Herschel and Jacqueline had always been incredibly kind to me, so much so that I often felt a pang of guilt for receiving their generosity. Now, even Fanny seemed to be harboring similar thoughts..., My heart plummeted as if it was free-falling from the stratosphere, an indescribable panic seizing me.,

"I have to get to the bottom of this!

", The more I thought about it, the more determined I became., For my father's sake, and to clear Herschel's name., Fanny understood what was on my mind without needing further explanation, offering only,

"Remember, whatever happens, I'm here for you.

", Her words hinted she might already know more than she let on., But I couldn't rest until I uncovered the truth myself., Leaving the ER, I hailed a cab, surprised to see Luke still around. He was on the phone, carrying medicine, muttering,

"...yeah, touched the car's display... claimed it was to play music...

" Chills ran down my spine despite the scorching sun overhead., It was clear whom Luke was reporting to, but why?, And if there was nothing incriminating about the car's display, why report every little thing I did?, My mind was a whirlwind as I watched Luke's figure disappear from view., Without delay, I took a cab to the Evergreen Wellness Retreat, fearing any delay might cause me to miss what I needed to see., However, the retreat's strict security stopped me at the entrance, demanding the name and room number of who I wished to see., I knew the name but not the room number., And I dared not mention Lord's name for fear of security calling to verify, blowing my cover entirely., Eventually, I feigned visiting on behalf of a family member, but was bluntly told that consultations weren't how things worked there - reservations were made in advance., Clearly, this was no ordinary retreat; I couldn't even get past the front door., As I pondered my next move, two cars rolled up, windows down, and I immediately recognized the shiny bald head inside one of them - the same man who had led the attack on Ernest Collins.

"Heading to Mr. Dragon's,

" the bald man instructed the security guard., The guard recognized him and let him through without question., The surname Dragon was rare; it had to be Lord., So, he was Lord's man, and if he was involved in cornering Ernest, then whatever Ernest had found must also be connected to Lord - and possibly my father's death., What a coincidence!, Although I didn't get to see Lord, the encounter with the bald man wasn't a total loss., Leaving the retreat, I headed home and received a call from Jacqueline,

"Felicia, Luke told me you were sick. How are you feeling now?

", Her voice was hoarse, and recalling how distraught she had been at seeing Herschel's grief-stricken face, I knew she had been crying., My emotions were a tangled mess. Despite my reluctance to doubt them, a part of me couldn't help but feel uneasy. I tried to sound reassuring,

"Jacqueline, I'm okay now, just a little stomach bug. Medication's helping a lot.

",

"That's good to hear. Herschel and I were worried sick. We were just about to visit you at the hospital,

" Jacqueline's words filled me with an inexplicable guilt., They were so consumed with their own grief, yet still concerned about me.,

"Jacqueline, I'm fine. Please take care of Herschel and yourself. And try to console Herschel for me,

" the thought of Herschel's prematurely white hair weighed heavily on my heart. Jacqueline sighed deeply., I didn't know what else to say, and the phone call trailed off into a prolonged silence., Search the website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.