The timid girls screamed, and the people in the living room fell into a panic instantly. Many stood up instinctively, while some squatted down instead. It was chaotic.
Natalie Wheeler felt goosebumps all over her body.
There was something strange about the ship’s departure and the sudden power loss. What was more, they were on an isolated island, hence this all suggested that something sinister was afoot.
“Eli!” Natalie shouted worriedly.
All of a sudden, she felt a hand holding on to her waist.
Stella Grace was shocked. However, before she could even react, the person had already pulled her into his arms. Jasper said in a low voice, “Don’t be afraid.”
Natalie’s heart trembled. His voice was as deep as the reverberating echo of a cello. The familiar voice and the familiar feeling seemed to have stirred an inexplicable emotion in her heart. It had been a long time for her to hear such a gentle voice again.
“I’m not afraid,” Natalie moved Jasper’s hand away.
One of them had their phone with them, so they turned on the flashlight.
“Ah!” All of a sudden, someone screamed in panic.
Natalie grabbed Jasper’s clothes nervously.
Jasper lowered his head and looked at her. Her face was hidden in the faint light, showing a blurred silhouette.
Jasper lowered his eyes. If he had not seen her face, he would have really thought that she was Stella.
She was calm, tough, and cool, but deep inside, she still had a feminine side to her.
She had always been independent to conceal her dependency. That kind of fragility had touched his heart.
It was just like that day when a pregnant woman was held as a hostage in a mission. She showed her courage and fearlessness when she saved the woman. However, after she was saved, she started shedding tears on his chest.
“Stella, is that you?” Jasper asked softly.
Natalie was stunned. She immediately let go of her grip and got further away from Jasper.
Fortunately, darkness hid her guilty conscience and uneasiness, “No, you mistook me for your ex-wife. Perhaps my voice was too similar to hers.”
Jasper held her hand.
Natalie withdrew her hand defensively and put them behind her.
“I brought the candles. Fortunately, I had bought some to keep as back up. I’ll ask someone to take a look at the generator later,” The housekeeper reported and came over with the candles in his hand.
“Dad, what’s going on?” Lisa asked unhappily, with a hint of fear in her displeasure. In the dim light of the candles, her face was pale.
“I don’t know either. Maybe the generator is too old,” Stephen tried to comfort everyone.
“What about the boat?” Lisa asked immediately.
Stephen looked for Hale and asked, “Are you sure that the boat is no longer at the pier?”
“I’m sure,” Hale Summer nodded and looked at Jasper with guiltily. She immediately lowered her eyes when she saw his sharp eyes. It was though he had seen through everything,
Jasper could probably guess that she was trying to escape.
Now, not only did she fail to escape, but she could not even lie her way out of it.
“Olivia, Olivia, Olivia,” Kyle called Olivia’s name repeatedly.
Everyone immediately turned to look at him.
Olivia was still sitting on the chair motionlessly, with her head leaning back and her hand hanging on the sides.
“Could it be that Olivia had fainted from fright? She’s really timid,” Lisa said sarcastically.
Kyle wanted to carry her up and put her on the sofa. At that moment, he found the dagger that was stuck behind her neck. He shouted in shock, “Olivia, Olivia!”
Kyle placed his hand under her nose and his face turned pale instantly. He looked at Stephen and his voice trembled, “She’s dead.”
“She’s dead? How is that even possible?” Stephen stepped forward.
Natalie looked at the spot where Olivia had been stabbed. She furrowed her brows and looked at Hale.
Hale shook her head, indicating that she didn’t do it.
“Don’t touch her. Call the police right away,” Natalie said.
She took the handbag which she had hung on the chair and found her mobile phone.
“My phone has no signal,” Lisa’s girlfriend said in a panic.
“Natalie, my phone doesn’t have a signal too. What’s going on?” Eli was also a little scared and she instinctively walked to Natalie’s side.
Natalie looked at her mobile phone, and there was indeed no signal at all.
“Have someone to check on our signal transmitter. What’s going on?” Stephen ordered agitatedly.
“Okay,” The housekeeper immediately went to check it out.
“Everyone, it would be better for all of us to stay in this living room,” Natalie suggested.
“Why?” Lisa was puzzled, “Olivia died here, I’m scared.”
“We don’t have any signal here, the electricity is gone, and so is the boat. These only prove that the murderer wants to kill more than one person,” Natalie analyzed.
Jasper looked at Natalie deeply.
A person’s personality could be imitated deliberately, and their behavior and character could be copied as well. However, it was incredible that all of these were concentrated into one person. The problem was that there was a difference in the ability of learning and investigating a case.
Natalie could analyze and make a deduction with just one glance. Either she was so smart that she could get to the point easily and disguise herself without any trace. Or, she might really be… Stella.
Thinking that she might be Stella, Jasper’s heart started beating wildly and his breathing became heavier. His eyes were locked onto her and his gaze became even more focused and deep. The flickering candlelight in his eyes became bright enough to set the prairie ablaze.
“Who else is the murderer going to kill?” Lisa had a bad premonition and she turned to look at Olivia, who was dead, with fear. She felt goosebumps across her body and she covered her face with her hands.
“I’m not sure as of now, but…” Natalie paused. She lowered her eyes.
“But what?” Lisa asked with fear.
Natalie hesitated and looked at Lisa.
If she finished the rest of her sentence, she was worried that it would only bring everyone more panic and fear. On the flip side, it could also make them cautious but they would end up suspecting each other at the same time.
Perhaps, it could also deter the murderer.
“The murderer is among us,” Natalie said.
“What?” Lisa was so scared that she retreated to the corner. She leaned against the wall and looked at everyone warily.
“Miss Wheeler, are you sure?” Stephen was also afraid. After all, the deceased was his family instead of an outsider.
“It only took ten seconds before the phone was lit after the blackout occurred. Furthermore, the living room is enclosed. The murderer may have the time to rush in from the outside to kill the victim, but he would not have enough time to leave here. Therefore, the murderer must be among us. He has no time to escape,” Natalie analyzed.
“Could it be suicide? I have a friend who stabbed himself in the temple with a needle. The method is similar to this,” Jasper said in a deep voice.
He could tell that it was not suicide. He was just testing Natalie.
This case was solved by Stella at that time, Hence, she should be way more familiar with that case compared to him.
“Perhaps the deceased could reach her temple, but she could never reach her cervical vertebrae. This is an instant death caused by the cervical spine being broken. Thus, we can rule out the possibility of suicide,” Natalie explained.
“So, you are saying that the murderer is really among us?” Stephen looked at the guests in the living room. His eyes were wide with displeasure. He even had the thought of driving them away…