Chapter 105: Edgar's Reminder
The prying gaze disappeared.
Was it just my imagination? Maybe just a passerby.
I looked down at Brenda at my feet, recorded a ten-second video and sent it to the family group chat, then decided to wrap this up quickly.
"Why did you come to Starstream City?" I asked.
"There are more opportunities here!" Brenda explained hastily, afraid that if she spoke too slowly, she'd never get another chance to talk.
"Everyone in Dawnharbor thinks highly of Starstream City! They say it'll become the next Dawnharbor! It's not just me—lots of people want to come!"
"Really?" I said, my tone rising. When did Starstream City become so popular?
"Who's spreading these rumors?"
Brenda thought for a few seconds. I pressed down harder with my foot, and she immediately screamed, "The Valeri family! The Gambino family!"
She rattled off several more mob family names, like she was reciting a list.
"Alright, besides that, any other reasons?" I continued.
"I heard that Gale is here," Brenda answered quietly.
I laughed coldly. "What? You think if you cry a little and act cute, Gale will forgive you?"
"Why shouldn't he forgive me?" Brenda tried to lift her head. "I didn't want to be engaged to him! He's cold all the time, always with that poker face, like I owe him money. Acting all devoted, thinking he treated me so well—ridiculous! I gave him the best years of my youth. I was his first woman. Why can't he forgive me?"
"Your family proposed the engagement. Your parents chose you for the business alliance! You could have refused if you didn't want it. You enjoyed the money and status Gale gave you, then betrayed him!" My voice turned ice-cold. "You don't deserve forgiveness!"
I lifted my foot. Brenda immediately crawled to the side, quickly got up and tried to run.
I laughed coldly. Cole grabbed Brenda by the back of her collar, dragged her back like a sack of potatoes, and threw her at my feet.
"Tie her up, throw her in an empty car, and set it on fire."
I looked down at the disheveled Brenda. She liked red lipstick, but now her makeup was smeared, both cheeks streaked with red, making her mouth look twice as big, like some man-eating monster. Her eyes were full of hatred and fear.
"Whether you can escape depends on your skills," I said with a slight smile.
"No, no!" Brenda screamed as Adrian grabbed her by the hair. "I know people from the Thornfield family! They're coming right now! If you don't want to offend them, let me go immediately!"
"Really? When are they coming? Should I wait for them before lighting the fire?" I asked casually.
Unexpectedly, I actually heard the sound of wheels behind me.
I turned around and saw a police car. After entering the parking lot, it slowed down and drove straight toward us.
Brenda recognized the person in the driver's seat and was overjoyed. "He's here! Isabella, I suggest you let me go right now!"
I raised an eyebrow and gave Adrian a look. Adrian released Brenda.
Brenda quickly straightened her messy collar and hair, then pulled out a mirror. Seeing her face, she was startled and hurriedly rummaged through her bag for a compact to touch up her makeup.
Adrian beside her looked speechless.
The police car stopped. The man driving got out. Brenda went up to him, but he didn't even glance at her, walking quickly toward me instead.
Seeing blood on the ground, he asked with concern, "Ms. Sorelli, what happened?"
"Catching a liar." I pointed at Brenda and asked with a smile, "What brings you here?"
"I was also tricked by a liar." This man was Edgar! He glanced at the stunned Brenda. "Melissa from the Thornfield family asked me to protect her friend."
"So are you going to protect her?" I continued asking.
Brenda had snapped out of it. Hearing our conversation, she quickly said, "If something happens to me, Melissa won't let you off!"
Edgar curled his lip disdainfully. "Melissa has no authority to order me to do anything. I was just passing by to take a look."
I was very satisfied with this answer.
"Shall we continue then?" I looked at Brenda with a smile.
"No, no." Brenda shook her head repeatedly, slumping to the ground and backing away. "Don't come closer, let me go! I was wrong! I shouldn't have betrayed Gale!"
So what if she apologized and regretted it? I wouldn't soften because of some crocodile tears.
Brenda was tied up, gagged, and locked in an empty car.
The window was left open a 2-inch crack. Adrian lit a cigarette and tossed it into the car. What would happen next depended on Brenda's luck.
After leaving the parking lot, Edgar invited me, "There's a restaurant nearby. Want to sit for a bit?"
I nodded.
At the restaurant, I flipped through the menu and said to Edgar in a relaxed manner, "Order whatever you want, my treat. I haven't thanked you yet for tipping me off last time in Dawnharbor."
"Just a small thing." Edgar spread his arms over the back of his chair, looking exhausted and somewhat haggard.
"What's wrong? Been busy lately?" I asked, guessing he had something to tell me.
"The upper and lower parts of a body found at Platinum Haven Hotel and Northern District before—is there any follow-up to that?" Edgar asked tentatively.
He was talking about Santos's death.
"No follow-up. Why?" I asked.
Edgar looked serious, his expression complicated as he looked at me. "The deceased was one of Mr. Valeri's men, right? The body was transferred to the police station. After the coroner pieced the dismembered body together, they found a part was missing."
My attention shifted from the menu to his words. "What do you mean 'a part was missing'?"
Edgar explained, "We initially thought we hadn't collected all the pieces, but after re-examining both dump sites, we found it unlikely that pieces were left behind. Half an ear was missing, one finger, and nine patches of skin from the chest, back, buttocks, and thighs—all irregularly shaped."
I frowned, very confused.
Earlier, I'd glanced at Santos's condition on Gale's phone. The body was clothed, so this was the first I'd heard of missing skin.
"Our investigation found that all the parts removed from Santos's body had scars. The killer seems to have a special collecting fetish," Edgar said. "I think I need to warn you—be careful lately. It seems a super twisted serial killer has come to Starstream City."
I couldn't help but be taken aback.
Lately, there seemed to be quite a few people warning me to be careful.
And since the dump sites were Platinum Haven Hotel and Northern District, it was the killer's warning to the Sorelli family and Lucas. That's what Gale had said before too.
But as far as I knew, Santos should have been following Amelia before the incident. Could this killer be connected to Amelia?