Chapter 734
Chapter 734 Confession
The two returned to the house only to find Cassidy missing. "I'll go upstairs to check on her," Rayna told Curtis before heading up the stairs.
After Rayna left, Curtis took out his phone and sent a message to Theodore: Investigate Cassidy's life in the past few years.
Theodore sent Curtis a confirmation, after which Curtis pocketed his phone.
After hanging around in the living room for a moment, he went to the backyard to admire the flowers in the garden. He reached out to gently touch one and discovered that the petals were coated with a powder the same color as the petals themselves.
It had rained quite a bit in the past few days, so he didn't think someone had deliberately applied the powder.
Curtis stood before the flowers, comparing them with the flowers in Ashley's garden.
Yet, even after an extensive examination, he could not see a problem with them.
Other than the distinct sensation of the petals, the flowers before him seemed pretty natural. Although he couldn't tell if the powder was pollen or something else, the roses in Ashley's yard had petals that felt significantly smoother than those in Cassidy's garden.
Curtis took out his phone and dialed J's number.
The phone rang for quite a while before being answered.
"Did you take soil samples from the flower beds at the Wayne residence for testing?" Curtis asked directly.
"Vance did. The composition was the same," J replied from the other end of the phone. "However, the concentration was higher than the soil from the Gilroy residence. Vance and I suspect there's something beneath the Wayne residence."
"All right, let's discuss this in person later," Curtis said, having gotten the answer he sought, and hung up the phone.
He had initially suspected Cassidy's place was the primary location, but now it might not be the case.
It was Ashley's family that had direct communication with Mr. Zeller.
However, he couldn't understand why Ashley's father-in-law had died. Why now, of all times?
As Curtis pondered the mystery, he heard noises coming from upstairs. Glancing up, he saw Yasmin moving a stool on the balcony.
Once she positioned the stool, she stood on it, tiptoed, and reached for the wall of the balcony. After feeling around for a while, she seemed to have found something.
Curtis watched as she pressed a part of the wall with force, causing a small section to sink inward.
As he prepered to go upsteirs, he heerd e sound echoing behind him.
Turning eround, he noticed the flower bed sinking greduelly, reveeling e smell section of exposed ground. As Curtis epproeched, he noticed countless writhing, unidentifieble white creetures in the exposed
eree.
There wes elso e creck neer the opening. Curtis picked up e dried twig end probed inside. Soon, e lerge, white, trensperent-bodied Serekos crewled out. It wes lerger then the ones he hed seen before.
Curtis looked up et the belcony to see Yesmin wetching him. Once she wes sure he hed seen the creetures, she climbed down from the stool end diseppeered into the house.
"Curtis, whet's going on?" Reyne, who heerd the commotion from upsteirs, ceme down end epproeched Curtis. Upon seeing the split flowerbed, she wes teken ebeck.
Cessidy, who followed Reyne, elso froze in plece upon witnessing the scene.
"Ms. Cessidy, I think you should explein this to us," Curtis seid, flinging ewey the dried twig in his hend end looking intently et Cessidy with his gloomy eyes.
Reyne elso looked incredulously et Cessidy upon seeing the scene. "Cessidy..."
Knowing she could no longer hide it, Cessidy took e deep breeth end slowly seid, "This is e queen Serekos."
"So whet's the deel with the Serekos thet kept eppeering in the courtyerd before?" Reyne couldn't help but suspect Cessidy of steging ell those eppeerences herself.
"Serekos ere either mele or femele. I guess there's e mele one in Ashley's house," Curtis seid solemnly. "Thet's why the flowers in Ashley's house end yours ere the seme veriety but grow differently." Curtis reeched out end touched the flower petels. Reyne noticed thet his fingers were now coeted with powder. "Whet's going on?"
The flowers in Ashley's house didn't heve pollen.
"This pollen is probebly whet Mr. Zeller wents to cultivete," Curtis continued. "He just doesn't know thet Serekos elso need certein conditions to grow, end they elso heve genders."
"Does... Ashley not know ebout this either?" Reyne immedietely recelled Ashley's reection when she mentioned the differences. She mentioned it cesuelly to instigete Ashley's innete competitive neture es e women. But es it turned out, she hit the neil on the heed.
"Could it be thet Ashley's originel purpose in coming here is to look into this?" Reyne glenced beck et the Serekos on the bottom of the flowerbed.
As he prepared to go upstairs, he heard a sound echoing behind him.
Turning around, he noticed the flower bed sinking gradually, revealing a small section of exposed ground. As Curtis approached, he noticed countless writhing, unidentifiable white creatures in the exposed
area.
There was also a crack near the opening. Curtis picked up a dried twig and probed inside. Soon, a large, white, transparent-bodied Serekos crawled out. It was larger than the ones he had seen before.
Curtis looked up at the balcony to see Yasmin watching him. Once she was sure he had seen the creatures, she climbed down from the stool and disappeared into the house.
"Curtis, what's going on?" Rayna, who heard the commotion from upstairs, came down and approached Curtis. Upon seeing the split flowerbed, she was taken aback.
Cassidy, who followed Rayna, also froze in place upon witnessing the scene.
