Chapter 4

I'd personally picked it out online. Pink, with a cat paw stand, because Lily loved cats most.

I walked over, trying to make my voice sound gentle.

"Hey there, where did you get this phone?"

The boy looked up at me and instinctively hid the phone behind his back.

"Is it yours?"

"N-no." His voice was very small, eyes evasive.

"I'm not a bad person."

I crouched down to his eye level. "The owner of this phone is my good friend. She's lost. I'm looking for her. Can you tell me where you found it?"

The boy pressed his lips together, not speaking.

His eyes held something I rarely saw in children: fear.

Not fear of me.

"Did you see something scary?" I asked softly.

The boy's lips trembled.

Still didn't speak.

I pulled out some Thai baht from my pocket and held it out to him.

"You tell me, and I'll buy you something good to eat, okay?"

The boy looked at the money, then at me.

Hesitated for a while.

Then he said in a small voice:

"Found it at the bottom of the mountain."

"Which mountain?"

He raised his hand and pointed toward the cliff.

My heart sank another level.

"Besides the phone, did you find anything else?"

The boy went silent again.

Eyes dodging.

"You did find something, didn't you?"

He slowly pulled out something from behind him.

A wallet.

White, leather, with a small bow on it.

It was Lily's.

I recognized this wallet.

Last Christmas, she'd seen it at the mall but thought it was too expensive and didn't buy it. I secretly bought it and gave it to her.

She was happy for an entire week.

Now the wallet was covered in mud and water stains, the leather cracked.

I took the wallet, fingers trembling.

Opened it.

The bank cards, ID, and a photo of us together were still inside.

Lily would never willingly throw these things away.

If they were at the bottom of the mountain—

Then where was Lily?

"Can you take me to where you found these things?" I asked.

The boy shook his head hard.

"I'll give you money."

Still shook his head.

"Please."

My voice started shaking.

I didn't care anymore if I was threatening a child.

Lily's phone and wallet were at the bottom of the mountain.

Lily wasn't.

I had to go there.

The boy looked at my face for a long time.

Maybe my expression was too frightening.

He slowly stood up and brushed the dirt off his pants.

"I'll take you."

He walked ahead, I followed behind.

The path got narrower, the weeds deeper, a strange smell began filling the air.

My stomach started churning.

I kept repeating in my mind:

I'd rather she was having an affair with my husband.

I'd rather she betrayed me.

I'd rather she eloped with Nathan.

Anything.

As long as she's still alive.

Anything.

The boy suddenly stopped.

He turned back to look at me, face pale.

"What is it?"

"That place—" He swallowed, voice almost inaudible.

"It really smells."

I didn't continue forward.

I knew that even if I walked down alone and saw something, it would be meaningless.

I needed professionals.

I needed evidence.

I pulled the boy back to the fishing village, took out my phone, and called the local police emergency number.