Josieâs eyes sparkled mischievously as she half-smiled. âIâm not upset,â she said, glancing at the clothes. âDo you know whoâs really upset?â
Dexter remained surprisingly calm. âYou used to be quite similar to her.â
As soon as the words left his mouth, Josie became anxious. âDonât compare me to her. Itâs bad luck.â
He chuckled softly, gently lifting her chin. âI once said she doesnât think as much as you do, and that still holds true.â
Josie brushed his hand aside and sat down to have breakfast. âScott wants me to go to the police station to give a new statement.â
âHe didnât inform me.â
âWhy should he? I am the primary person involved, after all.â
âIâll ask Moses to accompany you.â
Josie accepted without protest. She didnât turn around, nor did she notice the gaze Dexter fixed upon her. She simply left promptly.
Upon arriving at Russell Group, Larry approached and reported, âMatthew has booked the earliest flight to Japrium.â
Dexter raised an eyebrow.
âSomeone is already taking care of it,â Larry continued. âAnd someone is keeping an eye on Ms. Olsen.
After you left last night, she had an argument with Claudia.â
âFor what reason?â
âIt seems to be about a dog,â Larry recalled. âMs. Olsen is afraid of dogs, and there happens to be one in Olsen Residence. She wanted someone to remove it, but Claudia stopped her.â
Ah, so thatâs the cause.
The servant didnât dare make a decision on his own, so he sent for Claudia. She hurried over and found Heather clutching an iron rod. Tearfully, she said, âMother, Iâm really scared of dogs now. Please take it away. It barks every day, and Iâm on the verge of a nervous breakdown.â
The servant responsible for the chili plants found it hard to believe. Given the vastness of Olsen Residence, Heatherâs room was far from there. How could she possibly hear a dog barking?
Claudiaâs gentle face also appeared somewhat gloomy. âLeanne, has something been bothering you?â
âNo, itâs not⦠I hate it. Mother, I really hate it!â
Claudia patted her on the back. After a moment, she said, âIâll take care of it tomorrow.â
âMother! Do you love me?â Heatherâs anxiety and anger intensified. âI want you to deal with it now. I want it dead!â
The sudden outburst of these words shocked Claudia. She had been practicing asceticism for many years, never taking a life. Upon hearing this, she tightly gripped Heatherâs wrist. âCalm down!â
Heather cried until she was completely drained.
âIs the dogâs name Pepper?â Dexter seemed to recall something as his brows furrowed deeply.
âYes.â
Doubts began to arise within him, so he commanded, âKeep an eye on Claudia. We must save that dog at all costs.â
âYes, but Claudia is religious. She probably wouldnât killâ¦â
âNo matter how she handles it, this dog must stay in Wavery!â Dexter interrupted.
Larry immediately went to take care of it.
Under the autumn sun by the floor-to-ceiling window, Dexterâs expression appeared complex. After a while, he suddenly asked, âLarry, do you believe in fate?â
âFateâ¦â Larry hesitated before responding, âI only believe in human effort.â
âEverything depends on human effort,â Dexter pondered over these words, then asked crisply, âHas Josie left yet?â
â¦
âMoses, your driving skills have improved tremendously,â Josie said from the passenger seat, holding a bottle of drink. âWhen I first met you, you werenât as steady as you are now.â
Moses found it hard to sit still. âJosie⦠just say what you want to tell me.â
With a smile, Josie suddenly unbuckled her seatbelt and splashed the drink in her hand directly into Mosesâ eyes. The drink was spiked with chili powder, causing such a stinging pain that Moses couldnât open his eyes.
âHoly crap!â
âMy apologies.â Taking advantage of his momentary loss of control, Josie quickly reached out to spin the steering wheel and hit the brakes. She then jumped out of the car and swiftly got into another one that had been waiting by the roadside for a while, and sped away.