Fantasy Game: Infinite City

Chapter 536: Death of Fabulon (2)

Frank's side.

The questioning of Dina was over. Frank had requested that she stay in her room for the time being and avoid going out. The opening ceremony was still a few days away, so Dina was cooperating.

According to Dina, Fabron was already dead when she entered the restaurant, slumped over the piano. Although Fabron was older, he was usually quite energetic, so this position was unusual for Dina, who was familiar with him. Dina went over to try to revive him, but he remained motionless. Dina then realized something was amiss. According to Dina, she immediately noticed Fabron was not breathing, so she moved him to the ground nearby and performed first aid. Dina had previously been cast in a television series about medical professionals and had some first aid training, so it makes sense that she knew CPR. While trying to revive Fabron, Dina screamed for help in her recognizable voice, which eventually led to the arrival of others.

Frank used his mobile phone to connect to the police system. After investigation, Dina and Fabrown had no relevant conflicts of interest, and Dina had no criminal record. Frank did have a criminal record, but it was forty years ago, and it was just that the young Fabrown, who was in his 20s at the time, got drunk and fought with his friends. He was detained for two days and paid a fine. It was not a big deal.

After searching for information about the two on the Internet, I found that Dina is very popular with the audience. Apart from concerts, album or single release conferences, and participation in film and television projects, Dina rarely appears in front of the camera. However, she often goes to watch boxing matches, so in fact, many people have seen Dina offline. According to the public's perception, Dina's personality is no different from her personality on the screen. She is a cheerful and open-minded person. She never conflicts with others and sometimes takes the initiative to help other colleagues who encounter difficulties. She is a good person.

As for Fablon, there's no need to mention him. In his early years, when Fablon first rose to fame, before television became widespread, newspapers and radio were the primary means of communication. Michael Fablon was passionate about jazz and always attended every music event, making him incredibly familiar to the public. His affable personality and kindness were the reasons he became a household name and a national treasure. In his nearly 50 years of jazz experience, he had no conflicts, not even verbal altercations, save for a drunken brawl with a friend. Theoretically, it was impossible for Fablon to get into the kind of trouble that led to his murder.

Despite the improbability, Frank still searched for information about the friend with whom Fabron had gotten into a drunken brawl 40 years prior. The search was quite successful. Although the friend and Fabron had previously fought, they had reconciled in a police cell, and their friendship continued until Fabron's friend died of an acute cerebral hemorrhage ten years ago. Fabron attended his funeral and served as master of ceremonies. Although the funeral was not public, some guests revealed that Fabron was deeply saddened by his friend's death, choking up several times while speaking.

Fablom's friend never married, but he had a son. Because their families were close, the son married Fablom's eldest daughter, becoming his son-in-law. Their relationship was so close that they were like Fablom's own son. Family gatherings are common on Fablom's daughter's social media accounts. Fablom has two daughters. The eldest is married to Fablom's friend's son and has three children. The second is married to a former schoolmate, who is now a business tycoon and has two children. Even Fablom's current agency was founded by his son-in-law specifically to please his wife and father-in-law, Fablom. Initially, the agency had only Fablom, but later, at Fablom's request, they brought in other young talents.

The Fabrons were a model family. Their children were all successful and successful, so they didn't need Fabron's help and were well-off. The second daughter and her husband, in particular, were already wealthy enough to forgo Fabron's inheritance and offered to remove their names from his will, though Fabron didn't do so. The two daughters also had a good relationship, often gathering together, and the two sons-in-law also had a good relationship.

Judging from the above clues, there was no inheritance dispute in the Fabrown family. After all, Fabrown did have a considerable fortune, but it was still less than the wealth of his two sons-in-law. Both of them were very kind to their wives, so there was no hidden secret. Without disputes, there was naturally no possibility of a fight over the inheritance, so the possibility of a family member hiring a killer can be ruled out. Moreover, at the time of Fabrown's death, it can be found that Fabrown's second son-in-law was attending an economic forum on the other side of the country. According to the footage at the scene, Fabrown's second daughter was also there, providing a solid alibi.

