The Bizarre Detective Agency Chapter 80

"Mac... Mac..."

In the gloom of the bedroom, Dorin sat up, nudging her husband gently. "Did you hear that?" she whispered.

Macpherson pried his eyes open, mumbling, "A sound... Is that Jack barking?"

"I think so..."

"Then why's he bothering you to get me?" Macpherson sighed wearily, closing his eyes. He rolled over, turning his back to his wife, and tried to fall back asleep.

But Dorin sensed something was wrong. She pushed herself up on one elbow, listening intently.

"Hee-hee-hee..."

A child's laughter echoed from the ceiling.

"No, that's our daughter's voice!"

He heard it too.

Pitter-patter-pitter-patter—the sound of rapid footsteps echoed from the ceiling, yet not a speck of dust fell.

"Could Betsy have snuck upstairs to play?"

"No, that can't be... She's old enough to know not to run around the house at night."

"Maybe it's because we just moved?"

"...Go to her room and check on her."

"Let's go together," Dorin's voice dropped to a whisper. "I'm afraid to go alone..."

"Honestly..." Macpherson shook his head. He sat up, slipped on his slippers, and picked up the kerosene lamp from the nightstand.

He turned up the wick, and Dorin, clutching his arm, stepped out of the bedroom with him.

The hallway was silent. The lamp illuminated only a small circle of light around them.

"Aah!" Dorin suddenly shrieked, stumbling back against her husband as if she had seen something horrifying.

"Fur! And blood!"

Macpherson followed her gaze. On the wooden floor lay a large tuft of golden fur matted with blood. Nearby, an overturned kerosene lamp lay on its side.

"Betsy... our Betsy..." Dorin's voice broke, on the verge of a sob.

Ignoring his wife's frantic cries, Macpherson bolted toward their daughter's room.

The door was ajar. The room was empty. The blankets had been tossed aside, still holding the warmth and the faint impression of a small body.

Dorin followed him in. Seeing the empty room, she sagged against the doorframe in despair and cried out:

"Betsy and Jack are gone! Mac, it must be burglars!"

"Shhh!" Macpherson clapped a hand over his wife's mouth, his eyes wide with fear. When her panicked cries subsided, he pressed the lamp into her hands. "Don't panic," he whispered. "Go call the police. I'll check upstairs."

It's better if it's just burglars, Macpherson thought. He clung to the hope that some common thieves had seen the new family move in and decided to try their luck. At least then Betsy would have a chance of being safe.

But if she'd been taken by the darkness... Macpherson couldn't bear the thought, his heart twisting in his chest.

"You're giving me the lamp? What about you?" Dorin wiped away her tears, then noticed her husband picking up the other lamp from the hallway floor—the one that belonged in Betsy's room—and striking a match to light it.

"...Be careful," Dorin said anxiously, then ran back to the bedroom.

She scrambled to the bed, snatched the receiver, and with a trembling hand, began to turn the rotary dial.

The whirring of the dial drowned out her ragged breaths. She had nearly finished dialing the number for the police when she froze, her eyes widening in horror as she stared at the wall behind the phone.

The telephone line dangled uselessly from the edge of the cabinet. She only just remembered—this was a new house. The phone wasn't connected yet.

Suddenly, a noise rustled behind her. Dorin spun around, but saw only a piece of wallpaper peeling away from the dark brown wood of the wall.

Dorin calmed herself slightly. She replaced the receiver, intending to run to the neighbors for help.

But just as she turned, a flicker of movement in her peripheral vision made her stop. Something was emerging from behind that peeling strip of wallpaper.

Dorin froze, her eyes drawn back to the yellowed wall.

From behind the white paper, a dark silhouette began to slide out, as if it had been hidden within the wall itself. Empty eye sockets, black as voids, stared malevolently at Dorin.

...

After leaving his wife, Macpherson looked around, grabbed a tennis racket from an unpacked box for self-defense, and rounded the corner to head up the stairs.

Reaching the second floor without a sound, Macpherson followed the light footsteps, which led him to a door at the far end of the hall.

"Daddy, I'm in here!" Hearing his daughter's cheerful voice from behind the door, Macpherson let out a breath of relief. A smile touched his lips as he pushed the door open.

"It's so late, and you and Jack are..."

His words died in his throat.

...

Marcus hadn't told Lu Li who the other exorcist was, only mentioning that someone else might be there too.

"When I took the call, the client was crying the whole time. She was begging us—uh, begging you—to get there as soon as possible."

"To Belfast?"

"Yes, Belfast... Oak Street. Uh, it's in the southern part of the city, near the Oak Grove."

The Oak Grove was on the outskirts of Belfast, which meant Oak Street was in a very secluded area.

Lu Li asked, "What's the case?"

"There's a ghost in the client's house. Her family was attacked yesterday, and now they're missing."

"When did she contact you?"

Lu Li carefully clarified every detail.

"Uh... just now."

"They went missing yesterday, but she's only asking for help today?"

A sound came through the receiver, like someone scratching the back of their head.

"Maybe the client went to the police first. When she realized they were useless, she decided to call a detective agency? By the way, you've got competition."

Lu Li didn't bother asking Marcus where the competition came from.

"So I need to hurry? Leave tonight?"

"Uh... That would be best. But if your competitor is lazy, you could probably wait until morning."

"Leave now..." Lu Li muttered, glancing out the window at the darkening sky.

It was only four in the afternoon, and usually, there would still be a while before nightfall. But the sky had been overcast for days, and darkness now fell as early as five.

While staying within a circle of light offered some measure of safety in the dark, it severely limited his field of vision and his ability to act.

To put it simply, working at night forced Lu Li to be more cautious, making it harder to spot hidden threats.

"The pay is excellent," Marcus added enticingly, sensing Lu Li's hesitation.

"I'll head out shortly. Tell the client to wait for me," Lu Li replied, his decision firm.

"I get the first part, but the second... uh, no can do. I contacted the other exorcist, then I tried to get back in touch with the client, but couldn't reach her. Dammit, I wasn't supposed to say that!"

"Understood." Lu Li offered no further comment and hung up the phone.

He looked over at Anna, who had just finished cleaning. She straightened up and wiped non-existent sweat from her brow.

"Tired?"

"Nope~"

"Get ready. We've got a job."