Moonlit Mountain (Caleb and Sarah)

"From Ashes to Hope) Chapter 16

Just then, a middle-aged beggar approached from the roadside.

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He walked hurriedly, a flustered expression on his face, and pulled the

young beggar behind him, shielding him protectively. He frowned and said, "This

child is mute, he can't answer you."

The middle-aged beggar's eyes were shifty, his gaze darting around, as if he was hiding something.

I decided to memorize their appearances and tell Officer Lee about them

later. Perhaps they knew something but were unwilling to speak for some reason.

I nodded, pretending not to notice the middle-aged beggar's odd behavior,

and continued asking around for witnesses to the accident that night.

The middle-aged beggar hurried away, practically dragging the young beggar along.

The young beggar stumbled, looking back at me repeatedly, trying to break free, but the middle-aged beggar's hand gripped his arm tightly.

Their behavior was too strange, I thought, they must be connected to the accident somehow. Following them might lead me to a crucial clue.

So, I trailed behind them, keeping a safe distance.

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Suddenly, the middle bag woged

Very

My been dragged a beat I quickly ducked wooly boop, boghing be

After a brief pause, I crovally walked out of the shop

But when I came ouw, I saw the middle-aged begger and the young beggar

walking faster and faster, as if they had discovered I was following them

I didn't have time to think, I rushed after them

Just then, a group of people suddenly emerged from an alley, like a wave of

humanity

They were laughing and jostling on the sidewalk, forming a moving wall, blocking my view,

I was anxious, desperate to get through the crowd. But as I tried to maneuver

around them, I accidentally stepped on a plastic bottle, my foot slipped, and I fell hard to the ground.

By the time I scrambled to my feet and looked for the beggars, they had

vanished without a trace, as if they had melted into thin air.

I stamped my foot in frustration, my heart burning with anxiety.

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When

I looked at the group of people, they had gotten into a van parked by the

roadside. The driver glanced at me, his eyes seeming to hold a knowing look

I couldn't help but suspect that these people had deliberately blocked me, allowing the beggars to escape.

But why would they do that? Were they connected to the hit-and-ru accident?

Filled with questions, I left the scene of the accident.

Finding a secluded spot, I pulled out my phone and called Officer Lee

Once the call connected, I eagerly told him everything: the beggars strange behavior, the group of people helping them escape, and my suspicions. Officer Lee's voice was calm and steady "Don't worry, this is important, but your safety is more important. It's best to leave the investigation to the police. We also have a new discovery. We've reviewed countless hours of surveillance footage and found that the perpetrator entered a blind spot after leaving the scene, and he hasn't appeared in any other footage since. There's no record of him leaving any of the surrounding areas. We suspect he hid the motorcycle in a truck to avoid surveillance. We're currently investigating all the trucks that left during that time frame. We should have new leads soon.

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If you find anything else, contact us immediately. Don't put yourself in

danger."

"Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Lee, I'll be careful," I replied.

After hanging up, I couldn't let it go. I frowned and went back to the small

shop where I had inquired earlier.

I grabbed a bottle of water from the shelf, walked to the owner, and asked casually, with a faint smile, "I saw two beggars, one older and one younger, on the street earlier. Do they always hang around here? Have you seen them before?" The owner looked up, thought for a moment, and said, "I've seen them a few times, they don't come here often. Why do you

you ask?"

I sighed softly, my eyes filled with pity."Just curious, such a young child

begging, why isn't anyone taking care of him?"

The owner shook his head helplessly, frowning. "Last time I saw them begging on the street, the child looked so thin and pitiful, I gave him a loaf of bread from the store. The child had only taken a few bites when the adult rushed over and threw the bread away. I couldn't stand it, so I called the authorities, but

by the time they arrived, the beggars were gone."

I narrowed my eyes, rubbing my chin thoughtfully."Don't you think that

child might not be his biological son? They don't look alike."

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The owner nodded in agreement. "I had the same feeling. If it was his own child, how could he not even give him a decent meal? But they're always hiding,

it's hard to find them, isn't it?"

My eyes lit up."Your security camera should have captured their faces, I can

have someone look into it," I said eagerly.

I looked at the owner pleadingly, asking him repeatedly to provide me

the security footage.

with

The owner hesitated, frowning, but seeing my urgency and persistence, he finally relented. He walked to his computer and pulled up the footage.

I stared at the screen intently, afraid to miss any detail.

The day after the accident, I saw the young beggar appear on the sidewalk.

He was alone, looking around cautiously. Seeing no one around, he stealthily approached a wall, lingered there for a long time, seemingly scratching something on the wall with a twig. Then he looked around again, quickly took off his shoes, pulled something out from inside, and stuffed it into a crack in the wall.

My heart skipped a beat. My intuition told me that whatever he hid was

important, I had to get it.

I asked the owner to send me the footage. He agreed and I rushed to the

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location shown in the video.

I searched anxiously along the wall, my eyes scanning every

inch.

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I pushed aside the weeds growing along the wall and noticed a brick with a

chipped corner. The gap was filled with dirt and dried grass.

I crouched down and carefully dug out the dirt from the crack with my

fingers, bit by bit.

Finally, in that narrow crevice, I found what the young beggar had hidden.

It was a photograph. The moment I saw the image, my heart sank.

It was a photo of a girl who looked exactly like Lily. But the photo looked old,

very old, and Lily had never worn clothes like that.

What secrets lay hidden within this picture?

My hand holding the photo trembled slightly as my mind raced, considering

all the possibilities.

I quickly pulled out my phone, found Officer Lee's number, and wanted to

tell him about this startling discovery.

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