Jimmy had nothing to say. The pain in his throat was sharp, like a row of needles.
Herbert asked again, “Why didn’t you come when I sent you a distress message? Why did you wait until everything was settled before coming?”
Jimmy was speechless by the child’s questions.
He stared into the child’s despairing eyes and felt guilty.
“I’m sorry, child. I’m sorry.”
Herbert heard Jimmy apologize and suddenly chuckled. His laughter made Jimmy feel strange.
“What’s wrong?” Jimmy was confused.
Herbert said, “I’m the one who killed Robert. That weak and useless woman doesn’t have the ability!” Herbert was despairing of the world. He didn’t want to live anymore. He had deliberately told Jimmy the truth because he wanted to be punished.
“I didn’t just kill Robert. I buried those who died. I stood by while Robert dissected them.” Herbert smiled coldly. He said, “I’m an accessory. You should take me away. That woman is innocent.”
That woman was so timid. If she went to prison, would she survive?
Herbert was worried about this.
Jimmy’s expression changed drastically.
In his heart, Jimmy actually believed Herbert’s confession, because he had seen the child’s footprints in the pool of blood in the stairwell. Even though that footprint had been destroyed by Xiao Meng, Jimmy had still found it. At that time, he had been puzzled. If Herbert had been imprisoned in the basement, how could his footprints be upstairs?
If what Herbert said was true, it would explain all the doubts.
For a moment, two years flashed across Jimmy’s mind. Should he tell the truth? Or should he pretend not to know?
There was no one else in the basement. Clarice was also brought upstairs.
Jimmy thought of the distress signal on the corner of his shirt and the relieved expression on Xiao Meng’s face when she was taken away. He looked down and stared deeply into Herbert’s face. After a long silence, Jimmy suddenly said to Herbert, “Little Herbert, don’t talk nonsense. You’re so young. How can you kill someone?”
“In fact, your mother killed Robert because Robert hurt you and wanted to kill your friend.”
Herbert’s eyes flashed. He said nothing more.
“Oh right, are you injured?” With that, Jimmy went to check Zhuang Long’s body. When he unintentionally touched Zhuang Long’s chest, he realized that Zhuang Long had dodged uncomfortably.
Jimmy’s eyes flashed as he forced open Herbert’s shirt.
Jimmy’s heart ached when he saw the shocking scar on Herbert’s chest. There were already bruises of all sizes on his back and abdomen. He scolded Robert for being a beast. Jimmy hugged Herbert and carried him out of the basement.
“This child needs to go to the hospital for a checkup!”
Jimmy asked his superior for permission and got into the police car with Herbert.
Clarice was surrounded by Julia, the butler, and the family elders who had rushed over from New York. They asked after her. Clarice told them she was fine, and when she saw Jimmy help Herbert out, Clarice wanted to get close to him.
Herbert saw it and subconsciously wanted to speed up.
He was avoiding Clarice.
Clarice stood staring at Herbert’s thin back, frowning.
Jimmy opened the door of the police car and Herbert got in. As the car drove away, he suddenly looked at Clarice. Clarice shouted at him, “Herbert, where are you going? Will you be back?”
The window beside Herbert did not close. He stared at Clarice and his lips moved slightly.
Clarice widened her eyes and stared at his lips carefully. She imitated the shape of Herbert’s lips and realized that he was saying—
Sorry.
Clarice suddenly rubbed her eyes.
“Idiot!”
You didn’t want to harm me! You clearly saved me!
The police evacuated the town just before dawn.
However, when the police left, they could not take away the gossip. When Clarice returned to the villa and saw the servants packing the rubbish, she thought of something and quickly ran to open a rubbish bag.
Fortunately, the photo had not been thrown away.
Clarice held the photo but did not have the courage to turn it over.
The next day, the mayor of the town, Allen, personally sent over the necklace and apologized solemnly to Clarice. Clarice had gone missing in his shop. No matter what, he was responsible for it. Clarice accepted his apology. In the end, Allen did not collect the production fees for the necklace and gave it to Julia.
Julia’s skin was fair, and she looked especially beautiful in the purple pearl shell necklace.
Julia turned a few slow circles in front of Clarice and stopped. “Does it look good?” she asked Clarice.
Clarice stared at the necklace around her sister’s neck and was stunned. “It looks good,” she said. How could it not look good? It had taken Herbert a few mornings to find the shell.
Clarice returned to her room and saw the photos. She hesitated for a long time before opening the photos. Behind the photo, Clarice saw a sentence—
Leave this place. The demon is targeting you. Don’t come looking for me again.
Clarice stared at the row of words and did not react for a long time. For some reason, she suddenly cried.
“Idiot! Idiot!”
…
Although Robert was dead, the sins he had committed would not disappear. All the property of the couple had been confiscated, including the house. Xiao Meng was sentenced to 28 years in prison. For a moment, Herbert became a homeless orphan. He was finally sent to an orphanage.
Clarice heard about this and visited Herbert at the orphanage before returning to New York.
He was still as cold as ever. He sat alone under the tree and pretended not to see Clarice standing outside the iron fence. He looked away especially coldly.
Clarice knew that he remembered her. He was deliberately pretending not to see her. Clarice stared at him for a long time before turning to leave.
As soon as she turned around, Herbert looked at her quietly.
He could not be friends with her. He almost killed her…
When Clarice left California, she asked Kevin to stay. She asked him to keep an eye out for news of Herbert. Not long after, she heard from Kevin that the director of the orphanage was a violent man who liked to beat people up. Apparently, he had even beaten a child to death.
Due to his personality, Herbert was always hungry. Sometimes, he could not help but steal some food and was often beaten up by the hospital director.
Clarice’s heart ached. She knew a couple who were quite rich, but they had not had children for many years.
