Chapter 397: There Is a Child Inside

Chapter 397: Chapter 397: There Is a Child Inside

The scene was pretty gruesome. From Zoe Sawyer’s vantage point, she could even see the twitching limbs of Mrs. Crowe and Clark Crowe.

’They probably weren’t dead yet, but they were close.’

And looking over, she could see through Clark Crowe’s open shirt to the hand Mrs. Crowe had used to stab him.

The wound was massive. One could only imagine the force and resolve Mrs. Crowe must have summoned to drive a knife in that deep all at once.

The police officer who had been guarding the couple hurried down from the upper floor. Seeing Zoe Sawyer and the other two standing in the hallway, he waved at them, gesturing for them to go back quickly.

In someone else’s jurisdiction, Zoe Sawyer and Heath Hale didn’t argue; they obediently went back into the room.

With staff from the embassy present, Zoe Sawyer and her companions weren’t worried about being set up by the local police department.

For the next few days, the trio was kept under guard in their room, with an escort whenever they came or went.

Meanwhile, the investigation progressed quickly.

The evidence was all there, the culprits had confessed, and the case wasn’t complex. The whole thing was adjudicated quickly.

Clark Crowe and Mrs. Crowe died on the way to the hospital after falling from the third floor. Both had their eyes wide open, as if unable to rest in peace.

It was as if they couldn’t comprehend how they had met such an end, one so completely different from what they had envisioned.

Since the entire Crowe family had been wiped out and left no will, all of their assets were passed on to Wendy Dawson.

Due to differences in inheritance laws between the two countries, Wendy Dawson, accompanied by government staff, liquidated the Crowe family’s various properties and stocks. Only after paying a hefty inheritance tax did she return to her home country with the remaining assets.

"I guess this is one way to become a young, rich widow," Wendy Dawson said, a hint of mockery in her voice as she looked at the small purse in her hand.

The Crowes had a burial plot overseas. Disgusted by their actions, Wendy Dawson simply had them buried there.

She, in turn, returned to her home country with the inheritance and jewelry.

Zoe Sawyer wasn’t sure how to respond. She put an arm around Wendy Dawson’s shoulder and asked, "Don’t dwell on it. What are you planning to do next? Go out and clear your head, or just rest at home for a while?"

"Or if you ever get bored, you can always come over and chat with me."

The recent ordeal was far too traumatic for someone like Wendy Dawson, who was used to a normal life.

Zoe was worried that Wendy might develop psychological problems if she wasn’t careful, so she wanted to clarify her plans to make it easier to check in on her from time to time.

Wendy Dawson recognized the concern hidden in Zoe’s words. She smiled at her and said, "Don’t worry. I’ll probably just wander around for a few days, and then I’m going to donate half of the money to the families of women who have died under mysterious circumstances."

"Zoe, you guys must have a way to do that, right? Help me find a reliable channel."

’Donating half could count as accumulating some good karma for the Crowes,’ she thought. ’Maybe they’ll be decent people in their next life and stop hurting innocents.’

’Based on the amount of jewelry and money she’d inherited, even after donating half, the remainder was more than enough for her to live the rest of her life in extravagance.’

Zoe Sawyer didn’t ask why. She just nodded, showing she understood.

’I’ll just ask Officer Lee for help when I get back,’ she thought. ’He should have the relevant files.’

After confirming one last time that Wendy Dawson needed no further help, the three of them waved goodbye.

It was already afternoon by the time they got back to the station.

"You’re finally back! You were under guard these last few days, so we couldn’t contact you through the door. We were worried sick," Sean Hughes said, rushing over to greet Zoe Sawyer as she walked into the office.

He continued, "We were hoping to at least get a sign that you were okay through the door embroidered on your dress."

"But for some reason, the police there acted as if they were afraid you were hiding something. They replaced all of your belongings, down to the last item, and had you under twenty-four-hour surveillance."

Zoe and Heath had no choice but to keep a low profile for a few days, making sure not to show any hint of abnormality.

As soon as Wendy Dawson settled the inheritance matters, the three of them booked the quickest flight back.

"Someone from the embassy told us it was because Heath and I were too calm. So calm that it wasn’t a normal reaction to seeing a murder scene. That’s why our surveillance became so strict," Zoe Sawyer explained with a helpless shrug.

’She never would have thought she’d become a suspect just for being too calm.’

Still, they hadn’t been involved in any of it. They were even drugged and left "unconscious" for a night, which gave them a perfect alibi.

Sean Hughes patted Zoe Sawyer’s shoulder sympathetically. "Don’t dwell on it. The important thing is that you’re back. Have you spoken to the chief?"

"Don’t worry, we went to the chief first and gave him a full report. He just told me that with the confessions from Clark Crowe and Mrs. Crowe, all those old cases that were reported but then shelved due to lack of evidence can finally be closed."

"We won’t have to face the disappointed looks from the victims’ families anymore," Zoe Sawyer added cheerfully as she sat back down at her desk, filling everyone in.

Once she was seated, Zoe Sawyer noticed that Barry Quinn and Monkey were also back at their desks.

She waved a greeting to them, but just as she was about to start on her report, her heart gave a violent lurch.

The next second, Zoe Sawyer’s head snapped up, her eyes locking onto the door.

’Are you kidding me? The last case just ended! Is another one starting already?’

The others, who had been chatting amiably just a moment before, grew serious the instant they saw Zoe’s expression.

Before they could ask what was wrong, Zoe had already shot up from her seat and strode quickly to the door.

She opened it, and the scene that filled her vision was of a black sedan parked on the roadside. The weather was scorching, the sun relentless. Pedestrians huddled in whatever shade they could find, their faces dotted with beads of sweat.

Zoe Sawyer frowned. ’Is an accident about to happen in this scene?’

’A car crash? A terrorist attack? Or some other kind of incident?’

Zoe stared intently at the scene before her, her expression grim as she tried to find what was out of place.

Soon, a frantic-looking woman came rushing over. Seeing the tightly shut car windows, she seemed to be on the verge of collapse, completely helpless.

Her hands trembled as she took out the car keys and tried to open the door.

At the same time, the woman began pounding on the window, her voice frantic. "Baby? Baby, are you awake? If you’re awake, can you make a sound for Auntie?"

But no matter how hard she banged on the window, there was no response from inside the car.

Her hands were shaking so badly from panic that she lost her grip, dropping the keys several times and struggling to pick them back up.

A nearby passerby noticed the commotion. A young woman walked over and asked, "Excuse me, what’s going on? Do you need help?"

The woman seized the young woman’s arm like a lifeline, her voice trembling.

"There’s a child inside," she stammered. "And they’re not making a sound."