Before lunchtime arrived, Juliette decided to visit Daisy. She had heard from her mother that Daisy’s condition had improved and that she only needed therapy and care to recover. At least Daisy was conscious, and Juliette felt she could breathe a little easier. Today, she didn’t go to the studio and asked her boss for permission, claiming she was sick.
Even if Juliette forced herself to go to work, it was certain that she would repeat the same incident, and Juliette did not want to return to the hospital. She smiled slightly at the driver, who opened the car door for her and got into the vehicle. At Meryl’s insistence, she was driven to the hospital where Daisy was being treated.
It took just one hour of travel until the car arrived at the hospital lobby. Juliette made sure that the driver would return to the mansion and not wait for her, as she guessed that after the hospital, she would have to drive around New York to find the last clue from Master D’s game. Juliette didn’t want to confuse the driver or have him report this to her mother or Robbin; she had already involved enough people.
Juliette greeted the medical staff passing by until she reached the elevator. She pressed the button for the fourth floor, where Daisy’s room was located. After waiting a few minutes, she finally arrived and stepped out of the elevator. It didn’t take long for her to reach Daisy’s room, which was a VVIP room. Juliette knocked on the door and opened it slowly. The first thing that greeted her was the nurse who was taking care of Daisy and the IV drip in her hand.
“Good afternoon,” Juliette greeted cheerfully. The nurse replied to her greeting and then tidied up her belongings. “Is Daisy sleeping?”
“Miss Daisy just had an injection, and this medication contains a sedative, so yes.” Juliette nodded in understanding. After the nurse left, Juliette walked closer to Daisy’s bed and sat down in the chair placed on the right side of the bed.
“Daisy?”
At first, there was no response from Daisy, and Juliette let out a quiet sigh. Of course, her cousin was sleeping; the nurse’s explanation already hinted at that. Why was she still hoping Daisy would wake up?
“I know this isn’t the right time to ask, but who were you referring to?” Juliette asked in the silence of the room.
Before long, she heard Daisy mumble, “He… he’s dangerous…”
Instantly, Juliette jumped up from her chair and stared at Daisy. “Daisy?”
“Juliette… he’s not what he seems…”
Juliette nodded. “Daisy, who are you talking about?”
“He… Robbin…”
“Robbin? What’s wrong with Robbin?”
Before Daisy could answer, she fell asleep again, and a man entered the room. Juliette immediately turned and tensed up when she realized the man was Aldrich. “Miss Juliette, what are you doing here?”
“I… umm… I was asked by my mother to visit Daisy, but it seems Daisy is asleep. So I’ll come back another time.” Without waiting for a response from Aldrich, Juliette walked out of the treatment room and hurried toward the elevator. She could feel a sharp gaze directed at her back, but Juliette tried her best to act as if it didn’t affect her.
When she was in the elevator, and the metal doors closed tightly, Juliette finally let out a sigh of relief and leaned back against the wall. Daisy’s words from moments ago spun her head.
“Robbin? What did Daisy mean by that?” Juliette asked herself.
She took her phone out of her bag, which was ringing. With her heart racing, Juliette opened a message from Master D. There were no greetings or horrifying statements in this message, just instructions for the last destination she was to head to.
“January is approaching. A blanket of white snow covers the plains. A place that only exists when winter arrives. Go to the place where laughter and warmth unite as one.”
Juliette read the message carefully. It was currently autumn, and she needed to know which places opened only in winter. Her mind felt dull when it came to Master D, as Juliette was tired of thinking, and one thought crossed her mind: why didn’t that man just kill her?
She glanced toward the empty chairs available in the hospital’s back garden. Juliette sat down in one of the chairs while thinking. Where could she find the place the man meant? Come on, think, Juliette! Think!
Then she read the message again. Was that place an ice skating rink? There were some designed to be open at any time and open every day. Still, there were also ice skating rinks that only opened during winter, especially for holidays. But there were plenty of those places, and Juliette had never been to an ice skating rink for several reasons. The last time she went was on her seventh birthday with her late father, and that was the last moment she remembered.
Could that be the place? But that place was only open at the end of the year. So it couldn’t be on the list. Juliette tapped her foot rapidly on the ground. She bit her fingernails while busy thinking. If her mother saw, Juliette could be scolded because biting her nails was not a good habit for a woman.
Juliette ruffled her hair in frustration and closed her eyes, trying to sift through her memories for an answer. She even tried to dig up forgotten memories to find an answer because, in the two previous games, Master D had chosen locations related to her.
Then, two young women sat beside her. They looked so excited; one was wearing hospital pajamas, while the other was wearing casual clothes. “I can’t wait anymore!”
“Yeah! Annabel! I can’t wait to go there. I hope January comes quickly!” said the woman in hospital pajamas.
“That’s why, Clarissa, you have to recover quickly so we can go skiing together.” Then, from the corner of her eye, Juliette saw a brochure and two tickets that Annabel was holding.
Juliette knew eavesdropping was not a good idea, but the word “January” caught her attention. Then, the second word that intrigued her was “ski.” Instantly, Juliette’s eyes widened. “Don’t say…”
Juliette glanced at the brochure’s writing.
Woods Valley Ski Area.
Juliette remembered that place. Woods Valley Ski Area was one of the popular winter destinations for New Yorkers and international tourists. The ski area was located around Delta Reservoir Lake, about 20 minutes from the Taberg, Annaville zero point. Juliette remembered that the place was only open during winter, and she also knew it always had special prices in January.
Juliette recalled that when she was a new student in junior high school, her school had a holiday trip program, and the destination was Woods Valley Ski Area. That’s why the event was held during winter. All school levels participated, and Juliette was lucky to be in the same school as Robbin, making it easy for Anthony to allow them to go.
That was why Master D sent the message during the day: It took quite a while to get from Manhattan to Woods Valley, and Juliette could arrive when the sun was setting.
It was one of Juliette’s fondest memories. Honestly, at that moment, she realized she had feelings for her half-brother, although it seemed very silly to her now.
Then, all of a sudden, Juliette felt as if she had been struck by lightning. Daisy’s words, Woods Valley, snippets of sentences in each game that felt familiar-everything pointed to one person, and that was Robbin.
Could it be that all this time…
…