As for the eldest daughter and her husband, Frank found a video on a social media account filmed around the time of Fabron's death. The video shows one of the eldest daughter's children winning an award. Her husband and three children are also seen celebrating. The person filming the video also appears, and it's Fabron's eldest daughter. So the family has an alibi.

Although the suspicion of Fabrown's family can be ruled out, this will make it more difficult to investigate the murderer who killed Fabrown. After all, the motives of outsiders are more complicated, at least generally speaking.

"How about it?"

"So far, things are going well. Dina really has no motive. I was thinking of similar cases in the past, so I thought it might be Fabulon's family who committed the crime for the will, but based on the clues I found, they can't be the one, and they all have alibis. How's your investigation going?"

"The storage devices in the computer room haven't been tampered with. It seems the killer destroyed the restaurant's security cameras before killing Fabron. The killer must be familiar with the times when various celebrities use the restaurant, which allowed him to kill Fabron and leave before Dina came in."

"Didn't you suspect poisoning before?"

"Well, but this requires an autopsy on Fabron's body. Did you ask?"

"Not yet. Fabron's agency was opened specifically for him by his second son-in-law. If we make such a request, his second son-in-law and second daughter will definitely know immediately. This second son-in-law is no ordinary person. If he agrees, it's fine. But if not, this case is bound to become very troublesome and attract more unnecessary attention. I think we should wait on the autopsy. If there is really no other way, we can choose this step."

Frank tilted his phone so that Liz, who had just returned to the restaurant, could see the webpage it was on. Although Liz was not familiar with the name of Fablom's second son-in-law, his face often appeared on the front pages of financial news and some political news. Naturally, she was also familiar with him.

"That's troublesome, what's next?"

"Let's get some help. We need to at least get Fabron's body back to the forensic lab and refrigerate it. It's not a good idea to keep it here forever. Otherwise, it's just the two of us, and one of us will definitely have to stay behind to guard Fabron's body. If the killer hasn't escaped the hotel yet, I'm worried we'll run into him when we separate."

"I'm not that delicate, I won't..."

"Liz, I'm saying the other party is unsafe. We're police officers, and it's best to capture the murderer alive. If you run into him, I'm afraid you'll kill him with one shot, and we won't be able to solve the case. You know that gun of yours is essentially a hunting pistol, right? You know it doesn't meet the standard of armament for police officers."

“But it does work.”

"If a single shot can knock down a brown bear, how could it not be useful? You're also a freak, you've never even had a wrist injury."

"I still enjoy hunting."

"Okay, anyway, even if you need to shoot, try not to shoot at the upper body. But if you really encounter an emergency, it's still most important to protect yourself. Otherwise, I won't be able to explain to that old... Chief Lugosi."

"Let's get down to business first. I'll call a few trusted forensic pathologists, and you go notify the person in charge at the scene."

"Row."

Frank left the restaurant and called over someone from Fabron's agency. After a brief conversation, he informed them that Fabron's body needed to be transported back to the forensic laboratory for refrigeration to prevent further decomposition and the loss of evidence. This was standard procedure, so the agent agreed to Frank's request. They also informed Frank that they had already informed their immediate superior, Fabron's second son-in-law, and naturally, Fabron's second daughter was also aware of the situation. Given the relationship between the two daughters, it's likely that Fabron's eldest daughter was also aware of his death.

"I see."

Frank frowned. He was very disgusted by the leak of the investigation progress, but there was nothing he could do. After all, these people were employees of Fabrown's second son-in-law. To them, their boss was naturally more important.

"It's me, sir... Yes, we... OK. Mr. Frank, our boss wants to speak to you."

Frank felt a headache pounding. He didn't particularly enjoy dealing with the victims' families. Years of experience had taught him that if they started making a scene, it could be very troublesome. But due to the other party's social status and the potential impact, Frank still gritted his teeth and answered the phone.

"Hello, Detective Frank, I'm..."

