Alice, who had just returned to Grande, was pushed into the kitchen. Laura was not very satisfied with Kepler's directness and threw her an apron, "You have to help!"
Kepler didn't mind much, put on an apron, and walked around the table, "What do I want to do? Alice, just don't let me chop onions!"
Zach smiled as he watched the three girls getting busy, exiting the kitchen and heading to the office. Grande had a guest, and Benjamin was accompanying him.
In the afternoon, Grande held a funeral. It was a client that Louise ran away from two days ago. Zach paid no attention to it and didn't even remember the client's name. When she came back, Louise quickly stuffed a bunch of information into Zach's hand and reminded, "She wants to see you by name."
Zach didn't understand what was going on, and Louise also looked confused.
Entering the office, Benjamin was sitting at the table with a woman in her fifties, but he didn't seem to know what he was doing.
Zach sat behind the desk and saluted slightly, "Mrs. White, is there anything else you need?" Zach opened the funeral process document Louise gave him, "Are you dissatisfied with the funeral?" The question was really not sincere, because he had already asked Louise and she had already paid the fee.
"No, I'm very satisfied." Mrs. White smiled slightly, but there was still sadness on her face. The document stated that the person to be buried was his son, who was only twenty-five years old.
Zach performed the proper etiquette and bowed his head slightly, "Ma'am, please express your condolences."
Mrs. White closed her eyes and seemed to be in silence.
Grande's two brothers exchanged glances at each other, both of them confused. Regardless of the time, it is rare for a person to remain at a funeral home after a funeral. Even if they are in pain, most people will choose to linger in front of the tombstone instead of the funeral home office where monetary transactions are made.
The silence didn't last long. Mrs. White's eyes swept over the two Grande brothers, and she took a deep breath, "I am Sibella Hayate's friend."
The vampire raised his eyebrows and looked at Benjamin. Benjamin had already crossed his arms, as if he was waiting for the next step.
Mrs. White gave a small smile. She pulled up her black dress and said, "We are in the same reading club." It was obvious that she was a woman with a good living environment and came from a middle-class family. She was explaining why she became friends with a woman from a 'low-income' Indian family, "Relying on books, we shared many of our own stories."
Zach nodded, so the other person was a laid-back housewife with a lot of free time. Book club, this time-consuming activity is not something that most people can do.
As for why Sibella had time to participate. Well, Hayate just lives in Paising. Although Zach doesn't want to admit it, Hayate and his wife can send their son to Raptor to go to school, and they can also go on "travels". Hayate is richer than he looks. many!
"I think Madam must miss her friends very much." Zach said with a comforting smile on his face, "Especially at this moment."
"Yes." Mrs. White nodded lightly, "But I don't want to talk about her here. I'm here to find you. Grande." There was a slight smile on Mrs. White's face, "When we share stories I will use pronouns." She looked at the faces of the two brothers, her voice was calm, and she hoped that they would not feel threatened.
"For example, I would use 'the tall red-haired guy' to refer to my first love, and she would use 'the boy with the dagger' to refer to her first son."
Zach pursed his lips, with a hint of curiosity on his face, Grande. How will it be referred to
"The 'Shadow Standing in the Sun' is you, Zachary Grande." Mrs. White glanced at Zach and then at Benjamin, "The 'Fighter Who Walked Out of History' is you, Benjamin Grande. .”
The two Grande brothers looked at each other. Quite appropriate.
Mrs. White relaxed a little when she saw that the two of them didn't mean to deny or be angry, "Of course, she never told me your true identity, but the background of this representative figure made me guess that you should be this funeral person." The owner of the house.”
Grande's identity is not difficult to guess. As long as Sibella mentioned the only cemetery, the identity of the two was obvious. There was no need for Zach to deny it. Since Sibella trusted the woman in front of her, there was no need for Grande to be suspicious.
"So, Madam, is there anything you need our help with?" Zach smiled, "You are Sibella's friend, and our relationship with Sibella has always been..." Zach raised his eyebrows, "We help each other peacefully. A friend who is willing to help a friend.”
Mrs. White hesitated, "Before Sibella left, she told me that if something 'strange' happened to me, go to these two people and they would help." She took out a thin notebook , handed it to Zach, "She said, this is your reward."
Zach opened the note and glanced at it, it was a roster.
