novelxo Chapter Stay Away 203
Chapter 203 A Meticulously Planned Murder
Chapter 203 A Meticulously Planned Murder
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Previously, Lenora had moved her stuff to the loft, and shortly after, she packed some clothes and left for Nardor. Her other luggage was still piled up in the room, untouched.
Having decided to settle here for the long haul, Lenora meticulously organized her luggage.
Only the stuff her father left behind remained once all the clothes and items had been put away.
New Year's Day had passed, and the New Year's holiday was fast approaching, marking yet another year gone by.
Another year has passed since Father left. The van driver is now out of prison, living a comfortable life. even having extra money to travel abroad. Yet, my father had forever laid to rest, departed for eternity. At that thought, a bitter discomfort filled Lenora's heart.
She opened her father's notebook, slowly turning each page. The foot of the pages had yellowed with age. and she had repeatedly traced her fingers over the familiar handwriting on them.
As she was flipping through, a photograph fell out of the notebook.
It was the one seemingly related to the kidnapping case from years ago.
Lenora casually picked it up, glanced at it, and tucked it into his notebook.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind. She immediately took out the photograph and examined it closely.
The photograph was taken at a strange angle as if covertly shot from behind a pillar, with one corner of the foreground obscured by the pillar.
It captured two individuals. One was seen in profile, while the other was angled roughly at forty-five degrees.
Since it was a distant view, the facial features weren't clear. One could only make out a rough idea.
Yet, Lenora still felt that the forty-five-degree profile was strangely familiar as if she had seen it somewhere.
I didn't have these feelings the last time I saw this photo. Where on earth have I seen it before?
A flash of realization struck Lenora's mind.
I remember now! I saw a man of similar age accompanying the van driver at Pantelos Airport in Sparaville
Back then, she thought the man seemed vaguely familiar and assumed he was the van driver's relative.
Lenora closed her eyes, carefully recalling the past. Even though they had only met once, the face she remembered from the airport and the half-profile in the photograph were vividly overlapping in her
mind.
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Chapter 203 A Meticulously Planned Murder
Her memory had never been so vivid before.
No wonder I found him vaguely familiar at the airport I had seen him in a photof
With the photograph in her trembling hand, Lenora was consumed by an overwhelming surge of
excitement.
This photo is related to that particular kidnapping case and was taken covertly. Therefore, the two individuals captured in it could only be the kidnappers. In other words, one of the kidnappers is acquainted with the van driver who killed Father. Lenora was convinced it wasn't a coincidence.
My father's death wasn't an accident but a meticulously planned murder! At that time, he had already gained significant fame due to the food additive case. His involvement in other reports of justice had also been brought to light, earning him an extremely high reputation among the public. It must've been when my father was secretly taking photos that the kidnappers noticed him and ruthlessly took his life to avoid exposing themselves. That must be the case!
At that thought, Lenora's eyes welled up with tears. She held the photograph tightly, her fingertips turning pale.
Imust avenge my father!
Lenora sat on the ground and wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes.
Then, taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, forcing herself to calm down and think seriously.
There was once a kidnapping incident in Terrandya, with the hostage being the daughter of a celebrity.
During the police rescue operation, the voracious media disregarded the desperate pleas of the celebrity mother reported in real-time, even broadcasting live from the scene, leading to the hostage being brutally killed by the kidnappers and dying a tragic death. This case Lenora stumbled upon unintentionally left a profound impression on her, for the victim in question was only seventeen. Not only was the victim in the prime of her youth, right at the age when she should be attending high school, but she was also the only child of that celebrity mother.
Apart from the victim and her mother, the most infuriating aspect was the media that profited from others' misfortune. They were the kidnappers' accomplices and just as wicked! Perhaps learning from this incident, related information was prevented from leaking out before the hostages' rescue in similar cases in the country, much less having any reporters present at the crime scene or throughout the rescue operation. So, how did my father snap a picture of the kidnappers? Had he disregarded the risks upon receiving the news to infiltrate the scene to take covert photos?
Indeed, she felt it was something her father would do, seeing as he went undercover at the factory to gather evidence for that food additive case.
It's probably because he was caught secretly taking photos that he incurred the resentment of the kidnappers. At that time, Father was already penning a news report. By the time it reached the stage where it could be published, either the hostage would've been rescued or was dead.
From the unfinished draft in the notebook, she learned that the kidnapping had occurred on April 12th of that year. Meanwhile, her father's death anniversary was on April 18th.
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Chapter 203 A Meticulously Planned Murder
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This indicated one thing the kidnappers hadn't been apprehended on the spot. At least at the time of her father's death, they were still on the run. Otherwise, the actions of the van driver would have been completely pointless,
As for the fate of the hostage and whether the kidnappers were eventually brought to justice, Lenora didn't pay attention to it at the time.
