The Day Silence Spoke novel Chapter 234

“I’m out. What’s wrong?” Clifford replied calmly.

“Something’s happened! You need to come back, quickly!” Renata’s voice was hushed, as if she were hiding from someone.

“I’m busy. We’ll talk later.”

Clifford hung up and started driving Latisha home. She glanced at him in the dim light of the car. A smile played on his lips, but beneath it, she sensed a hint of danger—the same kind of smile she had seen on Santino’s face before.

She lowered her gaze, her mind inexplicably returning to what Clifford had said the previous night. “It’s almost over.” It had seemed like such a simple phrase at the time, but now, it filled her with a profound sense of unease.

Clifford had intended to drop her off, but halfway home, he received another call. This time, it was from Wallace. And so, he changed course, driving her to the outskirts of the city.

The area was already cordoned off with police tape. A crowd of onlookers stood behind the barricade, craning their necks to get a better view. The flashing lights of several police cars painted the scene in strobes of red and blue. People whispered amongst themselves.

“Someone died. There was a fire on the mountain. Burned to death, how awful.”

“Does anyone even live up there anymore?”

“I don’t know. Guess so. See, that’s why living on a mountain is so dangerous. One little spark is all it takes.”

Latisha’s heart skipped a beat, and she turned to look at Clifford. They were still in the car, unable to get closer because of the crowd. They couldn't see anything except for the lights moving up and down the mountain path.

Clifford lit a cigarette and smoked in silence.

A few minutes later, his phone rang again. It was Wallace.

“Clifford, where are you?”

The casual tone irritated Wallace. “Your sister is dead! What kind of attitude is that?”

Clifford chuckled softly. “It’s not confirmed yet, is it? Dad, you seem awfully eager for her to be dead.”

“You…” Wallace was speechless. He remembered the desperate phone call from Yolanda that morning and felt a growing dread. He couldn't shake the feeling that this was connected to the contract he’d just had signed. The timing was too perfect, too damning. With her shares now in his possession, everyone would suspect he was behind it. Who would believe his innocence?

Wallace let out a weary sigh. His gaze fell on Clifford, and a sudden, inexplicable chill ran down his spine.

“Clifford… you really don’t know anything about this, do you?”

Clifford kept his eyes on the road. “Why would I?”

“Aren’t you…” Wallace started, but then he stopped himself. Only two people knew about his plan to oust Clifford from the board of directors. Clifford himself was not one of them. He had no reason to target him.