Chapter 379: "She’s in the Small Room on the Top Floor.
Chapter 379: Chapter 379: "She’s in the Small Room on the Top Floor.
Uncle Shepherd looked instantly shocked when he heard what Marmalade said. "This... is this for real?"
"It’s real!" Marmalade nodded solemnly. "Absolutely true! My uncles are on their way over right now."
Uncle Shepherd grew angry as well. "How could your dad do this? What was he thinking!"
Marmalade pleaded, "Uncle Shepherd, my mom poured her heart and soul into this house. She spent most of her life here. Please, I’m begging you, don’t sell it yet."
"Okay!" Uncle Shepherd agreed at once. "I won’t sell it! I’ll keep it for you!"
"Thank you, Uncle Shepherd!" Marmalade bowed gratefully.
Uncle Shepherd quickly helped her up. "Jolie, if there’s anything I can do to help, you just say the word. I’ll do it."
"Okay. I’ll be going then, Uncle." Marmalade left for home with her friends.
She had moved here when she was in kindergarten. Back then, the house had no decent furniture; Lily Crowe had added everything later, piece by piece.
Traces of her mother’s life were everywhere in the house.
Marmalade walked into the kitchen, and for a moment, it was as if she could see her mother in an apron, busying herself at the stove.
"My beautiful mom." She drew closer, only to realize it was all in her head.
Her beautiful mom was never coming back.
This was all Bruno Lawson’s fault.
’How could he be so cruel...’
Marmalade stared at the knife block on the counter, her temples throbbing. For a split second, she had the urge to hack Bruno Lawson to death and send him to the underworld to apologize to her mother.
**
Night fell like a giant bolt of satin, shrouding the entire city.
Renee Jennings sat on her rocking chair, gazing up at the pitch-black night sky, a deep sorrow etched on her face.
’Sherry, where are you?’
The lights of the Criminal Investigation Division burned brightly. Everyone wore grim expressions, their brows furrowed in concentration.
It had been over thirty hours since Sherry Zane’s disappearance.
The longer it took, the more tense the situation became.
They had cracked Sherry Zane’s phone password, only to find she had wiped her chat history clean.
The forensics team was trying to recover the data, but the chances were slim.
After listening to Henry Stark’s report, Quentin Lowell frowned. "Still no word from Renee?"
Henry Stark shook his head.
Quentin Lowell sighed softly. "Keep watching the surveillance footage. Expand the search area, and don’t miss any potential locations."
"Understood." Henry Stark left the office, his handsome face grave as he glanced at his watch.
As the seconds ticked by, Sherry Zane’s parents called again, asking for any news of their daughter’s whereabouts.
"Mr. and Mrs. Zane, I understand how you feel..." Kyle Morgan patiently tried to soothe the family’s emotions.
At 9:57 PM, Henry Stark’s phone suddenly rang.
He saw the caller ID and answered immediately. "Renee."
"Mary and the others found Sherry Zane." Renee Jennings spoke quickly as she hurried to the parking lot. "Mary said Sherry moved to another location. The man said he wants to test her..."
She got into the driver’s seat, put the call on speaker, and continued while buckling her seatbelt, "...to test if she truly loves him, if she can overcome her fear and risk everything for him."
Renee started the car, her normally pleasant voice laced with gravity. "To see if she’s willing to sacrifice her own life."
"Share your location. I’m bringing a team over right now," Henry Stark said sharply. "We’ve got a lead! Kai, Kian Cole!"
"Roger!" Kyle Morgan and Zachary Conway responded in unison.
Renee shared the location to their group chat.
Henry Stark’s voice was low. "Is that person trying to force Sherry Zane to kill herself?"
"I think so," Renee said. "He said on the phone that in twenty minutes, he’ll call Sherry Zane and tell her to follow his instructions."
Her brow furrowed. "I’m not sure how much time we have left. I just have to get there as fast as I can."
"Alright." Henry Stark stared at the road ahead, his tone firm. "As long as it’s safe, you have permission to speed and run red lights. I’ll handle the consequences."
"Understood." With his approval, Renee slammed the gas pedal to the floor.
She didn’t hang up, simply placing the phone on the passenger seat.
Mary nudged the phone slightly and explained, "Renee, I didn’t mean to let you know so late. It was already late when I found out."
"I know." Renee glanced over at her quickly, deliberately softening her tone. "Mary, we’re very grateful for your help. We don’t blame you at all."
"Oh, good!" Mary breathed a sigh of relief. "That’s a relief!"
Renee then asked, "How did you find her?"
Mary replied, "I didn’t find her. Two crows saw the human girl and were chattering about it with their flock. A friend of mine happened to overhear them."
"I see."
"Yeah. When I went to confirm the location, I saw the human girl on the phone. I came straight to you without a second thought."
"Mary, you did great." Renee wanted to free a hand to pat the little one’s head, but she was driving too fast and didn’t dare let go of the wheel.
"We’re almost there!" Mary stared at the road ahead and warned, "Renee, the roads in there are really narrow. You’ll have to park outside."
"Got it." Renee parked on the side of the road, grabbed her phone, and sprinted after Mary.
"We’re almost there, too," Henry Stark said softly over the phone.
"Okay." Renee was panting as she ran through the alleys of the urban village.
Hearing her ragged breaths, Henry Stark added worriedly, "Be careful."
"Understood," Renee replied in a low voice. She only started to slow down when Mary told her they were close.
Sherry Zane was being held in a dilapidated residential building in the urban village.
Mary said, "She’s in a small room on the top floor."
The building was nine stories high.
Renee switched her phone off speaker, relayed the situation, and said, "I’m heading up first."
"Be extremely careful," Henry Stark urged.
"Okay." Renee hurried up the stairs.
At that same moment, in a dark little room on the top floor, a dim lightbulb was on, and in the corner, a phone screen lit up.
Sherry Zane clutched her phone, her body trembling uncontrollably.
She pressed the phone to her ear and whispered, "I... I can prove it to you right now."
A man’s voice, full of amusement, came through the receiver. "Sherry, you’re so brave. You’re the bravest girl I’ve ever met. I like you so, so much."
"Really?" Sherry Zane asked, overjoyed. "Does that mean I can see you tonight?"
"Of course," the man chuckled. "We can meet tonight. As long as you do what I say, not only will we meet, but we’ll also never be apart again."
"That’s wonderful!" A look of adoration filled Sherry Zane’s eyes. "I can be with you forever!"
"That’s right," the man coaxed. "Sherry, push the door open now. I’ll be waiting for you right outside."
"Okay." Sherry Zane scrambled up from the floor, did as she was told, and walked out the door.