"No, we didn't have any conflicts. We were still very close," Lisa said, her voice shaking slightly.
Fein made a note of her responses and moved on to the next victim's next friend, Jake. Jake was confident and appeared to have nothing to hide.
"Jake, can you tell me about your relationship with the victim?" Fein asked.
"We've been friends for a long time. We used to do business together every weekend," Jake replied.
"Did you have any conflicts with the victim recently?" Fein asked.
"No, we didn't have any conflicts. We were good friends until the end," Jake said, his voice unwavering.
Fein noted down Jake's responses and moved on to Maria, the now prime suspect. She was the last person Fein had to interview, and he was feeling tense and uneasy about it.
"Maria, can you tell me about your relationship with the victim?" Fein asked.
"We were colleagues at work. We had a professional relationship," Maria replied, her face emotionless.
"Did you have any conflicts with the victim recently?" Fein asked, his voice stern.
"No, we didn't have any conflicts. We were professionals, and we worked together smoothly," Maria said, her eyes locking onto Fein's.
Fein didn't like the way Maria was looking at him. It was as if she was trying to intimidate him. But he remained calm and continued to probe.
"Do you have any idea who might have wanted to harm the victim?" Fein asked.
"No, I have no idea. I'm just as shocked as everyone else," Maria replied, her face still emotionless.
Fein made a note of her responses, but he couldn't shake the feeling that Maria was hiding something. He decided to keep a closer eye on her as the investigation continued.
Fein walked up to Maria's doorstep, took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. He could hear footsteps approaching and the door slowly opened to reveal Maria. Fein could see the worry in her eyes as she looked at him.
"Hello, Maria. Can we talk for a moment?"
Fein leaned forward in his chair and looked at Maria, who was sitting across from him with her arms crossed. "David claims he was meeting with you the night of the murder," Fein said.
Maria's eyes widened in surprise. "I don't know what he's talking about. I didn't see him that night," she said firmly.
Fein raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure about that? Because David claims that you had a deal."
Maria shook her head. "I have no idea what he's talking about. I never made any deals with him."
Fein continued to scrutinize Maria, looking for any signs of deception. He noticed that she was fidgeting with her hands, and her eyes kept darting around the room. He leaned back in his chair and studied her for a moment.
"Maria, I need you to be completely honest with me," Fein said. "Did you have any kind of relationship with David? Business or otherwise?"
Maria hesitated for a moment before answering. "We used to be friends. But we haven't talked in months," she said.
Fein leaned forward again. "What about the night of the murder? Were you at the victim's house?"
Maria shook her head. "No, just as I told you before, I was at the gym, working out. "
Fein made a note in his notebook before continuing. "Do you know of anyone who had a conflict with the victim? Anyone who would want him dead?"
Maria thought for a moment before shaking her head. "No, he didn't have any enemies that I know of. He was a nice guy."
Fein nodded slowly. "Alright, Maria. Thank you for your time. I may have more questions for you later."
Maria stood up and nodded before leaving the room. Fein sat back in his chair and sighed. He still didn't have any concrete evidence, but he had a feeling that Maria was hiding something. He made a note to investigate further...
...
After weeks of intense investigation, Fein finally gets a breakthrough. He had been working tirelessly, analyzing every piece of evidence, interviewing witnesses, and connecting dots. But it wasn't until he stumbled upon a small detail that everything began to make sense.
Fein is in the interrogation room, sitting across from Lisa. The suspect seems nervous, but Fein's face is stoic, betraying nothing. He slides a photograph across the table, showing a small object. "Do you recognize this?" he asks.
Lisa looks at the photo and shakes her head. "No, I've never seen it before," she replies.
Fein nods and leans back in his chair. "Interesting," he says. "Because we found this at the crime scene." He slides another photograph across the table, this time showing the same object lying on the floor, next to the victim's body.
Lisa's eyes widen, and her hands start to shake. "I-I don't know how that got there," she stammers.
Fein leans forward, his eyes locked on Lisa's. "You know exactly how it got there," he says firmly. "You're the one who put it there."
Lisa looks down at her hands, tears welling up in her eyes. "Okay, okay. I did it. I killed him," she admits.
Fein's face remains impassive as he begins to explain his deductions. "We initially focused on David and Maria because they were the prime suspects. But when we interviewed their alibis and cross-checked the evidence, we realized they were not involved."
He pauses, taking a deep breath. "We then shifted our focus to the least suspicious person in the group, Lisa. And that's when we found this." He holds up the photograph of the object. "It's a piece of jewelry, a hairpin. We found it under the victim's body, and it had your DNA on it."
Lisa looks up at Fein, her eyes wide with shock. "I don't understand. How did a hairpin lead you to me?"
Fein gives her a small smile. "Well, you see, Lisa, you used it as a weapon. The hairpin was bent out of shape, and we found traces of blood on it. The victim had multiple puncture wounds... It seems that you seduced him to the house, attacked him with the hairpin while the two of you were having sex because there are no signs of struggle... Then you left him to die. To kill using a hairpin... Are you a degu user?"
Lisa looks down, ashamed. "I didn't mean for it to go that far," she murmurs.
Fein's face hardens. "Intent doesn't matter, Lisa. You took a life. And for what? Money? Revenge? It doesn't matter. You'll be held accountable for your actions."
David and Maria, who had been watching the interrogation from behind the two-way mirror, give Lisa a look of disgust. The police officers escort her out of the room, and Fein sits back, feeling a sense of closure.
He had solved the case Zero asked him, brought the culprit to justice, and given the victim's family the closure they deserved. It was a job well done, and Fein knew that he had made a difference.
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