This time, however, the call seemed less troubling for Frank. Fabron's second son-in-law was sensible and promised the on-site staff unconditional cooperation with the police. Although unlikely, Frank suggested an autopsy to determine the cause of death. However, the other party didn't respond immediately, appearing to exchange a few words with someone nearby. Frank could hear the woman on the line, sobbing heavily. It was probably his wife, Fabron's second daughter. After a minute or two, the other party's voice spoke again.

"Okay, but I hope that when you're done... you can try to sew Mike up properly, so it's not too obvious. I'm afraid my wife will..."

"Understood, understood."

"My wife and I will go to Oak City tomorrow morning. I hope we can see Mike for the last time. We will not affect the investigation. If we cannot see Mike immediately, we can wait for the results of the investigation in Oak City."

"Thank you for your cooperation, sir."

Frank breathed a sigh of relief after hanging up the phone. Liz had already called some forensic colleagues, and they would be coming soon to take away Fabron's body. Liz also walked out of the restaurant and came over.

"Whose phone number?"

"Farbrown's son-in-law."

"The one in a high position of power?"

"Ah."

"Did you ask if you could..."

"The other party agreed, but they will come to Oak City tomorrow morning and want to see Fabrown for the last time. Based on the relationship between the two families, Fabrown's eldest daughter should also come." Frank said.

"That's good. As long as we can perform an autopsy, we can determine the cause of death as soon as possible," said Liz.

Ten minutes later, a refrigerated funeral home vehicle quietly approached the hotel. Hotel security received the information, moved the vehicles blocking the underground parking lot, and let the vehicle in. Several professional forensic pathologists and several reliable police officers in plain clothes got out of the vehicle and, under the guidance of staff, went to the restaurant on the 21st floor.

"Once we're bringing him back, we'll perform an autopsy to determine the cause of death. You guys must perform the autopsy yourself. Also, before the results are known, don't leak the investigation into this matter. You're all veteran police officers, you should know what to do."

"Don't worry Liz, we understand that the impact of Fabrown's case is significant."

"His second son-in-law is no small figure. This matter has a huge impact."

"They're coming to Oakwood tomorrow morning. It's best not to let them see what's going on in the autopsy room."

"Understood. Don't worry, the scene is in your hands, Frank, Liz. We will complete the autopsy as quickly as possible."

“Call us anytime you have the results.”

"Okay, but what if the director asks about it? What should we do?"

"We have Lizzie, so don't worry about that old... Director."

"Okay, let's go first."

The medical examiners carefully placed Fabron's body into a body bag, loaded it onto a stretcher, and, under the escort of security personnel, loaded it into a car. The car carrying Fabron's body quietly drove past the reporters and paparazzi gathered at the hotel's main entrance and returned to the police station. As the car drove away, Frank and Liz exchanged a glance. The next moment was to await the autopsy results.

The two decided to re-explore the restaurant, hoping to find some clues they had missed. They carefully checked every corner, not missing any details. Just then, Frank's phone rang.

"Your father."

"Call me."

Liz picked up the phone and heard Chief Lugosi's voice, probably asking about the progress of the investigation, saying that the case was very serious and asked Frank to solve it as soon as possible.

"We'll naturally notify you when something happens. You should figure out how to deal with the reporters later. Don't keep calling. You'll interrupt Frank's train of thought."

"Liz? Why are you holding Frank's phone? Could it be that that damn kid..."

"You're a bit of a gossip, Dad. Frank and I don't have any other relationship, but even if I do, it's none of your business."

"Why is it okay?! Frank!! You bastard! If you dare to do that to Liz..."

"You've been a bit noisy. Let's leave it at that for now. We'll let you know if there's any progress."

"Liz!"

"beep."

Completely ignoring Chief Lugosi on the other end of the line, Liz hung up and threw the phone to Frank.

"Um, Liz, did I offend you in some way?"

"No, why do you ask?"

"If you say that, the director will probably get me."

"You're thick-skinned, it doesn't matter. What, have you been wronged?"

"That's not the case, but if you put it that way, maybe I can..."

"Let's solve the case first, then we can talk about other things."

"Makes sense."