The leader of the thieves cried and pleaded to be taken away, finding solace in the presence of the policeman. After all, they were familiar with each other, which was preferable to encountering ghosts!
With a fearful glance back, the Crawford Mansion was brightly illuminated, cleared of any ghostly figures.
All the members of the Crawford family had returned, and a man with a stern face was talking to the policeman, occasionally glancing at the leader.
A chill ran down the leader's spine as he thought of the parrot singing "Tears Behind Bars" and echoed in his mind, "Iron gates, iron windows, iron chains…"
It's over, it's all over!
Anthony joined Lilly after talking to the policemen, and Bettany began to complain, "I've been living for so long and how dare they steal from us! They even wanted to steal my stone!"
The stone was a gift from Lilly, so stealing it was out of the question.
Bettany was furious, thinking that if Lilly had not suddenly decided to come back early, the thieves might have succeeded in stealing her precious stone.
"Where's my frying pan?" the elderly lady grumbled, rolling up her sleeves.
Edward hastily intervened, grabbing her arm. "Hey, Mom, let's not go that far!"
Anthony suggested, "Alright, let's bring Lilly back to her room first. I'll handle the situation outside."
Edward nodded, "Lilly, let's go!"
Edward, clutching Lilly tightly in his arms, made his way inside as if he were safeguarding a treasure.
He did not care whether it was jade or not. He had already hidden one piece anyway.
The rest was none of his concern...
Suddenly, Lilly glanced at the leader and spoke, "Uncle Edward, he has your stone."
Edward came to an abrupt halt, a fierce expression crossing his face. "Who? Who took my stone?!"
Lilly was silent.
The stone held by the leader was photographed and registered by the police before being returned to Edward. With disheveled hair, Edward proceeded, casting a stern glance at the leader.
Lilly furrowed her brows, a sense of unease creeping into her heart. Her attention shifted to the gravel in Edward's hand, sensing that there might be something concealed within it...
"Uncle Edward, can you give me the stone?" Lilly requested, extending her hand.
Meanwhile, Bettany, standing near the boulder, reached out to touch it and immediately detected a pungent aroma of mustard and salted fish.
Lilly cautiously examined the stone in her hand, Anthony cooperated with the police on the follow-up procedures, and Blake called someone.
The leader of the thieves, who had been escorted into the police car, raised a gun.
No one knew where he got the weapon, but his eyes turned black.
"Bang!" A sudden gunshot erupted.
Lilly's hand trembled, causing the stone to slip from her grasp, shattering into two halves upon hitting the road.
The sound startled everyone and shifted their attention...
Bettany stood frozen, instinctively reaching for her chest, only to find her hand covered in blood.
Her eyes lost their luster, and she collapsed.
"Granny!"
"Mom!"
"Bettany!"
The Crawford family descended into chaos as the police swiftly apprehended the leader, only to discover that he had died at some point.
There was a gun in his hand, the very weapon they had confiscated earlier.
The police were gripped with fear as they realized someone had been killed, and it was none other than Bettany, who suffered the tragic accident!
They had already confiscated all the thieves' weapons, so how could there be a gun present?
If they had failed to thoroughly check, it would be a grave dereliction of duty on their part, and innocent lives had been harmed as a result.
"No, I remember taking away this gun. I'm sure I took it away..." said a bewildered police officer, desperately running his hands through his hair.
His memory was accurate, yet somehow the confiscated guns had ended up back in his hands!
"Get him away! Get him away!"
"Quick, call 911!"
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