Chapter 266 - Take Off the Mask

Take Off the Mask

The room was dark; no lights had been turned on.

….

Keira could barely make out someone on the bed, so she immediately turned and switched on the light.

The incandescent light came on.

Keira spotted Jodie at a glance.

She lay quietly in bed, eyes closed, sleeping. Her hands rested peacefully on her chest in a prim and proper sleeping posture.

Keira took a step forward, intending to take a closer look, but the sound of hurried footsteps came from behind her.

Instantly, Aunt South and Taylor charged into the room, one after the other!

Aunt South frowned and lowered her voice in reprimand. “What are you doing barging in like this? Get out now!”

But Keira didn’t move. Instead, she approached Mrs. Olsen, observing carefully. “I just happened to come by and wanted to check on Mrs. Olsen.”

“How can you be so impolite! What kind of classmate are you?! Really, you are…” Aunt South walked over, blocking her way.

Taylor also furrowed his brows. “Miss, if you don’t leave now, I’m going to call the police!”

No sooner had he said this than Lewis remarked indifferently from the doorway. “She just went into the wrong room. There’s no need to make a fuss about it, right?”

Taylor clenched his fists, looking helplessly at Lewis. “Mr. Horton, what do you mean by this? Shirley is already frail, and this severe shock has led to a mental collapse. We should hurry out and not talk here in case we further upset her.”

Keira immediately expressed her doubts. “I heard Mrs. Olsen is a light sleeper. With so much noise. how has she not woken up?”

Upon hearing this, Aunt South answered, “Because the lady took sedatives before sleep!”

She asked, “What do you need these details for? Who exactly are you? Are you related to the murderer of Miss Keira?”

Her demeanor didn’t seem like that of a liar.

Keira turned her gaze back to Taylor.

She saw Taylor also looking at her with skepticism, with no guilt in his eyes.

As she sized up the two of them, she suddenly felt a scrutinizing gaze fall upon her.

Only then did Keira realize that even Lewis was staring at her.

The man’s eyes were swirling with emotion as if he had begun to harbor some doubts…

Keira immediately took a step back, stating calmly, “I’m a high school classmate of Keira, entrusted by Uncle Olsen to visit Mrs. Olsen…”

Indeed, as soon as “Uncle Olsen” was mentioned, the three people in the room immediately stopped their questioning.

Aunt South dismissed her suspicions out of hand. “Why didn’t you say so directly?”

Taylor just clenched his jaw and said nothing.

Lewis, however, gave her another couple of looks before slowly withdrawing his gaze.

Without further ado, Taylor said, “Well, you’ve seen her now, and there’s nothing wrong with her. Can you leave now? Please do not disturb my wife any further!”

Lewis was the first to step back, leaving the room.

Keira kept her eyes on the hospital bed, looking toward Taylor. “Uncle Olsen asked me to find out when exactly Mrs. Olsen will wake up. If she doesn’t get better, he has a doctor prepared and would like to bring him to see Mrs. Olsen…”

There was an insistent undertone in her words.

Taylor understood, and his brow furrowed.

Seeing his reaction, Lewis suddenly lowered his gaze.

He clenched his fist and said, “Keira’s funeral is tomorrow. Isn’t my mother-in-law going to say goodbye to her? If she’s unable to be there, it implies her condition is serious, so maybe I should take her to the hospital.”

Lewis’s request was quite inconsiderate.

Taylor had been a devoted husband to Jodie for over twenty years. Furthermore, his previous behavior when Jodie was ill left no one in doubt that if something happened to her, Taylor would surely take his own life. Such marital devotion couldn’t be questioned.

Thus, neither Lewis nor Keira had ever considered that Taylor would abuse Jodie.

The two of them were simply concerned that Mrs. Olsen’s strange condition shouldn’t be delayed.

Taylor promptly said, “There’s no need. Shirley is much better now. She’s just very sleepy and lethargic.”

He lowered his gaze, knowing he had to give an explanation, and slowly added,. “Before going to sleep, Shirley kept saying that she must attend the funeral tomorrow no matter what. We’ll be there

…”

Lewis gave him a long look. “Alright, we’ll meet at the funeral tomorrow.”

“Okay, Mr. Horton. I’ll walk you downstairs.”

