back of Miller's head, killing him instantly."

"At the same time, Sam, who heard the struggle on the other end of the phone, also sensed something was wrong, because the last gasps he heard... were not Miller's, but John's, who was supposed to be dead."

"Seconds later, John, catching his breath, naturally recognized Miller as the assailant. He quickly realized the connection between Sam's sudden visit during the day, the phone call just now, and Miller's attack. Thinking of this... he quickly hung up the phone."

"As for what happened after that... everyone, you should all know."

Zuo Yan's words had brought the entire case to light.

The four people in the room fell silent once more.

"Hmm..." After a moment, Feng BuJue was the first to break the silence. "Are you done?"

"Uh..." Zuo Yan was taken aback by the question. He paused for two seconds, waiting for Vidocq's instructions, but Vidocq didn't say anything, so Zuo Yan could only reply on his own, "Yes, I'm done."

"Okay, then let me have my say." Feng BuJue shook the glass of red wine in his hand and continued in a leisurely tone.

"What else do you want to say?" John looked at Jue Ge. "At this point... do you really think you can still find a way to acquit Sam?"

"Acquit?" Jue Ge raised an eyebrow and replied casually, "Is there a need?" He glanced at Sam. "Sam is innocent to begin with."

"Huh?" This time, Dauster was also dumbfounded. He looked at Jue Ge and complained, "Hey, hey... didn't you hear a single word the great detective Zuo said? Things have already been explained so clearly, and you're still saying Sam is innocent?"

"Heh..." Feng BuJue chuckled. "What he said was very clear, and the logic was also very sound, but... where's the evidence?" He paused, then looked at John again. "Just as John can confidently deny 'ever plotting murder for money in the inheritance case' outside of this entire line of reasoning, as long as there's no evidence, Sam can also deny some of the content in this line of reasoning, can't he?"

"But..." Dauster thought for a few seconds, "That recording..."

"That's right!" Feng BuJue interrupted loudly, "I was just about to talk about that recording..." He looked at Zuo Yan with a smile that hid a dagger, and said, "Comrade Zuo Yan, please play that recording in its entirety."

"Damn it..." At this moment, Vidocq cursed inwardly. "As expected, this kid saw through it..."

After Jue Ge finished speaking, Zuo Yan hesitated for a few seconds, then sighed, took out Miller's phone again, and pressed the play button.

Miller's voice came from the phone again – "I am Pat Miller, it is now six o'clock in the afternoon on October 12th. In an hour, I will go to meet Sam Herbert..."

This time, Zuo Yan did not press the stop button, but the recording... did not continue.

Seconds later, John, Sam, and Dauster all realized something one after another. The expressions on their faces also changed.

"Look... just as I said..." Feng BuJue shrugged and continued, "Many times... something that seems unquestionable at first glance is, in essence, completely different from its appearance."

"You..." A second later, Zuo Yan asked on behalf of Vidocq, "...how did you know that this recording was only this long?"

"It's very simple." Feng BuJue replied unhurriedly, "In the process of your reasoning, the cell phone was used a total of three times. The first time was to use Miller's cell phone to show Miller's photos, the second time was also to use Miller's cell phone to play that recording, and the third time... was to use your own cell phone to show us Miller's remarks on social networking sites."

"Among them, for the first and third times, you turned the phone screen to show us, but only for that second time... you didn't do that."

"At first glance, this is also very normal... because the first and third times you wanted to show the picture, and the second time you only wanted to show the sound; but... when you pressed the recording stop button, you were a little anxious, almost before the last syllable of the last word fell, you pressed it. That... made me suspicious."