"That guy named Goodman, he still didn't come back in the end?"
Upon hearing Mary Sue's grandmother talk about Goodman's departure, Joey had already guessed the ending.
Grandma Mary Sue nodded gently.
"That girl named Vivian is really unlucky. She met a scumbag and ruined her life!"
Although he had heard this kind of plot many times in his previous life, he couldn't help but spit a few times every time he heard about this kind of man.
"Her mother was actually quite unfortunate too; both mother and daughter probably encountered scumbags!"
Joey was still somewhat indignant. He didn't like the ending of the story; he had hoped to see the scumbag bleed to death.
"Did Vivian's mother live to be forty and then die? And Vivian disappeared right after her mother's death?"
Joey recalled a few details from the story, touched his chin, and then asked the old woman Mary Sue a question.
However, he was also very curious about the newly introduced witch character, since he had seen this character quite a few times in Western movies in his previous life.
Although the old lady Mary Sue doesn't quite understand the term "scumbag," judging from Joey's expression, it's probably not a compliment.
"Yes, Vivian's mother also died a year ago. After her death, Vivian disappeared. No one knows where she went. She was already more than eight months pregnant at that time!"
The old woman, Mary Sue, looked regretful, seemingly sympathizing with Vivian's plight.
The abandoned witch, the soldier who never returned, Saibanda, the gold rush town—Joey couldn't quite understand it anymore. All of this seemed to have nothing to do with the missing man in the village.
"Grandma, have you missed some important information?"
"About Vivian!"
"It happened after her mother died!"
Joey charted a route through Mary Sue's memories so that she wouldn't stray from it.
"..."
Mary Sue remained silent.
But Joey could tell that she hadn't forgotten; she had never forgotten at all. She just didn't want to bring it up again, which was the main reason why she hadn't wanted to mention Vivian earlier.
"If the villagers hurt Vivian, it's not some secret that can't be told!"
Joey's eyes sharpened; he seemed to have slowly seen through the secret Mary Sue was hiding in her heart.
"No, no!"
"No one hurt Vivian; only those ignorant children hurt her!"
Faced with Joey's relentless pursuit, Mary Sue suddenly screamed hysterically.
Her body became weak, and she could only slowly squat down, panting heavily.
"We really didn't hurt her!"
She said those last words very softly, perhaps not to Joey, but to herself.
Catherine heard the commotion and rushed over, but when she saw what Granny Mary Sue looked like, she didn't say anything.
She gave Joey a reproachful look, and Joey could only shrug helplessly.
(Is it my fault? It's not easy for me to find clues and investigate cases. It's a job that offends people! If I don't do it, they give me dirty looks; if I do it, they still give me attitude. I'm so miserable!)
Catherine helped the old woman Mary Sue up and found her a chair to sit down.
Joey felt she had asked enough questions and planned to ask the rest later, since the person involved was already somewhat emotionally out of control.
He turned to leave.
"Vivian must have done all this. She's taking revenge on everyone, on everyone's indifference towards her, on those children's hurtful words, and on all the men in the world who start relationships and then abandon people!"
Grandma Mary Sue murmured softly.
Her breathing had become steady, and after saying those words, she looked much more relaxed.
Catherine had just arrived and seemed confused by the seemingly random conversation. She turned to Joey, hoping he could explain it to her.
But Joey just shrugged and didn't say anything.
("Want to know? Just beg me. I'm easy to beg. Just let me into your room tonight. We can share a pillow, and I'll tell you everything you want to hear. Isn't that simple? Isn't that great value for money?")
"Look after the old lady, I'm going out for a walk!"
Joey's head was suddenly filled with so much negative information, and he felt a bit emo. If only he could have a White Sand cigarette right now, that would be wonderful.
Alas, it's a pity that this other world doesn't have that.
"Little Catherine, would you like to go for a walk with your big brother sometime?"
He couldn't get the older ones to come, but he could get the younger ones to come. Joey called out to little Catherine, who was still sitting obediently at the table, and asked her to come for a walk with him.
Now that he has gathered so much information, Holmes Joey can go out and look for clues. After all, he can't solve the case by staying in this hotel.
After hearing what Joey said, little Catherine agreed, got off the stool, walked to Joey's side, and naturally took his right hand, ready to follow him out.
Joey led little Catherine out of the hotel. She looked up at Joey's profile, wondering where they were going.
"Take me to the place where Vivian used to live!"
Joey looked down into little Catherine's pure and innocent eyes, and pointed forward with his left hand.
Little Catherine nodded and gently took Joey's hand, leading him in one direction.
The two did not walk for long before they arrived at Vivian's old house at the end of the village.
This is a small wooden house with a small yard. The roof has several holes due to disrepair caused by rain.
The gate was open, and Joey led little Catherine inside.
The door to the cabin was ajar and not locked, which made it convenient for Joey to go in and take a look later.
He was about to walk a little further when he suddenly felt his right hand become heavy.
Joey turned to look at little Catherine, wondering why she had stopped and was unwilling to go any further.
"What's wrong?"
Joey stepped back, squatted down, and looked at little Catherine, asking her a question.
"My mother won't let me into this house. Ever since Sister Vivian disappeared, the adults won't let us children come here, or we'll get beaten!"
Little Catherine was hesitant to go inside because of her mother.
"Then you wait here, I'll go in and take a look!"
This was Joey's problem; he hadn't thought things through. It wasn't until now that he realized little Catherine was just a six or seven-year-old girl and shouldn't have been brought here.
Joey gave her a few instructions, telling her not to wander off, and then pushed open the door and went inside by herself.
As soon as he stepped into the house, a musty smell hit Joey's nostrils, causing him to frown deeply.
He covered his mouth and nose with one hand and, using the sunlight filtering through the hole in the roof, began to examine the room.
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