Novel Palace
Chapter 47
Stella followed Robin, her whole body trembling uncontrollably.
Dexter trailed behind the group, silent, his face a ghastly shade of pale.
I glanced at Dexter and couldn’t help but laugh.
The police had finally found my body. With that discovery, Dexter was truly free at last. He probably couldn’t wait for me to be out of the picture.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Robin asked Stella again before they got into the car.
Her complexion was ashen, and her legs nearly gave out as she climbed into the car.
I instinctively reached out to steady her, but it was futile: my hands passed right through her body.
I couldn’t touch anyone.
“She’s not dead.” Dexter said, furrowing his brow as if he still held onto some hope.
Stella shot Dexter a look full of loathing before getting into the car. Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.
I sat next to Stella, staring blankly out the window.
At this point, any affection or expectation I had for Dexter had long since evaporated. He and Melody had done me in, and whatever love or loyalty there was had been spent.
The orphanage had already been cordoned off by the police, with officers patrolling all around.
Several ambulances were parked nearby, though they seemed rather superfluous.
It was clear this was the scene of the initial crime in a string of murders.
I
I smiled bitterly to myself, What good were ambulances? I was definitely already dead.
“Why wasn’t this cellar found during the previous searches?” The higher–ups were on scene. considering the gravity of the case.
Robin quickly offered an explanation. “Sorry, this orphanage has been deserted for ages. Without any blueprints, that cellar was just too well hidden…”
I too was curious about the cellar, located beneath a small storage shed behind the abandoned yard, with a wooden floor concealing the clandestine space below and an air of foreboding. emanating from it.
I had no memory of this place; I had been unconscious when the killer dragged me in, and by the time I came to, I was already in that dim space without any idea how I got there.
“Certainly, a place like this would be tough to spot, even if you searched a dozen times. Who found it?” Robin asked.
“Robin, it was me,” Cory said, puzzled. “Strange… I was here several times yesterday and didn’t
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notice anything off. Today, though, I spotted footprints on the floor.” He wondered if he had simply not been observant enough the day before. “My bad for missing it yesterday.”
“It’s not your fault. The killer wanted us to find it,” Robin said, his expression grim as he lit at cigarette. This killer was clever.
“The lunatic Colin is the killer, right?” Cory asked, intrigued.
“Either he had an accomplice, or someone is setting him up to take the fall,” Robin said, shaking his head. There were too many unanswered questions.
The group fell silent, standing at the mouth of the cellar, hesitant to go down.
“Robin, you need to… brace yourself,” one of the officers advised. “Chief Daniel just went down and came back up looking green. It’s a bit of a mess down there, and the medics are still figuring things out.”
Robin took a deep breath, then turned to Stella and Dexter. “They’re family of the victim, so they might help with identification.”
“Does that mean Phoebe could still be alive?” Stella’s voice was frantic as she clutched Robin’s arm. “She’s alive, isn’t she?”
Robin looked at her gravely. “You two, come with me.”
Dexter seemed agitated, but at the critical moment, he hesitated, taking a long time before he could bring himself to go down the cellar.
I stood to the side, mocking his cowardice.
Now he was scared, huh?
Wasn’t it him who got me into this mess?
Dexter, you’re an accomplice.
I followed Stella down into the cellar, and the wave of dread that hit me was almost tangible.
My body shook and my hands clenched reflexively; even as a spirit, I was overwhelmed by fear. “Ugh!” Suddenly, Stella halted in her tracks. Upon seeing the horrors that lay before her, she shook violently, her face turning ghostly white as she turned and retched.