BXBX NOVEL Chapter 152 - HUGE PUZZLE
Chapter 152 - HUGE PUZZLE
"Now that we are settled, may I ask why you came here?" The nun\'s voice was soft and sweet and very reassuring. I could listen to her for hours while she spoke. "I mean, this place is a two hour drive from town and that makes me think that you came here for a very important reason." She added, her amber eyes peering through exquisite eyelashes.
She gracefully picked her teacup and brought it to her lips. Patiently, she waited for a response. Her curious eyes swept on our faces.
A momentary silence draped over the room as we observed each other.
The nun calmly sip on her tea as if she was giving us enough time to express our intention.
I took a deep breath as I constructed the words inside my thoughts before speaking them. The best thing I should do now is to tell Sister Bella Rose about the truth. She\'s a good person and she wouldn\'t judge us.
My instinct tells me that I could trust her. She\'s trustworthy not just because she\'s a disciple of god but it\'s because it\'s what my intuition had been telling me.
Also, if there\'s someone who would willingly help us to give information to help point out Angela\'s killer then it would be Sister Bella Rose. Undoubtedly, the nun would want to seek justice for Angela\'s sudden death.
St. James Orphanage was indebted to Angela, without her, the charity could have collapsed a long time ago. That would be enough reason why Sister Bella would wish to cooperate.
Sister Bella must have felt my doubts, she captured my eyes and gave me a soft and reassuring smile. The sparkle of kindness in her eyes melted my doubts instantly.
"The truth is…. We came here to ask questions about Angela…" I said at last. A heavy burden was lifted from my chest when I said the words aloud.
Sister Bella didn\'t even flinch at my admission. Even her facial expressions remained calm and composed. Perhaps she already saw it coming. Carefully, she lowered the cup to the table. "Are you by chance her friends?" Her curious gaze swept our face once more as if she\'s trying to recall if she\'d seen us before.
"We aren\'t close to hers." I honestly replied as I shook my head.
The truth is Angela has never been a friend of mine. We are not even close. We are miles and miles apart and the only thing that could define our relationship is the word \'enemy.\'
I sighed thinking that whatever happened between us was all over. Angela\'s gone. She was murdered by her mother in law. I don\'t have any hidden grudge against her. She wronged me in the past but I had forgiven her already.
I\'m not hard-hearted and I forgive people who wronged me because it\'s the only way to set myself free.
Catherine Grace cleared her throat. My gaze instantly landed to hers. She picked her tea cup and slowly lifted it to her lips.
I picked my cup on the table and drank the contents. The delicious taste of turmeric tea spread through my mouth.
After Catherine took a quick sip of her tea, she turned her gaze towards sister Bella\'s direction and looked deep into her eyes.
"We are not so close to Angela nor do we belong in her circle of friends. We could say that we are someone concerned about her death. I am Catherine Grace and I worked as a Private Investigator who\'s is helping solve Angela\'s murder case. My friend here, Phoenix, is involved with the case too. We are doing our best to seek evidence to find out who killed her and so the liable person would pay for her death. We are hoping you could help us."
Catherine was very professional. She appeared to be well experienced and she knew exactly what to say during situations like this.
Sister Bella\'s eyes fell to her cup as she lowered it on the wooden table. Sadness clouded her exquisite amber eyes. Her eyes were so expressive that she was the type which could be easily read no matter how hard she kept her emotions to herself.
"A day before Angela was stabbed to death she came here. If I knew it would be the last time I would see her alive I shouldn\'t have allowed her to leave." Her lips trembled as she spoke, tears formed in the corner of her eyes while they were filled with regrets.
"It\'s not your fault she died." I whispered gently, trying to ease the heavy weight on her chest.
I wish Samantha could feel that guilt for mercilessly killing Angela. Unfortunately, in her twisted mind she was feeling the opposite.
"But… But… If only I stopped her from leaving that day, her life would be spared." She stared at me unblinkingly, her eyes red from trying to suppress the tears.
"That could be true." I reasoned and looked deep into her eyes. "However, if you stopped her from leaving that day it would not mean she would be safe forever. Her killer would eventually find a way to dispatch her. The situation could not be helped and the culprit couldn\'t be stopped. So please stop blaming yourself."
I reached for her hand and pressed it reassuringly. Her fingers were soft and smooth and it reminded me of rose petals.
"I know it\'s not my fault but I feel so frustrated that I couldn\'t do anything to save her." She whispered, wiping the tears at the corner of her eyes.
I swallowed the lump that suddenly formed on my throat. I never liked Angela but it doesn\'t mean that I feel no sadness about her death. People naturally die but it\'s hard to accept that she died a brutal death.
To think that the culprit who mercilessly stabbed her multiple times was still on the loose was making me even more frustrated.
"By any chance, did Angela come here at the orphanage to deliver her monthly donations?"
The conversation was so intense that I almost forgot about my tea. Catherine Grace continued to sip her tea while listening to our conversation. There was a curious glow in her eyes.
"Yes, partly that\'s the reason why she came here."
"Partly?" My eyebrows scrunched in confusion.
"The main reason why she came to the orphanage that day was to hand over her son to us."
"W-whaat!?" I nearly knocked the tea cup in front of me. I blinked several times as I digested the words. The shocking news rendered me speechless for about a minute.
When my gaze shifted to Catherine, she appeared as shocked as me. She quickly lowered the cup she\'s holding in her trembling fingers before the contents could spill on her clothes.
"S-she handed over her child for adoption?" I asked, recovering a bit from shock.
Angela could definitely afford to raise her child alone and without assistance from her husband or his family. Learning that she handed her child for adoption was a shock to me. Why would she do that?
"Yes, she even said that no one should know that she brought her child to the orphanage."
"But why would Angela do that?" I said the words aloud.
I was wondering if she was trying to hide her child from someone.
Sister Bella shook her head. "I\'m sorry but that\'s the question I couldn\'t answer. It was only her who could explain that."
My shoulders fell. A deep sigh escaped my lips. The sudden revelation was making my head spin.
"Haven\'t Angela mentioned anything before she left? I mean, did her behavior appear so strange?" It was Catherine Grace leaning closer. Her eyes never once leave Bella\'s face as she calculated the nun\'s expression.
Bella took a deep breath. She fell into a momentary silence. Her eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she recalled the exact events during Angela\'s last visit.
I impatiently waited for her to speak while holding my breath.
"Honestly…. There was something odd with her at that time, she appeared paranoid and fidgety and when she opened her bag to take the money I saw a gun inside. Angela never brought any weapon with her before." Sister Bella reached for her cup and took a quick sip to calm herself. "She must be afraid that someone was following her. I want to think that Angela was trying to protect her child from someone."
So my assumption was right. She?was trying to protect her child but from whom? From his mother in law? If yes then why would Samantha harm her grandchild?
I let go a deep and exasperated sigh. Questions continue to pile up inside my head and I wonder If I will be able to stumble upon an answer.
Hopefully, Catherine and I will discover something soon that might help us with Angela\'s case. As long as Samantha is free my mind will never be at peace. I will constantly fear that I might be next on her list...