Fantasy Game: Infinite City

Chapter 538: Death of Fabulon (4)

The final suspect, along with Dina and Fabron, lived on the 22nd floor. He was a rock singer, beloved by young people and rock enthusiasts for his poetic lyrics and adventurous personality. While he might not have the largest following among the hotel's crowd, his influence was only surpassed by the late Fabron, and on par with the soprano queen Dina. However, Dina had recently been preoccupied with a film nearing completion, so his influence had recently slightly surpassed hers.

"Tuk-tuk-tuk."

"Click."

"Hello, Mr. Jezebel. We are the detectives investigating this case. My name is Frank, and my colleague is Liz. We need to conduct some routine inquiries, and I hope you can cooperate."

"Okay, please come in."

Unlike on stage or in music videos, Jezebel is actually quite quiet in private. He doesn't wear the exaggerated makeup that the public is familiar with, but rather appears delicate and refined. His living room is filled with musical instruments: a laptop and several synthesizers. There are also sheets of paper with sheet music and lyrics, as well as a box of gel pens. However, most of these items are placed on the floor near the sofa. In the middle of them, there's a cushion that's been removed from the sofa, suggesting that Jezebel is sitting there, not on the sofa.

"Are you working on something new?"

"Yes, there's a game company that wants me to write a theme song for their game. However, the story they sent me isn't very complete, so I haven't been able to think of any suitable lyrics or music yet."

"I remember there was a series of games that became popular because of the theme song you made, right? Did they also ask you to make the theme song this time?"

"I guess so. It's one of their studios. I'll... never mind the details. You're detectives, so I can tell you. They're planning to release a spin-off game set in the same universe. It's still in the early stages of production, but based on what they told me, it should be a hit once it's released."

Liz noticed that Jezebel became much more cheerful when talking about games. Judging from his reaction, he must be a game fan himself. While Frank and Jezebel were talking, Liz looked up information about Jezebel and found that he was indeed a game fan. He attended many game and comic conventions. He was even a special guest at the largest awards ceremony in the gaming industry two years ago. He seemed very happy throughout.

"Mr. Jezebel, when did you learn of Mr. Fabron's death?"

"From now on, it was an hour and a half ago."

This time was exactly 24 minutes after Fabron's death, which means that the news of Fabron's death spread from the restaurant some time later. This time is very reasonable.

"From what channel did you learn about Fabron's death?"

"My agent and Dina's agent were originally from the same agency. I was impressed by her PR skills, so I hired her as my new agent. Her work ethic is truly outstanding. She was chatting with Dina's agent on the 21st floor. After the incident, the hotel management asked everyone to stay in their rooms. My agent lived next door to me, and when she came back from the 21st floor, we met in the elevator. That's when I learned that Mr. Fabron had passed away."

"As your agent, shouldn't she always be by your side? Why is she staying on the 21st floor?"

"I'm different from those other stars. They all have their own agencies, but I set up my own studio. Because I don't like to please others, I have a relatively loose management style towards the employees in my studio. I hope that when the people in my studio are not working, they can be like friends. My agent has been with me for several years. She is very good when she is working, so when she is not working, I basically don't ask what she does. The performance contract for the opening ceremony has been negotiated long ago, and I don't have any press conferences to attend recently, so my agent's coming with me can be regarded as a vacation at her own expense. Unless I need her for work, she usually won't stay with me. When she is bored, she will occasionally talk to me about gossip in the entertainment industry, but she will not disturb me when I am writing songs."

Jezebel's statement can indeed be confirmed. In addition to his musical talent, one of the reasons why he is loved by the public is his attitude towards his employees. Many formal interviews and secretly filmed videos can be found on the Internet, and even videos shot by Jezebel studio employees themselves and uploaded to the studio's official account or personal social account channels. From these videos, it can be clearly seen that when not working, Jezebel and the studio's employees are basically no different from family members. Not to mention things like celebrating birthdays, you can see a lot of funny videos that were shot inside the studio, and there are even many videos in which Jezebel participates in the shooting and enjoys it.

Jezebel Studios doesn't have fixed working hours, but the salaries are decent. They frequently give bonuses and often pay for meals and trips out of their own pocket. So, while online videos often show Jezebel employees slacking off, when they do have work, their efficiency is astonishing and their professionalism is unparalleled. Jezebel is no longer considered a conscientious boss; it's a unique entity in the music industry. Therefore, even if other companies try to poach Jezebel employees with high prices, they've never been successful. However, if Jezebel Studios wants to poach someone, it's generally successful, even if the salary offered isn't as high as the original company. This is exactly what happened with Jezebel's current manager.

When she wasn't working on a concert, Jezebel rarely left the house, staying either in the studio, the recording studio, or her own home. She was a recluse, rarely interacting with anyone in her circle. Without much contact, she naturally didn't make enemies. According to all the information Liz had gathered about Jezebel, she and Fabron had never come into contact before this opening ceremony. They did attend the same music festival, but their performances were two days apart, so they didn't actually meet face to face. From this point of view, Jezebel seemed the least likely person to be involved in Fabron's death.

"You said earlier that your agent met you in the elevator after the incident. Didn't you stay in the room the entire time? Where were you during the incident?"

