The Swiss Murder | Completed

25. The Truth

"Where do I begin?" Levi asked no one in particular as he rubbed his stubble slowly, deep in thought.

The room was warm and would look cozy to anyone watching from the outside, having no idea about the turmoil going inside. The fire in the hearth burned fiercely, casting golden shadows to everybody seated around it.

The room was silent for a few moments, the only sound being of the clock's pendulum and the crackling fire.

Emma, Scarlett, and Anthony sat on the three-seater sofa whereas Matteo, Levi, Charlotte sat on the one opposite them, with Ella and Mark occupying the sofa between the other two. The formation was in the shape of a 'U' and allowed everybody to see everybody. Every little movement.

"Let's recap, shall we?" Levi said, breaking the silence as he accompanied his sentence with a clap of his hands and sat a little straighter.

"So, we have two murders, committed by the same person, for different reasons," Levi started slowly as he looked at everybody in the eye before continuing, "We already know how Eric died. I must admit though, Carter's death was shocking to me..." he pressed his lips into a thin line.

"I knew Carter didn't kill Eric, he was far too smart to do that. He was just a bait for the killer... a catalyst to make them do something. And they didn't disappoint, unfortunately. Anyway, moving past it, let's talk about how he died first."

Matteo picked the autopsy result which was resting on the table anchored in the middle, but Levi waved a hand, communicating he didn't need it.

Taking a deep breath, he started. "The report said he was choked. But there were no bruises on Carter's throat. Except for the ones Eric had given him, of course."

"I must admit, I pondered over it for quite a while. Being a detective, it took me long enough to deduce that yes, he was choked, but internally."

Matteo turned to look at him sharply, eyes wide and alert. "Choked internally? How?"

"Ah, yes, that took me a while too. If the autopsy had been carried out thoroughly, the answer would be plain and simple," Levi gave Matteo a pointed look before facing everybody else and continuing. "If he had choked on something internally, then something must have been jammed in his throat and would have been held there until he died."

A startled gasp tore through the majority of the people, while Levi fought hard to control the urge to shut his eyes as a pang of guilt hit him again. It would be a sign of weakness.

"However, if that was the case, then the examiner should have found the object he was choked with, in his stomach. But there was none." Levi sighed heavily. "Of course that led me to the conclusion that the killer choked him with ice."

Levi heard his wife suck in a sharp breath and saw horrified looks on everyone's faces. Some winced, while the other's jaw dropped.

"Ice?" Anthony whispered. "You can choke and die on ice?"

Levi narrowed his eyes just a fraction at him before confirming. "This is how it went down. The killer went to Carter's room at night, this is the perfect opportunity because he's sleeping. So shoving ice down his throat wasn't the problem."

He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head slowly, "Within a matter of 30-50 seconds, the freezing temperature and block air passage would have rendered Carter unconscious. But the killer held it for longer, cutting off any airflow. I imagine Carter would have been dead even before the ice melted," Levi finished softly.

Just the thought of choking on an object while somebody held it there, keeping it in place, while also feeling an intense cold burn on wherever the ice was lodged sent chills down Levi's back.