In the garage, Cristofer started the car and drove away quickly.
“Did he actually jump off the building?” he asked.
“Yes,” Aurora said, “Estelle was taken to the police station and hasn’t come back. I called her but couldn’t reach her. Cristofer, I have to take care of the two children, and it’s inconvenient for me to go out now. Could you please go to the police station to see if Estelle is all right? She is afraid of thunder the most…”
“Okay. I’m on my way there. Don’t worry, Auntie Aurora. If she is in the police station, she should be safe and sound. I’ll pick her up now,” Cristofer assured her.
“Thank you, Cristofer. Estelle is terribly frightened of thunder. I’m really concerned about her,” Aurora expressed anxiously.
“I’m aware. She’s had that fear since childhood,” Cristofer responded.
“It’s not the same,” Aurora replied in a tearful tone. “In the past, when it thundered, she wouldn’t be afraid as long as someone was there with her. But in the last three years, whenever there was thunder or heavy rain, she’d tremble in fear and couldn’t calm down, even with me by her side. She’d cry all night long.”
****
Cristofer drove as fast as he could to the police station, only to find that Estelle had already left.
“She has left. Her husband came to pick her up.” The policeman’s words sent a chill down Cristofer’s spine.
“Her husband?” Cristofer asked in shock.
“Yes, her husband.”
“Excuse me, Sir. May I have a look at her husband’s signature?”
“Sorry. According to the rule, I can’t show it to you,” the policeman refused instantly.
‘Estelle, how the hell would you have a husband? Isn’t Mr. Mysterious dead?’ Cristofer wondered.
With a deep frown, he asked, “Do you know where they have gone after leaving here?”
“I don’t know. They can go wherever they want. It has nothing to do with us.”
“Okay, thank you.”
“Who are you to her?” the policeman asked before he could move.
“I’m her… relative.”
“Relative?”
“Yes.”
“No wonder you came here in the heavy rain in the middle of the night. Don’t worry. She should be with her husband right now. Her husband rode a very cool motorcycle. He is handsome, and Miss Hudson is pretty. They are really a perfect match…”
‘Motorcycle… Wait! Tim loves riding a motorcycle,’ Cristofer suddenly remembered Tim at once.
“I see. Thank you, Sir,” he nodded and swiftly left.
When Cristofer came back to his car, he dialed Justin’s number.
After about one minute, the phone was answered, and a woman’s voice came from the other end of the line.
“Hello?” Rebecca, groggy from being woken up, asked.
“Rebecca?” Cristofer pulled the phone away from his ears, looking at the screen briefly, ensuring he hadn’t dialed the wrong number.
“Yes. Who is this?”
“Cristofer here.”
“Who?”
Cristofer was silent.
“Damn it!” Rebecca was wide awake and sat up quickly as soon as she realized who the caller was. “I don’t know how you have the nerve to call me! Bah, you bastard!”
When she was about to hang up the phone, Cristofer immediately said, “Don’t hang up. Put Justin on the phone. I have something important to ask him.”
“No! Why should I listen to you?” Rebecca snapped back.
“It’s about Estelle.”
“So what? … Wait! About whom?”
Cristofer sighed deeply and said with his tone full of worry and anxiety, “Estelle hasn’t gone back to the hotel. She should be with Tim now. Put Justin on the phone. I want to ask him about Tim’s whereabouts.”
Rebecca cursed in a low voice on the other end of the line.
Soon, Justin was put on the phone. “Hi, Cristofer. What’s up?”
“Where is Tim?” Cristofer asked directly.
Justin furrowed his brow in his half-awake state and replied, “I’m not sure. My mom’s been trying to set him up on blind dates lately. He’s been keeping a low profile to avoid her finding him and hasn’t been in touch with us. None of us in the family knows where he is.”
Cristofer fell into a momentary silence, absorbing this information.
“… Did Tim do something to upset you again?”
“He picked up Estelle from the police station, and she hasn’t returned to the hotel.”
Hearing this, Justin was taken aback and asked, “You’re concerned about Miss Hudson, and Tim will… Cristofer, you haven’t completely moved on from Miss Hudson, have you?”
“I have moved on,” Cristofer replied irritably. “Do you have any idea where Tim is?”
“I don’t,” Justin quickly responded. Then, he suddenly remembered something and added, “But I think you might want to check Mount Cloud.”
“Mount Cloud?” Cristofer frowned immediately. “It’s pouring rain. Why would they go to Mount Cloud?”
“I was just guessing. I don’t know for sure if they’re there.”
After ending the call, Cristofer quickly drove towards Mount Cloud.
He knew that Mount Cloud was located in the outer suburbs of Hadale, and he had rarely been there. Yet, when he whispered its name, an eerie sense of familiarity and unease crept over him, which felt inexplicable.
The vivid image from his dream, with Estelle covered in blood and holding a baby, flashed through his mind.
Thinking of this, Cristofer pressed down hard on the gas pedal. The black Maybach drove at a faster speed on the road like a black leopard, splashing the water on the road.
‘It is so late, and it’s raining and thundering. Estelle, why did you go to Mount Cloud with Tim?’ Cristofer wondered.
****
Meanwhile, Estelle held the plastic bottle in her hands for a long time before she felt warmer.
It was still raining heavily.
Under the rain shed, Tim took off his wet jacket and T-shirt and wrung them.
“It’s not enjoyable riding a motorcycle in this weather, even though the motorcycle is pretty cool,” Tim remarked. “On clear days, riding a motorcycle without worrying about traffic jams is more convenient. But on rainy days, driving a car is much more comfortable. At least I won’t end up completely soaked.”
“Mr. Roberts, why do you like this motorcycle?” Estelle inquired.
“Because it’s cool!” Tim replied as he squatted down, removing his shoes to pour out the collected rainwater.
“Just because it’s cool?”
“Or what?” Tim responded with a hint of helplessness. “But now, I realize having a cool motorcycle isn’t much use. Thanks to the rain, I’m drenched like a drowned rat and don’t look cool at all. It seems the rain won’t let up for a while. I’ll arrange for someone to pick us up tomorrow morning.”
While speaking, he approached her slowly and inquired, “You’re really scared of thunder, aren’t you?”
“Yes…”
“Don’t worry, it’s just a natural occurrence,” Tim reassured as he offered her his jacket. “Take this.”