"Ms. Finch, don't forget to check your doors and windows tonight. I've heard there's been a murder in the neighborhood and the killer is still on the loose. He hasn't left Eldoria yet. You must be careful!" Norah warned me just before hanging up the phone.
I had been so busy arguing with my mom these past few days that I hadn't paid much attention to the news. Hearing Norah's words, I was caught off guard.
"Alright, I got it," I replied.
After hanging up, I immediately got up to check my front yard and locked the gate. Then I inspected all the other doors and windows. Only after making sure everything was locked did I breathe a sigh of relief.
Not having much appetite, I decided to give Serena and Brandon a bath and let them play with Daisy in the yard. Looking at Daisy's growing size, I suddenly understood Neil's intention behind getting the dog.
Daisy was a great deterrent!
My phone rang suddenly and it was Stella, her voice filled with rage. "Rena, I'm so mad at Mitch, that good-for-nothing jerk!"
"What happened?" I flinched, fearing that one day I might end up with a burst eardrum from her loud voice.
"He's hired someone to spy on me and the kids!" Stella was so angry that she laughed, "He had the audacity to tell me it was because I wouldn't let him see the kids and he missed them. I think he's just asking for trouble!"
Last time Mitch had asked me to persuade Stella to let him see the kids, but I hadn't agreed. I hadn't expected him to resort to such measures. I didn't know whether to call him stupid or dedicated.
Stella went on a long rant about Mitch and then the topic switched to Alicia, "Ali's back, but she doesn't look well. She's been working harder than ever and she's lost a lot of weight. It doesn't look good."
"Did she tell you what happened between her and Sean?" I asked.
"No, she wouldn't say. I have no idea what went wrong over in Ylandia," Stella sighed.
I was thousands of miles away from Alicia now and couldn't talk to her in person. If she didn't want to talk about it, then neither Stella nor I could do anything about it.
As I was chatting with Stella, I suddenly heard a noise from the living room, like someone had bumped into a chair.
I immediately stopped talking, staring at the door to the living room. The room had both a front and a back door, the front leading to the yard and the back to the backyard, which I rarely visited unless my parents were home to tend to the garden.
At that moment, only me, the kids, and Daisy were at home.
Daisy was lying beside me, not in the living room, so the noise couldn't have been from her.
For a split second, I remembered what Norah had said about the escaped murderer in Eldoria.
A chill ran up my spine. My first concern was for Serena and Brandon. I didn't dare to go into the living room to check, nor did I dare to leave.
"Ding dong!"
The doorbell suddenly rang, startling me so much I thought my soul had almost left my body.
Murderers don't usually ring doorbells, do they?
I got up and went to the door, peering through the peephole. Under the porch light, I saw Neil standing there, his brows furrowed as he stared at the peephole.
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