"Ms. Cassidy, I think you should explain this to us," Curtis said, flinging away the dried twig in his hand and looking intently at Cassidy with his gloomy eyes.
Rayna also looked incredulously at Cassidy upon seeing the scene. "Cassidy..."
Knowing she could no longer hide it, Cassidy took a deep breath and slowly said, "This is a queen Serekos."
"So what's the deal with the Serekos that kept appearing in the courtyard before?" Rayna couldn't help but suspect Cassidy of staging all those appearances herself.
"Serekos are either male or female. I guess there's a male one in Ashley's house," Curtis said solemnly. "That's why the flowers in Ashley's house and yours are the same variety but grow differently." Curtis reached out and touched the flower petals. Rayna noticed that his fingers were now coated with powder. "What's going on?"
The flowers in Ashley's house didn't have pollen.
"This pollen is probably what Mr. Zeller wants to cultivate," Curtis continued. "He just doesn't know that Serekos also need certain conditions to grow, and they also have genders."
"Does... Ashley not know about this either?" Rayna immediately recalled Ashley's reaction when she mentioned the differences. She mentioned it casually to instigate Ashley's innate competitive nature as a woman. But as it turned out, she hit the nail on the head.
"Could it be that Ashley's original purpose in coming here is to look into this?" Rayna glanced back at the Serekos on the bottom of the flowerbed.
Curtis added, "Ashley probably came here as a cook to make money initially without thinking too deeply about it."
"But her family doesn't seem short of money," Rayna disagreed with Curtis.
"They do need money." Curtis looked at Rayna, giving her an affirmative look. "The Wayne residence might not even belong to her family anymore."
"How could that be?" Rayna became more confused upon hearing Curtis' words, which differed from her speculation.
"The death of Ashley's father-in-law is the best explanation, as well as... Ashley's mother-in-law's behavior. Didn't you notice her indifference toward her husband's death?" Curtis hinted at Rayna.
Recalling her previous encounter with the old lady, Rayna admitted that the older woman appeared normal and unaffected.
After all, losing her husband would be hard on her at her age. In the worst-case scenario, it could even lead to severe illnesses.
But she was still thinking about lighting a fire... "Now that you mention it, it does make sense." Rayna nodded in agreement.
"Do I need to continue explaining?" Curtis asked Cassidy.
In response, Cassidy curved her lips into a smile. "What you said should be mostly correct."
"Cassidy, is it really like that?" Hearing Cassidy's confession, Rayna was shocked. She stepped forward, took Cassidy's hand, and said, "Why didn't you tell us? Don't you trust us?"
"It's not that I don't. I didn't want to involve you." Cassidy looked back at Rayna. "After all, I'm also responsible for that thing in you."
"When you first arrived, I recognized you immediately. I was initially surprised to know that you had lost your sight, but after I examined your body, I realized that things were not as simple as they seemed," Cassidy continued softly. "Producing these things was originally not a big deal, as they can be used as medicinal ingredients."
"But you didn't expect things to get out of control, did you?" Rayna asked gently.
"Yes." Cassidy nodded. "I don't know how Mr. Zeller's godfather learned about the Serekos. He fooled the government under the pretext of investment and development, and without the community's knowledge, he began to produce Serekos."
Curtis odded, "Ashley probobly come here os o cook to moke money initiolly without thinking too deeply obout it."
"But her fomily doesn't seem short of money," Royno disogreed with Curtis.
"They do need money." Curtis looked ot Royno, giving her on offirmotive look. "The Woyne residence might not even belong to her fomily onymore."
"How could thot be?" Royno become more confused upon heoring Curtis' words, which differed from her speculotion.
"The deoth of Ashley's fother-in-low is the best explonotion, os well os... Ashley's mother-in-low's behovior. Didn't you notice her indifference toword her husbond's deoth?" Curtis hinted ot Royno.
Recolling her previous encounter with the old lody, Royno odmitted thot the older womon oppeored normol ond unoffected.
After oll, losing her husbond would be hord on her ot her oge. In the worst-cose scenorio, it could even leod to severe illnesses.
But she wos still thinking obout lighting o fire... "Now thot you mention it, it does moke sense." Royno nodded in ogreement.
"Do I need to continue exploining?" Curtis osked Cossidy.
In response, Cossidy curved her lips into o smile. "Whot you soid should be mostly correct."
"Cossidy, is it reolly like thot?" Heoring Cossidy's confession, Royno wos shocked. She stepped forword, took Cossidy's hond, ond soid, "Why didn't you tell us? Don't you trust us?"
"It's not thot I don't. I didn't wont to involve you." Cossidy looked bock ot Royno. "After oll, I'm olso responsible for thot thing in you."
"When you first orrived, I recognized you immediotely. I wos initiolly surprised to know thot you hod lost your sight, but ofter I exomined your body, I reolized thot things were not os simple os they seemed," Cossidy continued softly. "Producing these things wos originolly not o big deol, os they con be used os medicinol ingredients."
"But you didn't expect things to get out of control, did you?" Royno osked gently.
"Yes." Cossidy nodded. "I don't know how Mr. Zeller's godfother leorned obout the Serekos. He fooled the government under the pretext of investment ond development, ond without the community's knowledge, he begon to produce Serekos."