Chapter 492 Trouble at Martin's Door
The knocking persisted, yet there was no answer from inside.
Carter wondered aloud, "Could we have gotten the wrong place? Is someone living here? This looks more like a pigsty."
Having never seen a pigsty in person, he could only picture the ones he'd seen on TV. They were similar to this dilapidated house. How could anyone stand living in such filth?
Martin paused his knocking. He checked the address Alan had sent him and compared it with the faded numbers on the door. Convinced it was correct, he continued to knock.
"Alan double-checked it; it must be right," he said.
Yet, after more knocks, there was still no response.
Carter frowned. "Maybe they're sleeping like the dead and didn't hear us?"
At Carter's word, Martin paused momentarily but then resumed his persistent knocking. Still, nothing.
Carter speculated further, "Or maybe it's too late. What if she's scared it's a criminal and won't answer? After all, isn't she hiding out here because she's done something she's not proud of? What if we wait and knock again at daylight?"
Pulling out his phone, Martin glanced at the time. It was 3 AM. The dawn was still four hours away.
Carter had a point. Hearing knocking in the dead of night, nobody in this forsaken place would feel safe opening the door. Especially not Isabella, hiding out here—she'd be even less inclined.
After briefly mulling it over, they decided to wait for daybreak on the doorstep. Just as they settled down for a rest, a faint noise echoed from behind the door.
Both men froze, and Carter asked Martin, "Boss, did you hear something?"
Martin nodded. They approached the doorway, but all fell silent again inside.
Thinking he might have been mistaken, Carter leaned in to listen closely once more. Still nothing. He turned to Martin, his brow furrowed in confusion.
Convinced he hadn't been mistaken, Martin knocked forcefully.
"Anyone home? Please open the door. I'm looking for Isabella."
As his words faded, another sound came from within.
This time, it was loud and clear in the night's hush. Then, a frail, intermittent, and unclear voice followed, clearly indicating someone was speaking.
A foreboding feeling began to envelop their hearts, and together, they resumed knocking on the door.
"Open the door..."
The door rattled under their pounding, threatening to give way at any moment. Martin grabbed Carter's hand and pressed his ear against the door.
This time, the plea for help was unmistakably clear. "Help... Save me..."
A surge of alarm shot through him, and he stepped back, lifted his foot, and kicked the door open with all his might. The old wood splintered with a loud bang.
Dampness, decay, and the sharp scent of blood hit their nostrils without warning. By the moonlight, Martin and Carter could barely make out the scene before them. Isabella lay in a pool of blood, dragging herself forward with great difficulty; pain contorted her face, and her clothes were stained red.
Seeing them enter, she reached out, as if grasping for a shred of hope, and whispered with the last bit of her strength, "Save... Save me... please... save me..."
Martin immediately gestured to Carter, "Call 911, now!"
Carter shook his head. "We're deep in the woods. Even if we called, an ambulance couldn't reach us. Besides, it's miles to the city – it'd take hours back and forth. Can she hold on that long? The best thing is to get her to the car and drive to the hospital ourselves."
Martin nodded, seeing the sense in Carter's words, and moved closer.
Though he was a germaphobe, he put aside his aversions at that moment, turning her over to lay flat on the bed.
That's when they saw it clearly: multiple holes gaped in Isabella's abdomen. Blood poured out in heavy gushes. Judging by the wounds, the attacker had not left long ago. But her condition was grave.
Though her heart hadn't been pierced, many vital organs were around, and damage to any one of them could be fatal.
Martin thought it best to press her for information about his son rather than rush her to the hospital. He didn’t waste time and went straight to the point. "Do you remember delivering a woman last year who had twins, a boy and a girl? Later, you had your nephew send the kids to Ivara City in Z country."
When hearing his words, Isabella's face twisted in fear, and she shook her head vehemently, propping up on her elbows, inching away as if Martin were some predator.
"I don't know anything, I swear... Please, leave me be..."
Martin and Carter exchanged a glance, sensing that something was off about her reaction.
Martin closed in on her, cutting off any chance of escape. "How could you not know! My wife told me herself, it was you who delivered her babies and then found two other kids to hand over to Hunter."
"I don't know. Really. I don't want to die; please, spare me..." Isabella kept retreating, unwilling to say a word, until she was backed into a corner with nowhere else to go.
Martin's expression turned stern and icy. "If you tell me the truth, I'll take you to the hospital."
Isabella paused, disbelief in her voice as she questioned, "Really?"
Martin nodded. "You have my word."
Due to excessive blood loss, Isabella's face was pale, and her lips were turning blue. After scrutinizing Martin for a moment and seeing he did not mean to harm her, she finally began to speak slowly, "The child... the child is with a woman."
Martin, impatient, asked, "A woman? What's her name?"
Isabella shook her head. "I don't know. She was wearing a hat, sunglasses, and a mask. I could only tell she was a woman by her voice and figure."
Her eyes guiltily dropped to the floor. "That woman said she would take the child back to Ivara City and gave me a large sum. She also found me this place to hide for the time being."
Upon hearing this, Martin's expression changed dramatically. Still holding back his anger, he gritted his teeth and asked, "Do you have any way to contact her?"
Even the slightest bit of information or clue would suffice. Otherwise, it would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. In this vast sea of faces, where could he start looking?
Isabella shook her head. "No! After she took the two children, I never saw her again."
In other words, all his efforts during this time were in vain. Finding Isabella was as good as finding nothing.
This realization sent a surge of fury up Martin's spine, and he grabbed her by the throat, pinning her against the wall, uncaring that his hand was stained with blood.
"You handed my child over to a strange woman, and you don't even know her name? What were you thinking?"
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