Chapter496 Isabella is Dead
On the floor of the back room lay a woman. Her body was covered in blood; her clothes soaked as if she'd been dipped in it, unrecognizable from their original form.
At the sight of the back room, Lassie let out a horrified gasp, instinctively stepping back. It was her first time witnessing such a scene. Her face was ashen, and her fingers dug into the wooden doorframe, knuckles turning white from the force.
Patricia, having faced life-and-death situations before, was scared, but concern for Martin outweighed her fear.
In contrast, Nathan and Ryan were handling it much better. Ryan, with the most nerve, walked over and turned the body on the floor over.
Even with her face smeared with blood, Patricia recognized her immediately. "Isabella?"
Ryan frowned. "This is Isabella?"
Patricia nodded, fear forgotten as she dashed over to check the woman's pulse, heartbeat, and breathing.
Nathan, Ryan, and Lassie stood there and watched her as she meticulously examined Isabella from head to toe.
No heartbeat. No pulse. Breathing ceased as well. Body was already cold to the touch.
Patricia undressed her, inspecting the body once again before looking up at the other three.
Under their expectant gazes, Patricia shook her head solemnly. "There are livor mortis marks present. She's been dead for at least ten hours."
Ryan was unable to contain his frustration. "Damn it! Who did this?"
Patricia remained composed, standing up to analyze the scene. "With all that blood outside, the neighbors must have heard something. All the houses around here are locked up tight. They're definitely connected to this incident. You guys wait here for me; I'll go ask around."
Ryan immediately stepped forward. "I'm coming with you."
"No need," Patricia said. "I can handle this alone. As a woman, people might let their guard down around me, making it easier to get information."
Lassie finally collected herself and approached Patricia. "I'll go with you then. I'm a woman too. An extra pair of hands might help."
After a brief hesitation, Patricia nodded.
While Nathan and Ryan stayed behind in the back room, Patricia and Lassie stepped out together. After a short walk, they decided to knock on the neighbor's door three houses down from Isabella's.
They knocked for a long time, with no response from inside. Just when Patricia thought the house was empty and was about to move on, a raspy, cautious voice came from within.
"Who's there?"
Patricia said, "Hello, we're tourists who've gotten lost. Could you point us in the right direction?"
"Lost?"
"Yes, we'd appreciate your help." Patricia wasn't sure if the person inside would believe their story, but it was their best excuse for now.
The house fell silent for a moment, followed by faint footsteps, and then the door cracked open, revealing a face creased with wrinkles.
The elderly lady peeked her head out, scanning outside, and after confirming there were only two girls, she relaxed and opened the door further. "This place is so out of the way. How did you folks end up here for sightseeing?"
Patricia hesitated to directly inquire about Isabella's whereabouts, fearing she might spook the elderly lady. So instead, she said gently, "I'm from the U.S., here looking for a relative. I had an address but got lost along the way!"
The grandmother looked her over from head to toe, seemingly weighing the truth in Patricia's words.
Blinking innocently, Patricia nodded earnestly and motioned to Lassie, who was standing behind her, saying with a beaming smile, "This is my sister; she's getting married next month. So, we came here specially to deliver the wedding invitations to our aunt and uncle and decided to stay around for a few days."
The grandmother scrutinized them for a moment. Seeing that they didn't appear threatening, she questioned, "Who are your aunt and uncle? We don't have any people from your country here."
Patricia hastened to clarify, "My uncle is from the north, and my aunt is local."
Frowning, the grandmother countered, "But we don't have anyone from the north here; you must be mistaken!"
Patricia insisted, "There's no mistake. This is the address my aunt gave us."
Following Patricia's lead, the grandmother asked, "What's your aunt's name?"
That's the question Patricia was waiting for. She quickly replied, "Isabella."
The grandmother shook her head with certainty. "We don't have anyone by that name here."
Patricia couldn't believe it, thinking the grandmother was deceiving her.
"I've lived here for decades," the grandmother explained, "I'm very familiar with everyone, and there's no one by that name."
Patricia paused, then as if remembering something, she gestured to her forehead and described, "She would be about up to here on me, in her forties, a bit on the heavier side, with blonde hair and a mole right here above her eyebrow."
Pointing to the end of her eyebrow, she reiterated more precisely, "Right here, there's a mole the size of a bean."
That was Isabella's most distinctive feature. If Isabella had been hiding here, it was very likely that the old woman honestly didn't know her name.
And sure enough, after Patricia's description, the grandmother's expression changed dramatically. "She's your aunt?"
Patricia said, "Yes, yes, that's her. She moved here not long ago. That’s why it took us so long to find the place."
Seeing their sincerity, the old woman finally sighed and said, "You’re too late. It would've been better if you had come earlier."
Patricia grew anxious. "Grandma, what do you mean by that? Has my aunt moved out? She doesn't live here anymore?" Patricia asked, her brows furrowing with concern.
The old woman sighed and pointed to where Isabella used to live, sadness in her voice, "Gone; she passed away yesterday..."
"What?!" Patricia's eyes widened in what she hoped looked like disbelief. "How is that possible? We just spoke on the phone a couple of days ago! She knew we were coming to see her. How could she be dead?"
Shaking her head with a forlorn expression, the grandmother lamented, "It was a tragic end. Just before dawn yesterday, a group of people barged in, making a ruckus. Heaven knows what they were up to. Then, when we woke up in the morning, we found her... stabbed in numerous places."
The memory seemed to shake her, even now.
Patricia turned pale as she mentally compared the timelines. Wasn't it around dawn when Martin and Carter had arrived? Could it have something to do with them?
Her heart sank bit by bit. Fear enveloped her entirely.
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