Chapter 9
The lawyer called me. “Ms. Reed, your daughter’s case will be heard in court tomorrow morning. Please make sure to be there
on time.”
I replied, “Alright, I understand.”
After hanging up, I walked out of the funeral home carrying Anna’s ashes. Both the court and police had determined that Elliot and Sarah were responsible for this case, but I couldn’t shake a nagging sense that something didn’t add up. However, given the current evidence, I couldn’t think of any other possibilities. Just as I reached the funeral home entrance, a staff member approached to escort me to the cemetery not far from the back hill to bury Anna. Upon arriving at the cemetery entrance, I spotted a limping man walking in with a large bouquet of flowers. The bouquet was so conspicuous that I couldn’t ignore it. I murmured, “Is that him?”
I recognized the man–it was Russell, the one who had crashed into the ambulance at the crucial moment. Strictly speaking, he might be the one who truly killed my daughter. But the police had already cleared him of suspicion, and despite my resentment toward him, I couldn’t take any action against him. “Ms. Reed, do you know him?” The staff member’s voice interrupted my thoughts. I said, “Yes, we’ve had dealings before.”
The staff member said, “Really? What a coincidence. This
gentleman’s wife and son are also buried in this cemetery. He comes here basically once a month.”
“Such a coincidence?” I felt somewhat puzzled but didn’t pursue it further. After burying Anna according to the ceremony, I prepared to leave the cemetery. Walking along the path toward the main gate, I noticed Russell standing in a daze in front of two tombstones on a nearby hillside. Seeming to sense someone watching, he turned around and our eyes met. His gaze was vacant and hollow. The moment he saw me, he was clearly startled, but I didn’t linger and walked straight past him. As I left the cemetery, for some reason, unease welled up in my heart. Through the rearview mirror, I saw he was still standing in the same spot, watching me leave. After returning home, my heartbeat still hadn’t settled. Russell’s gaze gave me the feeling of being targeted. For safety reasons, I locked all doors and windows as soon as I entered and sent a message to the officer handling this case. Only after doing all this did I feel slightly
at ease and went into the bathroom for a hot shower. Just as I
came out of the bathroom, a cold breeze from the living room made me feel a chill. I instinctively ran back to the bedroom and dove under the covers. Fortunately, the night passed without incident. The trial proceeded as scheduled the next day. I arrived on time, and Sarah and Elliot were escorted to court by bailiffs. Today’s main agenda was their final sentencing, and the lawyer had already informed me what the outcome would likely be. Since they only admitted to kidnapping and refused to confess to murder, the possibility of a death sentence was extremely low. I wasn’t surprised by this, as the standards for a death penalty conviction are extremely stringent. Having these
two people spend twenty Christmases in prison until the end of their lives would also count as revenge for Anna. What surprised me was that Anton actually appeared in court today. Originally, given his actions, he should have faced legal consequences
regardless of whether it was toward me or his parents. But since he was a victim’s family member and had lost emotional control at the time of the incident, the police ultimately only gave him a warning and didn’t pursue further charges. Anton said, “I also hope Anna’s case can have a real resolution. I’ve done too much for them. I’m their son, and I’m also Anna’s father.”
For once, Anton said something responsible. I smiled slightly, said nothing more, and quietly waited for the gavel to fall. However, when she learned she would be sentenced to life imprisonment, Sarah immediately screamed, “I didn’t kill anyone! I didn’t kill anyone!
“I’m over seventy years old, how could I dare kill anyone? I was just afraid of dying!”
But the judge paid no attention to her defense. In the end, Sarah was sentenced to life imprisonment, and Elliot, as an accomplice, received fifteen years. The entire incident finally seemed to come to a close.
Before leaving, Anton extended another invitation: “How about we grab dinner together? Consider it my apology for everything I put you through these past few years.” He paused, “I also heard the officer mention something about you—Russell probably isn’t a good guy. You need to be careful.”
I frowned: “How do you know he’s not a good person?”
Anton shrugged: “What do you expect from some truck driver with no education? How civilized could he be?”
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes: “That’s prejudice. My business is none of your concern.”
I wanted to leave, but he kept pestering me. Only when I truly got angry did he finally let go. He said: “You should at least give me a chance. Can we stay in touch?”
I didn’t respond and drove home with a heavy foot on the gas. Truth be told, I still harbored some feelings for Anton deep down, but accepting him back would take time to adjust to.
I curled up on the couch, watching the news on TV by myself. Suddenly, a dog’s bark from outside the balcony caught my attention. It was dusk, and I hadn’t turned on the lights yet, leaving the room somewhat dim. I didn’t want to bother with the commotion outside, but the barking downstairs grew increasingly intense, making me irritated. I lived near the suburbs, where many residents liked to keep dogs.
Just as I was about to step onto the balcony to shout down for some quiet, a piercing yelp suddenly rang out. The sound lasted only an instant, as if something heavy had struck the animal, and then the surroundings fell into deathly silence. This abrupt quiet made me deeply uneasy.
I stopped at the edge of the balcony, not daring to lean out further, hearing only my rapid heartbeat. After confirming there were no other sounds from below, I cautiously poked out half my head. What I saw sent chills down my spine—the moment I looked out, my eyes met a pair of murky ones staring back.
It was Russell, the man I’d encountered at the cemetery. At that moment, he held an iron hammer in his hand, with a bloodied dog carcass at his feet. This scene terrified me so much that I quickly pulled back inside. He was clearly here for me.
Through the walls, I could clearly hear heavy footsteps from downstairs, approaching in my direction. I immediately pulled out my phone and dialed 911.
