Chapter 36 The Connecting Thread
As the driver hurled accusations at Barry, bewilderment clouded his face. “What are you rambling about? I don’t even know you. What does your financial loss have to do with me?”
“How can it have nothing to do with you? I trusted you and invested my money just like you said. I lost everything and you just disappeared. Do you know how many times I’ve tried to reach you? I called you so many times, and you never answered! Barry, once I’m out of the police station, I’m coming for you. You sick f*ck who ruined my child’s life!”
The driver was beyond emotional, his eyes ablaze with malice. Barry’s confusion only deepened.
Perhaps conditioned to think the worst, Sabrina’s first instinct was that her brother had done something terrible. But seeing Barry’s bewildered expression, her initial suspicion waned.
She stepped up in front of Barry, confronting the driver. “My brother would never do such a thing. Are you sure you haven’t mistaken him for someone else?”
“Impossible! I’ve been in contact with him online. I even have screenshots and videos. Go ahead and ch*ck if you don’t believe me!”
Sabrina exchanged a puzzled look with Barry, who shook his head, clearly clueless.
“Officer, we really have no clue about this. Could you look into this? We’re here because of our sick grandfather. We’ve even had to sell our house to cover his medical expenses. Why would we scam. someone?”
If they had really scammed money, they would use it for their grandfather’s treatment instead of being anxious about how to sell the house.
The police initiated a preliminary investigation, which suggested the driver’s claims were baseless. Yet, they acknowledged a need for a more comprehensive investigation to be completely certain.
“We’ll investigate this matter thoroughly. You both may go home for now. We’ll notify you immediately if there’s any news. And try not to leave town. We’ll contact you to a*sist with the investigation.” the officer said.
Nodding, they both knew that with their grandfather’s ongoing medical needs, leaving was not an option
anyway.
As they stepped out of the police station, the driver’s rants escalated into a string of vulgarities, finally prompting the police to remove him.
Once outside, both siblings looked equally puzzled.
“Sabrina, trust me, I really don’t know this driver. I couldn’t have scammed him. Forget moral concerns, if Grandpa heard about this, he’d break my legs. And look, we’ve been scammed too, right?”
That jolted Sabrina’s memory. They had been scammed as well. “Could your scammer have any ties to this?”
Sabrina mulled over the striking similarities. Both had been financially duped due to sick family members. Barry had lost money because he had invested it all in hospital bills for their seemingly sick grandfather, only to find out that their grandfather was fine, and the money vanished.
The connecting thread was trust, exploited through monetary loss related to an ill family member. But if that was the case, what tied the driver’s loss to Barry? The puzzle remained incomplete.
“I’ve been thinking about the same thing too, Sabrina. But nothing makes sense. How could I scam
Someone Ive never even met?”
Puzzled and without answers, Barry and Sabrina decided to let the police do their job. It was a mystery neither could solve on their own.
With the questions hanging in the air, they left the police station and made their way once more to the hospital.
Parker showed no signs of waking up. The doctors said his condition was grim, and it would take a long time for him to recover.
Sabrina and Barry grasped that patience was the only option.
As night fell, Barry stayed on at the hospital to keep watch over their grandfather.
With responsibilities awaiting her, Sabrina went home, Having already used up several days of leave from work, she knew she had to resume her job the following day to make ends meet.
Before leaving, she made a quick stop next door. Ada was nursing her injuries all alone since Barry was away at the hospital. Sabrina felt a natural obligation to look in on her.
Arriving at Ada’s, Sabrina found her in the midst of changing her bandages.
Ada sprang up, her concern evident. “How did it go at the police station? That driver’s story about Barry scamming him makes no sense. Your brother has been taking care of Grandpa; he would never deceive anyone for money.”
Seeing Ada so anxious to defend her brother, Sabrina was reminded of what Curtis had told her.
Ada appeared perfectly fine, and she could not understand why Curtis would think otherwise.
“Yes, we spoke with the police. They’ll investigate it further. I’m sorry you had to go through all this. You came here to spend time with Barry, and now you’re stuck alone in the apartment,” Sabrina said, feeling genuinely empathetic. She was busy with work and taking care of her grandfather, so she did not have the time to keep Ada company.
Ada smiled sympathetically. “It’s okay. I understand. You all have a lot on your plate right now. Once things settle down, you can take me out.”
Sabrina nodded gratefully. “Yes, once Grandpa is out of the hospital, I’ll definitely take you out. There are many more places around here to enjoy.”
After chatting a bit more with Ada in the apartment, Sabrina finally left. When she got home, she was even more exhausted.
Daniel emerged from the kitchen, holding a bowl of soup. “Here, I made some soup. About the car accident, I’ve already asked Curtis to look into it.”
