Chapter 420

Chapter 420:
Brenna stared blankly at the rough bark of the tree, her voice low and bitter. “If they mess this up again… I’m done believing in them.”
Stella understood—this bitterness wasn’t new. It had been growing in Brenna for years. Knowing there was nothing more to say right now, she simply gave Brenna’s shoulder a reassuring pat and quietly made her way back toward the police station.
By the time she returned, Brenna’s grandmother had already walked the officers through everything that had happened earlier.
Surprisingly, the officers were treating the case with genuine seriousness. Years ago, Finley’s death had been dismissed as a mere accident, but in hindsight, too many things about it didn’t add up.
Now that Brenna’s grandmother had resurfaced with new concerns, and with William hinting at deeper foul play, the police had no choice but to pull the old case files from storage.
And sure enough, once they started digging, troubling inconsistencies began to emerge.
“We’ll investigate this thoroughly. Thank you for bringing it to our attention,” one of the officers said with a nod.
Watching the officers now taking things seriously, Stella glanced outside at Brenna. Maybe—just maybe—this time, the truth would finally come out.
After leaving the station, Stella made sure Brenna and her grandmother were safely settled back at the hotel before finally preparing to head home for some much-needed rest.
As she slid into the passenger seat beside William, she turned to him. “Are you heading back to the research institute?”
William checked the time on his watch, then tilted his head toward her. “It’s already six. Want to grab a bite first?”
Only then did Stella notice the hunger gnawing at her. She hadn’t eaten all day—not that she’d had the appetite earlier. “Yeah, let’s eat. I’m starving.” They ended up at a quiet little restaurant tucked into a mall, away from the usual evening crowd.
After placing their order, Stella instinctively reached for her phone, pulling up the photos she’d taken earlier to study them again.
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But William’s calm voice interrupted her thoughts. “Stop staring at those. It’s obvious someone’s trying to steer us away from this.” As he spoke, he poured her a glass of water with slow precision, like none of this rattled him in the slightest.
“You’re awfully calm about all this. Don’t you want to figure it out quickly? For your fiancée’s sake?”
She genuinely didn’t understand how he could be so composed, especially when Willow’s name was tied to the chaos.
William didn’t flinch. “I do want answers. But rushing won’t get us anywhere. It’ll just make us predictable. We need to stay patient.”
Stella pressed her lips together, reluctantly agreeing. He had a point. “So, what now?”
“We wait,” William said simply, lifting his glass to take a sip. “Wait and see who they’re trying to push us toward. What direction they want us to chase.”
“But isn’t that just wasting time?” Stella frowned. “I don’t want to be led around in circles.”
William leaned back in his seat, a trace of amusement in his eyes. “Who said we’re going to follow their lead? Let them think we are. We play along and make them believe we’ve taken the bait.”
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