Chapter 968 Sell Shirley
Charles, like he was up to no good, tucked his wallet away and hunched over to dodge Violet's gaze. He slipped into the crowd, found Hannah, and yanked her along.
Lucky for them, it was winter break, and a lot of folks were already off work and school.
The cinema was jam-packed.
They melted into the crowd, unnoticed.
Hannah, puzzled by the sudden pull, grumbled, "What's the deal? The movie's about to start."
Charles whispered, "I saw the Carter family."
"What?" Hannah was taken aback and glanced back at the cinema. Too many people, she couldn't spot anything.
Charles put a finger to his lips. "Don't let Violet see us. She's just starting to get better. If she finds out we're here, she'll lose it again."
"I worked my butt off to get these tickets. Christmas time, they're like gold dust; you gotta snag them way in advance." Though she was bummed, thinking about Violet's condition, she said, "Alright, let's catch it another day! We probably can't get tickets now anyway. Let's find something else to do!"
Charles asked, "What do you wanna do?"
As long as he was with Hannah, he didn't care.
Hannah had a plan. She grabbed his hand and said, "There's a new game room in the South Tower across the street. Let's hit it up! They’ve got rock climbing too; I heard it's super high and thrilling."
If she was into it, Charles was game. He nodded without a second thought. "You're the boss!"
Little did they know, just as they left the cinema, Violet came out holding Shirley's hand.
Shirley asked, "Violet, isn't there a bathroom inside? Why are we heading out?"
Violet's eyes sparkled with mischief. "The line inside is crazy long. The one outside is quicker. Let's hurry so our parents don't have to wait."
Shirley, not suspecting a thing, nodded and followed her.
"My stomach hurts so bad, and I need to go, but I didn't bring any paper," Shirley said.
Violet, a bit impatient, pulled a tissue from her pocket and handed it over. "Alright, let's move it!"
Shirley smiled and nodded.
The mall was massive.
The cinema was on the fifth floor.
They checked all the bathrooms on that floor, and they were all packed.
Violet then led Shirley to the fourth floor.
The fourth floor was mostly men's clothing, so it was less crowded.
They were smart, but others had the same idea. Many folks who couldn't wait upstairs came down too.
Shirley's face was flushed, and she kept shifting from foot to foot. "Violet, I can't hold it. My stomach really hurts."
Violet, annoyed but keeping it together, said, "Alright, too many people here. Let's go outside! There's a bathroom in the parking lot; it should be empty. Let's check it out."
Shirley, desperate, nodded and hurried outside with Violet.
In her rush, she missed the sly smile on Violet's face and the gleam of triumph in her eyes.
Everything today was part of Violet's well-thought-out plan.
Knowing the winter break would bring crowds, she picked a weekend during the break, a day with even more people, to take her family to the movies.
She knew Shirley loved to eat, so she kept feeding her.
Lassie and Carter were thrilled to see her looking after Shirley, thinking they were getting along great.
How could she possibly care for Shirley?
Shirley had stolen Lassie and Carter's love from her. She was an intruder, and Violet would have to be out of her mind to like an intruder.
After stuffing Shirley with food and drinks, it was only a matter of time before she needed the bathroom.
So, Violet took her there.
But that wasn't her only goal.
Lassie and Carter's love was meant for her alone.
No one else could have it.
So, she sold Shirley.
For $100,000, she handed her over to human traffickers.
Shirley was five and knew Lassie and Carter's phone numbers by heart. If she were just abandoned, she could call the cops and come back.
The only way to make sure she never returned was to sell her.
Girls didn't fetch as much as boys on the market, but Violet got a high price for Shirley because the traffickers valued her healthy organs.
Corneas, kidneys, liver, heart—all were worth a lot.
Many people were waiting for transplants!
Once Shirley was gone, Violet would be the only daughter of the Moore family, and everything would be hers. No one could take it away.
Violet picked this mall's cinema because it was far from home, making it easier to act and harder for Shirley to be found.
Even though the chances of Shirley being found were slim, she had to be careful.
They took the escalator to the parking lot.
Just like Violet said, the bathroom there was almost empty.
Violet nudged Shirley's back. "You go in; I'll wait out here."
"Okay! I'll be quick." Shirley said and dashed into the bathroom.
Watching her disappear, Violet looked around.
There were cameras in the parking lot, but not as many as inside the mall. And there were no cameras in the bathroom for privacy reasons.
At that moment, a middle-aged woman named Jennifer Evans, wearing a hat and mask, walked into the bathroom. As she passed Violet, they exchanged a look.
Violet smirked coldly and walked away without a second thought.
Shirley had eaten too much junk food and had diarrhea, so she took a long time in the bathroom. She felt bad for making Violet wait so long.
When she came out, she was thinking about getting Violet a gift to apologize.
But outside, it was empty; no one was there.
She panicked, her eyes welling up, thinking Violet had gotten tired of waiting and left her.
"Violet, where are you? I'm scared," Shirley called out.
The parking lot was packed, and new cars were being directed to other lots. There weren't many vehicles coming and going, and even fewer people.
In the vast parking lot, she was all alone.
Even though it was lit, it was much darker than outside.
Thinking of all the horror movie scenes set in parking lots, her face went pale, and she started crying, "Violet, where are you? Didn't you say you'd wait for me? Are you mad at me? I'm so scared. Violet, Daddy, Mommy, where are you?"
Even though she was terrified, she didn't dare move, afraid Violet would come back and not find her.
Lassie and Carter had told her that if she ever got lost, she should stay put and wait for them. They would definitely come back to find her.
So she stood there, not moving an inch.
She wanted to wipe away her tears and be brave, but they kept flowing.
At that moment, Jennifer came out of the bathroom. She took off her mask to look more approachable and walked over to Shirley.
She squatted down and gently asked, "Why are you crying? Why are you alone? Where are your parents?"
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