Snare of Love
Chapter 173: We’ve Caught Bess

Annabelle widened her eyes and she glared at Maria. If there was a knife now, she might use it to stab her. "Let her go." Matthew would not believe the fact that Annabelle did not know Dolores's whereabouts just because of Maria's words.

Their collaboration was solely dependent on their own benefits and their trust towards each other was weak. Therefore it was very easy to turn them against each other, and it was not difficult to inquire something from them.

"Bitch, how could you be so sure that I don't know that?" Annabelle growled. If she was not suppressed, she would have rushed towards Maria and ate her alive. Just like what Matthew had thought, the reason they collaborated with each other was for their own benefits and to get the things they wanted. Now that they were turned against each other, how would they think for each other now? He supposed they only wanted each other dead.

"I followed your brother when he took her away. You're stupid enough to think that I don't know. You thought you're the only one who have plan B? I have too!" Now that Beulah, her only family died, she had to live alone in this world. So how could she not be sensible enough to plan further for herself?

Boyce and Armand exchanged a look. Both women had their own little thought. Matthew's trick to turn them against each other was indeed impressive. Matthew slightly curled his fingers but did not clench them. He said, "Whoever tells me Dolores's whereabouts first lives."

"Me."

"I'll do it."

Both of them almost said that at the same time, they then looked at each other and hoped each other dead. "Dolores was brought to Shunbei Village which was not far from City B by Sampson..." Annabelle blurted out and she was trying to say that ahead of Maria. Their relationship without any trust and which was based on benefits crumpled at once in front of benefits.

Matthew had walked out without finished listening to Annabelle's words. Armand quickly followed him. Boyce glanced at the two men at the corner and ordered, "Let her go."

"Won't they get into a fight?" It was clear to tell both of them were at loggerheads now. Boyce smiled. "Their life depends on themselves. Take some people and follow me." Both men understood his meaning and they released Annabelle. They then left the interrogation room with Boyce and locked the door after reaching the entrance.

Annabelle pounded onto Maria the moment she regained her freedom. "Bitch, die, how dare you betray me!" Maria was way angrier than her and she was furious. "Idiot, Matthew was trying to turn us against each other. We might still have the chance to live if you refuse to tell, do you think you could live after telling that?"

Annabelle was startled but she was still brimmed with rage. She choked Maria hard and yelled, "If you didn't betray me, I could still continue staying by his side. It's because of you going against your promise and betraying me first! How dare you accuse me!"

Humans had infinite potential when they were in extreme rage, like what happened now. Although Maria was badly injured and she even had difficulty to breathe, her strength was unbelievably huge that she was able to push Annabelle who was sitting on her down with the strength from her waist. She sat on her and grabbed her hair, bawling, "I didn't betray you, he's known that long ago, that you're not Dolores!"

Annabelle felt that her scalp was almost torn apart and she bared her teeth due to pain. She retorted with a ferocious look, "Do you think I'll believe you? If you didn't tell him, how would he know? Could he possibly have super power to tell that?"

Maria was startled. Yes, even she could not tell she was an impostor from her looks, how did Matthew manage to tell that in such a short time? What kind of feelings on earth did he have towards Dolores? As she was being absent-minded, Annabelle fought back and once again gained the upper hand. "Even if you didn't tell that before, you did betray me just now, and I heard it with my own ears!"

Annabelle snatched her hair and crashed her head onto the ground. "How dare you grab my hair, die, bitch!" Maria's mind went blank due to the impact and she had gone numb to pain. Her brain seemed to almost flow out from her skull. She hit the floor hard with her hands, trying to attract attentions so she could be saved. Yet, not a single person would come in today, and no one would come to save her. She wanted to resist, but she was out of energy.

"Die, bitch." Annabelle seemed to enjoy hitting her and she did not care whether she would die or not at all. She only wanted to take vengeance on her for betraying her. "Anna---belle, if I'm dead, you won't live either..."

"Didn't you want to kill me? It's you who would die first!" Annabelle let out a ferocious smile. Maria's head whirled and seemed to crack. The mad shadow in front of her was more and more blurred out. She wondered whether she was going to die soon and she was supporting herself with the last bit of will to live. She suddenly snatched Annabelle's hair and used all her strength to pull it down. Annabelle screamed due to pain and Maria took the opportunity to jerk her dress ribbon and strangled her with it.

The face which was an exact copy of Dolores's also bore her hatred towards Dolores. With her bloodshot eyes, she tightened the ribbon. Annabelle moaned and her eyes rolled. Her tongue was stuck out and she was trying to call for help but she could only moan.

"You're still too weak to take my life!" Maria seemed to have gone insane. "Die, all of you, Dolores and Annabelle. You can't match me..." She laughed hysterically. After a while, Annabelle no longer struggled. Maria lost her last bit of strength and consciousness, and she collapsed.

