The host had mentioned that due to the deaths at the orphanage, no one wanted to buy property in the area.
Therefore, he managed to acquire it for an extremely cheap price.
Raeleigh chose her words carefully and asked, "That means you lived near the orphanage?"
"No, but I know someone who did. I can introduce you to them," he replied. His answer caught Raeleigh off guard. She repeated, "You said that you know someone who lived nearby?"
"Yes, I know him. From what he's told me, he lives near here and he was well-acquainted with the orphanage. He occasionally comes here for a meal and talks to me. Once, he got drunk and started talking about the incident at the orphanage."
"I thought it was inappropriate to ask for further details. Personally, the fire seems fishy to me, so I didn't mention it to anyone. But you seem like a good person, so if you want to see him, then I can introduce you to him. But I must warn you that he is a very strange person. He doesn't talk to people, and he has no friends."
"Well, I really want to meet him," Raeleigh chimed in. The host added, "In fact, someone came to inquire about these things a while ago, but I did not tell them anything. I thought it would be better if I just let it go."
"A man came to me and said that he wanted to know something about the orphanage. He asked me if I knew anything, but I lied and told him that I only came here recently, so I had no idea. He left afterwards."
Raeleigh ruminated over it. It must have been Xanthus. Contrary to her expectations, he had not given up on pursuing the matter.
Raeleigh sat for a while, recalling the names and contact information on the list. She confirmed that there had been children sent to the orphanage. Unfortunately, she was too young to remember where these children came from. If she had remembered, then she might have an idea of the children's backgrounds.
As the saying went, no news was good news. Jepherson would not be searching in vain.
Raeleigh agreed on a subsequent meeting with the host. After thanking him, she made a beeline for the door.
When she reached the entrance, Santiago stood up. He glanced at the host inside the burger joint and left with Raeleigh. They went to the supermarket for a quick shop and then headed to the car to return back home.
It was eleven o'clock by the time they got home. Time had passed quickly.
Raeleigh called Jepherson and asked him where he was. Jepherson replied that he had already reached his destination and was on the way back, in his car.
"Why haven't you gone to bed?" Jepherson questioned. Raeleigh lied and told him that she was busy tidying up the house. The reply she got from Jepherson was, "Rest. Don't mess up your sleep schedule. It's not good for the child's health."
"I know. You should rest early too when you get home. Call me tomorrow if you find anything."
"Okay."
After they chatted for a while, Raeleigh hung up.
There were still a lot of things strewn around on the floor. Raeleigh was tired. Since there was nothing urgent for her to do tomorrow, she did not put them away. She looked at Santiago, who was lounging around downstairs, and told him, "Let's retire for the day."
Santiago stood up and went upstairs, and so did Raeleigh. Raeleigh had thought that Scarlette was not back yet, but Scarlette was actually clearing up the mess downstairs. When she saw Raeleigh, Scarlette said, "You're back, Raeleigh?"
Raeleigh stopped and looked at Scarlette. Seeing that Scarlette was in her sleepwear, Raeleigh said, "I'm going to bed. I'll handle things tomorrow."
"Go." Scarlette hadn't finished unpacking. She planned to rest only when she was done.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Cutie, Please Marry Me Again (Jenna and Hansen)