Chapter 274: Daisy Lawson

Chapter 274: Chapter 274: Daisy Lawson

Evan Keller held out his badge to the boy and knelt down, his voice gentle. "Hello there, little fella. We’re police officers. We’re here today to ask a few questions about your mom."

The child in front of him was Daisy Lawson’s son.

Although the boy’s clothes were a bit old, they were clean and tidy. It was clear his family took good care of him.

The boy glanced at Evan Keller, then at the badge in his hand, took a step back, and slammed the door shut.

Then he shouted as he ran, "Grandma, there’s a man outside who says he’s a cop! He wants to ask about Mom!"

Evan Keller stood up amidst the teasing gazes of Zoe Sawyer and the others, shrugging nonchalantly. "Not bad. It shows the kid has some sense. He didn’t just take my word for it when I said I was a cop."

The group waited at the door for a moment. Soon, they heard the sound of a cane tapping against the concrete floor from behind the door.

The door opened again, and the little boy appeared before Zoe Sawyer and the others, supporting The Blind Matron.

"Ma’am, we’re from the police department. We’d like to ask about your daughter-in-law, Daisy Lawson." Evan Keller bent down, leaning close to The Blind Matron, while also reaching out to hold her arm and help her stay steady.

"Thank you. You want to ask about Daisy, you said? Come in." The Blind Matron patted Evan Keller’s shoulder, then took her grandson’s hand and slowly turned to walk into the yard.

Before they went in, Zoe Sawyer noticed people in the surrounding houses poking their heads out, having heard the commotion. They watched Zoe’s group with wary expressions.

Some were even holding clubs, looking as if they would rush over the moment the officers made a wrong move.

"Matron! Just give a shout if there’s trouble! We’re all home and we’ll come right over if we hear anything!" a bald, heavily tattooed man shouted from his doorway in the direction of The Blind Matron. He then shook his fist threateningly, pointed two fingers at his own eyes, and then pointed them at Zoe Sawyer’s group.

The message was clear: ’I’ll be watching you, so you’d better behave.’

Once inside the yard, Zoe Sawyer saw that an old man was also sitting there.

The old man was in a wheelchair with a thick wool blanket covering his legs. He was busy weaving something with his hands.

A plastic bag next to him was already stuffed full.

Seeing Zoe Sawyer’s group come in, the old man set down his work and waved them over, gesturing for them to sit and talk.

’Wow,’ Zoe thought, ’this family has it all: old, weak, sick, and disabled.’

"We’re here today to ask about Daisy Lawson," Evan Keller repeated, stating their purpose once more.

The Blind Matron was silent for a long moment before looking at Evan Keller and asking, "Something’s happened to her, hasn’t it?"

Evan Keller looked at the little boy being held in her arms and gave a heavy nod.

The Blind Matron sighed. "I knew it. That day, her father forced her to pack her things and leave. She said she was going to find work to earn money for our medical treatments."

"For the first couple of days, she would call to let us know she was safe. But after less than a week, we heard nothing at all."

"Did you ever consider that maybe she..." Mindful of the child next to her, Evan Keller left the sentence unfinished. But everyone present, except for the little boy, understood exactly what he meant.

Zoe Sawyer looked away, unable to bear it. They all knew it was a terrible question, but it had to be asked.

The Blind Matron faltered for a second, then shook her head. "No, never. Daisy was a good girl. She loved her son so much. She wouldn’t just run off."

Perhaps feeling that her words weren’t convincing enough, The Blind Matron went on to tell Zoe Sawyer and the others about what Daisy used to do.

After her husband died, Daisy Lawson shouldered the family’s burden all by herself. She was out from dawn till dusk. If there was any temporary or cash-in-hand work nearby, she was always the first to sign up, and she always worked her hardest.

The neighbors all knew about her family’s situation, so whenever they needed someone for a job, they would contact Daisy first.

And so, by taking odd jobs all over the place, Daisy managed to support her in-laws and her son.

Fortunately, her son was well-behaved, and her in-laws also did what they could, taking on small handicraft jobs to help make ends meet.

During that time, it wasn’t as if no one took an interest in Daisy. Men saw that she was hardworking, capable, and filial, and wanted to marry her.

But Daisy turned them all down.

Daisy understood that what they valued was her diligence. If she agreed, the man might not have any objections to her supporting her former in-laws for the first few years. But as time went on, other conflicts would surely arise.

Her in-laws were very good to her. Even before her husband’s accident, they had treated her like their own daughter. They gave Daisy a warmth and familial love she had never even felt from her own family.

Besides, if she remarried, her new husband would most likely expect her to have his children.

Daisy didn’t want other children to divide her attention from her son. He had already lost his father; he couldn’t lose his mother too.

After considering everything, Daisy refused the matchmakers’ proposals.

Everything had been fine, but a month ago, Old Man Lawson suddenly showed up. The first words out of his mouth to Daisy were, "I’ve found a good family for you. They’re well-off. Go meet him. You can get married in a few days."

Daisy knew her father was the type who never did anything unless there was something in it for him. So that very night, she discussed it with her in-laws and decided she had to leave.

Daisy decided she would go directly to a nearby city to find work and send her monthly wages back for living expenses.

Once Old Man Lawson gave up on the idea of marrying her off again, she would find a time to come back.

The Blind Matron knew this was the only way, so she tearfully agreed. Before she left, Daisy made a point of visiting the neighbors with some small gifts.

She told them she was leaving for work the next day and hoped they could look after her family in her absence.

The neighbors knew her situation, and besides, they were all part of the neighborhood. Lending a hand was no problem at all.

For the first few days, The Blind Matron still received calls from Daisy letting her know she was safe. But after a week, there was no more news.

This left The Blind Matron feeling extremely uneasy.

After a month of living on edge, The Blind Matron actually felt a sense of finality now that the police had come to her door.

At the same time, her heart ached for her grandson.

’He’s only a little boy, and he’s already lost both his parents. We two old relics won’t be around to keep him company for much longer, either.’

After hearing The Blind Matron’s story, Zoe Sawyer and the others were silent for a long while.

No wonder she was so certain Daisy wouldn’t abandon them.

"Ma’am..."

The Blind Matron heard the hesitation in Evan Keller’s voice and knew what he was about to say. She reached out and gently patted the boy in her arms, her tone soft.

"Go on now. You can watch a little extra TV today. Grandma needs to talk to the police officers about something very important."