Hours had passed, and there was still no sign of Theresa at John's home. He was losing patience. It felt like she would never come. She had lied to him at the office, tricking him into believing she would be there. She should have been eager to arrive, just like the other women would, even if only to gain something for their careers. Other ladies would have done that without hesitation.
But perhaps Theresa truly understood John for who he was. Maybe she knew he had a reputation for using women and then dumping them. Regardless of any promises he made before taking them to bed, he always ensured those promises were fulfilled. That was why most ladies didn’t mind being dumped; they knew they would still gain something valuable from him. However, it seemed that Theresa didn’t care about any of that, which was likely why she hadn’t shown up.
John was running out of patience. He had tried to reach her multiple times, calling her several times, but his calls went unanswered. As he glanced at the wall clock, he realized it was already 8:30 PM.
“She’s a fool! She thinks she can mess with me and get away with it! I gave her simple instructions, and yet she couldn’t follow them. I’ll see her at work tomorrow, and that will be the end of her job,” he muttered angrily to himself while pacing. Just then, a knock sounded at the door. He halted, a dangerous smile playing on his lips, and quickly unlocked the door for his visitor.
There she was—the person he had been expecting.
“Good evening, sir…” Theresa began, but he interrupted her.
“Come in! I’ve been waiting for you. What took you so long?” he asked, opening the door wider for her as she stepped inside. He locked the door behind them.
“You know I was busy at home, and…” she started, but John approached her and pressed his lips against hers without wasting any time, giving her a deep kiss.
Theresa was so surprised that she instinctively pushed him away, her face reflecting her shock. She had hoped he had called her for work, never realizing that his intentions were different. She had even brought her laptop, expecting to start the investigation right there in his home.
“Stop it, sir! What are you doing? This isn’t why you called me here,” she said, her voice firm. He responded with a sly smirk as he began to approach her again, causing her to naively step back.
“Come on, don’t be so naive, Theresa. How could I invite you to my home for a job that should be routine police work? It's not personal, if I must say,” he replied, closing the distance between them. He gently brushed his fingers through her hair, making her acutely aware of his breath as he gazed deeply into her eyes.
Theresa stared at him in disbelief. Why would John trick her into coming to his home? What would he do if she refused? She could sense that he wanted something more than just a professional relationship. His deception left her feeling cornered. Why couldn’t he just be honest? She could have easily told him she wasn’t interested, but what was his true intention? Did he plan to rape her?
“I’m sorry, sir, but I don’t understand what you’re saying. If you really didn’t invite me here to assist with the ongoing investigation, then I should head home now. I’m not ready for anything else,” she whispered, pulling away from him and heading for the door.
“I can offer you a lot of cash. Want a supercar? Just name it, and I’ll buy it for you,” he declared. Theresa’s hand paused on the doorknob as his tempting words resonated with her. She knew from experience that John rarely failed to keep his promises.
As she hesitated, she turned to face him once more, clutching her laptop while John’s smile widened. “I know, I know... You’re an ambitious woman who has always dreamed of more. You don’t truly enjoy being a police officer; you’re just doing it because you feel you have no choice. Well, I...”
Before he could finish, Theresa leapt forward and kissed him passionately.
"Hooo!" He screamed in happiness as he pulled off her clothes and immediately dumped her on the chair, ready to put in his snake.
               • Rose & Mary's Home •
Mary couldn't come home too early tonight. After the promise Finn had made to her and their long discussion, she felt she needed to forgive him—and she did. However, forgiveness came with its own set of complexities.
She spent time with Finn at his home, sharing intimate moments and enjoying each other's company. As a result, she didn't return early; in fact, she was just arriving home now.
As her car drove gently into the driveway, she came to a slow stop and stepped out. Looking at their house, it seemed empty. She couldn't sense any presence inside, and if Roseline were home, she would have run out to welcome her. The absence of her sister was concerning.
Feeling uneasy, Mary headed inside the house. It was dark, and she was the one who turned on the lights. She wondered why Roseline would leave the lights off if she were truly home. Perhaps she was so scared that she had fallen asleep. Roseline had always been easily frightened.
"Where is she? Come on, she can't be sleeping since I left. I know I took a while, but I'm sorry for not coming back sooner," Mary muttered to herself as she removed her handbag and placed it on the table. Feeling uncomfortable, she took off her top, finally finding relief.
Afterward, she put her clothes away in her room before heading to the kitchen. To her dismay, there was no food. She figured it would be best to prepare dinner and wake Roseline up to join her.
Mary knew that, if Roseline were awake, she wouldn't let the kitchen stay empty. Roseline was an excellent cook, far better than Mary, and she had always been the one to prepare meals. Mary thought it best to let her sister rest today and take on the cooking herself. Just because Roseline was a better cook didn't mean Mary was bad at it; she was quite capable too.
As she entered the kitchen, she prepared a mouth-watering dish, using plenty of meat, knowing how much Roseline loved it. She also made sure to include pickled eggs, a favorite of her sister's.
And then, she felt it was time to wake Roseline in her room for dinner.
"What kind of sleep has she been in all this time? Huh! That's what fears can do to someone!" Rosemary muttered to herself smiling and waving her head as she headed to Roseline's room. However, when she arrived, she found that Rose was not there; she wasn’t on the bed.
Mary was shocked. Thinking the light was off, she switched it on, but still, there was no sign of Rose, the room was still empty.
"What...? Rose!!! Please stop playing games! I know you're just joking, right?" she shouted, smiling a little, trying to convince herself that Rose was only trying to scare her.
But it became more complicated as she searched around the room and found no trace of her.
"How could I have been so stupid not to check on her since I got home from work?! she wasn't sleeping but she's missing instead!! Now I know! John did this! John did this! There’s no other explanation! That monster took my sister," Rosemary yelled in anger and sadness.