It took a long time for Clara’s father to process the words.
So Clara’s phone hadn’t just been turned off. She was actually… gone.
Ethan grabbed Martinez’s arm. “Officer, was my sister murdered? Did you catch the killer?”
Martinez shook his head. “The report says it was late–stage brain cancer. Her lawyer didn’t say much, only that she would be notifying the family in a few days. Then you all showed up.”
Brain cancer?!
The word exploded in the father’s mind.
Brain cancer…
He suddenly remembered the question Clara had calmly asked the day she disappeared:
“If it were me who was dying… would you even care?”
Oh God… so his daughter was already gravely ill back then?
But why hadn’t he noticed?
What had he said to her?
“Look at you, you’re perfectly healthy–you’ve got great color in your cheeks.”
The father sank into his chair, a wave of despair slowly consuming him.
How hopeless must his daughter have felt? To face the end of her life completely alone, without the people closest to her. How lonely she must have been.
After a moment, he stood up, trembling, and looked at Martinez. “Can we find that lawyer? I need to contact them.”
“We don’t have that information. But the lawyer did mention they would be in touch in about three days.”
Numbly, as if on autopilot, Zane moved through the rest of the station’s formalities.
