Chapter 319
On the way home, Quinlyn was very quiet,
Larry was originally clamoring to find Stanley a girlfriend, but then he turned around and found the kid wasn’t talking “What are you thinking about? Didn’t you eat enough?”
I’m full, Quinlyn answered subconsciously. Then she looked at him and asked, “Larry, what do you think of Dr. Perkins?”
“Why are you mentioning him again? Larry wasn’t actually interested in strangers. It took him a while to remember what Spencer looked like.
“He’s handsome, I guess, though not as handsome as me. As a boyfriend, he’s passable. Just one thing, he’s too much of a neat freak. It’s like he has OCD,” he said.
He felt Spencer made people feel uncomfortable when having a meal together.
Stanley, who was sitting next to them, chimed in, “Yeah, all those doctor quirks, like showing off their lovey–doveyness wherever they go. I’m full of all the PDA”
He paused. “Actually, now that you mention it, I am hungry. Joseph, let’s go back to your place and have Lilith make us a late–night snack.”
“Get lost,” Joseph replied from the driver’s seat.
Quinlyn hadn’t noticed the PDA much, but she thought about germophobia. “I don’t think he has any germ issues.
“Oh, come on! Using a whole pack of napkins for one meal isn’t a sign?” Stanley exclaimed, almost unable to find a clean spot on the table to wipe his mouth.
“That stray cat rubbed against his pants, and he didn’t even flinch,” Quinlyn pointed out. Stray cats were known to be covered in germs.
“And he cleaned the table just to rearrange his things. There was a drop of duck blood sauce by his hand, and he never wiped it off,” she added.
Quinlyn had been sitting right across from him and had seen it all.
“Maybe he’s just OCD,” Larry said. “Like my grandpa. He insists on wearing perfectly symmetrical suits and having everything in the house aligned. It drives him nuts if it’s not.” He shrugged. “Everyone has their quirks.”
“Speaking of quirks, my grandpa’s convinced that because my grandma was a genius, their kids would be too,” Larry added. “He’s always testing us to see who’s smarter and favors whoever comes out on top. That’s a kind of obsession too, isn’t it?”
Seeing that Stanley had a point, Quinlyn hesitated and decided to drop the subject.
“What’s wrong? Is there anything strange about him?” Joseph, attentive as ever, asked as he drove.
Hearing this, the other two also looked over, eyes bright with curiosity. If there really was a problem, Jolie’s first love be over before it began.
ld
Quinlyn also thought of this. After a few seconds of hesitation, she shook her head. “I’m not sure.” She just felt that Spencer’s smile was a bit strange, like his whole face was smiling, but his eyes weren’t.
At first, she thought it was because he was wearing glasses, but in the same situation, Joseph’s smile didn’t give her that feeling.
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09:08 Fri, 18 Apr 8 A.
Chapter 319
That evening, Jolie called Quinlyn, chatting about the restaurant and asking for her opinion on Spencer.
Quinlyn wanted to speak, but Jolie received another call from the station. “Another dead body,” Jolie said with a sigh.
+50)
“Being a medical examiner is worse than working long hours. I’d better think about changing jobs. Otherwise, Spencer will keep bringing me midnight snacks and staying with me till dawn every day,” she said.
“Quinlyn, I’ve been working here for so long, and Spencer is the first person who makes me feel at ease.” Jolie’s voice was particularly soft as she said the last sentence.
Quinlyn paused, swallowing back the words she was about to say. Her intuition told her that she shouldn’t speak, especially without any evidence. “Well, I’m sure you’ll be happy, Jolie.” She changed her words to a blessing.
Sure enough, Jolie was delighted. She laughed twice before hanging up the phone and going back to work.
Two days later, the court announced its final verdict on Meredith’s death: Andrea, sentenced to death in the first instance, would be executed immediately.
Overnight, the media frenzy resumed, debating the implications of the verdict and reigniting the discussion on sentencing guidelines.
Spencer reappeared on a psychology analysis program, his captivating smile and gentle demeanor charming a new wave of fans. The comment section overflowed with calls for his debut.
However, many perceived a tightening of policies regarding mental illness and crime, causing widespread anxiety. Regardless of public opinion, the decision had been made at the Jelasica negotiations.
*****
It was a bright, sunny day, the flowers in full bloom. Quinlyn carried a bouquet of colorful flowers to visit Meredith’s grave. Upon arriving at the cemetery, she noticed a woman bent over, cleaning two tombstones.
The woman looked up, squinting slightly. “You’re… Meredith’s classmate?” she asked, a hint of uncertainty in her voice. She thought seemed Quinlyn younger.
But Quinlyn didn’t deny it. Instead, she looked at the other tombstone. It belonged to a boy of fourteen or fifteen years old, the same body that had been dug out of the wall that day.
‘So this is what he really looks like,‘ she wondered.
Seeing her staring intently, the woman couldn’t help but say, “Benji was actually a very good son. He would send me greeting cards every holiday.
“Even though our family wasn’t wealthy, he knew how to do laundry, cook, and share the housework. I… I shouldn’t have yelled at him.”
She continued, “His father was never home and never took him anywhere. I was raising him alone, and my temper just kept getting worse.
“The more he went to the Barclay residence, the more envious he became. He wished his father could be by his side. Who would have thought that it was a place that would cost him his life…”
She sobbed again, her hunched back like a withered flower. It was as if her son’s departure had drained all her strength. “Then why do you still visit her grave?” Quinlyn looked at her and pointed to an adjacent grave, which was also spotlessly
09:08 Fri, 18 Apr BA.
Chapter 319
cleaned.
The woman’s attention was diverted, and she stopped crying. Wiping the corners of her eyes, she sighed and said, “This is also a poor child. She suffered so much.
“And now her father doesn’t even come to see her. I saw that the grass in front of her grave was growing long, so I helped to clean it up.”
She didn’t resent the innocent Meredith just because of Andrea.
Quinlyn thought for a moment and then took half of the flowers from the bouquet and walked over to the woman “These are for you,” she said.
The woman was stunned for a moment, looking a little bewildered. “Why?” she asked.
Quinlyn looked at her and said, “Your heart is as beautiful as these flowers. I think your son would want you to be like them, too–to keep blooming, even without him.”
The woman blinked her eyes, taking a moment to process his words. A blush crept onto her face, and a wave of emotion washed over her. With trembling hands, she accepted the flowers.
“I’m… I’m so old. How can I be compared to flowers? You’re such a sweet talker. But thank you. I haven’t heard anyone compliment me in such a long time,” the woman said.
Quinlyn watched as the woman lowered her head with tears falling onto the petals like shimmering pearls. “But it’s no use staying here like this. When people die, they can’t hear or see us anymore.”
“When Matthew who raised me passed away, I also left him in the small town. I don’t visit him often. But I know that as long as I’m living a good life, he’ll be happy,” she asked.
“Besides being a mother, a wife, and an aunt, you are still you. Don’t you know how to live happily?” she asked.
Her innocent words echoed clearly and sincerely against the backdrop of the blue sky, white clouds, and the silent tombstones.
The woman stood there, stunned. After a long while, she came back to her senses. She turned back to look at the picture on the tombstone one last time. Then, clutching the flowers tightly to her chest, she strode away from the cemetery.
The sky was clear and bright, with a gentle breeze. Quinlyn watched as the woman’s back straightened, her white skirt billowing slightly in the wind. She looked like a beautiful butterfly ginger flower–free and radiant.
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