Dear Sweetheart

Chapter 745

Chapter 745 Bloodstain

“Cassidy went there before. It was how I met her in the first place,” explained Rayna. “However, we still can't prove that no one else here but her went there before.”

“Where did the specimen in the police station come from?” Curtis studied the specimen in the glass bottle carefully. “This Arachrede seems complete and whole.”

“Then there has to be another person,” she stated confidently before wondering, “Why did Cassidy go to Shvomhid Mountain?”

Her question surprised him. “You don't know the reason?” I thought she'd know.

“I didn't think to ask her back then.” Rayna delved deep into her memory before shaking her head. “I traveled with her because she knew the plants better than me. So, it was nice to have her as a companion.”

The edges of Curtis' lips twitched when he heard that.

Upon spotting his reaction, she punched his arm. “Oh, don't look at me like that. It was normal for a girl of my age back then to have that kind of thought. Besides, we're both girls.”

Aside from the Arachrede, there were two pendants resembling a drop of blood and an envelope inside the box.

Vance handed the envelope to Rayna. After opening it, she realized there was a sketchbook inside.

Her expression grew grim with each page of drawing she flipped through. When she reached the last page, she saw a yellowed picture.

The woman in the picture looked identical to Cassidy. She wore a gown and had a warm smile on her face. In her arms was an infant.

Standing next to her was a young man, Andrew.

Astonished, James asked, “Is this Cassidy in the picture?”

“She looks like Cassidy, but... I don't think it's her. If it is, she should be older than all of us.” Rayna was perplexed, too. The date on the picture says it was taken in 2003, but Cassidy looks younger than me.

Suddenly, she recalled the picture of a woman Zeller Group posted on the internet. Swiftly, she compared the picture on her phone to the one in her hand.

Upon guessing Rayna's thoughts, Curtis said, “They aren't the same person.”

In response, she compared the two pictures again. “They're definitely not the same person, so what's going on? Are they mother and daughter?”

“It's possible. In that case, Andrew might've been her father. Although, are you absolutely certain Cassidy was the person you met when you were young?”

His question spurred her to interrogate herself. “Is it possible that the person I met back then was someone else?” It's unlikely, though, considering Cassidy looks about the same as when she was a

girl.

“That day, Cassidy was the one who recognized you. I don't think you knew who she was at first,” reminded Curtis.

Rayna nodded. “That's what happened, yeah. When she said she knew me, I just went along with it.”

“This isn't a minor issue, Rayna. You better think carefully,” cautioned James. “Don't tell me you got the wrong person. You've ingested the medicine she prepared for you, you know.”

“Don't look at me like that, okay? Let me think.” Losing her confidence, she returned to the house.

“Curtis, she...” James gazed at her back with worry before turning to Curtis.

Patting James' back, Curtis assured, “Let her think. I don't think she mistook Cassidy for someone else because she thought Cassidy was telling the truth when Cassidy recognized her.”

After entering the living room, Rayna thought about the matter long and hard. I still don't think I mistook Cassidy for the wrong person, even if she was the one who recognized me first. Although, the person in the picture unquestionably looked like her. Maybe it's her mother or someone related to her by blood?

She was so absorbed in her thoughts as she ascended the stairs that she didn't notice Yuna was walking toward her.

It wasn't until they almost bumped into each other that she lifted her head. “Yuna?”

“Mhm.” Yuna nodded as she peered at Rayna with a mischievous look.

Noticing that, Rayna asked, “What's the matter?”

“You don't seem to understand Ms. Cassidy's matter very well.”

“You can say that. I only met her once when I was young before meeting her here again.”

“Oh.” A realization appeared to have dawned on Yuna before she nodded while pouting. “So that's what it is.”

Upon noticing something was amiss from the girl's expression, Rayna softened her tone to bait information out of Yuna. “Do you have something important to share with me, Yuna?”

Shaking her head, Yuna pressed her finger in front of her lips. “I can't say.”

“Why not?” Rayna's curiosity was piqued.

“Because... It's a secret. I can't say.” Grinning, Yuna walked around Rayna and descended the stairs, repeating, “It's a secret. I can't say.”

The others in the courtyard overheard her words.

“Secret?” James muttered before turning to Curtis, who appeared calm.

When Rayna shifted her sight away from downstairs, she saw blood dripping on the steps.

She followed the trail of blood until she arrived in front of Cassidy's bedroom, where there was a puddle of it at the door.

Immediately, she called Curtis on the phone and uttered in a suppressed voice, “Come over to Cassidy's room right now. Take James with you.”

Upon detecting the abnormality in her voice, he dashed upstairs with James. “What's the matter, Rayna?”

While Curtis didn't notice the bloodstains, James did as he pointed at them. “Look.” Seconds later, he saw the blood puddle at the door when he turned to Rayna, which stunned him.

Curtis pulled Rayna away and kicked the door open.

Without delay, James strolled into the room and saw that the window near the mountain was open. Then he checked for more bloodstains in the room and commented, “The blood seems like it belongs to a human.”

“Inspect the room. See if there're any hidden contraptions inside,” ordered Curtis.

Thus, James examined the walls and the bookshelves before shaking his head. “I'm not seeing anything out of the ordinary. The doorstep has the most amount of blood, while there are only a few drops everywhere else. Seeing how scattered the blood is, I can't tell if it's done on purpose or by accident.”

Still standing at the entrance, Rayna gazed at the puddle of blood, thought of something, and said, “Send someone to Ashley's place to check the situation there, Curtis.” NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.

“Ashley?” Curtis, as well as James, turned to Rayna in unison, puzzled.