Chapter 548 Found the Body
When Winona heard the words "no signs of life," her knees buckled, and she almost fell. But she quickly steadied herself.
She held her breath and looked at Samuel.
Winona didn't know why she instinctively looked at Samuel. Maybe it was because she was desperate for answers and hoped to get reassurance from him. But this reaction only lasted a moment before she snapped back to reality and stumbled toward the place where they said someone had been found.
Just as Winona was about to climb up, a firefighter stopped her. "It's dangerous up there. You can't go."
"I won't interfere with your work. I just want to see who it is. My husband is trapped underneath."
The firefighter didn't budge. "We'll bring the person down. Please wait here. The area is full of unstable concrete. It's easy to slip."
Seeing Winona's pale face, the firefighter repeated more solemnly, "Don't worry. We'll get the person down safely."
He said this to calm her down, but it was clear the person was already dead.
"Can I at least..." Winona bit her lip hard, trying to control the tremor in her voice. "Can I ask what the person looks like?"
"We couldn't see the face. The person was lying face down," the firefighter said, a hint of pity in his eyes. From the mangled neck and the twisted body, it was clear the front would be just as gruesome.
As the firefighter was about to leave, Winona grabbed his arm and asked one last question. "What color clothes was the person wearing?"
"A dark shirt and black pants." The shirt was so stained with blood and dust that the original color was unrecognizable.
This was Zachary's style. Timothy preferred light colors. Every time Winona saw him, he was in a white shirt. Hearing "dark shirt," her heart sank.
Winona turned to Samuel, seeking a definitive answer.
"Timothy was wearing dark clothes today too," Samuel said.
Winona stared at the spot where the concrete had been cleared. The person was pinned by two steel rods as thick as fingers. After assessing the situation, the doctor shook his head at the firefighter.
The person was dead. There was no need to cut the steel rods. Since there might be unexploded bombs, they had to use a manual saw to avoid sparks.
The body was quickly lifted out.
Winona seemed to hear the grating sound of the body being pulled off the steel rods. She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her skin. The wounds from moving the concrete reopened, and blood seeped from the dusty cuts.
But Winona didn't seem to feel any pain. Her entire focus was on the body being pulled out.
Please don't be Zachary. Please don't be Zachary.
When the body was fully exposed, Winona let out a long breath and collapsed, exhausted.
She didn't see the face, but it wasn't Zachary. He wasn't that thin.
If it wasn't Zachary, it had to be Timothy.
The two men were in the same room. Finding one meant the other was nearby. The firefighters dug more carefully, but after seeing the state of the first body, they had little hope.
Winona's nerves were stretched to the breaking point. When she saw Timothy's body, the tension snapped.
"Mr. Bailey!" A bodyguard suddenly appeared from the half-collapsed building, running and shouting, "Mr. Bailey is in the back!"
Zachary was found on the grass, likely having jumped from the building during the explosion. He had no blast injuries, but his legs were severely hurt, and he was unconscious.
It wasn't surprising no one had found Zachary. The area was the side of a residential building, and everyone assumed he was inside. The tall grass and darkness made it hard to see anything.
Zachary was placed on a stretcher. Winona reached out to hold his hand but pulled back, afraid of causing more harm.
In the ambulance, a nurse put an oxygen mask and heart monitor on Zachary, unbuttoning his shirt for a basic check. She asked Winona, "Does the patient have any pre-existing conditions?"
Winona, tense and worried, replied, "No."
When the nurse saw the scars on Zachary's chest and abdomen, her expression changed. "How did he get these scars?"
As the CEO of the Bailey Group, he wasn't supposed to have such injuries. The nurse suspected domestic abuse.
Winona, focused entirely on Zachary, didn't notice the nurse's suspicious look. She answered truthfully, "He was beaten."
The nurse wanted to say something but held back.
"How is he? Is he in danger?"
Zachary's face was as pale as paper, his chest barely moving. If not for the mist on the oxygen mask, Winona would have checked his breath herself.
The nurse said, "We need to do more tests at the hospital, but his condition isn't good."
Winona gently held Zachary's hand, her thumb stroking his skin. "Zachary, wake up. I'm scared. I'm sorry I didn't find you sooner. I thought you were trapped."
"Zachary, I just made a promise to God. If you're okay, I'll read the Bible at church every year."
"You speak so harshly. Reading the Bible might calm you down. Otherwise, you'll keep getting hurt."
The nurse was shocked.
So those scars were your doing.
Winona pressed her forehead to his hand, her voice muffled. "Zachary, don't scare me."
At the hospital, Zachary was rushed into the ER, and Winona was left outside as the doors closed and the red light came on.
The ER was packed due to a severe traffic accident. Winona had to stand as all the seats were taken.
The doors opened, and a nurse hurried out. "Zachary's family? The patient has lost a lot of blood and needs a transfusion. Here is the consent form and the possible complications. Please read it."
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