Back home packing my things, I suddenly received several videos and audio files.
When I finished watching, a chill spread through me.
Blazing with anger, I called Richard again and again.
After a dozen rings, he finally answered—over the splash of water and breathy laughter.
My questions sank without a trace.
Moments later, Richard’s hoarse whisper came:
“Baby, you’re getting better at this…”
“Richard, be gentle… I thought we were done for today. I was scared we’d end up as doomed lovers…”
“Idiot. Together, we’re unstoppable—how could anything go wrong?”
“Olivia’s dad was tough, that’s all. Wouldn’t die from a beating—had to burn him to finish the job. Those families were so stupid—easy to manipulate! All told, we made a tidy profit!”
Calling a man killed by his own son “tough”?
Richard’s cold-bloodedness froze me to the bone.
It also confirmed the recordings were real.
That beast had sold out his own father.
Otherwise, he’d have realized by now who the dead man was.
Right after I hung up, a strange number rang.
“Ms. Scott, did you see what I sent? Mr. Johnson said he wanted to ‘make full use’ of your father-in-law. Please call the Police Department—but don’t say the evidence came from me. I don’t want to die…”
Lucy had already been fired; risking herself to send me evidence was more than enough. I wouldn’t drag her further into this.
I’d thank her properly when all this was over.
I called the police at once to trace George’s remains.
A night passed with no news.
I went with the officers to confront Richard. He insisted the body had already been cremated and even produced an urn to fob me off.
I refused to take it and stared him down, word by word:
“Richard, do you think it’s fun to deceive me? To desecrate your own father’s remains? Do you know how many crimes you’ve racked up?”
Enraged, Richard smashed the urn on the floor.
“Olivia! I kindly took care of your father’s funeral, and this is how you repay me?”
He stormed out.
With no remains located, the police could only pause the case.
I pulled strings and finally tracked the route of a black mortuary van that left the Company’s underground garage that day.
Surveillance showed it ultimately arrived at an unlicensed private Crematorium in a neighboring city.
Acrid incense smoke choked the hallway.
Richard, arm around Bella’s waist, grinned from ear to ear.