Chapter 120


    RAVEL


    PRESENT TIME


    Hazel, with a tired look in her eyes, deftly ced the call on speaker mode, ensuring that all of us could


    partake in what Rigger had to reveal about David. The suspense hung in the air, and even the


    seasoned detective seemed to share my anticipation, eager to unearth the enigmatic secrets that the


    conniving scoundrel had so skillfully hidden away. Rigger, a renowned investigator in his own right, may


    not have quite reached the legendary status of Sabestine, but his reputation. assured me that he was


    more than capable of delving into the depths of David’s life, uncovering those elusive details that


    remained concealed to the naked eye.


    With a respectful and somewhat somber tone, Rigger began, “Good evening, ma’am,” his words


    carrying a genuine weight of empathy. “Before I embark on this journey of discovery, I’d like to extend


    my deepest sympathies to you for the tragic ordeal your daughter has endured.” His heartfelt


    condolences served as a reminder of the gravity of the situation we were all entangled in.


    Hazel’s reaction to Rigger’s empathy was obvious; she physically tensed, her knuckles whitening as


    she gripped the edge of the sofa. Sensing the need to maintain focus and urgency, I quickly intervened,


    my voice edged with impatience, urging Rigger to cut through the pleasantries and get straight to the


    heart of the matter.


    “Let’s not dwell on sympathy, Rigger,” I insisted firmly, “It won’t help us find our daughter or bring her


    home. Please, just tell us why you called.”


    Rigger, recognizing my voice instantly, responded with an apologetic tone, “Mr. Southwark, I apologize


    if my words made you and Ms. cks ufortable. That was never my intention.”


    My impatience boiled over as I snapped, “No more apologies. Just get to the point. We were in the


    middle of something important before you called, and Hazel isn’t in the right frame of mind for a


    prolonged conversation.”


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    -Acknowledging the urgency, Rigger apologized once more before unveiling the purpose of his call, his


    voice filled with a


    sense of gravity, “I understand, Mr. Southwark. Now, regarding the information you asked me to


    confirm: You were indeed correct. Monica did have a daughter, who is currently eighteen years old.


    However, there’s a troubling twist to this story. That young woman vanished without a trace three long


    years ago, with no trace”.


    Hazel’s fingers interlocked, her brow furrowing deeply in concern as she sought more details.


    “Disappeared how?” she inquired with a mixture of anxiety and confusion.


    Rigger proceeded to provide further details, painting a perplexing picture of the young woman’s


    vanishing act. “She simply stopped showing up to work, and remarkably, no one, not her neighbors, nor


    herndlord, had any inkling of her whereabouts. Friends close to the missing girl, a youngdy named


    Delh, became increasingly concerned and decided to pay Monica a visit in an attempt to uncover the


    truth behind her disappearance.”


    Rigger continued, “Monica’s response to their inquiry only deepened the mystery. She imed that her


    daughter had left for a nunnery school in Ennd, with the intention of bing a nun after


    completing the program. Since Delh’s mother hadn’t dered her as missing, there was no legal


    basis to initiate a missing person case, and the matter eventually faded away. To this day, no one has


    laid eyes on her.”


    Puzzled by this exnation, I couldn’t help but voice my confusion, “Is Monica perhaps ashamed that


    her daughter chose to be a nun? It’s hard toprehend the motivation behind such a drastic


    vanishing act.”


    “That doesn’t make sense, and it doesn’t seem like something Monica will do. But why deny her


    existence?” Hazel asked, more to herself than her.


    “That’s not all.” Rigger chimed in. “I went in search of the nunnery school she imed Delh went for,


    but I found out that there is no one like in that school. No one has seen or heard of her.”


    That’s absurd. “Then what happened to her if she isn’t at the nunnery?” I asked.


    Hazel’s eyes widened as though a stray thought crossed her mind. “Do you think she killed her? Maybe


    it was an ident,


    and she buried her and then lied about the nunnery to cover it up?”


