Chapter 4

Mr. Davies was a man of misfortune.

His wife had died years ago, and his child no longer wanted to stay with him.

He lived alone in this large house.

The first thing Mr. Davies did when we got back to his place was take a shower.

The man was both timid and a germaphobe.

I placed the deflated teddy bear in his living room.

That crumpled plushie gave me a disturbing feeling.

On his wall hung a family portrait; a family of three smiling happily.

Just as I was about to examine the people in the photo more closely, my phone screen lit up.

I looked down. It was Leo calling.

Leo was Chloe’s boyfriend. His call right now felt like an interrogation.

I placed my phone on the coffee table, watching the screen go dark automatically.

Just as I was about to catch my breath, the screen lit up again.

It was my boyfriend, Julian.

He’d practically blown up my phone tonight.

The messages on my phone irritated me, so I simply turned it off.

"Want some fruit?"

Mr. Davies emerged from the bathroom, carrying a fruit platter.

"No, thanks."

I waved him off. He seemed to have composed himself.

"The police will ask questions tomorrow. Have you thought about what to say?"

He sat beside me, no longer flustered, but much more meticulous in his thoughts.

I shook my head. What could I say? A man and a woman spending a night together, what else could it sound like?

He seemed to sense my awkwardness, but then said, "What happened tonight, only we can know. Don't tell anyone else."

I glanced at him. I knew who he was referring to.

His implication was that the killer might be Leo or Julian.

But I thought that was impossible.

Leo and Chloe's relationship was so good it made me jealous. She often said he was the best man in the world.

As for Julian, it was even less likely. He barely had any interaction with Chloe.

The only person who had recently been in conflict with Chloe was the man sitting in front of me.

I looked at his harmless face, and a shiver of fear ran down my spine.

"What are you thinking about?"

His question made me jump.

"N-nothing..."

No, it couldn't be him either. There was a third person present at the scene.

I hugged my arms tightly. For some reason, despite the warm weather, I felt a sudden chill.

"Do you know if Chloe had issues with anyone else?"

He spoke cautiously. I looked up at him, the words I wanted to say ultimately swallowed back.

"It couldn't be just me she had issues with, could it?"

Mr. Davies's face paled. He quickly explained, "I only urged her to pay the rent or move out. I never meant to kill her."

Then, as if to prove his point, "If I killed her over rent, how would I ever rent out my apartment again?"

He was right. If it was truly about rent, it would be a huge loss. Everyone would soon know someone died in that apartment.

But if that were the case, I was completely lost.

The police found me around noon.

It was Leo, Chloe's boyfriend, who had reported her missing.

He couldn't get in touch with Chloe, so he called the authorities.

However, when the police investigated Chloe's apartment, everything was so clean, as if no one had ever been there.

A sudden cold sweat prickled my back.

Because the birthday cake on the living room table was definitely still there when we left yesterday!

"Where were you yesterday?"

Facing the detective's questions, I remained calm. "I was with Mr. Davies all day yesterday. He can confirm it."

"What did you say?"

Julian stopped at the staircase, unable to believe what he'd just heard.

The police officer glanced at me, cleverly guessing our relationship.