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Finn felt his jaw tighten as the lawyers swarmed around Charles like a pack of wolves closing in on their prey. He knew that, with their involvement, the chances of getting any useful information from Charles had just evaporated. He looked at Amelia, and she shook her head in exasperation.
"Alright, that's enough," Finn said firmly, pushing back his chair and standing up. "We were just wrapping up anyway."
Finn exchanged a frustrated glance with Amelia. They both knew that they had reached another dead end. But Finn couldn't shake the feeling that something Charles had said would lead them down another dangerous rabbit hole.
He just needed to find it before it slipped through his fingers.
Constable Mulberry entered the room, fresh-faced and eager. He approached Finn and Amelia, his expression serious. "I've checked Charles' alibi, and it seems to hold up. He was at a party three miles away from the castle the night of the murder, playing poker."
"Damn," Finn muttered under his breath. He had been hoping for a break in the case, but it seemed they were back at square one.
"Thanks for checking, Mulberry," Amelia said, her voice tight with disappointment.
"Of course. Let me know if there's anything else I can do." Mulberry nodded and left them in the interview room.
Amelia turned to Charles and his solicitors. "Well, looks like your alibi checked out. You can go, Mr Keatings."
"But don't go too far," Finn said with a stare.
"I hope you're not trying to intimidate our client," one of the solicitors said.
"No, just stating facts."
"Come on," Amelia said, leaving the room with Finn.
Finn clenched his fists, feeling frustration building within him. He needed a fresh perspective, so he decided to head back to the makeshift investigation room they'd been using. The room was small and windowless, with peeling paint and a single flickering light bulb dangling from the ceiling. It wasn't much, but it was all they had.
"Amelia, let's go over the evidence again. Maybe we missed something," Finn suggested, trying to keep a positive tone.
"Alright," she agreed, following him into the room. "But we should try and get some rest soon. It's the middle of the night."
As they settled in, Finn pulled out the gun in the evidence bag that the shooter had used at the castle. He carefully checked the serial number etched on the side and typed it into the laptop's database. His heart sank as he read the result: the gun wasn't legally registered.
"Amelia, this gun isn't registered. How hard is it to get a weapon like this in the UK?" he asked, holding up the firearm for her to see.
"Very," she replied, her brow furrowing. "It's not impossible, but it's difficult. You'd need connections, or a lot of money."
Finn sighed, rubbing his eyes. It felt like they were chasing shadows, unable to pin down the elusive killer. But he couldn't give up – not when lives were at stake.
"Whoever did this knows what they're doing," Finn murmured, mostly to himself. "The way they were moving through the treeline, they were experienced."
"Let's go over the list of suspects again," Amelia suggested, her determination reignited. "There has to be something we missed."
As they delved back into the case, Finn couldn't help but feel a spark of hope. They might be facing an uphill battle, but with Amelia by his side, he knew they had a chance of solving the mystery and bringing the killer to justice.
Finn paced the cramped, dimly lit room they were using for their investigation, his mind racing. He abruptly stopped and turned to Amelia, a sudden realization dawning on him. "You know what? The killer has to have intimate knowledge of the tunnels beneath the castle. That's how they vanished without a trace."
"Interesting thought," Amelia mused, leaning back in her chair. "But how can we find out who might have that kind of knowledge?"
"Let's look into anyone who's done construction or restoration work at the castle in the past couple of decades," Finn suggested. "They'd be familiar with the layout and could've discovered hidden passageways. They might even have made them."
Amelia nodded in agreement. "I'll start searching through the archives. You never know what we might dig up."
As Finn watched her expertly navigate the local records database on the laptop, he couldn't help but admire her dedication to the case. She was tireless in her pursuit, just like him. That was a partner he could rely on.
"Got something!" Amelia exclaimed after several minutes of intense searching. "According to works lodged with the local authority, a company called Antiquity Rising carried out restoration work fifteen years ago. They had the entire castle emptied for the duration of the project."
"Interesting," Finn murmured, sitting down beside her to see for himself. "Let's find out more about this Antiquity Rising."
