Chapter 254 I'm Here

Chapter 254 I'm Here

"Friend?"

Samuel looked a bit confused. "What friend?"

Sophia looked at Samuel, "Don't tell me you don't know that Vivian isn't dead."

Samuel's eyes widened. "Are you joking? I performed the autopsy and confirmed she was dead."

Sophia asked, "Do you remember the details of the autopsy?"

"Well," Samuel rubbed his temples, looking pained, "I seem to be unable to remember. I've tried hard to recall, but I just can't. What's going on? Is my memory deteriorating?"

Sophia explained gravely, "It's not deterioration; you've been hypnotized using special methods."

"Hypnotized?" Samuel looked puzzled.

Sophia expressed meaningfully, "Don't you feel like you've changed recently?"

"Changed?" Samuel rubbed his head. "How have I changed?"

"You might not notice it yourself, but the people around you should feel it clearly. Have you heard anyone say recently that you've changed?"

Samuel said painfully, "It seems like someone did say that."

"Then that's it." Sophia sighed, "We'll send you to the hospital. But we're not sure whether you can be cured or not; everyone feels like you're a stranger now."

Samuel's eyes turned red. He looked at Sophia and shouted, "There's nothing wrong with me. You must be lying to me."

James didn't say much and knocked him out with a punch.

James said calmly, "We can't let anything happen to him."

Sophia understood. Since Alan hadn't arrived yet, if something happened to Samuel, they would have a hard time controlling the situation.

After all, no one knew if any of the other women here had issues.

A fat woman stepped forward and queried, "You just said the killer is Vivian. Is that true?"

Sophia looked up, "It's just a guess."

The fat woman asked curiously, "Then where is she now?"

Sophia thought for a moment and looked at them, "If you want to know the answer, you can follow me. Maybe you'll find the truth there."

The women looked at Sophia with some suspicion, but they followed her. Sophia led them to an abandoned room.

The room was small, cluttered with items that nearly consumed every inch of space. However, the church was designed to be tall, which allowed such a large statue to be placed inside.

Sophia looked around the room and remarked, "If I'm not mistaken, this statue was originally in the far corner because only in that position could it fall completely."

A woman beside her expressed, "That's right. It was placed in the far corner without any intention of use, leaving room for other things."

Sophia guessed, "So the statue was moved here after saving someone, right?"

The woman nodded, "Yes, because placing it here would prevent any accidents. The statue couldn't fall again; it would just lean against the wall."

Sophia asked curiously, "How many people moved it at that time?"

The woman thought for a moment, "We hired movers, and it took four people to move it here."

"No one from your church helped?"

The woman shook her head, "No."

Sophia remarked, "So you don't know much about this statue."

The woman asked in surprise, "Is there something we need to know about this statue?"

Facing everyone, Sophia said gravely, "Do you think this statue is hollow or solid?"

The fat woman thought for a moment and expressed, "It should be solid. It seems to be carved and very heavy."

Another woman said, "I think it's hollow because it's been in a damp environment for a long time and has swollen a bit."

Sophia walked to the statue and knocked on it, producing a clear sound.

The women were stunned by the sound.

The fat woman was shocked, "This isn't a stone sculpture, is this?"

"That's right." Sophia touched the large statue, "It's not a stone sculpture; it's cast and painted white. But you're also right; it's much heavier than the outside. You heard the sound just now. If any of you understand, you should know there's a cavity inside."

The fat woman asked curiously, "So what? You can't fill it with water, can you?"

Sophia smiled, "It can hold more than water; it can hide a person."

Hearing this, the women were startled and began to back away.

Sophia patted the large statue, "Are you going to keep hiding in there? Isn't it time to come out?"

However, there was no sound from inside, no response, and no movement. Sophia felt a bit puzzled.

"This is impossible. If there's really a killer, this should be the only place to hide. She couldn't hide anywhere else because other places aren't suitable for hiding."

James hesitated, then climbed onto the statue. After observing for a moment, he reached into a recess in the statue's back and pulled out a woman. It was a stranger, someone Sophia had never seen before. She was unconscious, which explained why she hadn't responded to Sophia's calls.

"Why is it her?" Sophia rubbed her head, a chilling thought suddenly creeping into her mind, "Quick, guard the door. The real killer might be trying to escape."

"When we first came here, my knocking on the statue must have alerted the killer inside. After we left, she must have come out and knocked out one of the women, taking her clothes."

"Because this space is a bit dark, lit only by candles, and the women all wear headscarves to cover their faces, we couldn't tell who was who, giving her a chance to escape."

After saying this, James ran out, with Sophia closely following, shouting, "Don't open the door. If anyone tries to open it, stop them."

At that moment, the door was already open, and with the bright light, Alan walked in.

"Don't worry, I'm here. No one can escape."