Chapter 467 The Real and Fake Daryl
The laughter from the whipped cream fight still echoed in the room, and the air was filled with a faint sweet scent. Suddenly, a gentle knock on the door broke the warm atmosphere.
A nurse opened the door, leading in two people dressed in police uniforms. The middle-aged officer in front had a serious expression and sharp eyes. He pulled out his badge and said in a steady, powerful voice:
"I'm Detective Daryl. We need to ask you both some questions."
Hearing this, I clenched the wet wipe in my hand into a ball. The memory of Jeffrey's men disguised as police officers barging into the room flashed through my mind.
I exchanged a glance with Edward. From his tense jaw and slightly narrowed eyes, I saw the same wariness I felt.
Daryl looked nothing like the impostor from last time. That man had shifty eyes, while Daryl's gaze was piercing. His uniform was immaculate, and the holster at his waist showed signs of long use. The young officer behind him stood straight, his right hand hovering over his holster in a standard alert stance that made cold sweat break out on my back. Jeffrey's men hadn't been trained like this.
Daryl stepped forward, his boots making a rhythmic sound on the floor. The young officer immediately followed, forming a standard front-and-back guard formation.
"Regarding the fight at the abandoned warehouse a few days ago, we need to verify some details with you as witnesses."
Daryl pulled out a notebook, the tip of his pen hovering over the paper, but his eyes were fixed on us.
Edward slowly stood up, holding onto the IV stand, the tube swaying gently with his movement.
"We've already given our statements."
Edward's voice was deliberately calm, but his knuckles were white from gripping the stand too tightly.
The young officer quickly drew his gun, pointing it at the ceiling.
"Warning, stay calm!"
Daryl glanced around at the birthday decorations in the room and then at Skylar hiding behind Edward. He seemed to understand the situation.
He stepped in front of the young officer, signaling with his eyes for him to put the gun away.
"Hey there, kiddo. I have a fun little task for you at the nurse's station. Would you help me out?"
Daryl crouched down in front of Skylar, his tone deliberately gentle and professional.
Skylar tilted her head, her big, clear eyes full of confusion. She clung tightly to Edward's shirt, wrinkling it.
I noticed Daryl's gaze flick to Edward's right hand hidden behind him, his finger unconsciously rubbing the seam of his pants—a habitual gesture noted in the files of a seasoned detective.
I immediately understood Daryl's intention. They wanted to get Skylar out of the room to make questioning easier. Suppressing my unease, I stepped forward and crouched down, trying to make my voice sound gentle and calm.
The laughter from the whipped cream fight still echoed in the room, and the air was filled with a faint sweet scent. Suddenly, a gentle knock on the door broke the warm atmosphere.
A nurse opened the door, leading in two people dressed in police uniforms. The middle-aged officer in front had a serious expression and sharp eyes. He pulled out his badge and said in a steady, powerful voice:
"I'm Detective Daryl. We need to ask you both some questions."
Hearing this, I clenched the wet wipe in my hand into a ball. The memory of Jeffrey's men disguised as police officers barging into the room flashed through my mind.
I exchanged a glance with Edward. From his tense jaw and slightly narrowed eyes, I saw the same wariness I felt.
Daryl looked nothing like the impostor from last time. That man had shifty eyes, while Daryl's gaze was piercing. His uniform was immaculate, and the holster at his waist showed signs of long use. The young officer behind him stood straight, his right hand hovering over his holster in a standard alert stance that made cold sweat break out on my back. Jeffrey's men hadn't been trained like this.
Daryl stepped forward, his boots making a rhythmic sound on the floor. The young officer immediately followed, forming a standard front-and-back guard formation.
"Regarding the fight at the abandoned warehouse a few days ago, we need to verify some details with you as witnesses."
Daryl pulled out a notebook, the tip of his pen hovering over the paper, but his eyes were fixed on us.
Edward slowly stood up, holding onto the IV stand, the tube swaying gently with his movement.
"We've already given our statements."
Edward's voice was deliberately calm, but his knuckles were white from gripping the stand too tightly.
The young officer quickly drew his gun, pointing it at the ceiling.
"Warning, stay calm!"
Daryl glanced around at the birthday decorations in the room and then at Skylar hiding behind Edward. He seemed to understand the situation.
He stepped in front of the young officer, signaling with his eyes for him to put the gun away.
"Hey there, kiddo. I have a fun little task for you at the nurse's station. Would you help me out?"
Daryl crouched down in front of Skylar, his tone deliberately gentle and professional.
Skylar tilted her head, her big, clear eyes full of confusion. She clung tightly to Edward's shirt, wrinkling it.
I noticed Daryl's gaze flick to Edward's right hand hidden behind him, his finger unconsciously rubbing the seam of his pants—a habitual gesture noted in the files of a seasoned detective.
I immediately understood Daryl's intention. They wanted to get Skylar out of the room to make questioning easier. Suppressing my unease, I stepped forward and crouched down, trying to make my voice sound gentle and calm.
"Sweetie, Melissa and I will go with you. When we come back, Daddy will have a big surprise for you."
Skylar hesitated, her eyes darting between me and Edward. After a long moment, she let go of his shirt and followed me out of the room, looking back at Edward with every step.
At the door, she stopped and called out to Edward:
"Daddy, be strong!"
The door closed slowly behind Skylar, and Edward's knees trembled slightly, causing the IV stand to clink softly. As the door shut, Daryl discreetly wiped the handle with his sleeve, a gesture identical to the one Jeffrey's impostor had made when he left the room. The metal nameplate on the door reflected the hallway light, showing the last digits of Daryl's badge number: "037"—the same as the fake officer's badge.
Edward stared at the tile grout on the floor, catching Daryl's movement to close the door out of the corner of his eye. This simple action felt like sealing the room in an iron cage.
Holding Skylar's hand, I walked to the nurse's station, still feeling the sticky residue of whipped cream on my palm. Skylar looked up at me, her eyelashes dotted with cake crumbs.
"Mommy, what's the surprise Daddy talked about?"
Skylar swung my arm, her hair brushing against an old scar on my wrist, a reminder of Jeffrey's men.
I crouched down, gently tapping her chubby nose and winking mysteriously.
"It's a super special secret! Daddy told me that once he gets better, there will be a magical surprise waiting for you."
I touched the soft hair behind her ear, continuing to reassure her.
"But for now, you have to stay curious. It'll be even more exciting when you finally see it!"
Skylar tilted her head, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. She clung to my shirt, glancing back at the room. Suddenly, she let go and reached for a teddy bear on the nurse's station counter.
"I want to bring this to Daddy!"
The plastic joints clinked loudly in the quiet hallway.
I forced a smile to keep Skylar happy, but my eyes stayed on the closed door of the room. The glass reflected the harsh hallway light, casting a cold gleam on Daryl's badge. Behind me, I heard soft footsteps and turned to see Melissa's worried expression. She held a temperature chart, her nails pressing creases into the paper. She nodded towards the room and whispered:
"The police are asking a lot about Anne."
"What are they asking?"
I grabbed Melissa's wrist, smudging ink from the chart onto my palm.
She paused, looking past me towards the room.
"Something about recordings and evidence, I think."
Melissa swallowed hard and finally shook her head.
"I couldn't hear clearly. Maybe you should go in and ask?"
Skylar ran back, holding the teddy bear, her hair bow askew.
"Mommy, look! The bear can blink!" She held up the toy, its plastic eyes glinting eerily in the light.
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