The Bond Between Us (Anastasia and Herman)

Isla trusted Jason completely. She liked him a lot—maybe even more than she realized and she'd been hoping for ages that Jason would become her new dad.

She answered honestly, "Mom changed jobs. She works at a beauty salon now." That surprised Jason.

He asked, "Has anyone you don't know come to the house recently?"

“No,” Isla replied. "Papa Jason, Mom already paid back all the money. Please don't be mad at her, okay?"

From Isla's perspective, Jason and her mom, Alisa, argued only because of the debt.

Jason pressed, "Where'd your mom get all that money?"

"I don't know," Isla said after thinking for a moment. "She didn't say."

Jason tried to coax her. "Isla, think really hard. Has your mom said anything strange lately? Or has anything weird happened, or have you seen anyone odd around?" He smiled, "If you can remember something, I'll grant you one wish. Whatever you want, just ask."

"Really?" Isla's eyes sparkled. She thought for a second, then said, "Oh! Mom's been making phone calls behind my back, always to some man. That's all I know."

Jason frowned. Was Alisa seeing someone to pay back her debt?

He'd been so caught up in the serial killer case that he hadn't had time to check in with Alisa.

Just as he was about to ask something else, his phone rang. It was Hank from the station. "Jason, we found another body. It's a woman. Same as the one by the river-dressed up, stabbed in the chest, and there are fish scales in her hair."

"Fish scales again? Is the killer doing this on purpose?" Jason wondered aloud. "I'll be there soon."

He hung up and turned to Isla. "Next time, I'll bring you a present. But right now, I have to go. And let's keep this meeting between you and me, okay? Don't tell your mom."

"Why not?" Isla asked, puzzled.

Jason ruffled her hair. "Just trust me. Your mom and I had a little

misunderstanding, and she might get upset."

He didn't want to say more in front of Isla.

She nodded. "Alright."

Jason gave her a quick smile and walked away.

He was hoping Alisa wouldn't find out he'd been there, but, as luck would have it,

he ran right into her at the school gate.

Alisa was carrying a grocery bag with some vegetables and a cleaned fish inside. There were a few drops of blood on her pants, and she smelled faintly of fish and blood. noveldrama

Ever since the serial murders, Jason had become sensitive to the smell of fish.

Before Alisa could say anything, Jason quickly explained, "I was just passing by, brought Isla some snacks."

Alisa had changed a lot since she'd begged Jason for money. Now, she lifted her chin and said, "We don't need your handouts. Don't come around my daughter again.

Jason didn't want to argue. "Okay."

He walked off without even glancing at her.

Alisa's face tightened, and she gripped the bag harder. In her mind, she was determined to get back at Jason—to see him ruined.

She pulled out her phone and called Harry. "Hey, it's me. Jason was just at the school. And, um, I need some more money..."

Since she'd started working with

Harry, money had been coming in fast. All she had to do was pass along whatever she heard from the police station-thanks to her late husband, plenty of officers still trusted her or let things slip.

She had no idea Harry was actually the killer. She only knew he sold fish, paid well, and that was enough for her to help.

Unknowingly, the information she gave made it even harder for the police to catch the murderer.

On the other end, Harry laughed a cold, unsettling sound. "Money's no problem." Alisa took her chance. "So... is there any other way to make money, Harry? You seem to have a lot of side gigs. Why not let me in on one?"

If a fish seller had that kind of cash, there had to be more going on.

Harry's voice dropped to a chilling whisper. “Murder. You think you could handle that?"