Remove Your Mask!
The room was pitch black.
Evelyn vaguely saw a figure on the bed.
She turned and switched on the light.
The room was instantly illuminated.
Sophia Ashcroft lay quietly on the bed.
Her hands were folded over her chest.
Her sleeping posture was very proper.
Evelyn stepped forward.
Hurried footsteps sounded behind her.
Nancy Ashcroft and William Ashcroft rushed into the room.
Nancy spoke in a hushed, sharp tone.
"Who said you could barge in? Get out!"
Evelyn stood her ground.
"I happened to be nearby. I came to see Mrs. Ashcroft."
"You have no manners! How could our young lady have a classmate like you!" Nancy blocked her path.
William frowned.
"If you don't leave now, I'll call the police!"
A deep voice came from the doorway.
"It was just a wrong room. No need to make a big deal out of it."
Alexander Vance stood there.
William clenched his fists.
"Mr. Vance, Sophia is unwell. She can't handle any stress. Please, both of you, leave."
Evelyn voiced her doubt.
"Mrs. Ashcroft is usually a light sleeper. Why hasn't she woken up with all this noise?"
Nancy answered immediately.
"The Madam took sleeping pills before bed!"
She eyed Evelyn suspiciously.
"Why are you asking such detailed questions? Are you connected to the culprit?"
Evelyn observed their expressions.
Nancy seemed defiant.
William looked hesitant.
She suddenly felt an intense gaze.
Alexander was staring directly at her.
His eyes were deep and probing.
Evelyn took a step back.
"I'm an old high school friend of Evelyn's. Mr. Valentine the Third asked me to check on Mrs. Ashcroft."
The mention of "Mr. Valentine the Third" changed the atmosphere.
Nancy immediately relaxed her guard.
"You should have said so earlier."
William pressed his lips together.
Alexander continued to scrutinize her.
William spoke.
"You've seen her. Now, please leave."
Alexander suddenly said.
"Evelyn's funeral is tomorrow. Shouldn't her mother be there? If she's too ill, I can arrange for a hospital transfer."
His tone brooked no argument.
William's face tightened.
"Sophia is much better. She's just still a bit drowsy."
He lowered his gaze.
"She said before bed that she would definitely attend the funeral tomorrow."
Alexander gave him a long look.
"See you tomorrow then."
"I'll see you out."
William looked at Evelyn.
Evelyn had no choice but to leave, glancing back repeatedly.
She stood on the street, still looking up at the lit second-floor window.
The curtains blocked her view.
She didn't see William hurry upstairs after they left.
He sent Nancy away and approached the bed.
His fingers gently stroked Sophia's cheek.
"Sophia, you see? Everyone believes me. No one will help you."
He rested his head on her chest.
"I know you can hear everything. I'll take you to the funeral tomorrow. But it must be you, unable to move. Don't blame me. I'm just afraid they'll take you away."
He got under the covers and held Sophia tightly.
A tear slid from the corner of Mrs. Ashcroft's closed eye.
She could hear everything. That girl was Evelyn!
But she had been injected with something. She couldn't respond.
Mrs. Ashcroft strained to lift her hand, but it was useless.
William fell asleep with a satisfied smile.
Mrs. Ashcroft's eyes flew open.
Evelyn had changed her identity to protect herself from the killer.
She had to save herself!
Her fingers touched something smooth and small.
Thermal paper!
Evelyn had left it!
Hope flared in Mrs. Ashcroft's eyes.
Summoning all her strength, she wrote on the paper.
"William Ashcroft is the killer. Help me."
She clutched it tightly in her palm.
...
Downstairs, Evelyn finally looked away.
She shouldn't suspect William, but something felt wrong.
In the darkness earlier, she had secretly slipped the thermal paper near her mother's hand.
At least this way, there was a means to call for help.
She sighed in relief, then turned and met Alexander's intense gaze.
"Miss Nan, please remove your mask."
His tone was uncompromising.
Evelyn instinctively covered her mask.
His eyes were sharp and suspicious.
She explained softly.
"I have a skin condition."
Alexander took a step closer.
"Then explain why you're so familiar with the Ashcroft residence?"
Finding Mrs. Ashcroft's room so precisely meant she had been here before.
Evelyn coughed lightly.
"Mr. Valentine told me..."
Before she could finish, his hand shot out toward her mask.