Wendy’s parents went along to have a look.
There wasn’t any suspicious person in the surveillance footage between 2100 hours the night before yesterday until 1700 hours yesterday evening. Everything seemed to be normal.
Stella Grace reviewed the recordings for three more times, but she still couldn’t find anyone suspicious.
“Wendy couldn’t have bought those drugs herself. It’s impossible. Wendy had always been very well-behaved. She wouldn’t buy these things. I don’t recall her having any difficulties in her life either.” Wendy’s mother said in confusion.
“I’m going to kill those b*stards.” Wendy’s father could no longer hold his composure.
Stella saw through his emotions and thoughts. He must have thought that those people had harassed his daughter.
“Uncle, please calm down. The possibility for your daughter having taken those drugs on her own is zero. It wouldn’t make sense for her to take the drug while holding on to her phone. Also, she most certainly wouldn’t take it with coffee. We must have missed something.” Stella persuaded.
“We’ve seen the footage multiple times, but there’s no sight of the murderer nor were there anyone suspicious in the house. Could the murderer have crawled out from the ground?” Wendy’s father said sadly.
Stella had a sudden realization, “That’s right, that might be possible. The murderer might have crawled out from the ground. Let’s go. If the murderer did crawl out of the house, there must be a hole. It hadn’t been long, maybe it wasn’t sealed up yet. We need to hurry.”
Stella rushed out of the conference room, followed closely were Rolland, Wendy’s parents, and the police officers.
They arrived at Wendy’s room shortly after. It was not very spacious, only about 15 square meters big.
They began to look for possible spots.
“Move the cabinet and the other things away,” Stella said to the police officers.
They moved the cabinet to the living room, and a black hole appeared on the ground.
When Wendy’s mom saw the hole, she immediately broke down. “My child.”
Stella’s chest tightened.
If someone had set their eyes on you, they would always find a way to you. No matter if you were at home, or if your family were by your side, that person would definitely find a way to you. They might even crawl out from the ground and take your life away with their knives.
No matter how prepared or how cautious you were, you could never escape their wrath.
“We should go down and take a look, and see where it leads to,” Stella stated.
An officer went down and came up in a short while. He reported, “It’s a dead end. It’s blocked with mud.”
“What’s going on?” Wendy’s father asked Stella.
“The murderer had blocked the passageway, so as to prevent us from finding him,” Stella explained.
“What should we do then? I couldn’t just let my daughter die in vain just like that.” Wendy’s mother questioned sadly.
“What far did you go before you reached the blocked passageway?” Stella asked.
“I walked for approximately 10 meters. The diameter of the hole is about 80 centimeters,” the policeman answered.
“Volume is calculated by multiplying π with its radius square. There must be another five meters square of soil that was yet to be uncovered. Moreover, the soil that was dug out earlier must have stored somewhere, but it couldn’t have been done in the public eye. Therefore, the murderer should be living in this residential area,” Stella analyzed.
She looked at the officers and ordered, “Retrieve all the recordings from the surveillance cameras nearby. I need the footage between 2100 hours the night before yesterday until 1700 hours yesterday evening. Secondly, inspect all the private houses of this residential area and those nearby as well. Any places with suspicious mud piles might lead us to the murderer. Be quick. If you meet anyone who is unwilling to open their doors or where no one is home, you’d better find a way to enter and check if there are any mud piles.”
“Yes!” The police officers set out immediately.
Stella was still deep in her thoughts as she sat on Wendy’s bed.
“We will soon find the murderer, right?” Wendy’s mother asked worriedly.
“We should be able to find him soon. Also, that person is familiar with Wendy’s lifestyle. The murder had been planned in advance.” Stella deduced.
“Who would kill my daughter? My daughter was very obedient and had never offended anyone.” Wendy’s mother said tearfully.
Half an hour later, an officer ran over and reported, “The murderer has been arrested. He’s from the last row.” He reported.
Wendy’s father was the first to rush out. Rolland Cher and Stella immediately followed him.
She saw a slim figure wearing a black hoodie from a distance. Her head was lowered and her face wasn’t visible. Her whole body was covered with mud.
Rolland went up to her and pulled the cap off. He was stunned, “It’s you?”
“Who asked her to seduce my boyfriend? You broke up with me for her!” Annie Yard roared.
“I thought you would understand.” Rolland was trembling.
“Rolland Cher, you are a b*stard. I have been by your side from the moment you’d established your business. I even slept with the customers for your sake, but you used me as a tool and cast me away like I was nothing. I’m not that easy to bully. I guess it was just bad luck that I was caught. Otherwise, my next target would have been you.” Annie bellowed.
“Take her away,” Stella ordered in a deep voice.
“You’re amazing. You’ve helped us find the murderer within a few hours. If she had flushed off the mud a day later, there would not be any evidence left. How cunning.” The policeman laughed exaggeratedly.
Stella nodded politely, but she was not in a very good mood.
Was love meant to cause destruction for oneself and the others?
Then who on earth would still want to be loved?
After the police left, everyone was drowned in their own thoughts. No one said anything.
Stella was the first to recover. She turned to Rolland and spoke, “My condolences, please take care of the rest. I have to go now.”
“It’s late. Didn’t you miss dinner? Let me buy you dinner.” Rolland replied with a pained look.
“It’s alright, take good care of Wendy’s parents. They’ve lost their daughter, but you’re like a son to them. They will be in your hands from now on.” Stella said meaningfully.
Rolland nodded. “I understand.”
Stella looked at Wendy’s father, who was in trance and said, “If Wendy was still alive, she would have hoped that you can still be happy. Please don’t be too sad.”
Wendy’s father turned his gaze at Stella. “Can I have a few words with you alone?”
“Okay,” Stella replied.
Wendy’s father walked ahead, and Stella followed right after.
He entered the room, took out a notebook from a locked drawer, and handed it to Stella.
Stella didn’t understand what he meant, so she didn’t take the notebook.
“Thank you for bringing justice for my daughter,” Wendy’s father choked.
“It’s my duty.”
Wendy’s father placed the notebook in Stella’s hand. “This notebook. Don’t tell anyone about it, and don’t show it to anyone. Go now.”
Stella had a strange feeling deep down.
She had a hunch that this notebook was related to the treasure, but the land had been taken over by Frederick Addington. Was there still any secret behind it?
“Fortunately, I lied about the address on purpose. Hah, what an ungrateful brat.” Wendy’s father wiped his tears away with a wry smile. He walked out of the room before Stella could react.
Lied about the address on purpose?
Could it be that the land that Frederick had taken over was not the treasure’s actual location?