Chapter 105
Haynes stared at Stella, his eyes as deep and mysterious as the midnight sea.
“Stella, this phone number isn’t Rachel’s. The person texting never claimed to be Rachel. You can’t prove these messages are from her.”
Stella replied, “But who else would know you took Abby? Rachel arranged to meet me at the coffee shop the day after Abby disappeared.”
“You saw the texts. They clearly mentioned Abby’s whereabouts. Do you think Rachel and I are on such good terms that we’d casually meet for coffee?”
Haynes lowered his gaze, fixing it on her, “Are you sure Rachel really met you?”
Stella nodded, “I’m sure.”
“Alright, I’ll have it looked into right away.”
…
After the investigation, Haynes took Stella to Rachel’s hospital room.
By then, Rachel seemed calmer, but when Haynes asked about the meeting, she looked surprised, “Wasn’t it Ms. Cameron who invited me to the coffee shop?”
Stella blinked, “I invited you?”
“Yes, I received a text from you suggesting we meet up. You even picked a downtown café to reassure me it was safe.”
Rachel handed her phone to Haynes, “I still have the message from Ms. Cameron.”
Stella leaned over to look. Sure enough, it matched what Rachel said. Both had received an identical invitation from the same number.
Something started to feel off to Stella. Although she believed it was Rachel texting and had met her at the café, just as Haynes pointed out, the number wasn’t Rachel’s.
There was no direct proof that Rachel sent those texts. Yet, their meeting was irrefutable, and Haynes had confirmed it.
Before Stella could wrap her head around it, Jasper Wilkinson, who had been sitting quietly, finally spoke up, unable to hide the truth any longer.
“I sent the messages. Rachel had nothing to do with it.”
Rachel looked at Jasper, shocked, “Jasper, why would you do this?”
“I just couldn’t stand Stella, so I thought I’d teach her a lesson!”
Jasper retorted, “Since Rachel came back, Stella has bullied her non-stop-made her fall into the lake, put her in the hospital. Her friends even came to the hospital to ridicule Rachel, leading her to attempt suicide and end up in the ER…”
“Her friends got away with just an apology, but Rachel had to suffer through all of this… Why?”
Jasper’s voice turned cold, “If Haynie won’t punish the one who hurt Rachel, then I will! Now you know the truth. Do what you will with me!”
Rachel was in tears, “Haynie, I know Jasper shouldn’t have done this. But he’s been by my side, taking care of me tirelessly while I’ve been sick. Can’t you give him a chance?”
“And Abby’s fine, isn’t she? Can Ms. Cameron drop the charges? I only have Jasper to look after me now. If he’s gone, what will I do?”
Rachel looked at Haynes with pleading eyes, her fragile form evoking a sense of helplessness that was hard to ignore.
Haynes’ gaze deepened as he turned to Stella, “What do you think, Stella?”
Stella returned Haynes’ gaze and asked, “Are you really telling me to let the person who hurt my friend off the hook?”