The room was dark; no lights had been turned on.
Keira could barely make out someone on the bed, so she immediately turned and switched on the light.
The incandescent light came on.
Keira spotted Jodie at a glance.
She lay quietly in bed, eyes closed, sleeping. Her hands rested peacefully on her chest in a prim andproper sleeping posture.
Keira took a step forward, intending to take a closer look, but the sound of hurried footsteps came frombehind her.
Instantly, Aunt South and Taylor charged into the room, one after the other!
Aunt South frowned and lowered her voice in
reprimand. âWhat are you doing barging in like this?
Get out now!â
But Keira didnât move. Instead, she approached Mrs. Olsen, observing carefully. âI just happened tocome by and wanted to check on Mrs. Olsen.â
âHow can you be so impolite! What kind of classmate are you?! Really, you areâ¦â Aunt South walkedover, blocking her way.
Taylor also furrowed his brows. âMiss, if you donât leave now, Iâm going to call the police!â
No sooner had he said this than Lewis remarked
indifferently from the doorway. âShe just went into the wrong room. Thereâs no need to make a fussabout it, right?â
Taylor clenched his fists, looking helplessly at Lewis. âMr. Horton, what do you mean by this? Shirley is
already frail, and this severe shock has led to a mental
collapse. We should hurry out and not talk here in case we further upset her.â
Keira immediately expressed her doubts. âI heard Mrs. Olsen is a light sleeper. With so much noise.how has she not woken up?â
Upon hearing this, Aunt South answered, âBecause the lady took sedatives before sleep!â
She asked, âWhat do you need these details for? Who exactly are you? Are you related to the murdererof
Miss Keira?â
дед
Her demeanor didnât seem like that of a liar.
Keira turned her gaze back to Taylor.
She saw Taylor also looking at her with skepticism, with no guilt in his eyes.
As she sized up the two of them, she suddenly felt a scrutinizing gaze fall upon her.
Only then did Keira realize that even Lewis was staring
at her.
The manâs eyes were swirling with emotion as if he had begun to harbor some doubtsâ¦
Keira immediately took a step back, stating calmly, âIâm a high school classmate of Keira, entrusted byUncle
Olsen to visit Mrs. Olsenâ¦â
Indeed, as soon as âUncle Olsenâ was mentioned, the
three people in the room immediately stopped their
questioning.
Aunt South dismissed her suspicions out of hand. âWhy didnât you say so directly?â
Taylor just clenched his jaw and said nothing.
Lewis, however, gave her another couple of looks
before slowly withdrawing his gaze.
Without further ado, Taylor said, âWell, youâve seen her now, and thereâs nothing wrong with her. Canyou leave now? Please do not disturb my wife any further!â
Lewis was the first to step back, leaving the room.
Keira kept her eyes on the hospital bed, looking toward Taylor. âUncle Olsen asked me to find out whenexactly Mrs. Olsen will wake up. If she doesnât get better, he has a doctor prepared and would like tobring him to see Mrs. Olsenâ¦â
There was an insistent undertone in her words.
Taylor understood, and his brow furrowed.
Seeing his reaction, Lewis suddenly lowered his gaze.
He clenched his fist and said, âKeiraâs funeral is
tomorrow. Isnât my mother-in-law going to say goodbye to her? If sheâs unable to be there, it implies hercondition is serious, so maybe I should take her to the hospital.â
Lewisâs request was quite inconsiderate.
Taylor had been a devoted husband to Jodie for over
twenty years. Furthermore, his previous behavior
when Jodie was ill left no one in doubt that if
something happened to her, Taylor would surely take his own life. Such marital devotion couldnât be
questioned.
Thus, neither Lewis nor Keira had ever considered that Taylor would abuse Jodie.
The two of them were simply concerned that Mrs. Olsenâs strange condition shouldnât be delayed.
Taylor promptly said, âThereâs no need. Shirley is much better now. Sheâs just very sleepy andlethargic.â
He lowered his gaze, knowing he had to give an
tion, and slowly added,. âBefore going to sleep, kept saying that she must attend the funeral
row no matter what. Weâll be there
vis gave him a long look. âAlright, weâll meet at the
neral tomorrow.â
Okay, Mr. Horton. Iâll walk you downstairs.â
After saying this, Taylor didnât move but looked toward
Keira
choice, Keira reluctantly left the room,
constantly turning back as she went.
