Dear Ex-wife Marry Me novel (Maja) novel Chapter 1680

Rachel watched as the local coroner, accompanied by a few somber-faced deputies, gently moved Jackson's body onto a stretcher. The air was thick with the scent of pine and tragedy as the coroner began his grim examination.

Abner, his face shadowed by the brim of his baseball cap, spoke up from the sidelines. "Check Phoebe too, will ya? Maybe there's something fishy about her death as well."

Rachel shot him a glance, her green eyes sharp, but this time she didn't object.

The results came back faster than anyone expected: both deaths were eerily similar, a fatal puncture to the brain with a sharp needle.

Tobias, pale as the moon and only eleven years old, suddenly choked on his tears, his voice breaking the heavy silence. "It was Queena. I saw her touch Phoebe's head, and then she just fell over. Queena's the killer."

His words were met with immediate disbelief. After all, Queena wasn't just anyone; she was the town's sole doctor, a woman of education who had studied abroad.

Voices rose up in protest.

"Cut the kid some slack, he doesn't know what he's saying. Queena just treated his dad's injury last week!"

"Yeah, and why would she harm your dad, kiddo? They had no beef."

"Tobias, you're heartless! Has Queena ever been anything but kind to you?"

Tobias shrank back, suddenly unsure. It was true, Queena had always been good to him. But ever since Phoebe's incident, he'd grown afraid of her.

Rachel, sensing the shift in the crowd, raised her hand for silence. Her gaze swept over the townsfolk. "Where's Queena?"

It was only then that they realized Queena was nowhere to be found. Hadn't she just been there a moment ago?

A search party quickly made their way to Queena's house, only to find it empty, the doctor gone without a trace.

Rachel's face turned stone-cold; a suspect on the run often meant guilt.

She wasted no time contacting the county police, rallying everyone to join the manhunt for Queena.

The townspeople were uneasy with Queena missing. Could she really be the culprit?

Elsewhere, Queena had already boarded the bus heading to the county, taking the unconscious Ian with her. He had been sedated with several injections and was oblivious to the world around him.

Queena's expression was icy as she drove. She had seized the opportunity to escape with the town's only bus, killing the driver and taking the keys.

Her thoughts were singular: Ian belonged to her, and no one would take him away.

Rachel's search soon led to the discovery of the bus driver's body in a drainage ditch, further confirming Queena's guilt.

As she was about to pursue by car, Abner suggested, "Take the chopper."

Rachel hesitated for just a moment before leading her team to the helicopter.