An Unusual Affair

Chapter 19

The weekend arrived, and Daniel was waiting outside Charles's house even before the sun had risen. Charles was the only way Daniel could get to Vanessa now, as she was unreachable for him.

"Hey mate, it's not even sunrise yet. What are you doing here?" Charles asked in a sleepy voice, coming out to meet Daniel.

"You said you would take me to Vanessa. I'm desperate to see her," Daniel said, masking his true intentions.

"I know she's irresistible, but my wife doesn't know about it. Don't say anything in front of her. I'll freshen up, then we can leave for her house. Usually, she's already there when I go, but today maybe we can give her a surprise." Charles winked at Daniel and walked back into his house.

Three hours later, Richard was having breakfast with Hayden when his phone rang, flashing Jake's number on the screen.

"Sir, where are you?" Jake almost shouted as soon as Richard answered the call.

"I'm at home, Jake. What has happened? You sound distraught," Richard said, getting up from his seat and walking out of the dining hall.

"Have you seen the news?" Jake asked again.

"I was with Hayden, and I don't watch the news with him. Get to the point, what has happened?" Richard said, growing frustrated. "Is it about the divorce result?"

"Forget about the divorce now, Sir. Madam Vanessa was found dead in one of her houses half an hour ago. The suspect has been arrested. She was with her boyfriend in that house, and the boyfriend was also badly injured, but before the police could call an ambulance, he passed away as well," Jake said quickly.

Richard hung up the call and rushed to his study. His legs were shaking. "I told that dumbhead not to do anything," he said to himself.

Checking the latest news on the bulletin, Richard felt a shockwave run through his spine.

"No, that can't be true," Richard said, standing up so suddenly that he almost lost his balance.

Picking up the intercom, he called Mrs. Swan.

"You have Emily's number, right?" Mrs. Swan was taken aback by the sudden question thrown at her as soon as she entered the room.

"Yes, Master," Mrs. Swan replied.

"Call her now." Richard's tone was more of an order than a request.

Mrs. Swan dialed the number, but no one answered. One, two, three times, but still no answer. Richard started pacing the study room, feeling agitated.

"Master Richard, may I ask if everything is alright?" Mrs. Swan asked cautiously.

Richard pointed at the laptop screen, unable to convey what was happening in words.

Mrs. Swan turned the laptop towards her and read the latest news flashing on the screen.

"Emily Morgan, the owner of Tranquil Treats, has been taken into custody by the police as she was the sole person present at the place of the incident. It is reported that one of the victims was her husband, Charles. He was badly injured when the police arrived. Unable to speak, he pointed towards his wife before passing away. She was sitting beside him, her hands smeared in blood.

Vanessa Sterling was also found dead in the bedroom of her house. Her body was in a very compromised state.

It is suspected that the victims have been having an extramarital affair for some time now. And murder seems more like revenge by Emily Morgan." The news went on.

Mrs. Swan looked up at Richard, her face as white as a sheet.

"What do we do now? Did you know about the affair?" she asked, her voice barely audible.

Richard nodded. They both fell silent. Then Richard said, "Mrs. Swan, go to Lily. She must be at home all alone. There must be reporters there, so be very tactful in answering or dealing with them. Take Hayden with you."

"Poor soul. But Master Richard, I think it would be wise to bring her here. Although there will be reporters here as well, she will be safer here."

Richard thought for a moment, then agreed. "Send Peter to get Lily. I will go to the police station to see what the situation is."

"Do you think Emily would have done that?" Mrs. Swan asked, hoping to hear what she wanted to hear.

"No, Mrs. Swan. She is innocent, I am sure of it." Richard said in a resolved tone and left the study room.

Half an hour later, Peter reached Emily's home to get Lily. The place was swarming with reporters, and finding a place to park the car was nearly impossible. He parked quite far from the house and walked discreetly to avoid drawing attention. As Richard had instructed, he wore a hat and mask to conceal his features.

Peter mingled with the reporters, asking if the bakery was open. "I really wanted to buy some bread today," he said as he moved closer to the door of the house and peeked through the window. He rang the doorbell, and Lily's small figure came into view.

Peter positioned himself in front of the window with his back to it and held up a piece of paper for Lily to read.

"It's me, Peter. Master Richard has sent me to get you from here. Don't worry about anything. Wear a cap and cover your face. Collect your things in your backpack. I will take you to Hayden's home."

It took Peter twenty minutes to convince Lily that he was indeed Peter and not a stranger. He showed her pictures of himself with Hayden through the window behind his back. Somehow, they managed to leave the place without raising any suspicion after some time.

Meanwhile, Richard reached the police station where Emily was taken into custody. He had called Jake to meet him there as well.

"Sir, do you know Mrs. Emily?" Jake asked directly.

"Yes," Richard replied, approaching the station's front desk.

Most people there knew Richard by face and naturally understood why he was there.

"Sir, Miss Emily is not responding to any investigation. We have tried everything. She remains mute," one of the police officers said.

"What about the CCTV footage? Did you get it?" Richard asked, sitting down in a seat in front of the desk.

The officer fidgeted with his fingers and said, "We have been informed that the cameras covering that street started malfunctioning three days ago. The camera outside Madam Vanessa's villa was also not working. It seems to have been broken by force."

Richard looked at Jake, and they both knew what the other was thinking. Richard hadn't used his maps in almost a month since filing for divorce. The only footage he watched was of Emily sitting in his study comforting him. He had downloaded that clip from that day and saved it on his phone.

"Sir, because of this CCTV incident, we don't think Miss Emily is the one who committed these murders. She looks too frail to have first knocked off the camera and then gone in to kill two people who could easily overpower her," the officer continued.

"I want to talk to her. In private," Richard said, standing up.

"But sir, you are not related to her. Meeting a suspect in private is against the rules," the officer said cautiously, knowing Richard had a temper.

"Her husband and my wife were found in the same house, supposedly having an extramarital affair. I think this incident is enough to connect us into a relationship, officer," Richard said firmly.

Jake suppressed a laugh while the officer went speechless. He directed Richard to a room and asked him to wait there while he went to get Emily.

Richard scanned the room and saw the cameras. He took out his mobile and was about to open his maps when the door behind him opened, and a lady officer walked in with Emily, who was handcuffed, behind her.