Chapter 65 Matthew's Death

Chapter 65 Matthew's Death
Ashley's POV

"It has to be Julio! He's a monster who won't even spare his own child!" James stood beside me.

I couldn't stop the tears streaming down my face. All I wanted was to see Matthew again. He was already so timid, always hiding behind me whenever strangers came around. I couldn't bear to imagine what he was going through right now, facing two dangerous kidnappers all alone.

"There's no evidence pointing to Julio yet. The perpetrator might not be him," Morrison said, maintaining his calm demeanor.

James disagreed and shot back loudly, "Who else would do something like this besides Julio?"

"If it is Julio, what's his motive? To make Ashley give in? But he hasn't made any demands. To kill Matthew? Why would he kill Matthew? What would he gain from that?"

"He just wants to see Ashley suffer! He's a psychopath. Since when do killers need reasons?"

Their argument was giving me a headache. I interrupted them.

"I don't care whether Julio is behind this or not. Right now I just want to find Matthew! Once we catch those two kidnappers, we'll definitely know who's pulling the strings."

James patted my shoulder and kissed the top of my head. "Ashley, we will find Matthew. I'll stay by your side the whole time."

His words helped me relax a little. He was my closest family member, the force that had supported me and helped get my life back on track these past three years.

After we arrived at the police station, James went to give his statement while Morrison went to pull surveillance footage from various street cameras. I could only follow behind Morrison, praying for progress.

Sure enough, the surveillance camera at the supermarket intersection captured a red Chevrolet that appeared during the time frame when Matthew went missing.

"This car must be the one that took Matthew away."

I grabbed Morrison's uniform sleeve. I knew I must look like a madwoman, but no mother could stay composed and elegant after losing her child.

"Morrison, check this car! Quickly! Please!"

"Ashley, don't worry. I'll do everything I can to help you."

He helped me up as I was about to collapse and found me a chair to sit on.

"You can watch the surveillance footage from here. Just sit right here."

I stared at Morrison, watching him direct other officers to track that red Chevrolet. Morrison was steady and meticulous, always the first to spot that red Chevrolet among all the footage. Watching him, I suddenly felt a glimmer of hope.

Morrison really was a reliable person.

The investigation went smoothly until the vehicle drove out of the city limits.

"The surveillance on this road broke two days ago. We didn't catch where they went after leaving the city," I heard the officer investigating the road cameras say.

I couldn't sit still anymore and stood up from the chair. "How can this be? What about Matthew?"

Morrison tried to comfort me. "It's not hopeless, just more troublesome. We need to check surveillance from all possible routes this road leads to, one by one."

Despite Morrison's reassurance, I still felt panicked.

As expected, the red Chevrolet vanished without a trace after leaving the city. It was nowhere to be found in any surveillance footage.

"Search again more carefully! I don't believe a car can just disappear into thin air!" Morrison's tone was no longer as composed as before.

I felt short of breath again. Everything went blurry before my eyes. I knew I was crying again.

I'm not usually a weak person, but the possibility of losing Matthew made it impossible to control my emotions. I knew I should stay optimistic and believe Morrison could find Matthew. But despair was slowly eating away at my heart.

Morrison probably heard my crying. He turned around to look at me, his eyes full of guilt. I saw his lips move slightly. He probably wanted to comfort me, but he ultimately said nothing.

I think he also knew we had lost hope.

My phone rang, and I nearly jumped out of my seat.

The kidnappers were calling!

My hands were shaking, so it took me several tries to get the phone out of my pocket.

But the name on the screen was Julio!

For a moment I felt all my strength drain away again. Julio, that annoying madman! Was it so fun to toy with me?

But then I suddenly remembered that Julio might be the mastermind behind this kidnapping. He was probably calling now to negotiate with me, to tell me where Matthew was.

So I quickly answered the call.

"Ashley, I found out those guys went to a factory in Vernon. It's a red Chevrolet, license plate number is..."

"Okay, thank you Julio." I hung up before Julio could finish speaking.

"Matthew is at a factory in Vernon," I told Morrison.

Morrison immediately organized a team to go to the Vernon factory to rescue Matthew. The rest stayed at the police station to continue checking surveillance footage to determine the vehicle's final location.

I got in the car with Morrison. James wasn't there. He was probably still giving his statement.

With a general location, the search went much faster. Not long after we set out, the officers who stayed at the station sent word with the factory's exact location.

I kept praying to God in the car, praying the car would reach the factory in the next second, praying Matthew would be safe.

When the police car stopped outside the factory, I wanted to rush in first, but Morrison stopped me.

"We don't know if the kidnappers have set any traps. Ashley, you can't risk it. If something happens to you, we'll have to split our attention to rescue you too. You need to stay in the car!"

I knew Morrison was right, but as a mother I couldn't just wait.

"I can stay at the back. I promise I won't act impulsively! Morrison, please!" I begged him.

He was silent for a moment, then agreed to my proposal.

I stayed at the very back as police surrounded the old factory in Vernon.

My heart was beating so fast and so hard it almost drowned out the static from Morrison's radio.

"Team A, await my signal, prepare to breach," Morrison gave the command.

The officers raised their rifles. With Morrison's nod, the iron door was rammed open, followed by footsteps echoing through the empty factory floor.

I followed at the back, breathing rapidly, my palms soaked with cold sweat.

But the factory was quiet. No sounds of kidnappers fleeing, no commotion from them fighting back.

My heart beat even faster. I felt waves of dizziness. I already had a bad feeling.

"Ashley, don't go any further."

Morrison called out to stop me, but I had already seen it.

The floor was covered in blood, thick, dark, with that chilling bright red. Matthew's small figure lay motionless in the pool of blood.

I rushed forward. I could see Matthew clearly now. His little face was pale, with a wound running from the left side of his neck to the right.