No Love For The Villain - Chapter 25
Mrs. Miles barely managed to shift her eyes to check behind her.
The man was standing there. The eyes that met hers were black, without a hint of light.
“Let me use the phone for a moment.”
A low voice resonated. It was like the sound of the church organ when it played its lowest note—a sound that always lingered. Mrs. Miles had always found that note creepy.
In stark contrast to the high-pitched hymns, that deep note, which seemed to wrap around one’s ankles, resembled the man’s voice.
The man, his body sleekly encased in a suit, had concealed all his threatening aspects beneath his neatness. The fact that his upright posture even appeared elegant was horrifying to Mrs. Miles.
Inside that well-dressed exterior is a beast full of ugly sins.
Mrs. Miles thought the reason they wore suits was because they wished they could be something they were not. A beast that could never be human was mimicking one.
[Shall I connect you to the police? Please give me your address.]
Before Mrs. Miles could answer, the receiver was taken from her. Eli, with one hand casually tucked into his trouser pocket, held the receiver loosely in the other.
“I’ll call back later.”
The call ended. In front of the frozen Mrs. Miles, Eli dialed another number.
[Hello?]
The voice of the person on the other end of the line came through faintly.
“It’s me. I need fever reducers. Bring them to the Red House.”
Eli gave a short command. After a moment, he added another.
“And food.”
Mrs. Miles remained rigid, simply watching the scene. Because the distance was close, she could hear the voice from the other side of the receiver.
[Understood. Ah, and about the location you mentioned, we found it. The executive is staying at a hotel just outside the village. We’ve put him under surveillance. It seems they were taking photos and having them delivered to the hotel.]
“Hotel location.”
The man cut off his subordinate and spoke curtly. The other person immediately recited the hotel’s location. Additional advice followed.
[When she has a fever, she needs to drink plenty of water. Dehydration is a risk. Keep her warm…]
The voice cut off. It was because he had hung up the receiver without listening to the end. After ending the call, Eli politely offered the receiver to Mrs. Miles, who was watching him.
Mrs. Miles, wary as if the receiver were a weapon, couldn’t immediately take it from him.
“Take it. You need to report this to the police.”
His relaxed tone sounded like mockery. In front of this man who seemed to hold even the police in contempt, Mrs. Miles clenched her trembling hand tightly. Eli’s gaze lingered on the shaking hand.
“Try not to shake so much.”
Eli pulled Mrs. Miles’s hand and placed the receiver in it. Mrs. Miles, whose hand had been trembling uncontrollably, found her eyes locked with his black ones.
“When I see things trembling and running away, I get the urge to chase them down. It’s a habit.”
Mrs. Miles, her tension skyrocketing, stepped back and dropped the receiver. Eli met her piercing glare indifferently.
“Habits can be frightening, can’t they? That’s why you should avoid bad sorts. The room next door is your son’s, right?… The door was open, I almost went in.”
Just then, the Pastor approached as if to shield his wife from the threat. While keeping his eyes on the Pastor, Eli whispered into Mrs. Miles’s ear.
“Make sure to lock your son’s door properly.”
That single phrase, meant only for her ears, evoked a cruel and twisted image. The bloodied corpses she had seen on the news superimposed with the image of her own son. Mrs. Miles’s face turned pale.
Fear clamped down like a shackle. She couldn’t even think of seeking help anymore. The man, who had transplanted the terror of the girl locked in the bathroom into Mrs. Miles’s own heart, walked past the pastor and his wife.
Eli headed to the kitchen. He filled a cup with water.
From the living room, no more sounds of calling the police could be heard.
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