Chapter 6  I watched him with a sarcastic smirk. “Chase, do you remember what I told you over the phone now? I was reaching out for help! Why didn’t you come to my rescue? What’s the point of this act now? Who are you trying to fool?”  Nicole cut in sharply. “There’s no way! There must be a reason behind my sister’s disappearance. Her wedding dress was worth at fortune. It was adorned with real diamonds. Why wouldn’t the culprit just keep it if it was about money?”  “If it was about lust, the murderer would’ve destroyed the blood–stained dress, not tossed it in the water. Besides, who takes the trouble to remove a dress from the victim and make the body vanish? It just doesn’t add up.”  “Exactly,” Chase said, a spark of realization in his eyes. “Did you find any other clues at the scene? Like personal items–a phone, shoes, socks? Or maybe the murder weapon, bloodstains?”  “Nothing yet.”  icole speculated, “I think my sister deliberately removed her wedding dress, stabbed it, smeared some of her own blood on it, and threw it into the water to create drama.”  “My daughter is way out of line. Pulling little stunts to get attention was one thing, but dragging it to the police is too much,” my mother chimed in. The Kennedy family had received a call from the police to join the investigation, and upon arriving, they overheard the  conversation.  From the moment the Kennedy family stepped in, everyone from my parents to my elder brother stuck to the same narrative.  Officer Robert interrupted, “Please, Ma’am, take it easy.”  “Take it easy? Officer, you’re no spring chicken and likely have a family. If your cherished daughter turned into an ungrateful brat and hurt her siblings, could you stay calm?”  My older brother glanced at his watch. “Officer, we’re busy people. We’re here to tell you not to drag us into petty squabbles again.”  I stood there, a knot of pain tightening in my chest. I stared at the faces of my family, who’d loved me for years. Why did they feel like strangers now? What on earth did I do to make them hate me so much?  The officers were taken aback. One of them asked, “She’s your family. Now she’s missing. Maybe she’s committed suicide or, worse, been murdered. Aren’t you even a little worried?”  “I know my daughter. She’s too shameless to commit suicide. Plus, she’s Mrs. Reyes. Who’d dare lay a finger on her? Don’t waste your resources. She’s probably hiding somewhere, watching us scramble.”  “I’ve got a meeting. I’m out of here.”  The Kennedy family breezed through the process and left in a hurry. I even caught my mom muttering, “Seriously, I didn’t even finish my manicure, and I’m dragged here over such nonsense.”  “Mom, where did you get your nails done? They look fab,” Nicole chimed in.  “I’ll take you later, and we’ll get some beauty treatments too. If only your sister was as well–behaved as you, I wouldn’t have these extra wrinkles.”  Soon, everyone had left except for Chase, who hadn’t said a word.  “Mr. Reyes, did your wife get in touch with you before she vanished? We heard you bailed on the wedding yesterday, and she was devastated. There’s a chance she might’ve done something drastic. If you know anything, please cooperate…”  Chase’s temper flared at the officer’s insinuation of him driving her to her death. He slammed his hand down and stood up. “Officer Robert, you haven’t found a body or a crime scene. How can you be so sure she’s dead?”  “She’s your wife!”  Chase, fed up, got up and stormed out. “Then you can start investigating once you actually find a body!”