Chapter 125

Alexander glanced around at the people nearby and, with a sigh, reluctantly took off his expensive vest that he had only worn once, handing it to Zoey.

Zoey picked up the piggy bank and drew a two-inch radius circle on the bottom.

The others were puzzled. Why not just smash the piggy bank directly?

But they stayed silent, curious to see what Zoey would do.

Jordan asked, "Zoey, what are you up to?"

Zoey focused intently on the piggy bank in her hands. "I'm making an opening. If I just smash it, it'll be a mess and a pain to glue back together."

Jordan nodded, "Got it."

The others didn't think much of it, but Alexander was taken aback, thinking this wasn't like Zoey at all.

Normally, she would have just smashed it without a second thought. But now, she seemed to care about preserving the memories the Lynns had for the two girls.

Alexander stared at Zoey's back, lost in thought, wondering if this thoughtful person was really Zoey.

Had she changed? Or had she always been like this?

Alexander felt a strange sensation in his heart, but the more he watched, the more he noticed Zoey's careful work had turned his clean vest into a dirty mess.

She hadn't changed; she was still an annoying woman. He must be imagining things.

After Zoey finished, she used the tip of a knife to carefully cut along the circle she had drawn. A neat, round piece of ceramic fell out.

Zoey squinted and peered into the hole she had made. "Lay the vest flat."

Despite his irritation, Alexander followed her instructions and spread the vest out.

Zoey tipped the contents of the piggy bank onto the vest, and coins of various denominations spilled out.

As the last of the coins fell, Dennis spotted a piece of paper.

Robert was quicker and snatched it up. "This material looks like a page torn from a diary."

Jordan got excited. "Yeah, it must be."

Robert unfolded the paper, seeing it was a first-person account written by Sadie.

The diary entry was only a few hundred words long. Robert read it aloud to everyone in less than a minute.

After hearing it, everyone fell silent, feeling as if a dark cloud had settled over them, making it hard to breathe.

About ten minutes later, Cinda came out of the house and asked if they wanted to stay for a meal.

Cinda was so poor that if they all stayed, it would mean she wouldn't have enough to eat for a month.

Charles declined her offer. "No, thank you. We need to get going. Thanks anyway."

The others stood up and said their goodbyes.

They left Cinda's house and soon arrived at another home.

Dennis was starving and wanted to go in for a meal.

Robert, smelling the food wafting from the window, held Dennis back. "Let's wait. Let them finish eating first."

"Okay."

Zoey was also hungry. She pulled a cookie from her pocket and took a big bite.

The crisp sound of her biting into the cookie caught Alexander's attention.

Alexander looked curiously at the cookie in her hand. "Where'd you get that?"

Zoey had already eaten half of it. "I bought it myself."

"I know you bought it. I mean, do you always carry these around?"

"Yeah, otherwise what would I eat when I'm hungry?"

Alexander felt a bit foolish.

He remembered that even back in school, Zoey would always have something to snack on.

Why was she always so hungry? Who carried snacks around all the time? They were cops!

Zoey noticed Alexander's silence and asked, "Want some?"

Alexander replied, "No..."

"Too bad," Zoey said coldly.

Alexander was speechless.

He had said no, meaning he didn't want any.

Zoey's reaction was too quick.

They waited outside for over half an hour before seeing movement inside the house. Someone started working on the corn in the yard.

Jordan peeked inside and called out softly, "Rilla."

Rilla, hearing her name, looked up instinctively.

She must have just finished eating and was coming out to help with chores.

Seeing them, Rilla's expression remained calm. "What do you want?"

Her gaze swept over the group and finally landed on Zoey. "Did you find Haven? Where is Haven?"

Zoey replied, "If you cooperate with our questioning, I'll tell you."

Rilla glanced at the lit house behind her. "Now?"

"Yes."

Wanting to know about Haven, Rilla didn't hesitate. "Wait, I'll tell my parents."

"Okay, we'll wait."

Rilla went inside and came back out in less than two minutes, following them.

The group made their way back to the church.

Rilla waited in a room while Robert considered who should join him for the questioning.

Zoey volunteered, "I'll go with you."

Robert agreed, "Alright."

He led the way, and Zoey quickly followed, whispering something in his ear.

Robert's expression grew more serious as he listened. "Are you sure? Okay, let's try it."

Zoey was pleased when Robert nodded.

Alexander watched them, feeling a bit envious of Zoey, because Robert was really good to her.

In the interrogation room, Rilla sat casually playing with her phone, looking completely relaxed.

When they arrived, she stopped the music on her phone and placed it on the table. "Go ahead, I'm ready."

Robert glanced at Zoey, recalling what she had told him, and began to improvise. "Rilla, you don't need to be nervous. We've already found the culprit, and this case is almost closed. We're just here to fill in some missing details since you were the first to discover the scene."

Rilla was visibly surprised. "The case is almost closed?"