Chapter 522 Another Victim
Carey had been living joyously lately. Kenny would often find antique books she cherished, giving her and her students new topics to discuss daily.
Today was no different.
After class, she went out to buy some groceries, preparing to go home.
At the bottom of her apartment stairs, she bumped into an old neighbor.
That neighbor came from the same place as Maria.
When they saw Carey, they approached her at once, "Professor Carey, is it true that Thalassa's mom has passed away?"
The inquiry stunned Carey.
"Who did you hear that from?"
"My brother's wife; the news has spread around our town. What's the brother’s name, Maria's brother?"
"Brad?" Carey had a strong memory of him. He knew about her university position and even tried to get her to use her influence to enroll a relative’s child.
After she declined, he made quite a scene in front of her friend, Charles.
"That's the one!" the neighbor nodded. "He went back saying that he went with Thalassa to identify the body. Said she’d been dead in the water for over half a month before they found her, the body all bloated!"
Shocked, Carey hurried home, thinking of calling Thalassa.
However, fearing the news might be true, she texted Kenny instead.
"Kenny, did something happen to Maria?"
Shortly after, Kenny called her back.
He didn't beat around the bush, spilling everything.
Carey sat on the couch, dazed for quite a while. "Why on earth...?"
"Grandma, please take consolation," Kenny said gently.
"I wasn't very close to her, so it's not like I'm torn up about it. How's Thalassa doing?" Carey's voice cracked.
Kenny sighed, "She can't eat a thing, just breaks down crying."
"Can't eat a thing?" Carey grew anxious. "That's not good! She's already so thin, you need to coax her to eat!"
Before Kenny could respond, Carey stood up. "Give me the address. I'm going over there right now!"
Kenny thought for a moment. "That might be good, having you there could cheer her up. Just wait at home, I'll send a car to pick you up."
Kenny hung up the phone and descended the stairs.
"Who's coming?" Janna asked.
"Thalassa's grandma," Kenny replied, quickly arranging for someone to fetch Carey.
An hour later, Carey arrived with bags of vegetables, fruits, and fresh meats and shrimp.
"Grandma, why'd you buy all this?" Kenny hurried over, taking the bags from her hands.
Tears rimmed Carey's eyes. "Isn't she not eating well? I thought I'd make her some of her childhood favorites."
"Thank you," Kenny said.
Carey waved it off. "She's my granddaughter, it's no trouble at all."
Once inside, Carey didn't rush to see Thalassa.
"Let her rest for a bit by herself, I'll start cooking."
She had just entered the kitchen when Fiona came in with Chicago.
"Grandma, Chicago insists on helping you," Fiona said with a warm smile.
Carey wanted to decline but then thought of asking Fiona something. So, she let them stay.
"I didn't want to ask Kenny directly," Carey started while preparing the vegetables. "Was this... an accident?"
"Most likely not," Fiona answered truthfully.
"Do you all suspect Justin?" Carey pressed on.
Fiona nodded once again.
Carey sighed deeply, "There's something I've been meaning to say for a while, I just never imagined Maria would follow in that poor child's footsteps."
"What is it?"
"I only found out about it later," Carey spoke somberly. "Justin was once a student at our school too, just not in the department I taught. That year, there was a sensational incident. A female student died in the wild lake behind our school. At the scene, there was a suicide note she left behind, saying she broke up with her boyfriend and lost the courage to go on, so, she jumped into the lake. You know, back then, there were no surveillance cameras or anything, so it was ruled a suicide."
"Was this boyfriend Justin?" Fiona frowned immediately.
Carey nodded. "By the time I heard about it, Maria had been married to Justin for a few years. It was one of Justin's former teachers who recognized our Thalassa's photo with him and asked about it. When they found out my ex-daughter-in-law had married him, they were shocked and immediately told me about the incident and his ex-wife's suicide."
"How was the family environment of the girl who committed suicide?" Fiona asked, almost instinctively.
Carey shook her head. "Not very good. However, I heard that before she died, she borrowed a lot of money. Justin denies it was for him, but many students knew that he got the money. In the end, most of the debt was repaid by the girl's family. By that time, Justin was already dating the woman who would become his wife."
"He must be a habitual offender," Fiona said gravely.
"That's what I thought too. I wanted to warn Maria, but when I just hinted her to be cautious with Justin, she grew unhappy. She thought I was unable to let go of her marriage to my Charles and that I was trying to cause trouble between them. After that, our communication faded."
"Grandma, you mustn't feel guilty for not being able to persuade her in time," Fiona said, picking up on her regret. "In her state of mind, even if she really knew that Justin was responsible for the deaths of two women, she probably wouldn't leave him. She might even come up with a slew of excuses blaming the two women instead of Justin."
Such outrageous things.
Fiona truly believed Maria was capable of such denial.
"Fiona, you're perhaps the blossom that understands me," Carey said with an affectionate smile, gently patting Fiona's hand.
Carey prepared three dishes, simmered a pot of soup, and made a box of fresh shrimp dumplings.
They were all Thalassa's favorites from when she was little.
Back when she went away for studies, she would sometimes call Carey in the middle of the night, crying because she missed the food she made.
As Carey thought about it, she hoped that the dishes from Thalassa's childhood could provide some comfort.
Thalassa dozed off for a little while, sensing someone beside her.
At first, she thought it was Kenny, but she quickly smelled her grandmother's familiar scent.
She immediately turned around to look.
Carey sat beside her bed, smiling warmly. "Did my little piggy wake up?"
"Grandma?" Thalassa's voice was hoarse as she spoke.
She immediately threw herself into her grandmother's arms, crying, "How did you get here?"
"I just felt my sweetie might be missing me, so here I am," Carey said as she stroked Thalassa's head. "Honey, I made your favorite dishes and some shrimp dumplings. Why don't you have some?"
A few moments later, Thalassa took a seat in the living room.
Kenny was bustling about, serving her food and soup.
Carey noticed and softly said to Thalassa, "Kenny is such a good kid."
Thalassa, with tears in her eyes, nodded as she watched him.
These past few days, without Kenny, she had no idea how many times she would have completely lost it.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
