Emily Moore's face was as pale as paper. When she saw Henry Thompson arrive, she immediately cast him a pleading look: "Sir, I do not know why Lucy is falsely accusing me, but I can swear. If I took even a single step out of my room last night during the second watch, may I be struck by lightning and die a terrible death!"

"People like you, I've seen plenty. When your deeds are exposed, you'll swear to anything." Grace Johnson clicked her tongue, looking seemingly disdainful: "You say you didn't leave? Then is there anyone else who can vouch for you? If not, why should I believe you? If you truly have been wronged, you can state your case at the yamen."

Emily Moore's eyes were full of sorrow, and she looked to Thomas Bolton for help. He looked pained, but after hesitating for a moment, he still shook his head. He had fallen fast asleep last night and truly hadn't heard any movement from Emily Moore.

Henry Thompson, however, walked over noncommittally. He carefully examined the hands of the two women, then chuckled and said, "She's not the murderer."

At that moment, the entire hall buzzed with surprise. Except for Edward Sutton, who was following behind Henry Thompson, everyone else turned to look at Henry Thompson in astonishment.

"She's not the murderer?" Grace Johnson's eyes widened, then she looked at Henry Thompson suspiciously: "Now that we have both witness and physical evidence, you're telling me she's not?"

"It only means the real culprit is very clever, skilled at misleading others. Unfortunately, her luck ran out."

As Henry Thompson spoke, he continued to scan the crowd, and finally, his gaze landed on a pair of delicate, slender jade-like hands.

Almost at the same time, the owner of those hands trembled slightly.

Henry Thompson sighed, then strolled over to stand before the head of the Lan Yue Brothel, Sarah Walker: "Miss Walker, I remember you still had your fingernails yesterday."

The color had completely drained from Sarah Walker's face at some point. She lowered her eyes, still trying to remain calm, and looked at her own hands: "Young master, you are very observant. I found them bothersome, so I cut them off."

"So you left them at the crime scene?" Henry Thompson took out a handkerchief from his chest: "I think Miss Walker should be quite familiar with these. It's worth mentioning, there's also the victim's blood on them."

Upon hearing this, Grace Johnson immediately frowned and walked over to snatch the handkerchief from Henry Thompson's hand. The people around also craned their necks to get a better look at the two of them.

The noise in the hall gradually died down, and after a moment, it became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"Young master, are you suspecting me?" Sarah Walker bit her lip, as if smiling: "But why are you so sure these are mine?"

"Who else could it be but you?" Emily Moore had stood up at some point, staring intently at the item in Grace Johnson's hand: "That's Bingye Red, a nail polish unique to 'Women's Workshop.' In this brothel, only you, Sarah Walker, use it and can afford it!"

Henry Thompson actually didn't know the origin of the nail polish. The reason he suspected Sarah Walker was, first, because he had seen it yesterday and found it familiar; and second—

"Head Walker, among all the ladies present today, you're the only one who has cut your nails."

Sarah Walker was momentarily stunned, then looked at Henry Thompson with a slightly twisted expression: "I do use this Bingye Red, and indeed, I'm the only one in Lan Yue Brothel who has trimmed her nails. But so what? Sir, do you intend to convict me based solely on these two unidentified nail clippings?"

Henry Thompson shook his head slightly: "Head Walker, do you really think such quibbling and denial is meaningful? I suspect the troops of Commander Cui Zizhan of the Right Guard of the Imperial Army in Southern Zhili are already not far from here. He will make you and this Lucy girl wish you were dead, and you'll regret not falling into the hands of our Six Paths Division."

He directly borrowed the words Edward Sutton had used to threaten him earlier to intimidate Sarah Walker. But Henry Thompson's words were by no means empty threats. In this era, although they lacked all kinds of high-tech equipment, when it came to solving cases, they didn't need to be as rigorous as in modern society.

With the evidence Henry Thompson held, it was already enough to convict Sarah Walker.

And if the Cui family of Boling had the chance, they would certainly exact the most brutal revenge on this Head Walker.

"But this doesn't add up—" Richard Palmer frowned deeply: "Although I fell asleep last night, I remember I was holding someone in my arms the whole time."

Henry Thompson frowned slightly, glanced at Sarah Walker again, then his expression shifted as he swept his gaze to the maid beside her, and mused aloud: "Slender and well-proportioned, with a graceful figure—in short, the feel is excellent—"

Richard Palmer was a very clever man and immediately caught on. His eyes widened as he glared at Sarah Walker: "So the one who slept with me last night was actually her maid? Well! Not only did you drug me, but you even tried to pass off a substitute!"

Henry Thompson sneered and looked toward the door: "Head Walker, are you still unwilling to confess? I suppose you're not afraid of the Cui family's torture, but can you bear to see your loyal maid and this Lucy girl suffer the same inhuman torment with you?"

Lucy's face had turned ashen, but she gritted her teeth and said nothing. The young maid beside Sarah Walker, though her eyes were full of fear and her body trembled slightly, remained silent, stubbornly holding her head high.

"It was me—"

Sarah Walker let out a long sigh, gave a bitter smile, and her whole spirit seemed to collapse: "They were only accomplices, acting on my orders."