Chapter 41
“In the hands of the police, the Scar Man is named Daniel!” The detective’s revelation jolted Claude awake.
“You mean Kate has connections with Scar Man?” He seemed genuinely shocked, having never imagined any link between Kate and Scar Man. “Do we have any other evidence proving they know each other? Could it be a mistaken transaction?” I couldn’t help but laugh. How could Claude be so foolish? A million bucks was no small change, and it was unlikely Kate made a mistake in sending that money. That million must be the payment Kate promised for tarnishing my reputation. ‘Claude, this is your beloved girl, your kind-hearted first crush, doing such despicable things to me.’ I said.
“Mr. Hart, you have to ask Daniel about the purpose of that million. But with the cops around, it might raise suspicions and could backfire on Ms. Goodwin p>
“What else has Kate done?” Taking a deep breath, Claude realized the deeper he dug, the harder it was to cope with the revelations.
That was the third person telling Claude about my ordeal.
“Ms. Goodwin was seen meeting with Daniel the day before she and Claire got kidnapped. So, while investigating Ms. Goodwin, we also stumbled upon Ms. Floyd, who seemed to have gotten into real trouble. And it looks like the police have found surveillance footage of Ms. Goodwin meeting with Daniel p>
He stared blankly at the ceiling. This time, he truly believed it. His detective had found the evidence, and it couldn’t be fake.
“Claire will be okay.” For some reason, he stubbornly thought I wouldn’t die, even when the truth was staring him right in the face.
“Claude, even now, do you still believe I’m alive? Kate and Daniel are connected. Don’t you want to know why p>
Claude said lightly, “Maybe Kate just wanted Daniel to scare Claire since Claire has done so many bad things p>
I scoffed at such terrifying trust. Claude trusted Kate without reservation. Ironically, even if my body lay in front of him, he would still doubt it was someone else’s.
“Actually, by accepting my death, your family would no longer owe anything to mine.” My words seemed to reach him, as we momentarily locked eyes.
Then, he rubbed his forehead
vigorously and continued over the phone, What else have you found? Try to find out what happened during Daniel’s meeting with Kate.” en
I
After hanging up, I saw Claude staring at his phone, clicking on my
profile picture. “Clair
‘n
you not to die. Got it? As long as you’re alive, I promise you, I’ll never have anything to do with Kate
again.”
He slumped against the headboard. He was one of those people I couldn’t figure out. What did he mean by his words? Was I more important to him than Kate?
He just wanted to prove I was alive and well. So, it wouldn’t lead back to Kate, right? As long as I was alive, the police wouldn’t track it back to Kate. Unfortunately, when my spirit returned to the police station, Ronald had secured the surveillance footage.
We went to the hospital again.
“Daniel lied about not knowing Kate. They’ve met, and he’s taken money from her.” After making progress in the case, Ronald seemed much more relaxed.
The young detective asked, “Mr. Collins, who provided you with this video? It’s a huge help in cracking the case p>
Caught off guard by the question, Ronald hesitated before dismissing it with, “Someone p>
The young detective didn’t press further.
Arriving at the hospital, I saw Max again, dressed in a clean lab coat, casually waving at Ronald before heading in the opposite direction.