Chapter 31

Randy exchanged a few pleasantries with the two policemen and finally watched them leave.

That was the end of it.

"Although this matter seems to be over, the disappearance of Rick and the others will soon come back into the police's focus. There will be more work ahead."

There will definitely be witnesses who saw them enter the woods, and there are clothes left by More under the stone bridge, as well as the broken balloons. If the police check thoroughly, they will find these clues.

And then there's the disappearance of Milo on the upper town shore. When Milo's parents report it, they will definitely mention the clown rumors, which, combined with the disappearance of Rick and the others, will almost be an announcement to the whole town that Pennywise, that terrifying clown, has returned.

Afterwards, Randy went home and had lunch.

After a short rest, he picked up his backpack and fishing gear, preparing to spend more time by the seaside.

As soon as he stepped outside, he felt a gaze. It was Margaret from next door, who was watching him with a wary look from her window.

Randy didn't mind, waved at her, and then rode off on his bike.

Before reaching the seaside, he encountered several cars heading in that direction. At the end of the line was a police car. As the car passed Randy, it stopped, and a familiar face popped out of the window.

"Hey, Randy, we meet again."

It was Officer Jackson, who had investigated at the door in the morning.

"Are you still going fishing?"

He was much warmer towards Randy, seeming to want to make up for his earlier indifference.

"Yes, Officer Jackson. What about you?"

Randy thought Jackson was going to investigate Milo's disappearance on the shore, but the answer was quite the opposite.

"I'm going to the seaside to recover the car. The recovery team's boat has already arrived, and we've also notified the families of the three to come to the scene."

"What about Officer Mike?"

"Mike? I'm not sure. It seems like he should be with us this afternoon, but he said he had something urgent to deal with. He really cares about you. On the way back, he contacted a nearby church, and someone from the counseling center will come to talk to you tomorrow."

"That's really great."

Randy was secretly displeased. He had planned to set up a tent by the seaside for the crucial days.

As for Mike leaving in a hurry, it was probably because he learned about the clown's reappearance.

Once confirmed, he would soon be rejoining the failed alliance.

Jackson also proactively suggested, "By the way, Randy, do you want to see the scene? The car will be recovered, and then they'll search the sea for the bodies. It's an easy job, just comforting the families and watching the scene."

He might think that since Randy had been bullied before, seeing these three bad guys drowned might help him resolve some emotional issues.

"Do they need to search such a long coastline?"

Randy asked curiously.

"Don't be naive. The recovery costs are covered by government subsidies and insurance companies. How much can they afford? They'll only search around the car, and that area of the sea has no underwater nets. The bodies of the three might have already been eaten by sharks."

Jackson continued to invite, "Come on, let's go see. I won't say much, just join in the scene."

Randy nodded and then followed Jackson's car.

Soon, the two arrived at the coastal beach roadside, one after the other.

After Jackson got out of the car, he warmly embraced Randy.

"Let's go. I'll show you the scene. These three guys who bullied you have finally received their comeuppance."

He felt the words were somewhat inappropriate, as the families of the victims were right ahead, so he quickly stopped talking.

Randy didn't respond. Officer Jackson seemed a bit slow-witted, like a single-celled organism.

At the seaside, there was already a professional recovery vehicle and a few onlookers. There was also a recovery boat on the sea.

The three cars that had passed earlier were parked by the roadside. The families of Karl and the others had arrived at the seaside first.

The two approached the seaside, and Jackson went forward to comfort the three grieving families.

"Mr. Smith, Mrs. Smith, don't be too sad about Robert."

"Oh? I'm fine. I'm not sad. Robert is not my son. I'm his stepfather."

"Damn it, Smith, how can you say that? A stepchild is still a child!"

"What child? I can't afford to raise seven or eight children, and he's your ex-husband's son, your ex-husband's son, and your ex-ex…"

"This is all the fault of you damned men! Once you have children, you disappear!"

Jackson awkwardly kept a distance from this Black family to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

"Mr. and Mrs. Ellison, don't be too sad about Pierce either."

"Waa, Pierce was such a good kid. He was united with classmates and helpful. I can't believe something like this happened."

Ellison, Pierce's father, looked at Jackson with tearful eyes.

"Officer Jackson, can you help us find Pierce's body?"

Jackson felt a bit awkward: "That's hard to say. We didn't find anything in the car. It's possible the body has been eaten by fish or shrimp."

"Waa, waa."

Now, Pierce's mother cried even harder.

This made Robert's stepfather, who had already heard enough, say, "If you miss your son so much, you can offer more leaves as a tribute. He loved flying leaves the most."

"How can you say that? My son Pierce was the most well-behaved."

Jackson scratched his head and finally approached Karl's mother.

Compared to the other two families, she was alone, standing by the seaside by herself.

"Ms. Beverly, don't be too sad about Karl."

Beverly turned around with red eyes but didn't shed any tears.

"Officer Jackson, I can assure you that Karl would never drive drunk, and he wouldn't have been flying leaves while driving."

"But the surveillance footage shows Karl driving, and that night they were speeding…"

Beverly furrowed her brow and interrupted, "There was only one camera. That alone cannot prove the truth! How can you police reach a conclusion so easily?"

Before she could say more, Robert's mother stormed over in rage.

"Damn bitch! Your son was driving, that guy was drunk, and he killed my Robert! He still has six or seven younger brothers to support. You'll have to pay for this in the future. We're taking you to court!"

"And my son Pierce, it must be that your children bullied him and forced him to play with them. He was so miserable, killed by this group of scoundrels!"

Beverly immediately retorted, "I've already said, it's impossible for Karl to be at fault!"

"How dare you argue!"

Robert's mother, taking advantage of Jackson's inattention, stepped forward and slapped Beverly.

"Slap!"

Her strength was considerable, and Beverly was knocked dizzy by the sudden slap, stumbling backward a few steps, losing her balance and falling backward.

In a critical moment, a pair of strong arms firmly caught her.