It wasnât until she was out the door, away from the Olsen family home, standing on the street, that shestill found herself gazing up at the lit room on the second floor.
Unfortunately, the roomâs curtains blocked the view inside⦠She couldnât see what was happeningthere.
Thus, she didnât see that after she and Lewis left, Taylor hurried upstairs, made an excuse to send AuntSouth away, and then he finally came to the bedside.
His hand gently stroked Jodieâs face. âShirley, did you see that? The love Iâve had for you for so manyyears has made Aunt South trust me without hesitation. No
one will help you, so just be obedient, okay?â
He bowed his head, pressing it against her chest.
Listening to her heartbeat, he closed his eyes contentedly. âI know you can hear everything. Shirley,donât worry, tomorrow Iâll take you to the funeral to send her off, but the person who will be going is justyou. You canât move. Donât blame me. Iâm just afraid they will take you awayâ¦â
After saving these words he lifted the blanket and lav
down beside Jodie.
He stretched out his arm and held Jodie tightly in his
embrace.
Mrs. Olsen, with her eyes closed, had tears streaming from the corners of her eyes.
She wasnât asleep; she could hear all the noises outside. Others might not have noticed, but havingwatched Keira grow up since she was a child, she recognized-the girl sent by Sam was Keira!!
But she was unable to respond because she had been injected with a drug!
The breath of the man beside her filled her with a
sense of humiliation. It was unbearable!
Mrs. Olsen tried her best to lift her arm, to push the person away, but it was of no use.
She closed her eyes in despair.
Taylor, however, had a smile on his lips; his lifelong wish had finally been fulfilled. Just the thought ofMrs. Olsen lying beside him made him feel that his life was complete!
He soon fell asleep.
Mrs. Olsen, listening to his even breathing, suddenly opened her eyes!
Keira had assumed a different identity and hadnât
revealed her identity, most likely to guard against the
murdererâ¦
She couldnât just remain imprisoned; she had to rescue
herself!
She needed to tell Keira that the murderer was Taylor, to let Keira lower her guard and to be herselfagainâ¦
But how could she save herself?
Her body couldnât muster any strengthâ¦
Just as she thought this, her fingers touched a small slip of paper, which felt smooth and unlikeordinary paper. It was⦠thermal paper!
It was given to her by Keira just now!
A flicker of hope suddenly shone in Mrs. Olsenâs pupils.
Thermal paper was usually used in supermarkets for printing receipts; scratching it with a fingernailreveals a mark. Being small, the paper could easily conceal any written message.
HL
Keira must have suspected something, which was why
she left her this.
And thinking about what Lewis had said, she was going to Keiraâs funeral tomorrow⦠so Keira woulddefinitely
be there too!
She had a chance to be saved!
Mrs. Olsen immediately used all her strength to write a few words on the piece of paper. âTaylor is themurderer, save me.â Then she clenched it tightly in her
palm.
Downstairs, Keira withdrew her gaze.
Although she knew she shouldnât suspect Taylor because he had protected her mother for over twentyyears and had never quarreled with her, Keira still felt uneasy. She found Jodieâs situation strange.
Just now, taking advantage of the darkness in the room, she rushed to the bedside and quickly left asmall piece of thermal paper by her hand.
That way, as long as she could move, she could pass on
a messageâ¦
If all her concerns were overblown, that certainly would be best.
But if her mother was really in trouble, this would offer a way to ask for help.
Thinking this, Keira breathed a sigh of relief. As she turned back, she saw Lewis watching her intentlyin the dark, âMiss Keera, right? Please take off the mask.â
His words were polite, but his tone was not up for negotiation at all.
Keira instinctively covered her mask.
She felt the manâs eyes bore into her as if suspecting something, his tone demanding confirmation. Shenarrowed her eyes in response.
Keira lowered her gaze. âIâm sorry, I have a skin
condition.â
But Lewis suddenly stepped forward, his figure overshadowing her. âThen, Miss Keera, could youplease explain to me how you are so familiar with the
Olsen residence?â
Being able to accurately locate Mrs. Olsenâs room upstairs meant she had definitely been to the house
before!
Keira coughed, âUncle Olsen told meâ¦â
Before she could come up with a better excuse, the man moved suddenly, reaching out to remove hermask!