Billionaire’s Ex-wife : Craving You

Chapter 120

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PRESENT TIME

Hazel, with a tired look in her eyes, deftly placed the call on speaker mode, ensuring that all of us could partake in what Rigger had to reveal about David. The suspense hung in the air, and even the seasoned detective seemed to share my anticipation, eager to unearth the enigmatic secrets that the conniving scoundrel had so skillfully hidden away. Rigger, a renowned investigator in his own right, may not have quite reached the legendary status of Sabestine, but his reputation. assured me that he was more than capable of delving into the depths of David’s life, uncovering those elusive details that remained concealed to the naked eye.

With a respectful and somewhat somber tone, Rigger began, “Good evening, ma’am,” his words carrying a genuine weight of empathy. “Before I embark on this journey of discovery, I’d like to extend my deepest sympathies to you for the tragic ordeal your daughter has endured.” His heartfelt condolences served as a reminder of the gravity of the situation we were all entangled in.

Hazel’s reaction to Rigger’s empathy was obvious; she physically tensed, her knuckles whitening as she gripped the edge of the sofa. Sensing the need to maintain focus and urgency, I quickly intervened, my voice edged with impatience, urging Rigger to cut through the pleasantries and get straight to the heart of the matter.

“Let’s not dwell on sympathy, Rigger,” I insisted firmly, “It won’t help us find our daughter or bring her home. Please, just tell us why you called.”

Rigger, recognizing my voice instantly, responded with an apologetic tone, “Mr. Southwark, I apologize if my words made you and Ms. Blacks uncomfortable. That was never my intention.”

My impatience boiled over as I snapped, “No more apologies. Just get to the point. We were in the middle of something important before you called, and Hazel isn’t in the right frame of mind for a prolonged conversation.”

-Acknowledging the urgency, Rigger apologized once more before unveiling the purpose of his call, his voice filled with a

sense of gravity, “I understand, Mr. Southwark. Now, regarding the information you asked me to confirm: You were indeed correct. Monica did have a daughter, who is currently eighteen years old. However, there’s a troubling twist to this story. That young woman vanished without a trace three long years ago, with no trace”.

Hazel’s fingers interlocked, her brow furrowing deeply in concern as she sought more details. “Disappeared how?” she inquired with a mixture of anxiety and confusion.

Rigger proceeded to provide further details, painting a perplexing picture of the young woman’s vanishing act. “She simply stopped showing up to work, and remarkably, no one, not her neighbors, nor her landlord, had any inkling of her whereabouts. Friends close to the missing girl, a young lady named Delilah, became increasingly concerned and decided to pay Monica a visit in an attempt to uncover the truth behind her disappearance.”

Rigger continued, “Monica’s response to their inquiry only deepened the mystery. She claimed that her daughter had left for a nunnery school in England, with the intention of becoming a nun after completing the program. Since Delilah’s mother hadn’t declared her as missing, there was no legal basis to initiate a missing person case, and the matter eventually faded away. To this day, no one has laid eyes on her.”

Puzzled by this explanation, I couldn’t help but voice my confusion, “Is Monica perhaps ashamed that her daughter chose to become a nun? It’s hard to comprehend the motivation behind such a drastic

vanishing act.”

“That doesn’t make sense, and it doesn’t seem like something Monica will do. But why deny her existence?” Hazel asked, more to herself than her.

“That’s not all.” Rigger chimed in. “I went in search of the nunnery school she claimed Delilah went for, but I found out that there is no one like in that school. No one has seen or heard of her.”

That’s absurd. “Then what happened to her if she isn’t at the nunnery?” I asked.

Hazel’s eyes widened as though a stray thought crossed her mind. “Do you think she killed her? Maybe it was an accident,

and she buried her and then lied about the nunnery to cover it up?”

“That I do not know, nor did I look into it. You only told me to find out if Monica really did have a female child, which I did.”

He’s right. I’ll have to pay him extra if I want him to do more work. “What about David? anything about him that we need to know?”

“I’m not done with Monica.” He replied calmly yet respectfully. “Monica moved to Seattle three years ago, one week after her daughter’s disappearance, and there were no traces of her having a male child in the past.”

Hazel’s eyes widened. “Are you saying David is not her son? I remember she mentioned something like that in the hospital after her fall, but I ruled it out as the side effect of aesthetic.”

“What I’m saying is that there is no record of her giving birth to a son. If she lied about her daughter, then there is a possibility she is also lying about her son.”

Hazel sighed heavily. “Don’t worry about that, I’ll handle it myself.” She stated and I almost reprimanded her for opting to do something that she doesn’t know the level of danger attached to it, but I bit my lips. If I’m going to reprimand her, it won’t be in public.

“Moving to David,” Rigger continued, “I found out that he moved to Seattle three ago too,” That was the exact year Hazel moved to Seattle too. “And he used to reside in New York before his sudden relocation.”

Hazel’s brows jumped to her hairline. “David once lived in New York? He never told me that.”

Rigger hummed in agreement with his earlier statement. “He lived in New York for five years before moving to Seattle, but before his life in New York, he stayed in Ohio, Damariscotta, Maine, Pella Iowa, West Virginia, and lastly, New Hampshire. In all these towns that I mentioned, each of them, He had a girlfriend, and they either went missing or turned up dead in their apartment. Cause of death was always ruled as suicide.”

The detective in the room with us cursed under his breath at the same time as Hazel. “This isn’t a small case we have here.”

Rigger paused. “Who was that?”

“The detective in charge of my daughter’s case,” I responded on behalf of Hazel who is obviously still in shock. “He was investigating David’s connection to the case and I figured he should just listen so he can know the kind of person David really is.”

“The information I am relaying to Ms. Hazel is an illegal collection of data,” Rigger pointed out, “nobody should call me to testify in any court or make any statement, cause I’m not doing that.”

“That isn’t a problem,” the detective assured him, “I have no plans of complicating you in any way. Just carry on with your findings.”

“Are you sure the death of his previous girlfriend isn’t just a coincidence?” Hazel asked in a hushed tone, still living in denial over what she just heard. “David isn’t looking like someone who is capable of murder.”

“It isn’t written on the face.” I don’t know why she is trying to defend him, but one thing is certain, she is going to stay away from him until all this is figured out. “I am doubling your security until David is either arrested or cleared.”

Rigger cleared his throat again, demanding for our attention. “Lastly, he went to two art schools in Seattle but the other one was just two months programs.”

“Wait!” Hazel called out, “Why was he taking another art class?”

“To enhance his abilities as an artist?” Rigger suggested. His tone showed that he wasn’t certain of his words either.

She licked her lips. “Did he ever work at any hospital where he painted artworks for the obstetric ward?” Hazel asked impatiently.

“If I didn’t find anything like that, that means it never happened. David has never worked for a hospital and he knew nothing major about art until he started taking extra classes for it.”

Hazel’s lips trembled. “Thank you, Rigger.” She pointed out, “Is there any other thing to uncover about him?”

“That’s all for now.”

Hazel nodded. “Alright then, I’ll have to speak with you later.” She disconnected the call before chucking the phone on the sofa. “As you can see detective, David is more wild than we give him credit for.”

“This is a dangerous case,” the detective replied. “And I’d advise you stay away from that family for a while.”

I can’t agree with him more..

“How about you focus on finding my daughter while I focus on my things.” Hazel deadpanned.