An Unusual Affair

Chapter 21

Richard arrived home to find Mrs. Swan waiting for him at the door.

'How did everything go? What did Emily say?' she asked immediately.

'Where is Lily, Mrs. Swan?' Richard replied, handing her his coat.

'Hayden and Lily are in the playroom. I haven't told them anything about Madam Vanessa or Emily,' Mrs. Swan replied.

'Thank you. I'll tell them soon. They need to know how to handle the situation. We can't keep them sheltered in the house forever,' Richard said, climbing the stairs wearily.

'Should I send your dinner upstairs, Master?' Mrs. Swan asked.

'No, I'm not hungry. But prepare some clothes and send them with Peter to the police station. I told them that I would send clothes for Emily to change into,' Richard said, rubbing his temples. He was exhausted beyond imagination.

'Is she okay?' Mrs. Swan asked cautiously.

'She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, Mrs. Swan. Jake is working on getting her bail,' Richard replied before heading towards the playroom to see the children.

As he opened the door, Hayden rushed towards him and hugged him tightly. Richard sat down, embracing Hayden.

'I missed you so much, Dad. Mrs. Swan isn't telling us anything that's happening outside. Lily is so sad. She misses her mom,' Hayden said in a rush.

Richard glanced at Lily, standing quietly by the table, observing them. He extended his arm, silently inviting Lily over. She came running into Richard's embrace, tears streaming down her face. Richard comforted her with a smile, gently patting her back.

'Don't worry. Your mom is okay. She misses you too. She just needs to go through some official procedures, then she'll be back with us. You have to be brave for her,' Richard said, stroking Lily's hair. It was the most fatherly hug she had ever gotten in her entire life.

She was the spitting image of her mother as she poured her heart out on Richard's arm.

'Now, I want you both to listen carefully,' Richard continued, releasing them and holding their hands. 'Hayden, your mother, and Lily's dad are not in this world anymore. They were found unalive this morning. We're still trying to find out what happened.'

'WHAT?' Hayden said surprised.

'Were they found together?' Lily asked softly.

'Well, they were meeting somewhere, and someone hurt them. The police are investigating,' Richard replied awkwardly. 'So you will stay here till everything is resolved.' 

He looked at Hayden and said, 'You okay?' 

Hayden was able to nod trying to process everything that was happening. Although he did not like his Mother much, she was still his mother. 

Three hours later, Richard was in his study, having dozed off while working. He jolted awake as his phone rang.

'Hello?' Richard answered sleepily.

'Sir, can we meet?' Jake's voice came through the phone.

'Yeah, come to my house. You know the address,' Richard replied, standing up and stretching.

Half an hour later, Mrs. Swan escorted Jake to the study.

'Hello, Sir. Did you manage to rest a bit? It's been a long day,' Jake said, closing the door behind.

'Yeah, a bit. How did everything go?' Richard asked, gesturing for Jake to sit on the sofa.

'I got the autopsy report. We have good news. The time of the murders matches the transaction time on Emily's card. There's just a few minutes difference, clearly indicating Emily couldn't have been at the villa to commit the murders,' Jake said proudly, taking off his jacket and sitting down.