Chapter 828: EXPOSING THE SHADOWS
Chapter 828: EXPOSING THE SHADOWS
“HOW was it?” Luo Yan asked ‘Sofia’, referring to what he just asked the other to do.
‘Sofia’ made an ‘okay’ gesture. “It’s as you said, there are really hidden passages in our room and in Sorcha’s room. I did what you told and got a positive response.”
Luo Yan smiled hearing that. “Good. If you can, please the others to secretly gather here later.”
“Excluding that person, right?” ‘Sofia’ asked.
Luo Yan nodded. “Yes.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve got this,” ‘Sofia’ said with a determined expression on ‘her’ face.
Cute. “Just as I thought, ‘Sofia’ is perfect to be a detective’s assistant. Maybe after this I should take you back home.”
A gorgeous red stained ‘her’ cheeks. Luo Yan almost raised his hand and poked it. But he stopped himself in time and just clenched his fists.
“I- I’ll go now.”
After saying that, ‘Sofia’ turned around and left. ‘Her’ brisked steps looked as if ‘she’ was fleeing from someone. Luo Yan only chuckled and also walked towards the stairs.
He climbed down and once he reached the first floor, he went straight to the kitchen. As expected, Mrs. Gilmore was there, busy preparing dinner. Cian was there, helping out. The maid and the head maid both weren’t there. Since the two of them were partnered together, they were probably somewhere in the manor, cleaning or something.
Before entering the kitchen, Luo Yan quickly changed the expression on his face and acted as if he was very confused and helpless at the moment. The moment he stepped inside, he let out a very dramatic sigh. Which, of course, was noticed by the mother-son pair.
“What’s wrong, detective?” Cian immediately asked.
Luo Yan sighed again. “It’s Mr. George. He just regained consciousness.”
“That’s good, right?” Cian asked, wondering how could that be worth sighing over.
“Yes, it is. But the problem was, he started saying these weird things.” Luo Yan said. “I wonder if that fall affected his brain for him to say such things.”
This time, Cian was more curious rather than confused. “What did Mr. George say?”
“He said that the reason he fell off the window was because he saw a ghost,” Luo Yan answered shaking his head. “I thought that it might be because of what happened to Mr. Harcourt. That’s why his mentality was affected and it gave him the illusion of seeing a ghost. But after hearing who the ghost he saw was, I started to doubt if that was really the case.”
Cian looked even more interested. “Whose ghost did Mr. George said he saw?”
“It’s Mr. Harcourt’s second son – Richard.”
After Luo Yan said that, there was a loud clang inside the kitchen. Both he and Cian turned to the source. They saw Mrs. Gilmore picking up the rolling pin that she accidentally dropped.
“Are you alright, mum?” Cian asked his mother worriedly.
Mrs. Gilmore smiled gently at her son. “Yes, I’m okay. I apologized for distracting you from your conversation because of my clumsiness.”
“There’s no need to apologize, Mrs. Gilmore,” Luo Yan said, his eyes full of understanding. “But since we already have your attention, do you think what Mr. George saw was really a ghost?”
“No. Just like what detective said, with what happened last night, add that to the fall earlier, I think Mr. Cooper was greatly affected by those things,” the woman said calmly. “He’s definitely not in a right state of mind.”
“I think so as well,” Luo Yan said, nodding. “But I also find it quite curious as to why he would even think that he saw Richard when there’s not even a precedent for it.”
“I can think of a much more logical explanation for Mr. Cooper’s situation,” she said.
Luo Yan raised one of his brows. “Oh? Do tell, please.”
“The person he might have seen could be Mr. Edward. I’ve seen portraits of Mr. Richard and they have a high-degree of likeness.”
Luo Yan felt a bit amused. If not for all the things he had discovered before, he truly might think that that was possible. Sadly, he knew that that could have been the case.
“That could really be possible,” Cian seconded. “Then, does that mean Mr. George saw Mr. Edward before he fell off the window? Why would Mr. Edward scare Mr. George like that?”
“Who knows what goes on in the minds of the rich and wealthy,” Mrs. Gilmore said with a shrug.
“But still, being a detective, I should explore all avenues so I could arrive at the truth,” Luo Yan with a serious expression on his face. “Maybe with Mr. George’s statement, I could find a different answer to the one I already came up with. It’s too bad that he was too distraught to answer my questions properly. But no matter, I could just ask him later once he woke up.”
As he said that, he did not forget to observe Mrs. Gilmore’s reaction. Of course, in a not so obvious way. The other’s fists were clenched so hard he could see the veins on it.
Luo Yan smiled in secret. It seemed that he had already accomplished what he came here for.
———-
At night, everyone somehow requested to have their dinner in their rooms. Probably feeling all tired and just wanting to rest. And at about ten in the evening, a shadow was seen skulking into one room.
This shadow first lifted the door of the secret passage on the floor. Then, slowly climbed out. The shadow glanced at the bed. Because there was no light inside, all the shadow could see was an outline of a body lying on the bed, covered by the thick comforter.
A cold glint flashed on the shadow’s eyes. The shadow walked carefully towards the bed, making sure that their steps wouldn’t awaken the person sleeping on the bed. After a few steps, the shadow arrived beside the bed. They picked a pillow and without hesitation, the shadow pushed it over the body’s head and pressed it hard.
The moment they did, the shadow felt that something was wrong. But it was already too late.
Light suddenly filled the room, completely exposing the shadow.