Chapter 90 Murderer
On the way back, Quinley ran into Zachary.
He had just left the office and was heading to an evening business dinner. At a traffic light, he sat in his car looking out through the window and immediately spotted Quinley on the sidewalk.
She was alone, looking dejected as she walked through the crowd—a sight that tugged at his heart.
"Pull over," Zachary said to Lucas after checking his watch.
The car stopped at the next intersection. Zachary opened the door and walked back in the opposite direction toward Quinley. She didn't notice him, completely absorbed in her own world.
"Quinley." Zachary opened his arms and suddenly pulled her into an embrace.
In the bustling crowd, it felt like only the two of them existed. Quinley was startled. Looking up, she saw Zachary's brilliant eyes gazing intensely at her.
His sudden appearance brought joy to her heart.
"Mr. Jennings, what are you doing here?" Quinley wasn't used to being so intimate with Zachary in public, so she broke free from his embrace.
He didn't force it, letting go naturally. "I saw you at the intersection just now. I called you but you didn't answer, so I came to find you."
Quinley pulled out her phone and saw it was on silent mode. There was indeed a missed call from Zachary.
"Sorry, my phone was on silent. I didn't see it."
Zachary's eyes were clear. They were standing on a food street filled with the aroma of various snacks.
"I have a business dinner later, but I have half an hour to spend with you now. What would you like to eat? My treat."
He was usually too busy with work to enjoy these simple pleasures of life, but he remembered that Quinley loved these street snacks.
For a moment, she felt moved and happy, but it was only a moment before she fell back into that vicious cycle. She was that woman's substitute. His kindness to her might just be because she looked similar to that woman.
"Thanks, Mr. Jennings, but my appetite hasn't been great lately. I can't eat much."
Without thinking much, Quinley chose to decline.
Zachary's expression darkened slightly. "Then I'll bring you here to eat next time."
Next time? When would that be? Would there even be a next time?
Quinley looked up at Zachary again. He seemed no different from before. Several times she wanted to ask what exactly was going on between him and that Susan.
They walked slowly along the street. The sun was setting, casting warm light on both of them and creating long shadows on the ground.
Lucas called to urge him: "Mr. Jennings, it's almost time. You should go."
At the intersection, Zachary got into the Maybach and waved at Quinley.
"Go home early. I'll come find you when I'm free."
The car roared as it merged into traffic.
For several days after that, Zachary didn't appear again.
On this particular day, Quinley went to the hospital to get medication for Colin. While waiting in line at the pharmacy window, Mary suddenly rushed over, grabbed Quinley's arm, and screamed: "You bitch! You'll die a horrible death!"
Mary wasn't tall but was rather plump. She was used to heavy labor and had tremendous strength in her hands. To prevent Quinley from breaking free, she sat down on the ground and dragged Quinley's arm with all her might.
"Mary, what are you doing?" Quinley was slender, and Mary was practically breaking her waist.
"What am I doing? Don't you know? You've framed Ms. Parker again and again. Last time Mr. Jennings protected you, but this time you won't escape."
Mary shouted loudly, her voice attracting stares from bystanders.
"Mary, when did I ever frame Sylvia?" Quinley looked confused. She tried to shake Mary off, but Mary had her in such a grip that she couldn't break free.
"Bitch, don't try to make excuses! Ms. Parker hates you, so to seduce Mr. Jennings, you tried to kill her. Evil women like you should go to hell!"
Mary didn't answer directly but cursed Quinley like a shrew with vicious language.
Quinley was kind, but that didn't mean she was easy to bully. When Mary publicly slandered her, Quinley wouldn't tolerate such shamelessness.
A couple of years ago, she had taken classes to learn basic self-defense. She never expected to use it while working for Zachary, but today it came in handy.
She applied force with her hands and twisted in the opposite direction. Mary couldn't handle it, and Quinley broke free.
Seeing Quinley about to leave, Mary sat on the ground and started screaming nonsense.
"Catch the murderer! She killed someone! Don't let her get away!"
Quinley had underestimated Mary's level of shamelessness. With her screaming like this, confused onlookers blocked Quinley's path.
"Call the police! Someone call the police!"
People were shouting, and someone actually dialed 911.
"Whether I killed anyone or not, we'll discuss it when the police arrive." Quinley stopped talking, crossed her arms, and remained silent.
Before the police arrived, Zachary was already there. Seeing him appear, Mary tearfully grabbed his arm.
"Mr. Jennings, please go take a look! Ms. Parker was almost killed by this bitch!"
"What happened?" Zachary's face was ashen as he frowned and asked coldly.
Mary pointed at Quinley. "Just now I went to call a nurse to change Ms. Parker's medication. When I came back, I found her sneaking out of Ms. Parker's room. She disconnected Ms. Parker's oxygen and injected something into her IV!"
"You're lying!" Quinley shouted angrily. "I never went to Sylvia's room, and I never did any of those things you're accusing me of!"
Mary raised her hand and swore a vicious oath. "Mr. Jennings, I saw it clearly—it was her! If I'm lying about even one word, may I be hit by a car when I leave here!"
Zachary's dark, deep eyes calmly locked onto Quinley. "Do you have anything to say?"
Quinley's heart tightened as coldness gathered from her organs. He didn't believe in her innocence?
Quinley suddenly laughed. Between Sylvia and her, this wasn't the first time he'd chosen the former.
"Mr. Jennings, I'm not good with words and can't out-argue anyone. Why don't we let the police investigate? Whether I did it or not, I believe they'll find out with a simple check."
Zachary didn't respond. Soon the police arrived, and the group went upstairs.
Mary chattered away, telling the police what had happened. Quinley crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, frowning but remaining silent throughout.
Someone had disconnected Sylvia's oxygen and injected a large dose of sleeping medication into her IV. Fortunately, it was discovered in time, and she wasn't seriously harmed.
The hospital room returned to peace. Zachary stood by Sylvia's bedside, his tall figure casting a shadow over her from the overhead light.
He held that aged hand, his face terrifyingly grim. Soon the police returned with the surveillance footage.
Lucas followed behind the officer, his face equally dark.
"You're Quinley, right? Come with us to the police station for questioning!"
Shiny handcuffs were suddenly clamped around Quinley's wrists.