Chapter 98: Primary Suspect

Emerald’s POV

Grandfather walked into the sitting area with his walking stick, his posture as straight and commanding as ever.

There was nothing in his expression that revealed the grief one might expect from a man who had just lost his favourite granddaughter.

Everyone immediately stood.

He made his way to his usual seat before lowering himself into it. He looked around the room and gave a slight gesture with his hand.

"Sit."

Everyone obeyed.

Once we were settled, grandfather rested both hands on his walking stick and looked around the room.

"Vera’s death is a tragedy for this family," he began. His voice was firm and steady. "No family should have to lose one of its members so suddenly, especially someone who had only recently begun a new Chapter of her life."

The room remained silent.

He continued speaking about grief and the difficulty of accepting the loss of someone so young. His words were measured, without unnecessary emotion, but his authority made everyone listen.

Then his gaze moved toward Dante.

"Dante, I know this is not easy for you. Vera was your daughter, and there is no parent who should have to bury a child."

Dante lowered his head slightly. "Thank you, Father."

Grandfather gave a small nod before turning his attention back to the rest of the family. "We will stand together through this."

His words were simple, but nobody interrupted him. He then began discussing the funeral arrangements. Everything had already been put into motion.

The family would handle the necessary preparations, and the arrangements would be made in accordance with what was expected of the Hugo family.

Then my grandfather gave us the news that changed the room.

"Vera’s remains have arrived in Washington."

A woman across from me immediately covered her mouth. Someone else began crying.

Within seconds, several family members wiped their faces, while others lowered their heads as they struggled to hold themselves together.

I looked forward, feeling my chest tighten.

I had spent the entire day hearing that Vera was dead, but somehow those words had still felt a little distant.

Now her remains were here in Washington. She was truly gone.

My eyes began to sting. I blinked, trying to clear them, but a tear slipped down my cheek. I reached up to touch my face and froze when I realised another tear had followed.

I was crying. I didn’t even know when it had started. I quickly lowered my hand.

Grandfather continued speaking.

"The police are also on their way. They have completed their initial investigations and will come here to brief the family on what they have discovered concerning Vera’s death."

This immediately drew everyone’s attention.

I wiped another tear from my cheek.

Before anyone could ask anything, the door opened. Mrs. Walters, our longtime family housekeeper, stepped into the sitting area.

"I’m sorry to interrupt, sir."

My grandfather looked toward her. "What is it?"

She straightened slightly. "The police are here."

The room fell completely silent. Then my grandfather gave a brief nod. "Let them in."

Mrs. Walters bowed and stepped away.

Almost immediately, everyone began composing themselves.

Those who had been crying wiped their tears. Others straightened their clothes and settled into their seats, their expressions becoming more controlled.

I reached for my face, only to remember that I had not brought a handkerchief.

Before I could use the back of my hand to wipe away the remaining tears, my father stretched his arm past my mother and handed me one.

I looked at him. "Thank you, Dad."

He gave me a small nod as I gently wiped my face.

A few seconds later, the police entered the large sitting area, and everyone immediately turned their attention toward them.

There were two officers, both dressed in dark suits. The older of the two stepped forward while the other remained slightly behind him, holding a folder.

"Good evening. My name is Detective Miller. I am leading the investigation into Miss Vera Hugo’s death."

No one responded, so he looked around the room before continuing.

"I understand this is a difficult time for the family, but there are some details we need to share with you regarding our investigation."

Grandfather nodded once. "Proceed."

The detective opened the folder. "Based on the preliminary examination, we have determined that Miss Hugo died from strangulation."

A murmur immediately spread through the room.

I felt my stomach tighten. Strangulation?

The detective continued. "When her body was found, there were visible marks around her neck. Our forensic team examined those marks and recovered fingerprints."

He paused briefly, then revealed, "The fingerprints were identified as belonging to her husband, Mr. Lawrence Park."

The room erupted. Several people began speaking at once.

"Her husband?"

"That can’t be right."

"Are you certain?"

Uncle Dante was silent, but I saw his expression change. His eyes hardened as he stared at the detective.

"Are you certain those fingerprints belong to Lawrence?" he asked.

"Yes, sir. The forensic identification was confirmed."

Uncle Dante’s jaw tightened. "And you still haven’t found him?"

"Unfortunately, we are still unable to locate him. We have also reached out to his family." Detective Miller continued. "They have not heard from him either."

I looked around the room. The shock on everyone’s faces was unmistakable. Lawrence’s own family could not reach him.

The detective continued. "Under normal circumstances, the fact that a person’s whereabouts are unknown would not necessarily indicate anything. However, in this case, there are additional concerns."

He turned a page in the folder. "The vacation home has security cameras covering several areas of the property. Surprisingly, there is no recording showing Mr. Park leaving the residence."

One of the extended uncles frowned. "Then he must still be there."

"No," the detective replied. "He isn’t."

The room fell quiet again.

"We conducted a more thorough examination of the security system after discovering the discrepancy. We found evidence that the CCTV records had been altered."

My mother’s eyes widened slightly. "Altered?"

"Yes." The detective nodded. "Some footage is missing entirely, while other recordings appear to have been modified. We are still working to determine exactly what happened to the original records."