Chapter 11 Find The Killer

It was only then that Henrick remembered Shandie was still on the floor, twitching non-stop. He ordered the housekeepers to carry Shandie downstairs while he prepared to take Arielle along to the hospital. “Dear! Please take me with you!” Cindy pleaded, tears flowing uncontrollably. “Shannie is my... She's one that I watched growing up. I can't possibly stay at home!” Despite how pitiful and terrified Cindy looked, Henrick steeled his heart against her. “No! I want you to reflect on yourself! Can someone take Mrs. Southall back to her room? No one is to let her out without my orders!” One of the housekeepers immediately nodded and dragged a crying Cindy away while Arielle accompanied Henrick into the ambulance. “Dad, why don't we let Aunt Cindy come along? I can see how close she is to Shandie. Leaving her at home will only worry her sick,” Arielle softly pleaded. Alas, Henrick refused to yield. He turned his gaze toward Arielle and sighed deeply. “You silly child. Life overseas must have been tough, hasn't it?” “Not at all. Life was good,” Arielle replied and meant every word of it. She had had a wonderful life abroad, and it couldn't have been any better. However, Henrick thought his daughter was merely putting on a brave front and sighed again. “You're too naive. How will you survive here in Jadeborough? I'll have to slowly teach you the ways so you won't feel out of place.” “Thank you, Dad!” “We're family. You don't have to thank me...” Before long, the ambulance had arrived at the hospital. Shandie was immediately wheeled into the emergency room because her heart had stopped beating. Worried and anxious, Henrick and Arielle paced outside the emergency room as they waited. Of course, Henrick was the more worried of the two. Both Arielle and Shandie were his biological daughters and were crucial to the future of his career. Now that something had happened to Shandie, Henrick was naturally scared to death. After what felt like an eternity, the emergency room doors finally opened. As soon as the doctor walked out, Henrick hurriedly went up to him. “Doctor, how's my daughter?” “The patient may be out of danger but will still need to be monitored for a few more days. This snake venom is especially deadly. If you hadn't sent her here in time, no one would have been able to save her! But, I have to ask, how did she get bitten? This snake shouldn't have appeared in Jadeborough.” Henrick frowned in confusion as he asked, “What do you mean by that? We live in a manor on top of the hill. It's common for snakes to crawl in, isn't it?” The doctor shook his head gravely. “This snake species belongs in the South, so you won't be able to find any in the wild here. It had to have come from there. I think this is something you might want to look into.” Henrick's face fell, finally understanding what the doctor meant. “Are you saying that this could have been an intentional hit?” “That's very possible.” Henrick clenched his fists so hard that his fingernails bit into his palms. “Who? Who the hell wants to harm my daughter?” His gaze instinctively fell on Arielle as a glint of suspicion flashed across his face. Arielle didn't seem to have noticed her father's doubts and fumed with anger. “How dare they! Whoever brought the snake into our manor is pure evil! Dad, you have to get to the bottom of this. We can't let them get away with murder!” Hearing those words from Arielle cleared whatever suspicion Henrick had of her. He was sure that a girl who had only just arrived in Jadeborough couldn't have carried out such a plan. Besides, if Arielle had ulterior motives, she wouldn't have risked her life to fight the snake. I shouldn't have suspected her! “Let's go home first, Arielle. I have to investigate this properly and find out who the culprit is!” “You're right, Dad, we have to investigate it thoroughly! The snake bit Shandie today, but what if it bit you tomorrow? Please get it checked out as soon as possible and bring the perpetrator to justice!” Arielle said with a stern voice. Henrick couldn't agree more. Once I find out who brought the snake in, I'm not going to let them off easy! After ordering a couple of housekeepers to stay and look after Shandie, Henrick and Arielle left the hospital for the manor, ready to get to the bottom of the matter. Back at the manor, Cindy was busy checking her phone while being confined to her room. As soon as she got the message that Shandie was safe and sound, she heaved a sigh of relief. However, that relief didn't last long. After being told that the release of the snake had been an attempt on Shandie's life, Cindy seethed with rage. Just then, one of the housekeepers whispered outside the room, “Mrs. Southall, Mr. Southall is home!” Cindy had had enough of being confined to her room. She desperately wanted to get out, but Henrick had locked the door and kept the key. After pacing about in the room, she decided to throw caution to the wind and broke the door lock with an ornamental stone. Henrick and Arielle had only just stepped into the house when they saw Cindy running down the stairs. “Dear! It must be Arielle! That b*tch wants to get rid of Shannie, so she brought a snake back from the South! She's the only one who had come from there. It has to be her! We have to seek justice for Shannie!” Arielle backed away with a pained expression on her face. “Aunt Cindy, because of your suspicions toward me, I had to risk my life to prove my innocence. I did all that to save Shandie, and yet, you still accuse me? Now you're even claiming that I brought the snake back?” Cindy pointed angrily at Arielle and continued shouting, “It has to be you! I know it is! Stop pretending to be pitiful! Henrick, please, lock her up and begin the interrogation!” “Enough!” Henrick bellowed. “You've already accused her once, can't you stop? I will get to the bottom of this and give you an answer! Now, get the hell back into your room and stay there! Can someone take her back to her room? And this time, make sure she doesn't escape again!” Once again, the housekeepers nodded and forcefully led Cindy away. “Dear, you have to trust me! You have to investigate thoroughly...” As Arielle watched Cindy get dragged away, kicking and screaming, she was even more sure that Cindy had nothing to do with the cobra incident. After all, if Cindy had a part in this nefarious plan, she wouldn't have implored Henrick to investigate thoroughly. Perfect. Shandie's going to have to pay for her stupidity and viciousness! Arielle turned to Henrick and said solemnly, “Dad, I noticed there are many surveillance cameras here, so you should check out the footage. You should also send people to places where snakes can be bought and ask if any seller has sold any recently.” Henrick listened intently and nodded in agreement. “Alfred, I want you to get started on it immediately. Also, I need you to check all the rooms in the manor, make sure there aren't any more snakes.” Even though it was in the wee hours of the night, Henrick was raring to go. After the cobra scare, his priority was to make sure there wouldn't be any other surprises. After a while, the housekeeper in charge of the surveillance cameras came running back with his report. “Mr. Southall, we've checked the footage. Last night at around eleven, the only person who had left the manor was Ms. Shandie's nanny, Janet.” “Janet?” Henrick's eyes narrowed quizzically. “Bring her here immediately to be questioned!”