By the time the police arrived at the scene of the "car accident," it was already half an hour later.
"Any findings?" A tall, burly man in plain clothes stepped out of the car and asked a nearby uniformed officer.
His name was Dietrich, a lieutenant sheriff at the Third Precinct in the North District of Chicago. — As a federal country, the United States had never established a unified police rank system since its founding, so the mixing of military and police ranks was quite common.
The Chicago area wasn't as large as it would be in the future, so there were only 13 precincts at the time.
And Lieutenant Sheriff Dietrich, being second-in-command at the Third Precinct, held quite a bit of power and influence.
"There are only some bloodstains, tire tracks, footprints, and a few bloody pellets at the scene, likely deer shot, but there are no casings, no vehicle, and no corpse. What's even stranger is that there are clearly signs of two cars at the scene, but we only found tire tracks from one car leaving — it's as if the other car never existed," the police officer said grimly.
"And the witness?" asked Lieutenant Dietrich.
"We found the person who called it in, but they only saw an armed figure from a distance and didn't dare get close, so they couldn't even tell if it was a man or woman," the officer said with a sigh.
Dietrich nodded upon hearing this, understanding why the officer was sighing.
No body, no weapon, no witness, not even any solid evidence — in an era with limited investigative tools, this case would basically be a dead end.
"Pack it up and withdraw. I'll speak to the chief," Dietrich ordered after surveying the scene. There were simply too many cold cases like this in those days, and the police were unwilling to waste too much effort on them.
Meanwhile, while the police were searching in vain and reluctantly retreating—
In Evanston, Josh, now wearing a fresh set of clothes, leisurely arrived home driving the Lincoln Continental Margot had helped him buy.
Seeing the Packard parked in front of the house, Josh knew Margot was inside... When they had moved, Josh had given her a spare key.
"How did it go?" Just as Josh got out of the car, Tommy from next door came out of his house and walked over to ask.
"A minor issue — it's already been dealt with. Thanks for the heads-up," Josh replied.
Of course, how exactly it was dealt with was not something he intended to disclose.
Tommy, understanding this well, didn't pry. He simply accepted Josh's gratitude with a nod and returned to his house.
Watching Tommy go inside, Josh let out a soft sigh.
If one looked closely, they would notice that his hands were still trembling slightly.
The reason was simple: he had killed someone.
It was his first time killing.
The scene of blood and flesh splattering as the shotgun blast hit a human body lingered vividly in his mind.
In fact, the mutilated corpse, the shotgun used, and the two vehicles involved — all the evidence — were now quietly stored in the system's warehouse.
There was no thrilling perversion.
No overwhelming fear.
Only a bit of tension and confusion...
Josh still didn't quite understand how he had managed to pull the trigger so decisively or handle the aftermath so calmly.
"Josh, where did you go? I've been waiting for you forever." Just as Josh was lost in thought, Margot opened the door and came out, looking puzzled when she saw him standing at the door dazed.
Then she noticed the strange look Josh was giving her.
"What? Is my makeup smudged?" Margot felt a little uneasy under Josh's gaze.
She only had time to let out a startled yelp before Josh scooped her up and carried her into the house.
By the time Margot came back to her senses, she was already lying stark naked on the large bed in the bedroom.
Lying in Josh's arms, looking at his somewhat youthful yet handsome face, Margot felt something strange and complex in her heart.
But...also very satisfied.
It was something she had never experienced with Tony Wendis.
"Did something happen?" Margot gently caressed Josh's face and asked softly.
"Your husband had someone follow you all day and took quite a few pictures," Josh replied casually while gently running his hand along Margot's body.
No wonder people say women are the best emotional regulators.
After a round of rather wild intimacy, all the pent-up negativity in Josh had been thoroughly released, and he returned to his usual calm state.
He then told Margot about Tony Wendis having someone follow her.
Josh wasn't one to play the anonymous hero.
Since he had made an effort, he would speak up — otherwise, who would know what he had done?
Of course, the part about killing was left out. He simply said he used money to buy off the stalker.
"What? How dare he?!" Upon hearing this, Margot instantly lost her composure and exclaimed in fury and shock.
"Heh, why wouldn't he dare? Not only did he have you followed, he probably even planned to have you killed. Otherwise, after the divorce, he'd be kicked to the curb," Josh sneered slightly — the ridicule was directed at Tony Wendis, not Margot beside him. "To be fair, in this matter, he's actually being quite decisive. Once you're dead, all your vast fortune becomes his."
But how did Josh know about Tony Wendis' plan?
After all, Joe Barbaro had only been carrying out the first phase of Tony's plan — the tailing. The subsequent murder part had never been mentioned to him.
So Josh shouldn't have known that Tony wanted to kill Margot.
Then how did Josh say such a thing?
Because during the earlier intimacy with Margot, Josh had finally recalled where that sense of familiarity upon first meeting her came from.
Margot. Margo. Rich heiress.
Tony. Tennis star.
These were the characters from Alfred Hitchcock's film Dial M for Murder.
Josh knew this film only because of the actress who played Margot — Grace Kelly!
When speaking of iconic Hollywood actresses of the 1950s, most people would think of Audrey Hepburn or Marilyn Monroe.
But in reality, there was another actress from the same era who was even more popular than the two.
That person was Grace Kelly.
The reason she wasn't as well-known in later years was simple.
Just after reaching the peak of her fame, she retired from acting and married into the Monégasque royal family, becoming a legendary princess.
In the hearts of the Monegasque people, she was as revered as Princess Diana was to the British.
Josh had only seen Dial M for Murder by chance and didn't remember it very well, which is why he hadn't made the connection earlier.
But once he remembered, Josh realized he might not have traveled to a historical version of his own world's WWII era, but rather to a parallel world.
Moreover, the current situation was quite different from that in the movie.
For instance, the film's setting was in London, not Chicago.
Also missing was a crucial character — Margo's writer lover, Mark.
But looking at Josh's relationship with Margo now...it seemed he had taken that guy's place.
Another difference was that the film's events took place in the early 1950s, over a decade later than the current timeline.