My mystery lover novel (Richard and Amy)

The woman cooked up a few dishes in no time. There were pasta, potato salad, fried chicken and mushroom soup. The food tasted good, and the four of them gulped everything down within minutes as they were hungry. After they were done eating, only then did they realize the kid's longing expression.

The four of them looked at the dishes, then at each other. Only a tiny bit of soup was left. They were embarrassed by the fact that they were too hungry that they had forgotten that there was a woman and a child who hadn't eaten yet.

"Uh, the both of you have not eaten yet, have you? There are some biscuits in our car. I'll go and grab it for the kid." Andy was more thorough in doing things. When he came, he brought water, biscuits and bread with him.

"No, that's alright. We have eaten." The woman had prepared the tastiest food that she could afford for them. That was to repay their kindness for saving her child. If it were any other day, they would not be having dishes as such.

Andy said nothing, but he just went to the car and took some of the food for the child.

The child looked at the colourful biscuits and the soft bread, then at his mother. He did not dare to take it without her permission.

"Take it. This is for the kid. It's tasty." Richard stuffed those things into the child's hands. The child looked at his mother again, so she had no choice but to nod. It turned out that these bunch of people weren't bad people after all.

"Mom, these uncles gave me a lot of money just now." The child suddenly remembered that he hadn't told his mother about the money he got from them.

As he said, he placed the food in his hands on the table before he went and carried the wad of cash forward.

The woman was shocked when she saw her child carrying so much money. It was the first time she saw so much money.

"We can't take this. You guys saved my child, and it's only right that I cooked up something to repay all of you." The woman's expression became serious. Although she was poor, she wouldn't just take anyone's money.

"Madam, we don't mean anything ill. Your child is obedient, and I guess he is of age to go to school. This money is for his school fees so he can study and become the support of the family in the future." Kingsley's eyes got a little teary. He thought that the woman would be happy when she saw the money.

He did not expect that she would be angry. He understood that everyone had their ego and self-esteem, so he hurriedly explained that it was for the child's school fees.

"We don't need that too. Kids here only go to school when they turn eight years old. The school is quite a distance away, so they need to stay in the hostels. He's still too young to leave as he can't take care of himself yet." The woman insisted on returning the money to Kingsley.

Kingsley could only put the money back into his pocket.

"Madam, we would like to take a rest now, but we're going out later. We need your help to get us four bigger pieces of wooden boards. We need it tonight." Richard exerted his thoughts at this time.

The other three knew Richard's intentions right away from his request. They were going to swim to Island tonight. They had estimated the distance, and the four of them should be able to swim there within five hours. That would be quite physically demanding, but they could save quite some energy with the wooden boards. With that, they could also bring some food along to replenish their energy along the way. "Are you guys going to swim there? If that's the case, then no, you can't. No one knows what's in the sea. My husband swam in there once, and his feet cramped halfway through. It's dangerous so you absolutely cannot swim there. Wait a while longer. I'll get my husband to send you guys over." The woman knew Richard's intentions too and stopped him immediately.

No one felt offended by her action, but instead, they were grateful because it actually showed that she cared for them. However, they had no choice but to get there at night as they would not be able to land on Island during the day.

"Madam, don't worry about it. We're all trained swimmers, so you just need to help us find those wooden boards. Plus, we can't enter Island if your husband sends us there during the day. That's why we need to go there at night." Kevin explained to the woman seriously.

The woman understood that they were right, but she was still worried.

"Don't you worry. We'll be fine. We used to swim in such seas a lot in the past." Kingsley added, which caused the other three to look at him with an expression that said, 'Who the hell swam with you before?' Although the woman was worried, she could not do anything else. She arranged for them to rest before she went out to find the wooden boards.

After the group was done resting, they packed their clothes, food and water into plastic bags and carried them on their backs.

The woman prepared some food for them too, and she insisted that they brought it along with them.

"Richard, are you sure about this? Why don't you wait for us here? We'll definitely bring Amy back to you!" The other three looked at Richard in concern.

He hadn't fully recovered yet. The swim could take more than five hours if anything unexpected were to happen along the way. How could Richard bear that?

"It's fine. I won't drag the team down. Should we compete later?" Richard will not stay behind and wait. Amy was his wife, and he will do anything to save her.

Upon seeing Richard's determination, the three looked at each other. They would just take care of him more later.

The four dived into the sea amidst the dark. The woman stared in the direction they left, and only looked away after she could not see them anymore.

"Mom, the money is back here again." Her child was holding the wad of money, showing it to his mother again.

The woman took the money from him and counted. It actually amounted to 2,000 dollars! Her family could not earn so much money even from selling fish for a whole year. 'They are indeed kind people.', she thought to herself.

"Richard, you're really quick. We're all going to be left behind at this rate." Kingsley looked at Richard's solid swimming skills. They were worried about him just a moment ago, but it turned into admiration for him now.

"Nah, I might be the one left behind later." Richard was speaking the truth. He tried to swim a little faster while his body could still take it. His stamina definitely could not be compared to them later. 'Amy, I will come and save you. Wait for me.', Richard said in his heart.

Amy, who was lying on the chair, suddenly let out a sneeze. She shivered when a wave of cold breeze blew over her.

"Amy, why don't you head inside? The wind out here is quite strong. I wouldn't want you to get sick." Matt brought over a thin quilt and put it on Amy's shoulders.

Amy ignored him. She just stood up and entered the house.

It had been many days since Matt first brought her here. Amy looked at the sea surrounding them in hopelessness. Under such conditions, she could not escape this place. It was impossible.