Suicide to Avoid Prosecution
Not long after, two burly servants from Zhang's Bistro barged in, looking fierce. "Well, well, where did you scammers come from? Carrying a basket full of poisonous mushrooms—are you trying to murder for money?"
Mrs. Gold panicked instantly and hurriedly protested, "Nonsense! Our mushrooms are perfectly fine—how could they be poisonous?"
May Parker was anxious too. She knew Lily Evans could identify mushrooms—how could the ones Lily Evans picked and brought to sell be poisonous?
"That whole basket is full of poisonous mushrooms—not a single one is edible! And you still dare to argue?" The servant shouted, "Come on, lock them up! We'll send them to the authorities to face justice!"
Mrs. Gold collapsed when she heard about going to the authorities. She cried and screamed, trying to rush out, "We won't sell the mushrooms anymore! We don't want the money—just let us go!"
The servant shoved Mrs. Gold back. "Too late to back out now! You signed the contract and left your fingerprints—it's all written in black and white. If your mushrooms are poisonous, you'll be handed over to the authorities and charged with attempted murder! Hmph, you know what that crime means, right? Lock the doors!"
The doors slammed shut. Mrs. Gold fell to the floor, her face deathly pale.
May Parker trembled all over with fear. It took her a long time to recover and mutter, "What happened? How could the mushrooms Lily Evans picked be poisonous? That's impossible..."
Mrs. Gold sobbed, "That damned wretch! How could she bring a basket of poisonous mushrooms to hurt people? Lily Evans just wants to make trouble for us—she's trying to kill us on purpose!"
Hearing Mrs. Gold's outburst, May Parker's face suddenly turned ashen, and a terrifying thought flashed through her mind: Could it be that Lily Evans knew she and Mrs. Gold were plotting together and deliberately dug a pit, waiting for them to jump in...
May Parker clenched her teeth so hard they creaked, her eyes filled with venom: Lily Evans, you're vicious!
Meanwhile, in the premium private room of Zhang's Bistro, Lily Evans sat sipping tea. Mason Zhang chuckled beside her, "Mrs. Lily, I've taken care of this for you. You must sign a long-term lease agreement with me for this room."
Lily Evans smiled, "Of course. Mason Zhang, you've helped me so much—I won't forget your kindness."
Mason Zhang grinned, "I just went along with it and tricked them into signing a document to nail down the charges. Those two wicked women were hoping you'd lose everything and wanted to ruin you. Well, now they've shot themselves in the foot. I've already sent someone to report to the magistrate—soon the authorities will come for them. I'm just doing my part to rid the community of troublemakers!"
The authorities arrived quickly when they heard it was a poisoning case. Mason Zhang personally led the officers to the private room where Mrs. Gold and May Parker were locked up. But when they opened the door, only Mrs. Gold was left inside, a large bloody wound on her forehead as if she'd struck the pillar. The young woman who claimed to be her daughter was nowhere to be found, except for a window that had been forced open—she must have escaped through it.
By the time Mrs. Gold was carried to the magistrate's office, her body was already cold. According to the coroner's examination, she died from striking her head against the pillar. The official cause of death was ruled as suicide out of guilt.
As for the woman who came with Mrs. Gold, no one saw her face clearly since it was covered. With Mrs. Gold dead and no testimony, and only Mrs. Gold's fingerprint on the contract, the woman's identity remained a mystery.
When Lily Evans learned the verdict, she sighed. Although she knew the woman selling mushrooms with Mrs. Gold was May Parker, she hadn't expected May Parker to be so cunning, leaving no evidence behind. Lily Evans knew the truth, but had no proof.