Derek's POV
The helicopter landed on a wide platform, and the moment I stepped out of the cabin, a wave of heat swept in from all directions.
I turned to Tabitha, saying, "It's hot outside. How about you just wait in the helicopter?"
"No," she insisted, standing her ground. So I had no choice but to help her out.
Klein had gathered a whole crew too.
With a stern face, he asked, a hint of fear in his voice, "Tabitha, where did you see the body?"
She pondered for a while before pointing to a rundown boat, replying, "There. That was where I saw the body at that time, but it's been half a year, perhaps..."
Before she could finish her words, Klein rushed towards the boat, ignoring his assistant's worried shout behind him, "Mr. Hartley, slow down. You shouldn't be running that fast!"
But Klein just ignored it. It was understandable, though. After all, he had been searching for his sister for so long, and now he finally got a lead, but it could be linked to her death. Just like how I felt when I heard of Elena's "death."
The usually calm Klein was now in full-on panic mode, but even so, he still marched forward.
I quickly followed suit.
The wind howled in my ears as we scrambled up that tall, broken boat.
I then switched on the flashlights and entered the shabby cabin along with Klein's bodyguards.
We hadn't gone far when we smelled the nauseating stench in the air.
The wood had been soaked for ages and smelled moldy and rotten, mixed with the scent of decaying flesh.
Klein's assistant piped up, "Mr. Hartley, it's pretty rank in there. Maybe you should wait outside for a bit."
Klein brushed him off and sped up with his flashlight in hand.
Sweat was pouring down his forehead.
Just then, a loud voice echoed in the empty, dilapidated boat, "Found it! Over here!"
Klein's legs buckled, and he almost collapsed to the ground. I caught him just in time.
"Hey man, calm down. Even if there is a body, it doesn't have to be your sister's. Her necklace is up for auction. Maybe someone else snagged her ear studs and ring too."
Klein's lips trembled, but he couldn't utter a single word.
He shakily made his way toward where the loud voice came from. The closer he got, the more unpleasant the smell became.
With beams from several flashlights shining down, he finally laid eyes on that corpse.
After half a year of natural decay, all that was left was a mangled skeleton and some clothes scattered around.
Under the illumination of the lights, the diamonds sparkled amidst the horror.
"Mr. Hartley, these are the rose ear studs indeed," a man said while wrapping them in a tissue. Apart from the ear studs, they also found a sapphire ring.
The whole scene matched what Tabitha described perfectly.
Klein should count himself lucky this area had been abandoned long ago. Otherwise, these jewels would definitely have been stolen.
Although the jewels had been found, they still couldn't confirm if this was indeed Klein's sister.
Klein steadied himself despite looking like he might crumble any second and managed to croak out, "Secure this scene! If this is indeed where it all went down, there must be more clues left behind."
"Yes, sir, but what about the skeleton..."
"Take it back and let the forensic expert examine it thoroughly. I need to do a DNA test to confirm its identity."
Klein stumbled off the boat in a daze. I followed suit and returned to Tabitha's side.
When she saw the skeleton being carried away wrapped in white cloth, she looked at Klein with pity in her eyes.
"Klein, are you okay?" she asked.
Finally snapping back to reality, Klein nodded and then turned to me. "Alpha Derek, I think I really need your help this time."
I glanced at Tabitha before answering, "Sure. Just spill."