Chapter 387 There was a Problem with the Grave
The woman in the painting looked like she was in her thirties, with some seriously striking features, but the ambition in her eyes made her seem kinda unapproachable.
Winona's drawing was super lifelike, even catching the few freckles on the sides of the woman's nose.
Frank frowned, giving the woman in the painting a good, hard look.
"This is how she looked over a decade ago. She should be in her fifties now, but her face hasn't changed much, just a few more wrinkles."
Last time in Mode City, she only got a quick look at the woman's profile. Not wanting to mess up the details, the drawing showed Grace when she was younger.
Frank put the painting away and said, "I don't recognize her."
The only thing he was sure of was that this woman didn't seem to have any obvious ties to Turner Family. But he needed to dig deeper.
"It seemed like she was the one who had my mom restore that painting," Winona told Frank what she had found out in Mode City. "Those two also said she wanted to meet me."
"So you just got in the car in a strange place? If it weren't for..." Frank paused. "Don't be so reckless in the future. No grudge or hatred is worth more than your own life."
Winona asked, "If it weren't for what?"
Frank didn't answer. His attention was now on a grave in front of them. They were at the edge of the cemetery, at the last grave in the row. The tombstone was blank. "There's no inscription on this tombstone."
Not even a date.
Winona glanced at it and asked, "Could it be for professional reasons, not convenient to disclose?"
She looked around. Other than the lack of inscription, the grave was no different from the others.
Despite her words, Winona instinctively moved closer to take a look, suddenly frowning.
Frank asked, "What's wrong?"
"It looks like something is stuck to this tombstone."
"What?" He walked up to the tombstone, ran his hand along it, and pressed the center where the inscription should be. His expression grew serious as he used his fingernail to peel up a corner of what seemed to be a waterproof film, the same color as the tombstone, making it nearly invisible.
Frank pondered for a moment, then stepped back and called Winona over. "Peel it off and see."
Winona was full of questions, looking at him in disbelief. She thought to herself, 'Isn't this too casual? This is someone else's grave. We aren't family or cemetery staff. Is it really okay to just peel it off?'
"This doesn't seem right," she said.
The cemetery was eerie, and she didn't have the courage to reach out.
Frank said with a slight smile, "I thought you weren't afraid of anything."
Winona didn't dare, and he didn't force her. He started peeling from the corner he had lifted. The waterproof film was tightly adhered and large, making it difficult to remove. Winona thought for a moment and decided to help.
Frank said with a beaming smile, "Not afraid now?"
Winona looked up, indicating the bright surveillance camera above. "I'm scared, but I'm more afraid of you peeling too slowly and getting caught by the staff. If the media gets hold of this, we'll be really embarrassed."
Frank said, "Then you'd better speed up. The staff can get here in ten minutes tops if they hustle."
As they peeled off the waterproof film, the real surface of the tombstone came into view. The spot where a photo should be was blank.
Could it really be a blank tombstone?
Just as that thought crossed her mind, she saw black letters. Though only the top was visible, it proved it wasn't blank.
When most of the letters were revealed, Winona paused. It was the surname Sullivan. She turned to Frank, who remained calm and unsurprised, like he had known all along.
Winona recalled the way his fingers had moved over the tombstone earlier, as if following a pattern.
A warning came over the loudspeaker, urging them to leave. They sped up, and when the waterproof film was completely removed, the inscription also became visible: "Tomb of Yara."
This was clearly not a standard inscription. There were no birth or death dates, no indication of who erected the tombstone, not even the gender of the deceased.
Winona held the waterproof film, eyes wide with disbelief. "I personally placed my mom's ashes in her grave. I visit every year. Her grave is intact, with no signs of tampering."
Frank's brow was furrowed as well. He stared at the inscription. "This might be a new grave. The person clearly erected a tombstone and set up a grave but wanted to keep it hidden. It seems they don't want anyone to know who they're honoring. Let's go to the office and check the family records."
Winona asked with a questioning tone, "Could it be Grace?"
Those two had said Grace was a native of Mode City. So who was she coming to Dreamopolis to honor every year?
Halfway there, they were stopped by cemetery staff. "Who are you two? You know it's illegal to deliberately damage a tombstone, right? Come with us to the office."
On the way, Frank sent a message.
Winona was still thinking about how to get the staff to talk when they reached the door. The manager came out to greet them. "Mr. Turner, I received the notice. What do you need to know?"
Frank asked with a blank expression, "Has anyone visited that blank tombstone over the years?"
"Yes, the cleaning staff have complained before, saying the person never brings flowers, just stands there for a while without any sincerity."
"Is there surveillance footage?"
"The footage has long been cleared," the manager quickly explained, fearing blame. "Cemeteries are different from other places. Every day is the same. If nothing unusual happens, the footage isn't kept for long."
"Please check the family records for that grave. Has the tombstone always been blank? Didn't you ask?" Frank asked.
The manager had already had someone check after receiving the call. He quickly pulled up the records. "Mr. Turner, here you go. The name, phone number, and relationship to the deceased are all recorded. When I took over, the tombstone was already blank. We don't know the specific reason, but the family insisted on having it that way, and there was nothing we could do about it."
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