Mystery: Gray Walker

Chapter 90 Official Definition

The next morning, sunlight streamed in through the windows of No. 27 Embankment Street.

As Green walked down the stairs, the aroma of food made him pause slightly.

A slight noise came from the kitchen as Anaïs was ladling the fried bacon and eggs onto a plate.

She was still wearing the same light gold dress as yesterday, but with an old wool cardigan that she had found on the coat rack in the hallway, which belonged to Sylvia. The sleeves were rolled up, and there were faint dark circles under her eyes.

"You...didn't go back?" Green asked softly.

Anaïs turned around and placed the plate on the table, which was covered with a tablecloth and even had cutlery set on it.

"Sura didn't fall asleep until late at night, and she held my hand the whole time. Mrs. Hayes... needs to be watched over at all times."

She said calmly, "I made coffee, and the oatmeal is warming on the stove."

"Thank you for your help," Green said softly, then sat down at the table.

The aroma of hot coffee woke him up a little. "After you finish breakfast, go home and rest. Your parents will be worried after a whole night."

Anaïs sat down opposite him. "I'm fine. Mrs. Hayes' condition... requires constant care. Sura also needs looking after."

"It's okay, I'll do it." Green picked up the fork, but he didn't have much of an appetite.

"Green," Anaïs looked up and said softly, "I think... it's best if you and Miss Emily don't see each other too much for the time being."

Green's hand paused.

Emily's hateful eyes flashed through his mind.

Anaïs is right. Emily is a ticking time bomb right now, and he himself, in his sister's eyes, is probably part of the fuse. Any provocation could make things worse.

He was silent for a few seconds, then put down his fork, got up, walked to the small table in the corner of the living room, picked up the telephone receiver, dialed, and waited.

"Hello, is this Mrs. Lefevere? This is Glenn Morris. Yes... something's happened at home, Auntie is sick. Yes, I need you to come over every day recently, starting in the morning, to take care of the house, prepare three meals a day... yes, every day."

"I'll pay you an extra third of your salary each week... Okay, thank you, Martha. Can you come today? Sure, we'll wait for you."

He hung up the phone and walked back to the dining table to sit down.

"You're right," Green said calmly. "As for Emily... I haven't figured out how to handle it yet."

"It's not your fault at all. We all know you did your best," Anaïs said softly.

Green grunted in agreement, picked up his coffee, and took a sip. "I have to go to the port authority in a bit. You should go home too, Anaïs. Your parents must be worried."

This time, Anaïs did not persist.

She nodded: "Okay."

She knew Green needed space to process these things, and she herself needed to go back and change out of her blood-stained dress, face her family, and have time to process everything that happened last night.

The two ate their somber breakfast in silence.

Oberhafen outside the window is waking up; the sounds of carriages and newsboys calling out can be faintly heard—it's another ordinary winter morning.

Green picked up the phone again, this time calling old John next door, asking him to take Anaïs home safely.

Before long, the sound of horses' hooves and wheels could be heard outside the door.

Anaïs rose to take her leave; the door opened and then closed again. Supported by old John, Anaïs stepped into the carriage. Old John returned Green's gaze with a reassuring smile and nodded.

About half an hour later, there was another knock on the door. Green opened the door and there was the familiar maid, Mrs. Lefever.

Green briefly explained the precautions, especially emphasizing the need to pay attention to Aunt Sylvia and Emily's condition. He then picked up his hat and left the room.

When he arrived at the port authority's underground warehouse, Henry was already waiting anxiously inside the room.

"Mr. Morris!" Henry hurried forward, his face showing respect and trepidation.

"Are you... are you alright at home, Mrs. Hayes...?"

"Yeah, it's alright," Green replied briefly, taking off his coat and hanging it on the coat rack beside him. Clearly, he didn't want to talk too much about his home situation.

Henry breathed a sigh of relief, but then tensed up again.

He took out a copy of the Oberhafen Morning Post and handed it to Green.

"Take a look at this, sir. This morning's newspaper."

Green took the newspaper, his eyes quickly scanning the front page. The headline wasn't particularly eye-catching, but its position was prominent:

A fire broke out at Fairfax Estate, killing several guests; the cause is under investigation.

The article is short and uses very cautious and vague language.

It describes how Fairfax Estate caught fire last night for unknown reasons, and how, due to the building's age and complex structure, Viscount Linus Fairfax and some of the guests attending the dinner were unable to evacuate in time and tragically perished.

The article mentions that the city hall has established an investigation team and expressed its deepest condolences to the families of the victims. It makes no mention of the death toll, nor of any connection to cults, massacres, or supernatural phenomena.

"The police came to see me before dawn."

Henry leaned closer and lowered his voice, "After asking just a few simple questions, they implied it was an 'unfortunate accident,' possibly caused by old wiring or a spark from the fireplace. They told me... to 'be careful what I say,' and not to spread false information to avoid causing panic and damaging the port's reputation."

He swallowed hard and continued:

"Furthermore, on my way here, I overheard people talking about how the bishop of the Church of the Night issued a statement this morning... condemning 'some people for abandoning secrecy, indulging in dangerous things, and ultimately bringing disaster upon themselves,' and calling on believers to remain steadfast in their faith... This, this is clearly referring to..."

Henry didn't finish speaking, but the fear in his eyes said it all.

The authorities and the church, one openly and one covertly, have set the tone for last night's tragedy:

An accident, a divine retribution triggered by depravity. The truth was firmly locked away in the safe of the investigation and religious admonitions.

But Green saw all of this as necessary measures. He couldn't very well tell the public that cultists had held a grand sacrificial ceremony last night and created a man-eating monster, could he?

That would only plunge Oberhafen into uncontrollable turmoil.

"We just need to cooperate and not say anything we shouldn't. The church will handle it naturally."

"Mr. Morris...last night...that 'thing'...and those...were they all dealt with? They won't...they won't come back, will they?"

Green looked at Henry, who was still somewhat unsettled, and wondered whether he should tell him the result.

Tell him that Veronica escaped, tell him that the mastermind is still at large, and may even pose a greater threat?

That would do nothing but plunge Henry into deeper, more useless panic, and perhaps even cause him to act incoherently out of excessive fear, attracting unnecessary attention.

Sometimes, not knowing is a form of protection.

Green was silent for a few seconds, then slowly nodded.

"It's resolved." His voice was soft. "The main threat has been eliminated. The manor... will no longer be a problem."

This isn't exactly a lie, since Anais has indeed been dealt with, which was the biggest threat. As for Veronica, the Night's Watch will likely send some higher-order individuals to hunt her down, which is a very significant hidden danger.

Upon hearing this, Henry let out a long sigh of relief. "That's good...that's good...thank you, Goddess, thank you, Mr. Morris..." he murmured.

"but,"

Green changed the subject abruptly, "It's best to completely forget about last night. Don't mention it to anyone, including your family. Whatever the official statement is, that's it. Understand?"

"Understood! Completely understood!"

Henry nodded hastily. "That won't do me any good, I understand. I'll go take care of things at the bureau now. As you know, there were almost no senior officials left at the port authority last night, and there's a ton of stuff that needs my attention."

Green nodded slightly.

The wooden door closed softly behind Henry, and the basement returned to its characteristic silence. The fireplace fire had long since gone out; Anaïs would always relight it before Green came, but today he would have to come by himself.

After placing new firewood and lighting it, the flames gradually rose, and after a short while, the cold and damp underground warehouse gradually regained a bit of warmth.