Meanwhile, Matthew was heading to Shunye Village first. Armand and Boyce followed behind him while leading their men. Boyce let them surrounded the village the moment they reached there. Shunye Village is not big, there were only two rows of houses in total, and the place was secluded. Many people had left the village for more career opportunity outside and the village looked desolate. Only a few people were seen along the way.

"Search from house to house. There are only a few families living here, I don't believe Sampson could hide in a mouse hole." Boyce was indignant and he despised his and Maria's doings. Matthew ignored him and he searched from one house to the next on his own while stepping on the muddy road full with holes. He only hoped to replace and see her as soon as possible. He hoped he was the one who found her first, and the first one she saw.

Their search across half the village did not end up successful. They did not discover her or her trace. They stepped into another yard of a mansion built with bricks. The owner seemed to have heard that they were looking for someone. They had made a big commotion from their arrival with so many people. The owner heard from his neighbor that they were looking for somebody before they came to his house. The head of the village then came. "Are you looking for this woman?" A middle-aged woman spoke. She had dark skin and her husband had gone to work. She was left in the village to take care of elders and children. She used to work at the field. Village people did not fancy caring for their skin and she looked like a typical woman who came from the village. "I saw her from the balcony of Bess's house which was a the end of the village. She's a beautiful woman, but I've never seen her come out."

"Where is she?" Matthew could nearly confirm the woman she said was Dolores. "Take us there, we'll give you 100 thousand yuan if we replace her." Armand allured her. The middle-aged woman swallowed. She looked at them. They were wearing suits and leather shoes, and she had only seen the cars they drove here from TV. Those cars looked expensive, and those city people often called those as expensive cars. They could even give 100 thousand yuan that easily.

She was greatly moved. Her husband was the sole breadwinner and she only did a little farm work at home. Their family all relied on the low income and they were one of the poorest families in the village. Even Bess who was a widow was richer than them. The woman was very enthusiastic for the money. "Come with me, it's not far from here."

Boyce let the men continued to guard the village and forbade anyone to get out of the village. He then followed the woman to the end of the village. The white two-storey house soon loomed before them. Matthew gazed at the second floor balcony which the woman mentioned. The breeze was blowing and the curtain was waving. Yet he did not replace the figure he had been longing for. The more he came closer, the more uneasy he felt.

"Bess." The woman patted the metal gate and called. "Bess, are you in there? Please open the door..." Without even finished her words, Armand and Boyce already kicked the gate open together. The woman was startled and wondered whether they were some kind of gangsters from their violent behavior.

"You'll scare the person away by making sounds and calling." Armand glimpsed at her and seemed to be dissatisfied of her actions. "No, no, the windows of the house have all been equipped with extra strong anti-theft windows. If she's inside, she can't escape." She quickly explained. She did not want to offend him, as he did not look like someone easy to be messed with too.

Matthew stepped into the house first. The house was not huge and was clean. Just like what the woman had said, it was very hard to escape and except the balcony at the second floor and the window at the first floor, no one could go out or enter the house except through the entrance. His fingers slightly trembled. Was Dolores being imprisoned here?

He entered the living room. The living room was not big. The furnishing was simple and the living room was clean. The whole house was quiet, it could either be there was no one there, or the person was hiding somewhere and her breathing sound was undetected.

Boyce noticed blood stain on the couch and he frowned. Yet he did not let out a voice and even tried to prevent Matthew from seeing that. Armand pushed him. "What are you trying to hide?" Boyce shot him a glare. "Who's hiding?" He secretly swore that he was not observant enough and blamed him for keeping an unnecessary eye on him instead of replaceing Dolores.

Their commotion successfully attracted Matthew's attention. He glanced at them and saw the dried blood stain on the couch. His look became deeper like an endless pit. Afraid that he would overthink, Boyce spoke, "That could be Sampson's, or that Bess's, it can't be Miss Flores's..."

Matthew was impatient to listen to his bullshit and he went straight to the second floor. He noticed blood trace on the stairs, just a tiny one, but was still enough to move him. His footsteps became faster. There were only two rooms at the second floor, one closed and one wide open which a single glance is enough to see everything inside.

Sampson was in a hurry when he left. The door was not closed and the inside was not tidied up. The condition was still the same when he left while carrying Dolores. The mattress was jerked off and the bed was a mess. The furnishing was simple yet he was sensitive enough to notice the light blood trace on the wall. The gown hanging on the chair was the one she wore during the day she went missing.

She had been living here. To whom did those blood stains belong? What had happened here before? He did not dare to think about those any further...

Suddenly, Armand ran upstairs and yelled, "We've caught Bess..."