hapter 8
After freezing the bank account, Samuel didn’t receive my plea for help but instead got news from the private investigator.
The investigator sent him several pieces of information, including screenshots of local news articles.
One of the headlines read: “Shocking! Mother and son were found dead in their home days after their passing. Neighbors
discovered their dead bodies.”
The article wasn’t very long. While it didn’t specify the village, it mentioned the name of the town where the village was located. The accompanying photo was of the small farmhouse where I had lived.
Samuel was able to recognize it. He stared at the screenshot, frozen in place. He refused to believe it.
He pulled out his phone and called me again, only to hear that the number was no longer in service. He then frantically tried
calling me on WhatsApp. But of course, no one answered.
Suddenly, it seemed as if something occurred to him. He opened his banking app on his phone and navigated to the account
linked to the card he gave me.
When he saw the balance and the transaction history for the past six months, he began trembling all over. In the last six months,
I hadn’t spent a single cent. From the remaining balance, it was clear I hadn’t touched the money in three years.
The private investigator sent two voice messages.
“Mr. Hoffman, after two days of interviews and investigations, we’ve confirmed that Ms. Kristen Zucker has passed away, along
with her child. The villagers in the area are all aware of it. The cremation was handled by the village committee. Their ashes are
still at the funeral home.
“I even went to the village committee myself. The staff there said they tried contacting Ms. Zucker’s husband, but no one
answered their calls. They didn’t receive any responses for the messages they sent too.”
Samuel’s emotions spiraled out of control. In a trembling voice, he asked, “How could they die just like that? How could someone
die at home without anyone else noticing?”
The private investigator sighed, clearly reluctant to deliver the harsh details he uncovered.
“It’s been a while, so much of Ms. Zucker’s information is difficult to trace. According to the village committee, it seems she
developed a systemic infection after donating her bone marrow. As for the child… he starved to death. He stayed with his
mother’s body for several days. It was terrible.”
