Chapter 287: Orphan's Lament: Chuck, We'll Meet Again!
Bang!
A gunshot rang out.
The man who had just grabbed a spare handgun from the car climbed into the driver's seat and started firing as he sped away, but Chuck shot the protruding gun barrel clean out of his hand.
The man's eyes hardened. He floored the accelerator and aimed straight for Chuck and his group.
Esther, who had been using Linda as a human shield, immediately shoved her aside and bolted into the roadside bushes.
Chuck held onto the terrified Linda and watched the car accelerate toward them, calmly meeting the man's murderous gaze.
At the last possible second, he spun around, narrowly avoiding the impact.
The SUV, however, lacked his agility and crashed violently through the guardrail into the brush.
"Chuck, you okay?"
Police Chief Randy Tisher, who had gotten word and rushed to the scene, pulled up just in time to witness the near-collision. He jumped out of his cruiser, looking shaken.
Chuck glanced at him.
Randy immediately caught on, slapped his forehead, and redirected his concern. "Linda, are you alright?"
"I... I..."
Linda couldn't get the words out.
"Randy, you stay here with Linda and Beth."
Chuck glanced at the officer who'd arrived with Randy and issued orders. "I'm going after them."
He pointed at the officer. "You're with me."
"Got it!"
Randy immediately agreed.
The officer, seeing his chief had no objections, naturally had none either and followed Chuck into the woods.
Randy stayed behind to comfort Linda alongside Beth, calling for backup to secure the crime scene and dialing 911 for the detective who'd crashed at full speed into the roadside barrier.
Clearly, not everyone could walk away from a high-speed collision unscathed like some action movie hero.
A short time later,
Chuck emerged from the woods carrying a violently struggling Esther.
"I didn't really help at all,"
the officer admitted with an embarrassed smile.
"No, you helped plenty."
Chuck had his partner cuff Esther and secure her in the back of the patrol car.
He'd brought the officer along not because he needed backup, but simply to keep an eye on things with Randy and Beth while he tracked down the suspect—just in case there were more surprises waiting.
With the officer by his side, regardless of what happened, everything would be under control.
"We'll meet again."
In the back seat of the cruiser, handcuffed Esther pressed her face against the window, eyes burning with resentment as she stared at Chuck and Beth standing together outside.
"Will we meet again?"
Beth watched the patrol car drive away before looking up at Chuck.
"Of course you will."
Chuck's response was matter-of-fact. "You'll see her again in court."
"I never want to see her again, ever..."
Linda murmured shakily. "I want to go home. I need a drink."
"You don't have a home."
Beth reminded her.
"What?"
Linda looked stunned.
"Esther blew up your house."
Beth glanced at Chuck.
If Chuck hadn't scooped her up and crashed through the back door in time, she'd definitely be dead from that explosion.
"My house... it's gone..."
Linda couldn't hold it together anymore. She collapsed to the ground, sobbing.
"You've got plenty of money now. Wherever you want to be, that's home,"
Chuck said calmly.
Linda's sobs stopped abruptly.
Truth be told, she'd lost all affection for her husband Patrick long ago—especially after he'd openly tried to kill her—and the same went for her adopted daughter Esther. Their deaths hadn't really affected her.
The only reason for her breakdown was the lingering terror of what she'd just survived.
Now, with Chuck's reminder, it seemed like surviving such a close call was actually a blessing in disguise. The current situation might actually work in her favor.
"This is my number. Call me if you need anything."
Chuck gave Beth a phone number to write down, then looked pointedly at Linda. "Don't pass on any of your bad habits to her."
"I know, I know,"
Linda nodded quickly. "I absolutely won't let her drink."
"Not just that,"
Chuck shook his head, looking directly at Beth. "Whatever she likes, you shouldn't like. That's basically the rule."
"..."
Linda was speechless. Even with the lingering fear, even facing Chuck, she couldn't help asking, "If I'm really that terrible, then why did you let Beth stay with me?"
"Because she doesn't like change,"
Chuck said bluntly.
"I know what to do,"
Beth said, looking at Chuck with a determined gleam in her eyes.
Chuck met her gaze, nodded, then gestured for them to get in the car. He drove them into Manhattan and got them set up at a hotel.
This case had become a media circus.
A world chess grandmaster poisoned, Beth—America's junior chess champion—kidnapped, Detective Chuck himself involved, a bombing, a high-speed chase—all the sensational elements converged into one story.
Even the smallest leak immediately caused a nationwide frenzy, attracting endless media attention.
In lockup,
Esther was treated like a celebrity. There was a constant stream of visitors—reporters, true crime podcasters, internet sleuths—all wanting to get inside information from her to spread online and rack up views.
But she wasn't enjoying the attention.
If it weren't for Chuck, she would've already eliminated that old man who'd rejected her, taken control of her ideal family, and done whatever she pleased.
Now, however, she was trapped behind bars, treated like a sideshow freak by everyone.
The same way she'd previously viewed them from behind her innocent little-girl disguise.
Stripped of her freedom, she desperately wanted to escape. Seething with rage, she'd already plotted countless ways to get revenge on Chuck.
And all of it required freedom.
"Coleman, you've got another visitor!"
a corrections officer called out.
"I don't want to see anyone,"
Esther said coldly.
"I strongly suggest you take this one,"
the guard said, her tone half-warning, half-reminder. Esther had already refused dozens of visitors.
Esther looked up, then finally stood.
She wasn't afraid of the female guard. Given her current media exposure, any mistreatment would be instantly reported nationwide, and the guard would face serious consequences.
She chose to cooperate because she was hoping for a surprise.
In the visitation room, she met a man in an expensive tailored suit.
"Esther, hello,"
the man smiled. "Do you recognize me?"
"No,"
Esther shook her head. "But I know you're definitely a lawyer—and an expensive one."
These past few days, countless attorneys had been trying to ride her coattails to fame.
She'd gotten good at sizing people up. One look at someone's clothes and she could gauge their status and resources.
"That's fine. Let me give you a hint."
The man placed an old newspaper clipping in front of Esther.
Esther glanced at the front-page headline and immediately understood. "So it was you!"
(End of Chapter)
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