CHAPTER 618 WHY WON’T YOU STOP BOTHERING ME
Elspeth decided to head out with Callum to find the boy named Cameron Henning.
After everything that went through with Emma, the two were even more certain they had to locate the little boy as soon as possible. Perhaps that would be their key to unearthing the truth.
Although the boy's address was fairly near Winthrop Residence, it wasn't easy to find.
They drove for over an hour before they found the place.
After getting out of the car, Elspeth and Callum both frowned at the dilapidated buildings they were surrounded by.
Joella Henning didn't seem like she was impoverished, so why did she choose to live in such a rundown and isolated place?
"Maybe… money wasn't the reason why she chose this place. Maybe the fact that it's so secluded makes it safer for her."
This was only Callum's guess, but Elspeth thought he was probably right.
Joella couldn't even look them in the eye. It had to be due to her fear, which meant that she was afraid they would find her.
Why would she be afraid of us finding her?
The more Elspeth thought about this, the more puzzled she was. She was determined to locate Joella as soon as possible and get to the bottom of everything.
The two of them followed the little path littered with trash which led them to a shabby residential building.
According to the information they had, this building was the one they were looking for.
It looked as if it had fallen into disrepair for some years now and should have probably been condemned by now.
However, it hadn't been demolished yet, which was probably due to the large population of residents living in extreme poverty in this area. There was no way for the building to be demolished safely.
The corridor was dark and damp. Even the light was flickering.
Joella was staying on the third floor which wasn't that high up. Her doorway looked a lot neater and more warmly decorated than the other units.
The paint was peeling off the walls. Elspeth carefully made sure she didn't touch the walls to avoid causing anything to fall off.
She raised her hand and knocked lightly on the aged door.
Soon, a voice rang out.
"Who is it?"
Luckily for the two, old doors were not equipped with a peephole.
If Joella found out that they had come knocking on her door all of a sudden, she would be scared out of her mind and could very likely do something extreme.
Therefore, Elspeth swiftly decided to conceal her voice and ask, "Are you Joella Henning?"
Elspeth was an expert at changing her voice, so the woman inside the house didn't suspect a thing.
Nevertheless, it was still a stranger's voice. Joella grew wary and asked, "Who are you? How do you know my name?"
"I'm here to get a water meter reading."
Callum barely resisted the urge to laugh.
However, the excuse was a little too flimsy. After staying in the area for quite some time, Joella knew full well that the person who came around to check the water meters was usually a man, so she immediately asked again, "Who on earth are you?"
Elspeth tried her best to make her voice sound exasperated. "I didn't want to come out here and check the water meters either, but the guy who usually does it had a last-minute emergency and I had to take over from him. Please just cooperate with me. Thanks."
She had done such a good job getting the emotions right that she sounded just like a disgruntled employee being forced to carry out an unwanted task.
Joella seemed less suspicious now, but she carefully checked once more, "Are you really here to get a water meter reading?"
"Of course. Why would I lie about that?" Elspeth shot back as she continued grumbling.
At last, Joella was fully convinced. However, she had only just opened the door ever so slightly when she spotted the large silhouette standing at the door and immediately tried to slam the door shut again.
She had been tricked!
Unfortunately for her, Callum had been prepared for this and reacted even quicker than she did. He stuck his foot through the opening to stop her from closing the door.
Joella realized she couldn't keep them out, and in her panic, she ran into the house.
Once the bedroom door was locked behind her, she finally slid down to the ground.
At that moment, the faces of the two people at the door flashed across her mind.
Hang on. Why did that person look so familiar?
Before Joella could figure things out, she heard a voice calling out to her.
"There's no need to be afraid, Joella. I won't do anything to harm you. I came to find you because I have a few questions to ask you."
Callum spoke using his normal voice.
As soon as Joella heard him, for some reason, a strange emotion overtook her.
She hugged her knees and tried to remain as silent as possible.
"I really mean you no harm."
Upon hearing this, Joella finally let out a weak croak, "Didn't I apologize to you already? I explained everything to you as well. Why are you still bothering me? Why won't you let me go?"
"I'm not trying to bother you. There are just a few things I haven't gotten to the bottom of yet."
Since Joella's emotions seemed pretty stable, Elspeth got straight to the point. "You're not married and you don't have a boyfriend, so how did you get a son?"
Joella knew that the questioning would invariably lead back to Cameron, so when she heard Elspeth's question, she felt chills down her spine.
"Why are you asking about him?"
She sounded like she was on the verge of a breakdown. She couldn't figure out why they refused to let her go simply because she had a child.
What does he have to do with them?!
Joella kept her mouth shut. Her forehead was dotted with sweat. She didn't know what was happening, but she suddenly found it hard to breathe.
She had a hard time composing herself in this state. She clutched her top and gasped repeatedly.
When everything went silent inside the bedroom, Elspeth assumed the worst. She exchanged a look with Callum before creeping over to the bedroom door to try and find a way to pry the lock open while Callum searched for a key.
Soon, Elspeth waved her hand to get Callum's attention.
"The key's above the door," she mouthed silently to him.
Callum silently walked up to the door. The two of them stuck their ears to the door to listen in on the situation. They caught Joella's ragged breathing sounds and made a snap decision. Callum immediately shoved the door open.
They never thought Joella would be so nervous until she had a hard time breathing. Elspeth crouched down and helped Joella through the panic attack. After a while, Joella finally regained her composure.
"Why must you do this?"
Joella had a wretched smile on her face.
"Why do you keep bothering me? Why won't you let me go? What did I do that was so wrong?"
"No one's trying to bother you," Elspeth replied exasperatedly. "I harbor no ill will toward you. All I want is to ask you a few simple questions."
All of a sudden, Joella shrieked, "Stop asking questions! It's Callum Winthrop's child, alright?!"
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