Back then, she had never linked her father's death to this case.
Even though there had been moments of doubt, suspecting that her father was murdered, she assumed it was likely due to someone he had offended in the past because of his dedication to honest journalism. She took a deep breath and spaced out for a few seconds before she singled out her father's notebook and the photograph.
Since her father's case had long been classified as a traffic accident, and the van driver had already served his time, it was difficult for her to persuade the police to reopen the investigation based solely on her suspicions,
Hence, she could only investigate this matter privately.
Father's death back then had a great impact on society. Under the scrutiny of various social sectors, the police were bound to investigate the case diligently. Yet, they were unable to link the van driver and the kidnappers from the recent past, which showed the depth of their concealment. Perhaps they are backed by a significant group.
Lenora poured herself a glass of water, taking a couple of sips to calm her nerves. Then, she pulled out her laptop, fired
up the search engine, and began researching reports about the kidnapping case that year.
However, when she searched for the kidnapping case on April 12th, she found absolutely nothing!
The search only yielded a bunch of random things.
Even when she changed the keywords, she only found irrelevant web pages.
It was as though this incident never happened!
Why did it turn out like this?
Lenora's palms were sweating,
Only after investigating did she realize how many oddities were hidden within, having been oblivious previously.
Had it not been for the draft that her father had started and the existence of this very photograph, Lenora might have doubted the accuracy of her memory.
Could it be that no other media outlets reported on this incident aside from my father? It's unlikely. They would do anything for profit, just like those reporters who take advantage of others' misfortune. Moreover, once the kidnapping case was resolved, regardless of the outcome, the media would report on it immediately to boost their readership.
With that in mind, Lenora decided to browse other international websites.
Chapter 203 A Meticulously Planned Murder
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Perseverance paid off. After two hours of relentless searching, when Lenora's eyes were strained and blurry, she finally found a related report on an obscure website, which read: News report, a kidnapping case occurred in Jacaster on April 12th. Currently, the hostage is safe and the suspects are being apprehended.
With just a few short lines of text, Lenora felt as excited as if she had found a lifeline.
This confirmed that the issue wasn't with her memory but with the internet.
Lenora refused to believe there were no media reports back then, but with no traces on the internet, it was certain that someone had erased all evidence of this case.
It must've been the work of the kidnappers and their group! This group of kidnappers was no ordinary bunch: they managed to evade the scrutiny of society at large! How terrifying!
They were so powerful that Lenora found it somewhat hard to believe. For a fleeting moment, she even suspected there was a traitor.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
While deep in thought, a sudden knock on the door from outside startled her, sending a jolt through her body.
Chapter 204 I Shall Wait A Lifetime For You
Chapter 204 I Shall Wait A Lifetime For You
The sound of Sophia's voice echoed from outside the door. "Nora, are we cooking lunch ourselves or ondering takeout?" Lenora let out a sigh of relief, took a sip of water, closed her laptop, and got up to open the done. I'm fe with either."
With a sly chuckle, Sophia said, "Well, let's just order takeout, then
"All right."
Lenora was in no mood to cook at that
have for lunch. Lost in thought, she satent. She joined Sophia, and together they decided what to
on the couch.
If the kidnapper was this capable, then the identity of the kidnapped victim was surely not ordinary. If I truly wish to investigate further, then I certainly couldn't do it alone.
"You look so serious! What are you thinking about?" Sophia asked when she saw her.
"It's nothing." Lenora regained her composure, flashing a small smile as she added, "By the way. you know of any private detectives in Jacaster?"
Sophia's eyes widened when she heard that. "Private detectives? Why do you ask? Who are you planning to investigate?"
Lenora replied with a mix of sincerity and skepticism, "I want to investigate the van driver who killed my father."
Lenora didn't say much, yet Sophia understood her thoughts clearly.
Back then, she had been adopted by the Fuller family, received donations from people from all walks of life, and had a small amount of savings from Fernando himself. Moreover, Lenora herself was an outstanding student with scholarships, and she was already in high school, capable of applying for student Joans by the time she got to university. She wasn't worried about money; she just wanted the van driver to pay the price. Although the van driver had already been heavily sentenced, it felt like a mere slap on the wrist compared to the death of Lenora's father. It was only natural for Lenora to feel a sense of injustice. After all, the one who died was her father, the man she relied on for everything.
"I see, I'm not really sure about private detectives, but 1 can help you inquire about it."
"Thank you. Remember to keep it low-key, though. I don't want to inadvertently alert the enemy.
Sophia nodded. "I understand. By the way, did I mention that Jonas invited us out for dinner?"
Lenora arched an eyebrow and glanced at her phone, only to realize that Jonas had indeed sent her a message. However, she had been so engrossed in searching for news related to the kidnapping case that she hadn't paid attention to her phone. "Did he specify a time? Maybe we should invite Fiona to join us."