chapter41：Memory Tale

He murmured softly, "I truly hold a deep hope to obtain useful clues from Coco. This case is evolving into an increasingly complex web, resembling a tangled mess that seems impossible to sort out no matter how hard we strive."

Sitting in the passenger seat, Jack heard these words and nodded heavily, his eyes revealing a determined look. He responded firmly, "That's correct. But as long as there are clues, there is always hope. No matter how many secrets are concealed behind it, we must carry out a thorough investigation to uncover the truth."

Not long after that, Amy and Jack arrived at the school and encountered Coco, who had now become a kindergarten dance teacher. The moment Amy saw Coco, a sigh of relief emerged from her heart. She made great efforts to make her voice sound gentle and approachable as she spoke softly, "Ms. Coco, hello. We are currently investigating a case related to Tom that occurred 15 years ago. At present, there are a lot of doubts in this case. We hope to obtain detailed information about the specific situation from you. After all, your report at that time had a crucial impact on the entire case."

Upon hearing Amy's words, Coco's face instantly turned as pale as paper, without a hint of color. Her body couldn't help but tremble slightly. Her eyes were filled with a mixture of fear and hesitation. It seemed as if she had been abruptly pulled back to that terrifying memory in an instant. Her lips parted slightly, as if she was about to blurt out something. However, after hesitating for a moment, she closed her mouth tightly.

After a moment of silence, Coco seemed to have finally gathered the courage that had been accumulating in her heart. She slowly began to tell the story, "That was an extremely terrifying experience that I wished I could forget for the rest of my life. At that time, my life was very ordinary. I remember that evening when I came home from work as usual. The street that day was strangely quiet. I could hardly see a single person. When I entered the alley that I passed by every day, I suddenly felt a chilly wind blowing behind me. Before I could react, a rough and powerful big hand covered my mouth tightly. At the same time, a pungent and unpleasant smell rushed into my nose. I only struggled a few times and then completely lost consciousness."

Coco's voice trembled slightly. She paused for a moment as if trying to suppress the fear in her heart. Then she continued, "When I regained consciousness again, I found myself trapped in a completely strange place. It was pitch black all around. Only a dim yellow bulb was swinging and emitting a weak light above my head, making a disturbing 'hissing' sound. The light made my eyes hurt. I was extremely frightened at that time and wanted to shout for help loudly. But my mouth was tightly sealed with thick adhesive tape, and my hands and feet were tied tightly with ropes, and I couldn't move at all. Just when I was filled with fear, a few people with their faces covered slowly walked out from the dark corner."

"One of the burly men slowly walked towards me. He bent down and leaned his face close to me. I could feel his hot breath on my face. He said viciously, 'Listen carefully. You must go to the police station tomorrow and report that a person named Tom is a rapist. If you dare not do as we say, hum, you and your family will never have a good life. We will be watching you in the dark. Don't try to play any tricks.' I tried my best to shake my head at that time, trying to show that I would not do such a thing of framing others. But I was tied up and couldn't express my thoughts at all. I wanted to shout at him loudly and tell him that this was immoral, but only 'woo-woo' sounds could come out of my mouth."

"It seemed that they saw through my resistance. The burly man took out a photo from his pocket and held it in front of my eyes. The photo was of my family. Their smiles were so familiar and kind. The man said coldly, 'Take a good look. We know where your family is. If you don't obey, their end will be like this photo and they will disappear from this world forever.' Looking at the photo of my dearest people, my heart suddenly turned cold. I knew that I had no choice. I couldn't let my family get into danger because of my insistence. So the next day, I had to go to the police station as those people asked with an extremely heavy heart and reported Tom. For so many years, this matter has been like a heavy mountain pressing on my heart. I have been struggling in the quagmire of guilt and fear every day. I have wanted to tell the truth many times, but every time I thought of those vicious people who might come back to find me and might hurt my family, I was afraid and shrank back. Moreover, my older brother Joe has been abroad for many years. Because of this matter, I didn't dare to contact him actively. I have been living alone like a small animal that hides in the dark corner and licks its wounds alone."

Amy listened to Coco's story with sympathy and understanding in her heart. She said with gratitude, "Ms. Coco, it's really not easy for you to overcome your inner fear and gather the courage to tell the truth. Your words are extremely important to us. This will help us clear Tom's name."

Coco wiped away her tears and asked with doubt, "How on earth did you find me? These years, in order to escape the shadow of this matter, I not only changed my name but also had a cosmetic surgery. I almost cut off all contacts with everyone and have been living alone."

Amy listened and took out the note tremblingly from her pocket and handed it to Coco. She explained slowly, "Your grandmother told us that you are here. When we went to your former residence to look for you, we met her old man."

Coco was stunned at first and then cried even more bitterly. Her body trembled violently and she sobbed uncontrollably as she said, "You are lying to me. This is impossible. My grandmother died of pulmonary tuberculosis when I was ten years old."

Jack listened beside her and couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.