Chapter 1442 A Lead
By the time Zachary awoke the next morning, Charlotte had already left.
When he touched her pillow and the space beside him, inevitably, he felt desolate. All of a sudden, a sense of emptiness crept into his heart.
Before he knew it, he heard his phone ring. It was a message from Charlotte: Hubby, I’m boarding the plane now and will be back in the evening. Be a good boy and get some rest! Wait for me to come home!
Her gentle words felt like a ray of sunlight that filled the void in his heart with warmth.
Moved by her gesture, Zachary broke out into a smile. It never crossed his mind that she could behave so obediently.
If only time could slow down and my life could be extended, everything would be perfect.
With that thought in mind, Zachary supported his frail body up. He had no time to lose, as he still had to deal with a lot of things.
By the time Charlotte arrived at Mount Phoenix in the afternoon, Hayley and Sam were waiting for her at the village entrance. When they saw her car approach, both of them waved at her excitedly.
After alighting from her car, Charlotte chatted with them while walking.
Given that she had missed Dr. Felch’s memorial service, she headed to his grave to pay her respects first.
When they returned home, Charlotte’s subordinates stood guard outside while Sam went to cook. In the meantime, Hayley led Charlotte to the study.
Inside were old wooden shelves filled with all sorts of books. Some of the books were even handwritten. Other than that, there were also medicines on the shelves. Everything was neatly categorized.
Hayley explained them to Charlotte one by one, hoping that she could find something useful.
“Did Dr. Felch ever talk to you about Francesco?” Charlotte asked while flipping through the books. “What does he look like? How old is he? Where does he stay? Do you have his contact information? Any old information would be useful.”
“Actually, Bruce has asked me the same questions before,” Hayley replied. “Dr. Felch seldom talked about him. In fact, he would be infuriated every time Francesco was brought up. Dr. Felch would call him a rascal, a rebel, and nothing else.”
“Try and think harder to see if you can remember any other clues.” Charlotte was persistent.
“As for his age…” Hayley thought hard about it. “I remember now. Dr. Felch did scold Francesco for his desire to leave the mountain when he thought he had learned everything. Also, he berated him for being conceited despite being just a teenager.”
Counting with her hands, she added, “I was taken in as Dr. Felch’s apprentice one year after Francesco left. At that time, I was fourteen. In other words, Francesco is probably about my age.”
“That can’t be!” Charlotte was shocked. “Hayley, you’re only nineteen this year. Are you saying that Francesco is around the same age as you?”
“Perhaps, he might be a little older.” Hayley scratched her head. “But anyway, he is still relatively young.”
“A teenager is someone below eighteen. Even if he were eighteen then, he would only be twenty-three now.” Charlotte was baffled. “Is the legendary Francesco only twenty-three? Before this, I assumed he’s a middle-aged or elderly man.”
“No, no, no.” Hayley shook her head repeatedly. “He’s definitely a young man. When Bruce asked me about him, he didn’t inquire about Francesco’s age. Hence, he must have also assumed that Francesco’s someone much older.”
“This is good news. At last, we have a lead.” Charlotte was brimming with excitement. “Hayley, do you have other clues? Try thinking about it harder.”
“Other clues…” Knitting her eyebrows, Hayley continued to rack her brain. “I’m afraid I really don’t have anything else for you.”
At that moment, Sam walked in with coffee and interrupted them, “There’s one notable thing about him. He likes to keep beasts as pets.”
“That’s right!” Hayley shuddered at that thought. “When I first came here, there was a wolf in the backyard which belonged to Francesco. Dr. Felch instructed me to feed it, and I was frightened to death. In the end, he released it instead.”
