07
That night, Alan visited Marvin again.
He offered Marvin a cigarette, but Marvin didn’t take it.
He’d quit smoking back when I was pregnant.
“Terra doesn’t like it when I smoke. If I lit one up, would she come out and scold me?”
The thought brought a faint smile to his lips.
“Of course not. Terra’s been gone for a long time.”
Hearing his thoughts broke my heart. I leaned closer, sitting by his side and resting against his shoulder
I would never leave him. How could I possibly rest knowing everything was left unfinished?
Marvin’s eyes burned with the fire of revenge, a fire that kept him going and one that kept me tethered to him.
Allan, unfazed by Marvin’s silence, retracted the cigarette, lit it for himself, and spoke through the rising smoke.
“There’s been a huge buzz online,” he said.
“We’ve released relevant leads to the public. A lot of people are stepping forward to help with the investigation. It’s working.”
Marvin nodded faintly, offering no further response
Realizing he wouldn’t get anything useful from Marvin, Alan finished his cigarette and left.
At three in the morning, he returned, his face weighed down by a somber, heavy grief,
The truth is cut now,” he announced.
Moments earlier, several anonymous videos had been uploaded online.
There were three in total.
The first video was about Vinnie.
The dashcam footage Karen had once submitted was footage we had thought was the only evidence available because the
base of the mountain lacked surveillance cameras.
That footage depicted Vinnie getting out of the car, stumbling slightly as she walked past the hood, and disappearing around the corner at the mountain’s base.
Back then, we assumed Vinnie had gotten lost, which led to her disappearance.
We entertained many possibilities, with human trafficking topping the list.
But the nearest surveillance cameras showed no sign of Vinnie or any suspicious individuals passing by.
We had begged to search the villa district, but Peter refused to send officers. The area, filled with the ultra–wealthy, was heavily guarded by private security, and we were denied entry.
But the newly leaked version continued beyond what we had seen before.
After Vinnie disappeared around the corner, a sedan pulled up at the entrance to the villa district
When the driver noticed Vinnie walking alone, the car door opened.
A bloated man stepped out, squinting at her with a malicious glint in his eyes.
It was Levi.
“Vinnie, why are you alone? Let me take you home, okay?”
Levi knew Vinnie. Karen had often complained about her in his presence.
Vinnie, sharp as ever, immediately sensed danger. She turned and tried to run, her tiny legs moving as fast as they could.
“Hey, don’t run! Let’s play f
for a little while!”
Levi quickly caught up with her and grabbed her small frame with ease.
The video clearly showed Levi’s grotesque face as he restrained her.
423 PM ₫
“No! Let me go! Let me go! I want my mommy and daddy! Help!”
Levi clamped his hand over her mouth and dragged her into the sedan.
This footage had never been available during the initial investigation.
Where had it come from?
I circled Marvin, my thoughts swirling with suspicion. But he seemed utterly unbothered as if he had expected this all along.
Before I could process it, the second video began to play.
The scene shifted to a room with bizarre decorations hanging on the walls.
In the corner of the room stood a massive dog cage. Inside, horrifyingly, was a naked little girl!
