The Doctor Of East Hadena [MXM] [SERIAL KILLER] ✓

10 | NECKLACE

"Camilo?"

Willow asked, muffled against my shirt. The young girl was still grasping onto me tightly, not showing any sign of letting go. I didn't mind the physical contact as much as I normally would, though. It might've had something to do with how distressed she was, or maybe the fact she was covered in blood after doing something horrible, and seeing a child in this state changed things.

It was all too familiar.

"Yes." I told her, and she'd still yet to show any sign of pulling away from me. Eventually, I carded my fingers through her dark hair in attempt to comfort her, which seemed to work. It was not long before she slowly began to relax, then pulled away from me, wiping at her face. "Do you have anywhere to go?"

Willow shook her head in the negative, still trembling, and I knew what I had to do. I knew I couldn't just leave the child out here like this, she was too young to be on her own in this huge city—something bad would happen to her, undoubtedly—and there was no way the police would side with her.

So, I grabbed the body bag, which was a few feet behind me, and dragged it beside me as I walked back over to her. I then held out my other hand to her, palm facing up, and she didn't hesitate. She took it without a second thought, and we headed to the truck, which was parked down the street.

When I finished helping her into the passenger seat, and hefting the bag into the bed of the vehicle, I looked back at the large house, on the other side of all the shrubbery. I examined it for a moment, briefly wondering what could've driven the girl to do this, before deciding to just let it go—for now.

Except... that didn't last long.

"Willow Jeong," the woman on the tv, intense tone and narrowed expression on her face, stated into the microphone with thundering conviction. "Heir to the Jeong family fortune and daughter of Hadena's prized billionaire socialites and lead economic contributors, hailing straight from Seoul: Nari and Tae Jeong, has gone missing overnight."

I completely froze, as did Willow. I had made her some food, and was in the process of putting syrup on her pancakes for her. She looked up at me like she was in trouble, but my eyes were glued to the television. An image of Willow appeared on the screen, but she looked... different.

"The young beauty queen is presumed to have been kidnapped by her parent's murderer, although authorities are still evaluating the evidence." The woman continued, but there was only one thing echoing through my mind at that moment. Billionaires. "If you have any information on her whereabouts, please contact the number below. The police have not released any further details of the crime, but a memorial will be held in their honor on Wednesday..."

The sound began to fade out, while I stood frozen in place. Willow was seated at my kitchen table, pointedly not looking at the TV. She just continued to stare up at me, like she expected me to throw her out any second. I'd only had her in my care for a few hours at this point, and with the context I now had... maybe I should've.