Maria sensed their intentions. She had anticipated that this day would come eventually, but she hadn’t expected it to arrive so soon.
“Why do you care about what makes me laugh?” She suppressed her laughter, aware that she appeared deranged in Boyce’s eyes.
“Where is Dolores?” A somber voice emerged from the darkness.
“How would I know where she is?” Maria smiled. “Can’t you find her? Did she run off with that man…?”
Before she could finish her sentence, a gust of wind rushed past her, and a pair of iron-clad hands wrapped around her neck, silencing her unfinished words.
Her face flushed as she struggled to breathe.
“Tell me, where is she?” His eyes were bloodshot, consumed by heartbreak and a lack of humanity and protective emotions.
Witnessing Matthew’s anger over Dolores, Maria felt an urge to laugh.
However, the laughter that escaped her throat sounded broken and unpleasant.
Matthew exerted more force, pressing harder and suffocating any space for her to breathe. If she continued to refuse, he would have strangled her to death!
Boyce saw her being choked and realized that something was amiss.
He hastily intervened, “Finding Dolores is crucial right now! We need her. If she dies, how will we ever learn her whereabouts?”
“If she dies, we won’t be able to find her!” Boyce persisted, trying to convince him.
Though Matthew’s mind was clouded with rage, he could still hear Boyce’s words. Finding Dolores was the priority at the moment.
He forcefully pushed Maria away. She tumbled down the steps like a parabola, hitting her forehead on the corners. After a moment of tingling pain, she felt a warm liquid trickling down her forehead.
Finally able to breathe again, she gasped for air, her mouth wide open.
Boyce didn’t allow her much time to recover from the suffocation. He reached out, lifted her up, and threw her into the car. “Let’s see who wins, your mouth or my interrogation skills.”
Having dealt with all sorts of prisoners, Boyce couldn’t believe he wouldn’t be able to make her talk.
This time, Boyce quickly settled into the driver’s seat. “I’ll drive!”
He didn’t dare to let Matthew drive, as it was too risky.
With a gloomy expression still on his face, Matthew remained silent. All he wanted now was to find Dolores as soon as possible.
“Captain Shawn.” Just as Boyce was about to take her away, Landon stepped out of the house. “Isn’t it inappropriate to take my daughter like this? What crime has she committed, and where is the evidence?”
Indignant at Maria for always causing trouble, seeing her being taken away felt like a slap to the Herbert family’s reputation.
“I assure you, I don’t arrest innocent people, and of course, I won’t let a criminal off the hook. If I apprehend the wrong person, I will personally apologize,” Boyce reassured him.
Saying that, Boyce stepped on the gas pedal. The car sped past Landon like a rocket, creating a whooshing sound before quickly disappearing from sight.
Warner stood beside Landon. “Something’s happened, hasn’t it?”
He was uncertain.
Landon himself was unsure. “Go find out what’s going on this time.”
He seemed to have no energy left to be angry.
“Okay, I’ll find out as soon as possible.” After saying that, Warner went inside the house to change his clothes.
On the other side, Maria was taken into an interrogation room.
A flickering white fluorescent bulb hung from the ceiling. The room was small, with a table in the middle, and Maria was handcuffed to the seat opposite.
Boyce presented her with a video of Beulah Shawn. “Tell me, why did you go to see her?”
“This person is wearing a mask. How can you claim it’s me?” Maria remained surprisingly calm.
Boyce sneered, “Our technician has analyzed the video. It’s you!”
“So, what if it’s me?”
“Why did you meet her?”
“Can’t I visit my friends?” Maria responded rhetorically.
Boyce narrowed his eyes, realizing that she had come prepared.
He feared he wouldn’t be able to extract anything from her like this.
“Fine.” He gave her a thumbs-up. “I’ve never seen you so sharp-tongued before.”
Boyce had known her back when she was with Matthew and used to think she was decent. However, she had somehow changed and become repulsive.
Everything that transpired in the interrogation room was being monitored on a screen in the observation room.
Matthew sat in front of the screen, witnessing every moment that unfolded in the interrogation room.
Clearly, Maria had come prepared; otherwise, she wouldn’t have remained so composed and evaded Boyce’s questions.
“What should we do?” Boyce stood by the monitoring room door, carefully gauging Matthew’s demeanor.
He attempted to test the waters with his words, employing gentle tactics. However, if those didn’t work, he had some more forceful methods up his sleeve. Considering Maria’s past connection with Matthew, it was crucial to determine if he still cared about her.
“No need to test me,” Matthew responded, his tone turning menacing. “Don’t tell me you can’t even make a woman talk.”
Boyce returned to the interrogation room once again. “Do you know what I was just doing?”
Before Maria could respond, he continued, “I went to speak with Matthew, asking if he still harbored any lingering feelings for you. If he does, then perhaps I can show you mercy. If he doesn’t…”
Though he left the latter part of the sentence unspoken, the implication was clear.
Maria was aware of Matthew’s disdain and cruelty toward her, yet Boyce’s words still sparked a glimmer of hope within her.
Her hands involuntarily clenched, and her voice quivered, “What did he say?”
Boyce smiled. “I simply believe that you are deeply sorrowful.”
“Clearly, you were the one who came into contact with Matthew first, so how did things come to this point?” Maria wondered aloud.
“I wonder if you’re aware of something,” Boyce inquired.
“What?”
“If you don’t want people to find out, then don’t engage in those actions! Originally, you had a chance with him, but your petty behaviors ruined it. He could tolerate your actions once, twice, maybe even three times, but everyone has their limits. You pushed him past his breaking point, and naturally, he left you without hesitation.”
“What are you trying to say?” Maria’s expression shifted.
“I’m telling you to be kind. With people… looks don’t matter! No one will appreciate you if your heart is tainted, regardless of how beautiful you appear on the outside.”
Maria laughed maniacally, her demeanor unhinged. “Boyce, why beat around the bush? You just want me to reveal Dolores’ whereabouts, don’t you?”
As she spoke, she raised her head, gazing at the camera mounted on the wall. She knew Matthew was watching everything from the adjacent room, and she was certain he heard her words.
Locking eyes with the camera, she emphasized each word deliberately, “I don’t know where she is. Even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you. I despise her, and I wish she were dead. Perhaps she already is.”
Boyce furrowed his brow. “You truly have no shame, do you?”
Maria smiled. “You have no evidence! Lay a finger on me, and I’ll sue you!”
“Maria, you really don’t know me.” Boyce’s face turned cold.
BANG
The door to the interrogation room was suddenly kicked open!