Chapter 68: The Warning

Kate approached him, her fingers lightly holding the phone as she turned it toward Shawn. The image on the screen was unsettling, the same image that had haunted them all for days.

"Take a look at this photo," Kate said, her voice calm but with an edge of urgency. "Did you or any member of your family find this type of paper in your house or car?"

She was showing him the warning letter that the killer had placed in Ryder's car, a drawing so distinct, so bizarre, that it stood out like a macabre signature.

Shawn took the phone from her, his eyes narrowing as he studied the photo. "Show me," Ella requested softly, glancing at Shawn with a worried expression.

Shawn held the phone out to her, and Ella's gaze locked onto the image. She blinked in recognition, her voice steady despite the chaos in the room. "Shawn, this is the same drawing we found in a sealed envelope in the swimming pool."

Shawn studied the photo once more, his face darkening. "Yes, it’s identical to that paper," he confirmed with a slow, deliberate nod, his hands trembling slightly as he returned the phone to Kate.

Kate's brow furrowed in thought, pressing on with the line of questioning. "What did you find in the swimming pool?"

Shawn shifted uncomfortably, the memory of the strange discovery still fresh in his mind. "A few days ago, Sasha found a paper in the swimming pool, sealed in a waterproof envelope. She brought it to me, asking what it was. But I had no idea where it came from, or who had drawn those strange symbols on it.

Sasha took the envelope to her room. Then, two days later, I found another similar sealed paper in the pool. This time, I asked the house help about it, but she claimed she knew nothing."

Kate exchanged a glance with Jason, her brow furrowing deeper. "But why are you asking about that paper? And how did you know we found it in our house?"

Ella’s voice, filled with both concern and suspicion, followed Kate’s question. "Yes, how did you know?"

Jason’s expression shifted as he stepped forward, his voice cutting through the tension. "Mrs. Ella, that paper is a trademark of a killer. He sends it to someone he intends to abduct."

Shawn’s face paled, his breath catching as his eyes widened in horror. "Are you saying that some killer has abducted my Sasha?" His voice trembled, rising with the weight of fear and disbelief.

"It appears so," Jason replied, his words heavy with grim certainty.

Shawn’s body stiffened, his hands balling into fists at his sides. "Tell me that the blood in the room is not Sasha's, and that she’s still alive," he pleaded, his voice cracking as his eyes darted between Jason and Kate.

Kate’s expression softened, her eyes filled with empathy as she stepped closer to Shawn. "I'm certain your daughter is alive. The killer wouldn’t have killed her. We’re doing everything we can to get her back from his clutches."

"And what about this blood?" Shawn pressed, his voice desperate, his hands shaking as he gripped the edge of the table.

"The forensic report will tell us whose blood it is," Jason replied, his tone calm but unyielding. "But I believe the killer splattered the blood around the room just to make the crime scene appear more horrific and satisfy his twisted mentality."

Shawn's eyes filled with frustration and helplessness, his hands trembling more with each word. "My daughter—what have you done to her?" His voice was barely a whisper, the anguish too much to bear.

"Mr. Shawn, we need to review the CCTV footage from your house and investigate your household staff and driver," Jason explained, his voice steady but firm.

"The kidnapper entered your house and took Sasha. Someone from inside could be involved, or at the very least, might have seen something suspicious."

Shawn’s shoulders slumped in defeat. "My manager will provide all the CCTV recordings to your team. And my driver and household staff are also available. You can investigate them. But please," his voice cracked, tears welling up in his eyes, "bring back my daughter. She’s my only child. I cannot bear to live without her."

Kate’s heart tightened at the sight of his anguish, but she gave a firm nod. "We will," she said, her voice steady and reassuring. "We will do everything we can."

With that, Jason turned to leave, heading toward the living room where he intended to inspect the other rooms of the house and speak to the household staff personally.

Meanwhile, Kate stepped out onto the lawn, her boots crunching softly against the gravel path as she made her way toward the swimming pool. The house, perched near the ocean, had a large, sparkling swimming pool that gleamed in the afternoon light, its crystal-clear waters almost deceptively calm.

Kate paused beside the pool, her gaze wandering over the still surface, the unsettling thoughts racing in her mind. "The house is near the ocean and has a big swimming pool... And the killer placed the warning letter in the swimming pool," she muttered to herself, observing the tranquil waters, which belied the horror that had unfolded.

She leaned forward slightly, noting the high boundary wall surrounding the property. It was easy enough for anyone to scale the wall and toss a letter into the pool. But how had the killer managed to get inside the house? More importantly, how had Sasha been taken without anyone noticing?

As the sun dipped lower, casting long shadows over the pool area, Kate's mind churned with possibilities, but nothing made sense. Jason was still inside, busy questioning the driver and housemaid, leaving her with some breathing room to think.

Seizing the moment, Kate pulled out her phone and sent the photo of the Rubaiyat quatrains to Aussie. The quatrains had been troubling her, their cryptic nature hinting at something deeper, something more sinister.

She quickly typed a message: "Translate these quatrains and send me their English translation."

With the message sent, Kate glanced around the pool area once more, her mind grappling with the growing uncertainty. With each passing day, the case seemed to slip further from her grasp. The killer was always one step ahead, and Kate knew she was still far from finding him.

"I will find you," she muttered under her breath, her voice barely a whisper against the wind that stirred the trees around her. "And when I do, I’ll ask you why you killed my parents, why you took all those innocent lives."

Her resolve hardened as she pulled out her phone once more and dialed Rodrick’s number. She needed to keep him in the loop. The incident with Sasha Paula’s kidnapping was now their primary focus, and she couldn’t afford to keep him in the dark any longer.

The line rang, but her mind was already working ahead. As the phone clicked and Rodrick’s voice filled her ear, Kate prepared to share everything she knew about the kidnapping—the details, the warnings, the bloodshed—and the shadow of the killer who seemed to be one step closer to his ultimate goal.