Chapter 67: Chapter 67: I Want to Be Your Man

"A suspicious person?" Slider crawled slowly across the conference table. "Slider doesn’t know what a ’suspicious person’ is."

Renee Jennings frowned slightly, thinking for a few seconds before speaking again. "Slider, when you were sleeping yesterday morning, was there anyone else at home besides Eileen Coleman?"

"Besides the awful two-legged, there was an even more awful two-legged." Slider looked utterly disgusted.

Hearing this, Renee Jennings’s eyes narrowed. She quickly translated its words for Kyle Morgan to record, then asked Slider, "That ’even more awful two-legged’—was it a man or a woman?"

"A male." Slider grew angry just talking about it. "Hmph! He’s the worst! He always calls me ’old bastard’! I’m only three years old, how is that old? And I am not a bastard!"

After Renee translated, she asked with a grave expression, "Slider, when did this male visit?"

Slider shook its head. "Slider doesn’t know what time. It was after dark, anyway. He doesn’t even need to sleep!"

Renee translated again. As soon as she finished, Slider looked at her in confusion. "Why do you keep copying what Slider says?"

Renee: "..."

"I’m not copying you," she said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry as she explained, "I’m just translating what you’re saying for my colleague. He doesn’t understand turtle-speak."

Slider asked curiously, "Then how can you understand?"

"I’ll answer that question later." Renee remembered she was on the clock and couldn’t get sidetracked by a turtle. "Slider, can you describe what the man looked like?"

As soon as she said it, Renee realized the question might be too difficult for Slider.

After all, he was only a three-year-old turtle, possibly not even an adult.

But to her surprise, Slider said seriously, "Let Slider think about it."

Hearing this, a spark of hope ignited in Renee. She gazed at Slider, her pretty eyes shimmering.

’My apologies. I shouldn’t have underestimated Slider.’

Slider said as it recalled, "That male two-legged had curly hair, small eyes, a big nose..."

Renee quickly relayed his words for Kyle Morgan to write down.

When Slider finished, she pressed, "Slider, do you know the man’s name? Or, what did Eileen Coleman call him?"

Slider thought hard. "Slider heard the female two-legged shout ’Todd,’ and the male two-legged would answer."

"Good boy, Slider." Renee rewarded Slider with a slice of apple. "You’re the best!"

Kyle Morgan looked at his notes, his expression serious. "If Slider is sure there was someone else at home when Eileen Coleman had her accident, then the probability of homicide is very high."

He stood up. "I’ll take this to the chief."

After Kyle Morgan left, Slider started chatting with Renee Jennings again.

"You still haven’t told Slider how you can understand what Slider says."

Renee’s eyes crinkled into a smile, and she beckoned with her finger. "Come a little closer, and I’ll tell you."

Slider crawled in front of her and craned its neck. "Is this close enough?"

"Close enough." The smile in Renee’s eyes deepened as she lowered her voice. "It’s because I have a System. As long as I complete its missions, it rewards me with the ability to understand one animal language."

Slider looked like it half-understood. "And what’s a System?"

Renee didn’t know how to explain it, so she changed the subject. "Slider, think hard. Did Eileen Coleman and Todd argue yesterday?"

"You want Slider to use his brain again!" Slider started to haggle. "Then you have to give Slider another sweet and sour piece of fruit."

Hearing this, Renee’s eyebrow arched, and she said with a grin, "That’s easy. As long as you can provide more information, I guarantee you’ll eat and drink well every day from now on."

Slider was very tempted. "Eat and drink well every day? You’re not tricking Slider, are you?"

Renee said seriously, "I’m not."

For the promise of eating and drinking well every day, Slider decided to give it his all.

As Slider was trying his hardest to remember yesterday, there was a knock on the conference room door.

Henry Stark and Kyle Morgan pushed the door open and walked in.

His eyes meeting Renee Jennings’s bright gaze, Henry Stark’s lips parted slightly. "We surveyed the scene yesterday and found no trace of anyone else. If this person named Todd was there, it means he deliberately cleaned up after himself."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "And surveillance didn’t catch the curly-haired, small-eyed man Slider mentioned entering or leaving the apartment. It’s highly likely he’s also a resident of the building."

Renee Jennings nodded. "I’ll have Slider try to recall the content of Todd and Eileen Coleman’s conversation yesterday."

Henry Stark’s gaze softened, and he said gently, "Good work."

Kyle Morgan was stunned, his eyes wide as he stared at Henry.

’This... *this* is what he calls good work?’

Henry Stark ignored his stare and continued, "This morning, Daphne Dalton’s first reaction upon seeing you was to call you the murderer. This suggests she very likely knows the truth behind Eileen Coleman’s fall."

Renee Jennings thought so too. She frowned and said, "But Daphne Dalton’s testimony seemed more like she was trying to push the message that Eileen Coleman’s death was a suicide."

"Which makes her very suspicious." Henry Stark’s eyes narrowed, his voice turning a few degrees colder. "She seems to be trying to hide something."

"Everyone! Slider remembers!" Slider suddenly shouted.

Renee immediately looked over at him. "What did you remember?"

Kyle Morgan quickly flipped open his notebook and sat down.

Slider tilted his head back to look at her. "That male two-legged, he said he wanted the female two-legged to be his girlfriend!"

Renee waited for him to continue, but he fell silent.

She had to prompt him, "Slider, and then? Why did you stop?"

Slider said slowly, "Slider was just wondering... what exactly *is* a ’girlfriend’?"

Renee: "..."

’What an inquisitive turtle.’

She reached out and stroked the turtle’s head with one finger. "I’ll explain it to you in a minute. First, just tell me what you remembered, okay?"

Slider nodded and said slowly, "The male two-legged said, ’Eileen, baby, I love you!’ And the female two-legged said, ’Todd, I only see you as a little brother!’"

He paused for a few seconds before continuing, "The male two-legged said, ’I don’t want to be your little brother. I want to be your man.’"

He had been about to fall asleep but was woken up by the two awful two-leggeds. He’d glanced over angrily, just in time to see Todd reach out to hug Eileen Coleman.

Slider: "Then the male hugged the female and tried to kiss her. The female fought him off, calling him shameless and telling him to look at himself—a toad lusting after a swan."

"Sigh. Honestly, who understands this stuff? Slider didn’t want to watch at all!" Life isn’t easy. Slider sighed again.

Kyle Morgan wrote this down in his notebook, read it over carefully, and then analyzed, "So, in other words, Todd confessed his love to Eileen Coleman and was rejected. Love turned to hate, and he pushed her off the balcony!"

Renee Jennings agreed that it was a possibility. "First, we need to find this Todd."