Chapter 490 May I Ask You A Favor
Jean''s thoughts were interrupted. She looked at Zed with surprise in her eyes and asked,"Am I that
stupid in your eyes?"
"No, I don''t mean that. I just thought it was nearly impossible to save Shirley from her death wish. But,
You did it. Jean, you truly are amazing!"
Zedplimented her. He was happy inside that he had sessfully changed the subject.
"I had almost given up on her. I had never imagined that she would determine herself to die. In my
mind, she loves to take advantage of others and use them in all possible ways. But today, for some
reason, I really didn''t feel good seeing her in such a state. She must have felt she had nothing left to
live for. Or else, she wouldn''t have tried tomit suicide. It''s just that..."
Jean sighed and did not finish her sentence.
"Just what?" Zed asked.
"Just that no matter what, she carried all the hopes of Joy in her life. So in this way, she has to live on
with nothing to live for. Zed, may I ask you a favor?"
Jean looked at Zed and suddenly asked after exining.
"Sure." Zed replied with a nod.
"Can we somehow put off the examination process so that Joy could dress nicely and see Shirley for
thest time before she serves her sentence?" Jean pleaded with her eyes fixed on Zed.
"I already told Ian about this." Zed replied slowly, and his tone was solemn.
Seeing Zed''s expression, Jean asked,"What''s wrong, Zed? What''s going on?"
"Joy?turned herself in at this morning, but Ian is facing a big problem," Zed told her. He looked back at
Jean and sighed.
"Big problem? What problem is it, Zed? What do you mean by that?" Jean stared nkly and
questioned him.
"Your mother''s case is more than 20 years old now. All the witnesses are lost and there''s not enough
evidence. On top of that, no one actually saw Joy poisoning your mother. Even though the case has
been filed in the court, it would be tough for Joy to receive a death penalty," he exined
and sighed again.
"You mean without eyewitnesses, we don''t have enough evidences to guarantee a death penalty. Am I
understanding you correctly?" Jean asked with a strange expression on her face.
"I''m afraid so. Even Charlie and Kate who were involved in this case didn''t witness the actual act of the
murder. Their testimonies were insufficient to sentence Joy to death." Zed exined and nodded.
"Not even with Joy''s own confession? But that doesn''t make any sense. With Joy confessing to her
own crimes, there is no need for any more evidence. She is of sound mind and body and her
confession is evidence enough." Jean was confused.
Seeing her sad expression, Zed felt terrible to have told her the truth. But he still gave her a nod.
Zed''s response hit Jean so hard that she simply closed her eyes and leaned back on the back of the
car seat.
It was hard for anyone to imagine how much time and energy she had spent on that case. It was even
harder for anyone to imagine how much courage she had rallied in order to trick Joy into confessing to
the truth.
But in the end, it had all been for nothing.
How could she face her mother now?
How could she face her grandmother?
"Jean, don''t just give up and be sad. If we try hard enough, we might still have a chance to ensure Joy
gets punished for what she has done." Zed tried tofort her. He was trying to do as much as he
could. He didn''t have the heart to see Jean torturing herself like that.
"A chance?" Jean mocked. She looked up at Zed with the tears on her face, and sadly continued,"Kate
is gone, and Charlie is missing for years. He can very well be dead now. We don''t have a chance
anymore Zed, don''t you see? Back in the days, Joy was ready to bury the truth with her. I scared her
into a confession. In fact, I had nothing that would have helped me prove something. All the clues were
gone or inconsequential.
It was Joy''s own guilt and desire of saving Shirley that brought the truth to the light. If she finds out she
won''t be sentenced to death, she would not be stupid enough to confess again in the court."
"All the clues were broken? Then, how did you find out it was her?" Zed questioned. He frowned his
brows and looked at Jean.
"Grandma was in a stable condition after the treatment that you sent her outside the country for. She
would be awake and talk to me on a few asions. It was because of her that I came to know the story
of Kate. Back then, Kate was married to a baster in the north. Joy had forced that marriage to cover up
the truth. Not long after the marriage, she was beaten to death by her husband.
She told the truth to the person who my grandma sent to look out for her before her death. When my
grandmother came to know that Joy had murdered her daughter, she couldn''t take it and went into a
asions, it was impossible for a woman as old as her to vindicate Joy.
And added to that was the fact that she could never let go of her daughter''s death and it was inside her
for all the years she lived. Every time she woke up, tears would fall down her face. After I was old
enough, she finally told me the entire story and knowing Kate''s story, I was finally able to trick Joy into
a confession," Jean exined the story behind the story now.
She had been quite resilient until now, but she couldn''t hold it anymore and started crying.
"Zed, I don''t know what''s wrong with me. On one hand, I want Joy to die more than anything.
ording to me, she deserves it for what she did to my mother. On the other hand, I was relieved
when I came to know she would still remain alive. But in that way, the justice for my mother''s death
won''t be done. How could I be relieved after that? I am such an unfilial daughter. I don''t deserve the life
my mother gave me," Jean started moping.
She was totally ming herself now.
"Jean, stop it," Zed got agitated. He freed one hand from the steering wheel to pat her on the back in
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order tofort her, and continued,"You are a kind and amazing girl, and you knew that Joy truly feels
sorry for what she has done even before she admitted to it. You don''t have a heart of stone, Jean. You
shouldn''t be so hard on yourself. Leave it to the police, and Joy is sure to get the punishment she
deserves."
"Okay," Jean replied. She nodded and continued,"You''re right. And besides, we don''t have a say in
Joy''s life. Whether she lives or dies is not our call."
"She might live, but her life would forever be under the roof of a jail," Zed told her.
"Wait! I thought you said there wasn''t enough evidence to convict her," Jean asked. She looked at Zed
with surprise.
"You heard me right. The evidences we have are not enough to put Joy on the death penalty, but it is
enough to convince a jury into a life sentence," Zed exined.
"That being the case, I think I can safely say that I won''t feel so guilty with my mother for that. I can live
with that." Jean looked happy to hear this. She took a breath and her face finally softened.
"Silly girl!" Zed teased her. He gently rubbed her hair and continued,"It was your kind heart that was
happy for Joy to be alive. But Jean, you should be careful. Otherwise people might take advantage of
your kindness and softness."
"Take advantage of me?" said Jean. She smiled through her tears, and continued,"Impossible. It''s you
who I am married to. You would never let it happen!"
"Oh you, what am I going to do with you? One moment, you were crying like a baby. And the next, you
are joking," Zed replied in fake exasperation. After a moment, he continued in a softer tone,"Anyway,
let''s get home and fresh up. And wipe your tears, silly, or else, we''ll have to deal with the pile of
questions my mother is going to nervously ask after seeing them."
"Will do," Jean nodded. She immediately wiped her face by her hands. It was only then that she saw
the tissue Zed had passed to her. She felt shy and stuck her tongue out.
Zed groaned and took it back. But beneath his spurious tiredness was hidden his concern for Jean.