"No, I went out once. At that time, I received a message from my studio. It seemed to be a contract issue. It was not related to this opening ceremony, but other work. These matters are usually handled by my agent. When she came to talk to me before, she forgot her phone on the sofa in my living room. My agent said that she had something to discuss with Dina's agent, so I planned to go to the 21st floor to find her, tell her about the studio, and return her phone. So I went out, but it was not an urgent matter after all, so I planned to go to the restaurant on the 15th floor for some dessert, so I took the stairs to the 15th floor first. It was not until I returned from the restaurant that I met my agent in the elevator, and I learned about Mr. Fabrown's death from her."

"Can I ask you why you took the stairs to the 15th floor but took the elevator back?"

Frank was a little confused about Jezebel's actions, which might be a useful key point, so he immediately asked Jezebel why she did this.

"Because I don't like exercise and I like desserts, although I don't gain weight easily, for the sake of my health, my agent and other staff at the studio asked me to walk up the stairs more often and not take the elevator all the time. At least it can be considered as some exercise. So if I don't have something urgent or if I don't have any luggage with me, I will take the stairs. It has become a habit. So when I went to the restaurant on the 15th floor, I went down the stairs and took the elevator back later. This was because the hotel staff sent a message through the event organizer to all the singers staying in the hotel and participating in the opening ceremony, asking us to try not to leave the room. I thought the message was important, so I took the elevator back to the 22nd floor. The elevator stopped once at the 21st floor, and I happened to see my agent. That's when I understood what happened."

Frank glanced at Liz, who checked the hotel's security footage on her phone. Nearly everything Jezebel had said could be verified by the footage. Furthermore, the 15th-floor restaurant was packed, and Jezebel had been recognized by many, posing for photos and signing autographs. Therefore, there were numerous people who could attest to her alibi. In fact, while Jezebel had been away from his room the longest during the incident, seemingly having the best time to commit the crime, his witnesses included not only hotel staff, but also other agents, his own bodyguards, and numerous ordinary people. His alibi was, in fact, the most extensive and accurate. Liz looked at Frank and nodded. This meant that, aside from the rapper, who was still unconscious from his drunken stupor, Jezebel was the least likely perpetrator.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Jezebel. However, please do not leave your room until the investigation is complete. If there are any problems later, your cooperation may be needed."

"no problem."

Frank and Liz left Jezebel's room and returned to the hallway, where they walked a little further away and began to talk about the results of the questioning of everyone.

"It appears that everyone living on floors 21 to 23, including the celebrities, their staff, and the hotel staff, has an alibi, and the surveillance footage can prove this."

"Right now, only the damaged surveillance camera on the 21st floor restaurant is suspicious. However, as far as we know, no one witnessed anyone else staying inside or entering later. This makes the most suspicious person Dina, who was inside the restaurant on the 21st floor during the incident. But Dina has no motive. We haven't found any tools or traces of the crime nearby."

"The surveillance outside the crime scene was intact. No one entered or left the restaurant until Dina's cries for help were heard. There was no place on Dina's body where she could hide anything. We also searched the scene, including Fabulon's body, and there was nothing found. The only thing we thought was suspicious was the lipstick on Dina and Fabulon's mouths, but we have to wait for the forensic report to determine that. But if Dina's lipstick was poisonous, why was she fine? If she was going to kill someone, then there would definitely be no antidote for such a thing. According to common sense, no one would put poison on their own mouth, and Dina is fine now, right?"

"Liz, call the forensic lab and ask them about their progress. If they can determine the cause of Fabron's death, it will make our investigation much easier."

"it is good."

Liz immediately called the forensic laboratory. Based on the current test results, the forensic doctors told Liz some strange news.

"Okay, I see. Thank you. Let me know if you find anything else."

"How is it, any results?"

"Farbrown's cause of death was indeed poisoning, but the toxin the medical examiner found in his blood was a complex mixture of toxins for which no known sample existed. Testing also revealed that the lipstick residue on his mouth had nothing to do with the toxin, and it itself didn't contain any toxins. This eliminates Dina as a suspect."

"Are there any residues of this toxin in his stomach?"

"There was no food residue in Fabrown's stomach. Either the toxins in his body didn't enter his body through food, or they weren't food, but something like drinks or alcohol, or cigarettes or cigars. Fabrown didn't smoke, but he did smoke cigars. However, before the medical examiner took Fabrown's body away, we searched his room and didn't find any cigars. There were no similar items on his agent, bodyguard, or in his room."

"But if something like cigarettes and cigars, which emit smoke, contains toxins, then the rooms near the smoke will also be affected. But apart from Fabulon, no one else has shown any abnormalities, so it's probably not these things."

"That could be something Fabron drank before, Liz. We need to check the surveillance again to see if we can find where Fabron has been before."

"Also, that girl named Martina from the idol group is hiding something. Maybe we should go ask her. She should be almost back to normal by now. What should we do first?"

Frank thought about it. The surveillance video had been saved by Liz, so it didn't matter when she watched it. But if the things Martina was hiding were delayed for too long, they might become useless. So Frank decided to ask first what Martina was hiding.

"Let's go ask that girl first. Maybe she knows something that may be an important clue."