Elinor turned to Balfour and said, âSeems like the check I gave you yesterday didnât do its job. Werenât we clear that you disappeared from my sight for a year after you took my money? Itâs not even 24 hours; why are you here again?â
Balfour, having experienced Elinorâs unpredictable antics, wasnât surprised. He said seriously, âMs.
Mendoza, nowâs not the time for jokes. If it werenât for Patriciaâs case, I wouldnât bother you.â
Elinor took a leisurely sip of water and said, âAbout Patriciaâs case, Iâve told the police everything. Mr.
Howard, if you have any questions, you can ask the police directly.â
Balfour looked at her with a polite yet cold gaze and said, âIâm here to speak with you with the policeâs consent.â
Elinor: âSpeak with me?â
Just then, a cop stepped forward and addressed Theo, who stood silently by the bedside, saying, âMr.
Blanchet, please step aside for a moment. We need to record a conversation between a new witness and the suspect.â
Theo, with his hands casually tucked into his pockets, stood solid as a rock without uttering a word. His strong presence was spineâchilling.
The cop seemed a bit awkward seeing this: âMr. Blanchetâ¦â
Hearing the cop, Elinor glanced and said, âTheo, Iâm done with my water. Could you put it away for me?
Thanks! And go sit down somewhere; you must be tired of standing!â
Cuffed, she couldnât move her hands far apart; she awkwardly held the cup and extended her arm to hard it to Theo.
Theo calmly took the cup from her. But instead of putting it away, he just held it naturally in his hand.
Following Elinorâs advice, he moved a chair, sat down at a distance, crossed his legs elegantly, rested his elbow on the armrest, propped his forehead, took a sip of water from the cup, and decided to see how Elinor would handle the situation.
Everyone in the room except the police was surprised by Theoâs seemingly normal action!
The Theo they knew, who was always a clean freak and hated physical contact with others, was actually drinking from the same straw Elinor used and didnât seem to mind!
Patricia watched every move Theo made. Her eyes first showed tension, then became dim, and her fists unconsciously clenched.
Balfour could feel Patriciaâs disappointment. With a heavy heart, he held her hand, sat down with her on the sofa in the ward, gently patted her shoulder, and silently stood by her side.
The police were ready to record. The machine and manual recording were carried out simultaneously.
Balfour spoke, stating his purpose directly.
âMs. Mendoza, you said before that you needed someone to testify that youâd met the criminal Zachary before, then you admitted your guilt, right? Now, Iâm here to be that witness!â
Elinor yawned behind her hand, saying, âSorry, what I need is a real witness, not a fake one.â
Balfour remained calm. âDonât worry, I wouldnât confront you here without evidence.â
Elinor leaned lazily against the head of the bed and said, âSo, Mr. Howard, how are you going to prove that Iâve met that criminal?â