'Wandering shadow' (Wander), 'Dream', 'Bubble in the water', 'Opener in flames' (Walter)…
Zach could see what some of the pronouns represented, but most of them had no clue.
"She said that the stories I know will be my greatest treasure to pay for what I ask for. You will not refuse." Mrs. White had a sad face. She didn't know what Zach meant by 'peace. How sincere is the mutual aid? At least in the story she heard, there was a plot of a "boy with a dagger" trying to kill two people.
What Sibella said to her was obviously telling her, 'If you ask them for help, you have to tell these stories that are only shared among friends. 'This is betraying a friend in exchange for benefits.
Zach thought for a moment, closed the register, and handed it back to Mrs. White, "I said, you are a friend of a friend, and we don't need payment for our help."
There was an encyclopedia of Sibella's relationship network in front of her. Zach has two ways to get it, one is to become a friend, and the other is to make a cold deal. Zach wisely chose the former. Sibella might come back, and the vampire didn't think she would be happy that he had made a deal with Mrs. White.
I'm afraid Mrs. White has been struggling these days. She asked Louise to go to work twice because she wanted to see the two brothers, but she never saw them. Funeral stayed here alone today, obviously determined.
Zach didn't need to make the other person struggle and decided to treat people with sincerity. There is no need to make James' mistake again.
Mrs. White looked at Zach, hesitated for a moment, and took back the list.
"Tell us." Zach glanced at Benjamin, leaned forward, leaned against the desk, and said to Mrs. White with an encouraging expression, "What 'strange' thing happened?"
Mrs. White's eyes shifted back and forth between the two of them, seemingly still struggling. Without urging, Zach served dinner for himself and observed Mrs. White's expression.
Mrs. White's body could not help but tremble, and she obviously knew the true identities of the two people. Again, knowing the other person's race and seeing the other person eating are two different feelings. Aliens with a humanoid appearance always have the advantage of first impression.
Zach tilted his head slightly and explained, "Sheep."
Mrs. White nodded, relaxed a little, took a deep breath, and made a decision, "It's my son. I don't think his death was an accident."
Zach put down his glass, nodded encouragingly, "Please be more detailed."
It's understandable to struggle with whether or not to 'betray' a friend's story because of the death of his son. Zach got serious.
Mrs. White's narrative is uncomplicated.
Pete White is the name of her son, the person buried today. Peter's life was very smooth. After graduation, he joined his father's small business. He could foresee that he would be the successor of the family in the future, which would be a boring and stressful life.
Peter's work performance was normal. He was neither outstanding enough to make his father proud nor too mediocre enough to be scolded by his father. He looked quite satisfactory. His personality is also very ordinary. He usually doesn't talk much and works hard. Occasionally he will get together with a few friends after work.
About two weeks ago, Pete's personality changed and he began to show off. He talks loudly in the office and makes jokes about his father with his colleagues. This is not a bad thing. Some of his speeches at meetings began to shine, and the projects and ideas he proposed began to impress his father.
And obviously, his nightlife has also become richer. He often goes home after midnight, but he doesn't look tired and can go to work as normal and maintain energy the next day.
Mrs. White didn't think there was anything wrong with this. She just thought it was because her son had a girlfriend, but it was not old enough to meet his parents. When asked occasionally, Peter would only use a joking tone to prevaricate.
No matter how you look at it, this is the process of a somewhat introverted guy becoming cheerful.
But something unexpected happened.
Pete, who was used to coming home late, didn't go home, didn't show up at the office the next day, and disappeared.
When it was discovered, it was already a corpse.
The police investigation was quickly concluded and it became clear that a violent robbery had been committed. All the valuables on Peter were taken away, and there were obvious signs of a fight on his body. Witnesses also witnessed the entire process.
"But you don't trust that witness," Zach asked.
"Yes." Mrs. White nodded, with a heavy look on her face. "After listening to so many stories about Sibella, I know that there are some things that you can't believe even when you see them with your own eyes." She shook her head and tried her best. Holding back the tears in his eyes, "I asked his friends, and none of them knew what Pete did that day. Moreover, they told me that after Pete's personality changed, he rarely went out with them. I want to know what the hell Pete did!"
Zach thought, "First there was a sudden change in personality, and friends didn't know the reason, and then there was an 'accident'. This is indeed very fast." The vampire took a sip of his dinner, looked at Mrs. White, and reassured, "We will get it done." clearly."(..)