Chapter 112

Finn nodded, but his eyes still showed a bit of reluctance and frustration.

"This candy costs three bucks each," Zoey said.

Finn didn't say anything, but he was clearly shocked by the price.

He had never had such expensive candy before.

The three of them quickly started flipping through the notebooks.

Zoey didn't have to search long before she found a slightly worn-out notebook. She opened it with a keen eye and saw it was filled with dense writing, a smile forming on her lips.

"Got it!" Though she was usually calm, there was a hint of excitement in her voice.

Alexander and Jordan hadn't expected the Lynns' daughters to hide the diary here.

They looked at Zoey with a touch of admiration. "You're amazing," Jordan praised, then returned to the matter at hand. "These girls are really good at hiding things. It's so inconspicuous, but if you keep using it, it will eventually come in handy..."

Zoey traded another piece of candy for the notebook, and Finn happily agreed.

It was a good deal no matter how you looked at it.

His mom and Finn would buy him new notebooks whenever he needed them, but delicious candy like this might not come around often.

"Do you want a few more notebooks?" Finn's eyes sparkled, clearly won over by the candy.

Zoey tossed him another handful and left their house.

Alexander held the notebook, worried. "Should we tell them? This is the most important evidence in the case."

"He's just a kid. What does he know? If you tell him, he'll just give it back to his sister."

Alexander replied, "True."

Jordan firmly supported Zoey. "Yeah, he doesn't need it anyway. We can return it after we're done. Besides, Zoey bought it fair and square with candy."

Zoey was speechless.

If only a few more pieces of candy could buy all the evidence, that would be great.

Alexander just wanted to ensure the victim's family was informed, but given their reasoning, it seemed fine.

They quickly got into the car.

Then they put on disposable gloves and started flipping through the diary.

The handwriting was not great but still legible, clearly written by someone who hadn't had much schooling.

Each page had only a little content, sometimes covering two or three days, which explained why such a thin notebook lasted so long.

The earlier entries were very mundane, talking about the weather and daily chores.

From the diary entries, it was clear that Faye was the one writing, frequently mentioning Sadie.

[Today it snowed here. Willowbrook Village looks especially beautiful when it snows, with everything covered in white. Mom made us shovel snow early in the morning. Sadie and I shared a look and buried Finn in the snow. He couldn't fight us off, so we pinned him down. We had so much fun. Finn wanted to tell Mom, but we threatened him that we wouldn't play with him anymore if he did. Finn is very sensible and immediately stopped complaining. It was so funny, the more I think about it, the funnier it gets.]

[Finn loves eating fish. Sadie and I planned to catch one for him from the river, but we had no experience and spent the whole morning without catching anything, just getting our new clothes dirty. It was so frustrating, but Finn is amazing. He caught a fish right away. I'm curious how he did it, but he won't tell me. He just wants me to learn.]

[We are such a happy family. I hope we stay this happy forever. It's been so long since we've seen Dad. Mom says it will be a while before we see him again. Dad has to work hard to support us. The last time I saw him, he looked so much older, his hair half gray. I wish I could help out sooner, and start working to share the burden. Sadie heard and wanted to join me. She's too young, she can't go. I told her to wait until she's older. But I really miss Dad. I wonder how he's doing out there alone. I can't show it in front of Sadie, though. If she cries, I won't be able to hold back my tears, and then Mom will cry too.]

The earlier entries were all very routine, either missing their dad or writing about household chores.

They read everything to avoid missing any important clues.

They had flipped through several pages, and Jordan was starting to get sleepy, yawning multiple times.

Finally, they reached September 21st.

The diary entry read: [I don't know if Sadie feels the same, but I always feel like someone is secretly watching me. Today, while helping Mom in the field, she went home early to cook, leaving me to finish up. Mr. Lopez suddenly appeared out of nowhere, insisting on being friends. We're all from the same village, and he's my elder, so I always greet him. Why does he want to be friends? It's so weird.]

[I remember Mom telling me that Mr. Lopez's wife was bought, and she died after giving birth. He's been raising his kids alone all these years. His daughter has talked to me a few times, looking so thin and pitiful, so I agreed to be friends with Mr. Lopez.]

[These days, whenever I go to the field, Mr. Lopez finds a chance to talk to us. Sadie seems a bit scared of him. To make her feel better, I talk to him instead, but he always asks strange questions. I don't really want to talk to him anymore, but Mom says I'm being rude, so I have to answer him.]

[Mr. Lopez asked why I always stick with Sadie. I think it's a silly question. Sadie is my sister, of course, I take her everywhere. I can't just leave her at home. She's my sister.]

From this day on, every entry mentioned Chad.

Then suddenly, there were no entries for five days.

When the diary resumed, it seemed like Sadie was writing, as the handwriting was different from Faye's.

Faye's writing was neat and confident.

Sadie's looked like a beginner's, clumsy and heavy-handed, leaving deep marks on the paper.

[Recently, Faye hasn't been talking to me much. I don't know what's wrong. She won't tell me, and she doesn't smile as much. What's going on, Faye? Can you tell me? Please don't ignore me.]