After saying this, Taylor didn’t move but looked toward Keira.

With no choice, Keira reluctantly left the room, constantly turning back as she went.

It wasn’t until she was out the door, away from the Olsen family home, standing on the street, that she still found herself gazing up at the lit room on the second floor.

Unfortunately, the room’s curtains blocked the view inside… She couldn’t see what was happening there.

Thus, she didn’t see that after she and Lewis left, Taylor hurried upstairs, made an excuse to send Aunt South away, and then he finally came to the bedside.

His hand gently stroked Jodie’s face. “Shirley, did you see that? The love I’ve had for you for so many years has made Aunt South trust me without hesitation. No one will help you, so just be obedient, okay?”

He bowed his head, pressing it against her chest. Listening to her heartbeat, he closed his eyes contentedly. “I know you can hear everything. Shirley, don’t worry, tomorrow I’ll take you to the funeral to send her off, but the person who will be going is just you. You can’t move. Don’t blame me. I’m just afraid they will take you away…”

After saying these words, he lifted the blanket and lay down beside Jodie. He stretched out his arm and held Jodie tightly in his embrace.

Mrs. Olsen, with her eyes closed, had tears streaming from the corners of her eyes. She wasn’t asleep; she could hear all the noises outside. Others might not have noticed, but having watched Keira grow up since she was a child, she recognized that the girl sent by Sam was Keira!!

But she was unable to respond because she had been injected with a drug!

The breath of the man beside her filled her with a sense of humiliation. It was unbearable!

Mrs. Olsen tried her best to lift her arm, to push the person away, but it was of no use. She closed her eyes in despair.

Taylor, however, had a smile on his lips; his lifelong wish had finally been fulfilled. Just the thought of Mrs. Olsen lying beside him made him feel that his life was complete!

He soon fell asleep.

Mrs. Olsen, listening to his even breathing, suddenly opened her eyes!

Keira had assumed a different identity and hadn’t revealed her identity, most likely to guard against the murderer…

She couldn’t just remain imprisoned; she had to rescue herself!

She needed to tell Keira that the murderer was Taylor, to let Keira lower her guard and to be herself again…

But how could she save herself?

Her body couldn’t muster any strength…

Just as she thought this, her fingers touched a small slip of paper, which felt smooth and unlike ordinary paper. It was… thermal paper!

It was given to her by Keira just now!

A flicker of hope suddenly shone in Mrs. Olsen’s pupils.

Thermal paper was usually used in supermarkets for printing receipts; scratching it with a fingernail reveals a mark. Being small, the paper could easily conceal any written message.

Keira must have suspected something, which was why she left her this.

And thinking about what Lewis had said, she was going to Keira’s funeral tomorrow… so Keira would definitely be there too!

She had a chance to be saved!

Mrs. Olsen immediately used all her strength to write a few words on the piece of paper. “Taylor is the murderer, save me.” Then she clenched it tightly in her palm.

Downstairs, Keira withdrew her gaze. Although she knew she shouldn’t suspect Taylor because he had protected her mother for over twenty years and had never quarreled with her, Keira still felt uneasy. She found Jodie’s situation strange.

Just now, taking advantage of the darkness in the room, she rushed to the bedside and quickly left a small piece of thermal paper by her hand. That way, as long as she could move, she could pass on a message…

If all her concerns were overblown, that certainly would be best. But if her mother was really in trouble, this would offer a way to ask for help.

Thinking this, Keira breathed a sigh of relief. As she turned back, she saw Lewis watching her intently in the dark. “Miss Keera, right? Please take off the mask.”

His words were polite, but his tone was not up for negotiation at all.

Keira instinctively covered her mask. She felt the man’s eyes bore into her as if suspecting something, his tone demanding confirmation. She narrowed her eyes in response.

Keira lowered her gaze. “I’m sorry, I have a skin condition.”

But Lewis suddenly stepped forward, his figure overshadowing her. “Then, Miss Keera, could you please explain to me how you are so familiar with the Olsen residence?”

Being able to accurately locate Mrs. Olsen’s room upstairs meant she had definitely been to the house before!

Keira coughed, “Uncle Olsen told me…”

Before she could come up with a better excuse, the man moved suddenly, reaching out to remove her mask!