Chapter 519 Death
Justin's statement was consistent with previous accounts.
After the affair was exposed, he and Maria fell out and agreed to divorce.
Maria left after that.
Justin assumed she was off to find Thalassa and didn't bother to follow up.
After giving their statements, the youngsters met up with Fiona, who had called them.
"Maria indeed left with us, and although I offered to take her home, she said she wanted to go somewhere else, so we parted ways," the leader said, showing the transfer record. "About ten minutes later, she transferred the final payment."
"Did she mention where she wanted to go?" Thalassa inquired.
The young man thought for a second and shook his head. "But maybe she was going to meet someone she really wanted to see?"
Thalassa's eyelids dropped as he pondered for a moment before making a quick call.
"Marlon, can you check the surveillance near the office building around noon on July 13th, around twelve o’clock, see if you caught my mom?"
The surveillance request was precise.
Marlon responded swiftly.
"Under the sycamore tree at the front entrance, we've captured someone – take a look if it's your mom."
A surveillance clip was sent over.
Thalassa felt as if his chest had been hammered.
In the footage, Maria lingered at the entrance.
It seemed like she was waiting for someone to recognize her.
Thalassa's tears broke free instantaneously.
"She went looking for me." she turned to Kenny, then helplessly to Fiona. "I wasn't at the office that day."
Off to the side, stood the people from the Shaw family.
Chris's gaze remained fixed on Thalassa as he watched her break down in tears, his brows knitting together in deep concern.
Crystal observed the tender exchange with a frown, feeling an unsettling thought nag at her. It seemed to her that Chris's behavior toward Thalassa was unusually gentle. More so than he would be for anyone else, perhaps even herself.
"Send the video to the police, let them trace Aunt's movements," Chris suggested.
No sooner had they handed the video over than another visitor braved the rain to arrive.
"Darwin, what brings you here?" Fiona exclaimed in surprise as she recognized the new arrival.
"How are things?" Darwin asked softly. "Have you had dinner yet?"
"With what's going on, how could I possibly focus on that?" Fiona whispered, lowering her voice. "Have Chicago and Charles gone to bed yet?"
Darwin nodded. "I put them to sleep before I left."
Fiona glanced back toward Thalassa and shared in a hushed tone, "We still haven't heard anything. Burl found that Maria's last IP address was tracked to somewhere by the river outside."
She had relayed this information to the police but had yet to break it to Thalassa.
As time ticked away and dawn approached, Brad made his appearance. Having witnessed the altercation between Justin and Maria, he was called in to provide his account.
Upon noticing Kenny at Thalassa's side, Brad instinctively sidestepped to keep his distance.
"Thalassa, your mom hasn’t returned to our hometown or made contact with any of us siblings," Brad said with a polite demeanor, anxious not to offend someone's wife and risk another burial. The memory of the last time, the lingering smell of earth on his skin, was not one he cared to revisit.
"Let's start with your statement," Kenny interjected icily.
Brad was ready to comply, but as he caught sight of Justin, an accusatory thought seemed to strike him.
"Could it be you who killed your wife? Thalassa, you guys need to look into this man. There are too many news stories about husbands killing their wives lately. Remember your great-aunt's neighbor's family? That man who married into the family, wanting to swallow their property, ended up harming the whole household."
"Watch your words—I can sue you for slander at any moment!" Walker stood, angered by the accusation.
"You little brat," Brad retorted, knowing all too well that Thalassa's husband harbored no fondness for Justin. "For all we know, he could be responsible for your own mother's death." Landing a blow on Justin pleased him, knowing it would certainly delight Thalassa's husband.
With that, Brad went off to give his statement.
Outside, the relentless rain continued to pour.
Thalassa remained seated, tightly holding onto Kenny's hand, with the Walker family, the Rhoads, and Darwin all present, concerned and waiting.
Thalassa had used all his connections throughout the night, following every lead he could find.
However, Maria had vanished as if she'd evaporated into thin air.
There was no trace of her anywhere.
The clerical records from Brad last night.
The daylight was already breaking outside.
"I've always said, Justin has a bad look about him, and his wife died. Who knows how she died?" He bellowed angrily.
Kenny glanced up at him.
Brad shrank back, his Adam’s apple bobbing nervously, before he clamped his mouth shut.
"Fiona, Darwin, you should go back home, the children will wake up soon and they'll be looking for you," Kenny said, turning to Fiona and Darwin. "Take her home to rest too; I'll wait here for any news."
"I can't leave." Thalassa immediately shook her head.
"Honey, be a good girl, go back and get some rest, okay? I'll call you the moment there's any news," Kenny coaxed her like one would a child.
Thalassa didn't say a word, but her eyes welled up as she shook her head persistently at Kenny.
Just then, the officer who'd been handling the case hurried out from inside.
"Is Maria's family here?"
"Here!" Thalassa immediately raised her hand. "Did you find my mom?"
"Down by the creek dam, a small reservoir burst due to last night's rainfall, washing out a highly decomposed female corpse. The physical characteristics highly resemble your mother's, and we need your cooperation for a DNA comparison."
Thalassa stood frozen, a ringing in her ears.
Her legs almost buckled beneath her, but Kenny was right there.
"That's impossible!" Justin shouted from the other side, his agitation sudden and fierce. "My wife was optimistic. She never spoke of suicide. The last time we talked, she sounded normal, and I even said we wouldn't divorce if she didn't want to! She had no reason to die!"
Justin's voice was hoarse with desperation.
Thalassa remained still, showing no reaction.
Fiona shot a piercing glare at Justin.
Justin, caught by Fiona's gaze, paused, his wailing subdued.
The DNA comparison results came quickly.
The body washed out from the small reservoir was confirmed to be Maria.
Thalassa sat there, holding the laboratory report as if she were plunged into an endlessly cold icehouse.
In the morgue, Justin was crying out, his voice raw with sorrow.
Thalassa didn't shed a tear.
The only thing that echoed in her head were those last two messages.
"Babe..." Kenny squatted in front of Thalassa, his eyes red and swollen.
He had thought, maybe it would be better if Maria were dead.
However, seeing Thalassa in such agony, he wished for Maria to live a long life.
"Justin's got a point," Thalassa muttered to himself. "My mom wouldn't kill herself; she was murdered."
At that moment, Chris arrived without Crystal by his side.
He approached Thalassa and said, “Thalassa, my condolences.”
Suddenly, Thalassa turned to Chris with a strange expression, “Chris, how did your mom die?”