Free Web NovelChapter 68: Chapter 68: The Heartless Woman Actually Plans to Abandon Turtle
Henry Stark looked at Kyle Morgan and said in a low voice, "Have Sawyer contact the manager of Emberwood Apartments and ask if any of the residents match the description."
"Got it." Kyle Morgan immediately sent the suspect’s description to Sawyer.
Renee Jennings looked thoughtful. An idea suddenly struck her, and she looked at the slider turtle again.
Its eyes were closed, and it looked like it was lazily dozing.
She reached out, slowly stroking its shell as she asked in a gentle voice, "Good little turtle, have you ever seen three people in the apartment at the same time?"
The slider turtle blinked and said excitedly, "Honestly, who can relate? It’s been so long since anyone’s petted me like this!"
Renee Jennings: "..."
She stopped and repeated her question.
The slider turtle stretched its neck to look at her, a little bashful. "Um... if I answer your question, can you pet me again?"
Stroking its shell was no big deal to Renee Jennings. She smiled. "Of course. So, were there ever three people in the apartment at the same time?"
The slider’s reply was swift and decisive. "Of course there were!"
Renee Jennings: "Were those three people Eileen Coleman, Todd, and Daphne Dalton?"
"Daphne Dalton?" The slider paused for a moment. "You mean that female two-legger with the short hair you were talking to today?"
"Yes." Renee Jennings nodded quickly. "That’s her. Was she there?"
"Of course she was! That female with the short hair told the male a lot about the other female!" The slider turtle hadn’t been sleepy that day, so the memory was crystal clear.
Renee Jennings’s eyes lit up, her clear voice tinged with anticipation. "Little guy, can you remember what she said? Were they good things or bad things?"
Seeing this, Kyle Morgan was overcome with curiosity. "Miss Jennings, what did it say?"
Renee Jennings said, "It told me Daphne Dalton told Todd a lot about Eileen Coleman."
Kyle Morgan’s eyes lit up instantly. "Well, ask it!"
The slider turtle paced back and forth in front of Renee Jennings. "This turtle has a feeling they probably weren’t very nice things."
It cast its mind back.
That day, Eileen Coleman wasn’t home. When Todd rang the doorbell, he woke up Daphne Dalton, who was at home catching up on sleep after her night shift.
She got up to open the door, her expression sour as she yelled, "What’s your problem! Eileen’s not here!"
As Daphne Dalton started to shut the door, Todd blocked it with his hand and asked worriedly, "Are you Eileen’s roommate? Do you know what’s been going on with her lately? I’ve been texting her, but she hasn’t replied."
Hearing this, an idea suddenly sparked in Daphne Dalton’s mind. She looked Todd up and down. "What are you to Eileen?" fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
Todd replied, "I’m pursuing her."
Daphne Dalton laughed mockingly. "Pursuing her? A guy like you?"
Todd’s expression darkened. "What’s that supposed to mean? So I can’t pursue her?"
"You’ll never get her." Daphne Dalton turned and walked into the living room.
Seeing that she hadn’t closed the door, Todd followed her inside, his tone laced with displeasure. "What do you mean by that? What do you know that makes you say I’ll never get her?"
"There are plenty of rich men going after Eileen Coleman. You know why she hasn’t answered you these past couple of days?" Daphne Dalton sat on the sofa, crossed her legs, and wore a mocking expression. "She’s been on dates with other men. Of course she doesn’t have time to get back to you."
"Impossible!" Todd didn’t believe her. "Eileen isn’t that kind of girl!"
Daphne Dalton rolled her eyes. "Fine, don’t believe me."
Although he didn’t believe her, her words still planted a seed of doubt in Todd’s mind.
After finishing its story, the slider stopped in front of Renee Jennings. "Honestly, you guys, all this talking is making a turtle thirsty."
An idea struck Renee Jennings. She took a slice of apple and fed it to him, praising him with a broad smile, "You’re amazing, little guy. You’re the smartest turtle I’ve ever met."
The slider was thrilled by the praise and provided even more useful information.
Meanwhile, a courier delivered several pieces of designer clothing, dry-cleaned for Rosalyn Coleman, to Emberwood Apartments.
Daphne Dalton collected the items and immediately began trying them on in her room.
She put on a black Chanel dress, placed her hands on her hips, and stood admiring herself in the mirror, her eyes filled with smug satisfaction.
She once had to go on a blind date and had wanted to borrow some of Eileen Coleman’s designer clothes and bags to keep up appearances. In the end, not only was she harshly rejected, but she was also ridiculed and scorned.
Daphne Dalton had been furious at the time, and her dislike for Eileen Coleman had twisted into resentment.
Now that Eileen Coleman was dead, she didn’t need to borrow them; she could just take them as her own.
’Good riddance!’
***
Sawyer came to Henry Stark’s desk with a file and said in a low voice, "Captain, we didn’t find any residents at Emberwood Apartments who match the suspect’s description. This file has all the resident information."
"Alright." Henry Stark took the file and said calmly, "Take Renee Jennings home first."
"Got it." Sawyer turned and walked toward the conference room. "Miss Jennings, the Captain asked me to take you home."
Hearing this, Renee Jennings blinked and smiled. "There’s no need, I can just get a cab."
She glanced at the slider resting in the water. "Little guy, I’m heading home now."
The slider slowly raised its head to look at her, seemingly bewildered. "What? You’re not planning on taking me home with you?"
"Huh?" Renee Jennings looked at it in surprise. "You want to come home with me?"
The slider started sighing again. "Does anyone even get it? This heartless woman is actually planning to abandon me..."
Renee Jennings: "..."
’Why is he being so dramatic? Abandoned?’
The slider was angry now. It started swimming around in circles, surprisingly fast—nothing like its lazy demeanor from before.
"What’s wrong with the little guy?" Sawyer asked, curious to see it swimming so fast.
Renee Jennings said, "He says I’m abandoning him. I think he’s angry."
Sawyer looked at her, blinked, and suggested, "Well, why don’t you take him home with you?"
Renee Jennings met her gaze and blinked as well. "Am I allowed to?"
Sawyer said, "Should I go ask the Captain?"
Renee Jennings nodded. "Okay, I’ll leave it to you, then."
"It’s no trouble at all," Sawyer said as she walked out of the conference room.
Renee Jennings tapped the glass of the tank and said calmly, "Alright, little turtle, don’t be so quick to get angry. I might be taking you home in a minute."
The slider finally stopped, craning its neck to look at her. "Now that’s more like it."
Sawyer returned quickly, beaming. "Miss Jennings, the Captain said you can take him home."
Renee Jennings raised an eyebrow, a smile playing on her lips. "Great, thank you. And please, just call me Renee from now on."
The slider looked at her expectantly. "Does this mean I get to go home with you?"
"Yes, it does!" Renee Jennings said as she picked up the tank.
Sawyer quickly reached out. "Here, let me get that."
Renee Jennings smiled and shook her head. "It’s okay, it’s not heavy."
After leaving the conference room, she said goodbye to Henry Stark and the others and left.
It was already past three in the afternoon when she returned to Blissborne Garden. Renee Jennings saw Old Hag Crawford sitting at the stone table again, cracking melon seeds, her eyes darting all over the place.
The thought that the woman had deliberately put out rat poison to harm her furry babies made Renee’s blood boil.
Perhaps seeing the glass tank in her arms, Old Hag Crawford deliberately stuck out a foot to trip her.
Renee Jennings, who had been expecting it, stomped right down on it.
