Chapter 68

"Ms. Martinez!" I dashed over, and Zoey was already on the phone with the cops and an ambulance.

Tammy's face was ghostly pale, her head tilted slightly, and she gave me a sideways glance. She tried to say something, but more blood just poured out.

What the heck happened? How did Tammy end up like this? Anna and Tony never mentioned she was this sick.

Why did she suddenly start coughing up blood and collapse on the couch?

And if Tony's gone, what about Anna? Where did she disappear to?

"Ms. Martinez, the ambulance is on its way. Hang in there." I held her in my arms, supporting her body.

No matter what she did in court, when Alan first came to Sand Village, they took care of him. Plus, we both had just lost our husbands. After George died, she stuck to her husband's principles and refused any help.

She might seem old-fashioned and stubborn now, but just this short time had been hell for me. Tammy had been holding on for nearly twenty years, and I respected her for that.

Tammy moved her hand a bit, and I got what she meant. I held her hand tight. It was already cold, her skin rough, and her fingers had frostbite cracks. That was when I realized how freezing the house was.

She lived alone and couldn't afford heating. She'd been carrying the family burden alone for years, going through so much.

Tammy said, "Alan... is a good kid, and so are you..."

"Ms. Martinez, I'm Alan's wife." I choked up. Alan was an orphan, and I never met his parents. But for some reason, Tammy mentioning "Alan" made me think of Alan's mom.

Now that Alan was gone, and Tammy was on the brink of death, I couldn't hold back my tears.

"Alan..." Tammy couldn't speak because of a violent cough. She just shook her head at me, coughing up more blood with a weird, pungent smell.

Then I noticed the strangulation marks on Tammy's neck and a bottle under the table-pesticide!

I cried, "Ms. Martinez, save your strength and don't talk. The ambulance is almost here. You'll be okay!"

Tammy's breathing got weaker. She shook her head and, with great effort, rasped out, "Didn't... sign, she... dream on!"

Then she collapsed in my arms, a disdainful smile on her lips, her eyes filled with hatred and anger slowly closing.

"Ms. Martinez! Ms. Martinez!" I panicked and checked her breath. It was barely there, but her pupils hadn't dilated yet.

I said, "Zoey, call the ambulance again and hurry them up. She's not gonna make it!"

Zoey replied, "Okay!"

As soon as she finished, doctors and nurses rushed in.

After checking her out, they said, "The patient seems to be poisoned and needs a gastric lavage. We need to get to the hospital now, or it'll be too late!"

They quickly put Tammy on a stretcher. The ambulance was parked at the alley entrance, and we all got in, racing to the hospital.

Zoey and I sat in the ambulance, and I just stared at this printed document we found under Tammy when we lifted her from the couch.

Tammy's words, "Didn't sign, she dream on," made sense when I saw the document.

It was a will, stating that if Tony was declared dead by the court, all of Tammy's assets, including insurance benefits, would go to her daughter-in-law, Anna.

The signature line was blank.

This will was legit, meaning Anna had it prepped with a pro legal team. No way she did this on her own.

I handed the will to Zoey, who looked shocked.

Zoey asked, "Mrs. Smith, do you think it was Anna?"

I didn't answer and asked, "The police should be there by now, right?"

Zoey replied, "Yeah, Ruben just texted me. The scene is secured."

Tammy had made it clear. If Anna's fingerprints were on the pesticide bottle, it was probably her.

Lally and Tony had mentioned that the insurance was bought after the Sand Village demolition and brawl incident, with Tom's help, using a big compensation sum. Tony and Tammy bought the insurance together.

Anna's first contact with me was also about Tony's compensation and asking me to help find Tony a job.

The insurance was bought before the marriage, so Anna shouldn't have known about it. Tony wouldn't have told her either.

So, how did this will, forcing Tammy to sign, come about?

There was only one possibility: Anna knew about the insurance from the start, and her marriage to Tony was likely because of it! Everything she told me before was a front. I felt a chill. Anna was definitely not simple.

If it was just a front, it wouldn't matter. But why did she contact me, telling me that Tony was at the Entertainment Club on the day of the incident?

And she contacted me several times afterward, all under the pretext of finding Tony a job.

Could it be that she knew who I was and also knew about Tony and Alan?

Unlikely. If that were the case, she'd done a damn good job of hiding it.

By the time we reached the hospital, it was noon.

After emergency treatment, Tammy's life was saved. But due to her age and long-term exhaustion, her health was already poor and she fell into a deep coma.

According to the doctor, her condition was not optimistic. She might wake up in a few days, or she might never wake up.

Ruben called back. The scene was secured, and they found a single fingerprint on the pesticide bottle, matching Anna's fingerprints from her daily items on the second floor. They also found hair on the sofa, which needed DNA testing.

Regardless, Anna was now a prime suspect and a citywide manhunt was underway. Zoey and I arrived shortly after the incident, indicating that Anna hadn't gone far and should be caught soon.

Tony's whereabouts were still unknown, and Ruben was tasked with finding him. Ruben suggested checking road surveillance near Sand Village for the past few days, hoping to spot Tony.

But I doubted it would yield results. If a child trafficking gang was behind this, Tony might never be found. After all, their protection network was too vast.

Zoey stayed by Tammy's side while I went to handle the hospital admission procedures.

That was when Tom showed up.