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Chapter 139 Investigation
Chapter 139 Investigation
Sula seemed a little comforted by Clarice's attitude. She whispered "thank you" and then lowered her head to eat the bread that Green had buttered for her.
Breakfast took place in an atmosphere that was outwardly calm but inwardly filled with hidden thoughts.
While eating, Green kept glancing at Sura out of the corner of his eye.
Her movements were somewhat slow, and her eyes would occasionally wander, staring blankly at the food on her plate, but overall her emotions were relatively stable, and she did not show any obvious abnormality or aggression.
This gave him a slight sense of relief, but Clarice's warning from last night was still ringing in his ears—if something had been done to him, the apparent calm might just be an illusion.
Clarice didn't eat much, spending most of her time slowly sipping coffee, occasionally asking Green a couple of trivial questions about whether the food was to her liking or if she wanted anything else.
Her gaze would occasionally sweep over Sula with a cautious, evaluative observation, but she did it so naturally that it didn't make Sula uncomfortable.
Just as breakfast was drawing to a close, Leonard walked up to Clarice, leaned slightly forward, and whispered in a voice only they could hear, "Miss, Ms. Vera has arrived and is waiting in the study."
Clarice nodded, put down her coffee cup, and wiped her mouth with a napkin.
"Green, Sura,"
She stood up. "I have some things to take care of. You can continue eating, or Leonard can take you for a walk in the garden; the weather is nice today. Sula, if you'd like, you can also check out the library; they have some relaxing travelogues and picture books."
She gave Green another look, meaning: Vera is here, the colleague who is good at telepathy.
Green understood immediately and nodded to Clarisse: "Okay, whatever you like."
After Clarice left, the atmosphere in the restaurant seemed to relax a little. Sura visibly relaxed her shoulders a bit, looked at Green, and asked softly, "Green, how long are we going to stay here? My cousin Emily—she really—" Her eyes were a little red again.
Green put down his knife and fork, took Sura's hand, and tried to make his voice sound calm and reliable: "Sura, don't be afraid. We're safe here for now. As for Emily—"
He carefully chose his words. "The Sheriff's Office is looking for her, and Miss Clarisse is helping. We need to find out what happened. Until then, the most important thing for you is to get some rest and recover, okay?"
Sula nodded, but her eyes still showed confusion and fear.
"Eat breakfast first."
"Then, if you like," Green said gently, "we can go to the garden. Or, as Miss Clarisse suggested, we can go to the library and find some interesting books to distract ourselves."
Clarice picked up a napkin and wiped her mouth, her gaze falling on Sura. "Sura, for the time being, just stay here comfortably. Don't think too much, just treat this place as your own home. Leonard will take good care of you. There's a small living room on the east side of the second floor, with lots of old toys, puzzles, and art supplies. If you feel bored, you can go there and take a look."
Green immediately chimed in, "I'll help you get leave from school. Just say there's something going on at home and you need to rest for a while. You're really not in the right condition to go back to class right now. Focus on getting your body and mind back to normal. As for the rest, Miss Clarice and I will take care of it."
Sula listened silently, sipping the hot milk Leonard had just brought her. The sweetness of the honey seemed to relax her tense nerves a little.
She raised her eyes, looked at Green, whose expression was gentle but whose exhaustion was hard to hide, and then at Clarice, who had a smile on her face but always gave off a sense of distance. In the end, she simply hummed in agreement, accepting the arrangement.
The atmosphere became even more silent during the rest of the meal.
There was only the occasional, slight sound of the cutlery touching the porcelain plate.
Clarisse seemed intent on breaking the silence. She put down her coffee cup and asked Sura in a casual tone, "Sura, what subjects do you like at school? Do you have any close friends?"
Sula, holding her milk cup, whispered, "I like it—I like history class and art class. Friends—I have a few classmates I draw with."
She paused, then continued, "My aunt used to—often pick me up from school and take me out for snacks—"
Before she could finish speaking, her eyes reddened again, and she quickly lowered her head and blinked hard.
Clarisse didn't press further, simply nodding to indicate she had heard. Green gently squeezed Sura's hand under the table; he completely understood Sura's feelings.
Breakfast is finally over.
Sula seemed to have exhausted her strength and appeared even more listless.
Feeling sorry for Sura, Green said softly, "Sura, why don't you go back to sleep for a while? You still look very tired. You'll be able to think more clearly if you rest."
Sura hesitated for a moment, then looked at Green, "And what about you?"
"Miss Clarisse and I have some things to discuss—about Emily and Auntie." Green gently stroked her head. "I'll stay in this house and won't go far. Mr. Leonard is also here; you can call him anytime if you need anything, or ring the bell."
Sura looked at Clarice again. Clarice gave her an encouraging smile: "Go on, child. Get a good night's sleep; you might feel better when you wake up. If you need anything, just tell Leonard."
Perhaps it was their attitude that made her feel a little safe, or perhaps exhaustion finally overwhelmed everything; Sura nodded and obediently stood up. Leonard stepped forward at the opportune moment and bowed slightly: "Miss Sura, please come with me, I'll take you back to your room."
After Sura left, only Green and Clarice remained in the restaurant.
Clarice stood up and walked to the restaurant's floor-to-ceiling windows, her gaze falling on the meticulously manicured garden outside.
“Vera will be here soon,” she said, her back to Green. “She’s a Sequence 7 psychiatrist in the audience pathway,” specializing in mental perception and memory probing. “But we must be careful. If Sura has indeed tampered with her, a hasty investigation might trigger her pre-set defense mechanisms and could even harm her.”
Green walked over to her and asked in a low voice, "How risky is it?"
"It depends on the sequence and intention of the caster."
Clarisse turned to face Green directly. "If it's a hypnotist of Sequence 6 or higher, or a dream walker," Vera might not be able to complete the investigation without alerting them. Worse still, if they've set a mental trap, the investigation itself could become the trigger.
She paused, seemingly considering her next words: "Green, I need you to understand that if the investigation shows Sura is indeed under deep manipulation, and could even be a ticking time bomb, then the Church's standard procedure for handling these kinds of problems..."
"What is it?"
Green's voice involuntarily tightened.