Chapter 87

Robert always felt that Zoey's family of origin might not have been very happy, but he couldn't directly ask about such things.

He casually agreed, "They have low cultural exposure. Isn't that how it is in rural areas? After having a boy, he can be the head of the family, while girls are destined to serve others. Renee might hate Janet so much because she doesn't want Janet to end up like her, living a miserable life without any say in the family."

"Officer Davis, are you serious?" Dennis and Charles almost spoke in unison, questioning him.

How did they not see this from Renee's earlier behavior?

Whenever Renee mentioned Janet, it was always bad and impatient.

Could Renee be the kind of mother Robert described?

That would be too harsh. Even if Janet hadn't died, imagining themselves in Janet's life would be suffocating. Janet would want to commit suicide too.

"At least as a parent, I don't want to assume the worst about other parents. Some people just have different ways of loving their children." Robert didn't want to talk about the harm Janet's family of origin had caused her anymore.

He turned and discussed the findings of Janet's case with the others.

After a short break, they all went to the Lynn Family.

Charles stepped forward intending to knock, but seeing the distance between the front and the inner doors, he hesitated.

He raised his hand but awkwardly put it down again.

If he knocked, the people inside definitely wouldn't hear it.

"Just shout!" Robert was a bit exasperated with Charles, thinking he was indeed foolish without understanding such a simple thing.

"Oh." Charles cleared his throat and shouted towards the gate, "Is anyone there? Open the door!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a woman holding a child came out. The child was very dirty, clearly from spending too much time on the farm with his parents.

His snot unknowingly slid down to his lips, and he sucked it back up.

And the woman looked very old, clearly someone who had lived a hard life. Even without doing anything, her face showed her sorrow, which seemed to follow her everywhere.

Seeing the strangers outside, she spoke before the criminal investigation team could ask, "You must be the new cops."

"Yes, we're here for a simple visit to understand some basic information about the victim's current situation."

"Okay." She spoke softly, without much energy, and stepped back with the child. "Officers, please come in."

"You can call me Mr. Davis," Robert said.

The sisters' mother, Cinda Thorne, pursed her lips, making her already weary face look even more tired. "Alright, Mr. Davis, come in and have a seat. I'll get you some water."

Alexander shook the bottled water in his hand. "No need to trouble yourself; we have water."

"No need to entertain us. We're just here to take some notes. Sorry to bother you," Robert added.

"Okay." She carried the little boy to his room and gave him a piece of candy. "Unless Mommy calls you, don't come out."

"Okay." The little boy eagerly unwrapped the candy and put it in his mouth, obediently closing the door.

Seeing no one else in the house, Robert began to examine the layout of the room. "Did you know your two daughters went out the night of the incident?"

Cinda shook her head. "I really didn't know. If I had known, I wouldn't have let them go. As you can see, my son is still young. I sleep with him every night, and the sisters share a room. On the day of the incident, I didn't hear a thing."

"What time did you go to bed that night?"

"Usually around nine. After putting the child to sleep, I go to bed too. The sisters might chat for a while. Sometimes they don't sleep until ten, and I would scold them a bit. After that, they didn't talk much at night."

Robert added, "Who do they usually hang out with?"

Cinda's answer was the same as Renee's. "They like to play with the neighbor's Janet. They go over every day, but they are very obedient and come back in the evening to help with dinner and take care of their brother."

At this point, Cinda couldn't hold back her tears, which streamed down her face.

She seemed to be recalling the sisters' appearance when they were alive.

Alexander immediately took out a tissue and handed it to her.

"Thank you." As she opened the tissue, its fragrance mixed with the air, reaching the noses of the others.

"My two daughters were always so good. I really don't know who could be so cruel to kill them! I have no enemies, and I haven't offended anyone. Willowbrook Village is so small; everyone knows each other." As she spoke, her tears fell even faster.

Zoey and the others stood by, unsure how to comfort her in such a situation.

Compared to Renee, Cinda seemed to have the normal reaction of a mother.

Alexander kept handing her tissues.

They silently watched her cry for a while.

Once Cinda's emotions had somewhat stabilized, Robert continued, "Since your family has no conflicts with others, what about the two girls? Did they have any conflicts with anyone?"

"They were very well-behaved. Everyone in the village knew that. They were so good-natured they wouldn't even dare argue with anyone. How could they have conflicts?"

Zoey tried a different approach. "Well, did any boys in the village pursue them?"

Cinda's sobbing suddenly stopped. She paused, then looked at Zoey excitedly. "Now that you mention it, I remember a few months ago, or maybe last month, Faye told me someone was pursuing her. She didn't like him and rejected him outright."

Seeing a potential lead, Dennis quickly asked, "What was his name?"

"I'm not sure. I asked who it was, wanting to help her decide, but Sadie was there and said Faye didn't like him, so I shouldn't ask."

The group fell silent.

Just when they thought they had a lead, it seemed to vanish.

Dennis, who had been ready to record, gave up and put away his recorder.

Alexander asked, "Can we see their room?"

"Of course." Cinda opened their room and let them look around freely.