    “That I do not know, nor did I look into it. You only told me to find out if Monica really did have a female


    child, which I did.”


    He’s right. I’ll have to pay him extra if I want him to do more work. “What about David? anything about


    him that we need to know?”


    “I’m not done with Monica.” He replied calmly yet respectfully. “Monica moved to Seattle three years


    ago, one week after her daughter’s disappearance, and there were no traces of her having a male child


    in the past.”


    Hazel’s eyes widened. “Are you saying David is not her son? I remember she mentioned something


    like that in the hospital after her fall, but I ruled it out as the side effect of aesthetic.”


    “What I’m saying is that there is no record of her giving birth to a son. If she lied about her daughter,


    then there is a possibility she is also lying about her son.”


    Hazel sighed heavily. “Don’t worry about that, I’ll handle it myself.” She stated and I almost


    reprimanded her for opting to do something that she doesn’t know the level of danger attached to it, but


    I bit my lips. If I’m going to reprimand her, it won’t be in public.


    “Moving to David,” Rigger continued, “I found out that he moved to Seattle three ago too,” That was the


    exact year Hazel moved to Seattle too. “And he used to reside in New York before his sudden


    relocation.”


    Hazel’s brows jumped to her hairline. “David once lived in New York? He never told me that.”


    Rigger hummed in agreement with his earlier statement. “He lived in New York for five years before


    moving to Seattle, but before his life in New York, he stayed in Ohio, Damariscotta, Maine, Pe Iowa,


    West Virginia, andstly, New Hampshire. In all these towns that I mentioned, each of them, He had a


    girlfriend, and they either went missing or turned up dead in their apartment. Cause of death was


    always ruled as suicide.”


    The detective in the room with us cursed under his breath at the same time as Hazel. “This isn’t a small


    case we have here.”


    Rigger paused. “Who was that?”


    “The detective in charge of my daughter’s case,” I responded on behalf of Hazel who is obviously still in


    shock. “He was investigating David’s connection to the case and I figured he should just listen so he


    can know the kind of person David really is.”


    “The information I am rying to Ms. Hazel is an illegal collection of data,” Rigger pointed out, “nobody


    should call me to testify in any court or make any statement, cause I’m not doing that.”


    “That isn’t a problem,” the detective assured him, “I have no ns ofplicating you in any way. Just


    carry on with your findings.”


    “Are you sure the death of his previous girlfriend isn’t just a coincidence?” Hazel asked in a hushed


    tone, still living in denial over what she just heard. “David isn’t looking like someone who is capable of


    murder.”


    “It isn’t written on the face.” I don’t know why she is trying to defend him, but one thing is certain, she is


    going to stay away from him until all this is figured out. “I am doubling your security until David is either


    arrested or cleared.”


    Rigger cleared his throat again, demanding for our attention. “Lastly, he went to two art schools in


    Seattle but the other one was just two months programs.”


    “Wait!” Hazel called out, “Why was he taking another art ss?”


    “To enhance his abilities as an artist?” Rigger suggested. His tone showed that he wasn’t certain of his


    words either.


    She licked her lips. “Did he ever work at any hospital where he painted artworks for the obstetric


    ward?” Hazel asked impatiently.


    “If I didn’t find anything like that, that means it never happened. David has never worked for a hospital


    and he knew nothing major about art until he started taking extra sses for it.”


    Hazel’s lips trembled. “Thank you, Rigger.” She pointed out, “Is there any other thing to uncover about


    him?”


    “That’s all for now.”


    Hazel nodded. “Alright then, I’ll have to speak with youter.” She disconnected the call before


    chucking the phone on the sofa. “As you can see detective, David is more wild than we give him credit


    for.”


    “This is a dangerous case,” the detective replied. “And I’d advise you stay away from that family for a


    while.”


    I can’t agree with him more..


    “How about you focus on finding my daughter while I focus on my things.” Hazel deadpanned.