“I have no idea what really transpired. That day, as usual, I went to meet Terence for chess. Nat's parents were back in the village not too long ago and he told me they decided to stay on for good to spend time with their daughter. You and Nat went out to play but for some unknown reason, Nat suddenly ran home by herself and witnessed her parent's death. A fire also started in the house, and according to the neighbors and Nat, you were the one who saved her. Unfortunately, when you were making your way out, a cabinet fell and trapped the two of you there. We almost lost you in that fire! Thank goodness the neighbors arrived and saved you two. They sent you to the hospital, but when you regained consciousness, you could not remember a single thing anymore...”
“What about Nat?” Kenneth asked.
“She did not suffer from amnesia, but since that incident, she never spoke again...” Liam signed as he vividly recalled that fateful day.
Kenneth listened to Liam's narration with furrowed brows.
He had no impression of the incident, and the whole event seemed like someone else s story. However, he could imagine Natasha witnessing her parent's death at such a young age and being badly traumatized.
His heart ached for her, and at that moment, he secretly vowed that he would protect her from harm from then on.
“You suffered from amnesia and injuries, so I brought you back to Glenport City for treatment. Terence was devastated as he lost both his son and daughter-in-law at the same time. It was a double whammy for him when he discovered Nat could not speak anymore after the incident. Thank goodness she managed to regain her speech a year later. I cannot imagine how Terence could bear it if she did not...” Liam let out another resigned sigh as he recalled the sad episode.
He felt deeply for Terence as he had gone through the same pain of losing a son. Although that happened more than twenty years ago, Liam was still filled with sorrow when he looked back on those sad memories.
Kenneth's eyes were dim when he asked, “Who did that? And why?”
Liam shook his head and said, “No idea. The police looked through whatever surveillance footage they could get hold of, but there were no helpful leads. To be fair, the country was less developed at that time and there were not many surveillance cameras around. In the end, after a few months of investigation, the police failed to identify a suspect, so it became another cold case that remained unsolved.”
Kenneth pursed his lips and fell into deep thoughts.
Liam got worried and anxiously pleaded, “Please don't bring this up to Terence and Nat and send them into sorrow again.”
“Don't worry. I am not that insensible!” Kenneth assured him, then asked, “So Old Mr. Watson gave up and left it at that?”
“What else can he do? No parent would agree to let the murderer of their child go scot-free, but his priority then was Nat, his only family left. She was the sole reason he stayed alive, and he was so worried for her. What would you have done if you were in his position? I am sure he was aggrieved, but also terrified...” Liam said.
Although Terence never shared how he was suffering, Liam knew him well enough to understand his pain.
Kenneth finally understood why Terence seemed to harbor such animosity toward him. If he was in Terence's shoes, he would probably have similar, or maybe even more drastic, reactions.
Suddenly, he thought of something and asked, “Oh, Grandpa! What did Nat's parents do for a living?”
Liam thought hard about it for a moment, then replied rather uncertainly. “I am not really sure about it. Her father's work was computer-related, and her mother... Hmm... Terence did mention that to me before, but I can't recall it now. Nat's parents were always away and I rarely got to meet them, so I seldom ask about them.”
“Computer-related?” That piqued Kenneth's curiosity.
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