At Mr. Roy's residence, the atmosphere was just as tense. He and Mrs. Emilia, Sarah's parents, also heard the news about the search for someone named Samson. Their eyes met, reflecting a huge unspoken question.
Mrs. Emilia broke the silence, her voice full of doubt. "Roy, could the Samson they're looking for be... your long-lost nephew?"
Mr. Roy only stayed silent, taking a deep breath, trying to calm himself. A few moments later, he answered, "I was thinking the same thing." Suddenly, he gently hit his forehead. "Gosh! Why? Why am I just realizing this now?" he muttered to himself, followed by a mournful whisper, "Samson Smith... my nephew, where are you, son?"
Mr. Roy's body slumped onto the sofa, his legs trembling violently. Cold sweat drenched his forehead, even though the room felt cool. Unconsciously, tears welled up, and his voice trembled, broken.
Mrs. Emilia immediately approached, her eyes already glistening. She sat beside her husband. "Oh, I've truly sinned against my brother," Mr. Roy said again, "I still haven't found his child." His body trembled even more.
"Roy, we're not sure which Samson they mean," Mrs. Emilia comforted him. "Besides, would we even recognize him?"
Mr. Roy and his wife didn't realize that Sarah had already come home. Silently, the girl eavesdropped on every word from behind the wall.
"You're right," Mr. Roy replied, "How will we recognize him later? Twenty-three years have passed, surely he's changed a lot. And I still doubt if my nephew is alive or gone."
Mr. Roy burst into tears. Mrs. Emilia was also overcome with sadness, hugging her husband tightly. "I'm so sorry, Roy! Anyway, he's your nephew. It's our duty to search for him and find him."
Sarah, still glued to the wall, also felt sad for her father's nephew – which meant her own cousin. Curiosity overwhelmed her. This morning Mona had also told her the same thing about someone named Samson. She didn't move from her eavesdropping spot.
In his lingering sadness, Mr. Roy said, "Even if I don't recognize his face later, only one sign will make me sure it's my nephew."
"What sign is that, Roy?" his wife asked curiously.
Mr. Roy began to tell the story. "When my nephew was two years old, my brother gave him a necklace and put it around his neck. I still remember clearly the unique shape of the necklace and its pendant. And before my brother passed away, he told me a secret behind that pendant."
Sarah, who had been engrossed in eavesdropping, nearly jumped in surprise. She couldn't hold back anymore. Coming out from behind the wall, she exclaimed, "Huh! What? What did Dad just say?" She stood before her parents, unable to believe what she had heard.
"Ah, Sarah! You surprised us, you're already home!" her father exclaimed.
Sarah ignored her father's exclamation. "Dad, I'm asking, did you just say a pendant with a unique design and light blue color?"
"Yes, that's right, Sarah!" her father replied.
"Isn't that the necklace you told me about, worn by the young man who helped me during the store fire the other day?"
Her father quickly asked back, "Were you eavesdropping on your mom and me, Sarah?"
"Sorry, Dad, it was an accident," Sarah replied, trying to give an excuse. "I happened to walk by and heard you talking with Mom, and I heard Mom crying. So, I stopped behind that wall to listen. Oh, Dad! The features you just mentioned are exactly the same as what that young man was wearing."
Hearing their daughter's account, Mrs. Emilia clasped her husband's hand. "Roy, there's still a possibility your nephew is alive, if what Sarah said is true."
Mr. Roy returned his wife's clasp. "I hope so too. It's my responsibility to find him. And no matter what, I have to tell him about the secret of that pendant as soon as I meet him."
In his heart, Mr. Roy murmured, "I still don't know who killed my brother. I must get revenge!"
Sarah, who had been frozen, now slumped weakly. "So... so you mean, Dad, that young man is my cousin?" she asked, her voice broken.
"That's right, Sarah!" her mother answered.
"But we have to be sure that the young man who helped you is indeed your cousin," her father interjected.
"What's my cousin's full name, Mom?" Sarah asked again.
"Samson Smith," her mother replied.
"Wow! Cool name," Sarah said. She continued, "Dad, we have to find Samson, somehow I haven't thanked him, I owe him my life."
"Absolutely, I'll send all my subordinates to search for him and find him," Mr. Roy replied.
"But Dad, the people we saw this morning were so many. I'm afraid there will be a clash and we'll be outnumbered," Sarah explained, worried.
"There's nothing to fear, all my subordinates are skilled fighters," Mr. Roy assured her. "I'll try my best, after all, he's your cousin who's been missing for a long time."
"How did Samson disappear, Dad?" Sarah asked curiously.
"I don't know the details exactly, but your uncle told me everything," Mr. Roy began. "Samson was saved by your uncle's neighbor when the flood hit. Samson was just a kid then, and your uncle got separated from him. Samson, who your uncle was carrying, slipped and was swept away. But one of your uncle's neighbors grabbed Samson and saved him from the raging flood. Your uncle even waved to that neighbor and shouted a message, 'Please take care of my son!'" Mr. Roy finished his story.
"So, what about Samson's mother?" Sarah asked again.
"His mother was on duty out of town at the time, so she didn't experience the flood. She was really sad, almost depressed. She cried all day, but your uncle kept trying to calm her down. Your uncle believed that your cousin must have survived. That's why your uncle left a message for me before he passed away: to tell the secret behind the pendant his son wore. If it falls into the wrong hands, a major disaster will happen."
Sarah nodded slowly. In her heart, she really wanted to ask what the secret behind that pendant was, but she decided not to.
As night fell, Samson's friends were still gathered at his house. They had planned to wait until night to see if the people looking for Samson were indeed their friend Samson.
Samson's phone, lying on the table, rang. Samson grabbed his phone and clicked the answer button, while calling out to all his buddies, "Excuse me, I'm gonna take this call first!"
The call connected. Samson greeted first, "Hello Lily, what's up, calling me this late?"
"Hello, Sam! Sorry if this isn't a good time to call you," Lily replied.
"Oh, no worries. I'm just relaxing right now," Samson answered.
"Oh yeah, Sam. I'm planning to have my birthday party at my house next week, do you have time to come?" Lily asked hopefully. Lily paused for a moment then continued, "If you can make it to my birthday party, I'd be so happy, and I'm planning to introduce you to my parents."
Before Samson could answer, his father shouted loudly from inside the house. He ran quickly towards the backyard. "Samson...! Samson...!"
Samson and his four friends turned to look at his father, full of questions. Samson ended Lily's still-connected call.
"Samson!...Samson...!" Lily kept calling, even though the call had been disconnected.
Meanwhile, Mr. Steven was already in his backyard. He informed them, "Sam, there's a group of uniformed people in our front yard, they say they're looking for you!"