Chapter 36
The delivery man’s voice was hoarse, filled with raw emotion. Nash had already guessed who he was.
He released his foot from the man’s back and, in a calm but firm voice, said, “You’re Hannah’s brother-in-law, right?”
The delivery man, now free from the restraint, seized the knife from the floor and swung it toward Nash’s throat in a blind rage. But Nash was faster. With a casual flick of his fingers, he clamped down on the blade, applying just enough pressure to snap it in half.
Blinded by grief and fury, the delivery man didn’t even notice the broken knife. All he knew was that he had come to kill in revenge for his son’s death. His forehead was lined with veins, and his grip on Nash’s neck tightened. “I’m going to kill all of you Lewises…” he growled.
Nash, still calm, grabbed both of the man’s wrists and pulled them apart. “I’m not even a Lewis. Will you please calm down?”
Hearing this, the man’s grip loosened, the frenzy in his eyes fading. He blinked, confusion replacing the rage. “Who… who are you?”
Nash shut the door behind them with a soft click, his demeanor unchanged. “My name is Nash Calcraft.”
The delivery man turned and began pacing around the room, his eyes scanning the space. “What are you doing here? Why are you in Hera Lewis’s place?”
“I’m Hera’s fiancé,” Nash replied simply.
The delivery man froze. His face darkened, and he clenched his fist, preparing to strike again. But Nash wasn’t having it. With a single, swift motion, he punched the man in the face, sending him sprawling to the ground.
“With your level of skill, do you honestly think you can avenge your son?” Nash taunted, standing over him. “The Lewises have bodyguards. One of them could knock you out with a single hit and send you flying without even breaking a sweat!”
Hera wasn’t defenseless either. Even without her bodyguards, she could easily hire security, and they would be more than capable of dealing with someone like him.
The man pounded his fists into the ground, tears spilling from his eyes. “I’m useless… I’m so useless… I can’t even avenge my son!” His voice cracked with hopelessness.
Nash softened his tone, his voice almost compassionate. “Grieve for your loss, but understand this: that car accident had nothing to do with Hera.”
The man looked up, his face streaked with tears. “Do you know who killed my son?” he asked, his voice desperate.
“I have no idea,” Nash answered, his tone blunt.
The delivery man gave a hollow laugh, a miserable smile crossing his face. “If I had known, I would never have taken the money… It was the price for my son’s life.”
Nash’s brow furrowed as he leaned in closer. “What money? Who gave you the money?”
The man swallowed hard, his voice trembling. “The Lewis family. They gave me a large sum and promised to get my son into the best school in Jonford, but only if my sister-in-law helped them with something…”
Nash’s eyes narrowed. “What did the person who approached you look like?”
The delivery man shook his head, frustration clouding his expression. “He was wearing a mask, so I couldn’t see his face clearly. But I heard the voice of an old man…”
Nash pressed for more. “Any other details? Anything distinctive?”
The man hesitated, then his eyes flickered with recognition. “I think… he had a mole near the corner of his eye.”
Cain Lewis.
Nash’s mind raced. He remembered the taunting, mocking look on Cain’s face. That small mole at the corner of his eye was something most wouldn’t notice, its color matching his skin tone, but the delivery man must have made a mental note of it.
Cain had given money to Hannah’s brother-in-law. Then, he had convinced them to pressure Hannah into helping with whatever scheme he was plotting. The confrontation in the garden, the reprimanding for withered plants, had been a diversion, a way to isolate Hannah and coerce her into action.
Hannah had been given a vial of medicine and a syringe by Herman, instructed to inject it into the old man. She had served the Lewises loyally for over 20 years, and she couldn’t bring herself to refuse. But the pressure of her family accepting the bribe made her fear the consequences of defying Cain.
This explained her subdued mood in the days following, why she had seemed so distant and absent-minded—caught between duty, fear, and guilt.