19: Chapter 19 The Widow

Shaun didn't expect Ballard to say that.

He thought this woman would just tell him to do it, but he didn't expect... she could actually pass on some experience.

Then he heard Ballard say, "Later, I learned that you don't need to say anything; you just need to listen."

Shaun nodded, hoping Ballard would say something more.

Unfortunately, it seemed that was the extent of Ballard's experience. After saying that, she turned and walked toward the entrance of the alley.

"Let's go. We'll head back to get the files first. Then you go see the family, I'll go to the Technical Team, and we'll meet up tonight."

Shaun followed for a couple of steps. When he reached the mouth of the alley, he looked back.

The alley remained dark and dilapidated, filled with a damp, musty smell.

The chalk outline was still there, lying silently.

Looking at the scene, Shaun couldn't help but feel... like he had been caught up in something major.

...

At three in the afternoon, Shaun stood in front of an ordinary two-story house.

This was a typical New Orleans residential area: quiet streets, neat lawns, and flowers and plants in front of every house.

Officer White's home was next to an old oak tree. The shade covered half the house, making the entire yard feel a bit cool.

Shaun stood at the door for five seconds before raising his hand to ring the doorbell.

He really wasn't very good at this.

In his three months as a police officer, Shaun had only handled DUIs, mediated neighbor disputes, chased thieves, and rescued cats.

But he had never knocked on the door of a house where someone had just died, to face a woman who had just lost her husband.

Just as he finished mentally preparing himself, the door opened.

A woman stood in the doorway.

She looked to be about forty years old, her brown hair tied back loosely. She wore a simple T-shirt and jeans, her face devoid of expression.

Her eyes were a bit red, but they were already dry.

"Officer Sean? Please, come in."

Her voice was quite calm.

Shaun was taken aback for a moment. "You know me?"

"Sheriff Brown called and said someone would be coming to ask me some questions."

Shaun walked inside.

The furnishings in the house were simple but cozy.

There were several throw pillows on the living room sofa, unfinished coffee on the coffee table, and family photos hanging on the walls...

White, the woman before him, and three children ranging from their teens to just a few years old, all smiling happily.

"Please, have a seat. Would you like some water?"

"No, thank you."

Shaun sat down on the sofa.

At this moment, he felt quite uneasy.

He didn't know how to start talking to the woman in front of him about her husband's death.

The woman sat down across from him, hands folded on her lap, looking at him.

Her gaze was too calm.

It was so calm that it made Shaun a bit uneasy.

After deliberating for a moment, Shaun took the initiative to speak. "Mrs. White, I'm so sorry..."

Just as he started, Mrs. White interrupted. "Linda... you can just call me Linda."

Shaun nodded. "Linda, I need to ask some questions about White... about your husband. Was there anything unusual about him recently? Did he mention anything special to you?"

Linda was silent for a few seconds.

Then she said, "He told me about that manor."

Shaun's heart skipped a beat.

"Robichaux Manor?"

Linda nodded. "Yes! He called me before he went on duty."

"He said he was going to check on an old manor; a neighbor reported hearing gunshots inside. He even joked that in an old house like that, there might actually be ghosts."

"That was at 7:20 last night. I never heard from him again after that."

Her voice was still very calm, but she paused slightly when she reached the last sentence.

Shaun looked at her.

This woman was too calm.

Abnormally calm.

So he asked carefully, "Linda... are you okay?"

Linda looked up at him and suddenly asked, "Officer Sean, do you believe there are things in this world that science can't explain?"

Shaun was stunned.

Clearly, he hadn't expected Linda to ask that.

In a flash, Shaun weighed his words. "I think many things might indeed be unexplainable."

Linda nodded, as if she had expected him to say that.

Then she stood up and walked to the window, her back turned to him.

Her tone was calm, yet it carried a hint of a tremor. "The night Joseph died, I woke up once."

Shaun waited for her to continue.

"It was after three in the morning," Linda's voice came from the window. "I suddenly woke up. I don't know why, I just did. And then I felt... I felt him."

She paused, turned around, and looked at Shaun. "It wasn't a dream, and it wasn't a hallucination. I truly felt it."

"He was somewhere, watching me. Then that feeling vanished. Once it was gone, I knew... he was gone."

Shaun opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.

Linda walked back and sat down again.

"The next morning, the police knocked on my door and told me Joseph was dead. The time of death was between three and four in the morning."

Shaun stared at her.

The golden book in his mind suddenly flipped open on its own.

[Magic energy fluctuation detected]

[Source: Current Character — Linda White]

Shaun's pupils constricted slightly.

Magic energy?

From this ordinary woman?

The pages continued to turn.

[Linda White]

Identity: Widow of Joseph White, mother of three

Special Status: Awakening

Description: Some people briefly open a certain type of sensory ability when experiencing great trauma. Her "feeling" the moment of her husband's death just now is a manifestation of this ability.

Remarks: She is not a witch, nor does she possess mana. However, she can "perceive" things that ordinary people cannot. This ability is very weak and unstable, and it could disappear at any time.

Shaun stared at those lines, his mind racing.

It seemed Joseph White's "Departed Soul" really had come to Linda's side.

Thinking about it, if he could talk to the "Departed Soul," wouldn't the truth come to light immediately?

While Shaun was thinking about taking a shortcut, Linda looked at him, a hint of wariness suddenly appearing in her eyes.

She asked, "Officer Sean, what are you looking at?"

Shaun snapped back to reality. "Nothing, just... thinking about what you said."

Linda didn't press him, only saying to herself, "I know that being a police officer might be dangerous one day, but Joseph's death is too strange. I just want the truth!"

As she spoke... Linda began to cry.

Well!

It seemed that Linda only knew this much.

Shaun looked at the sobbing widow and felt a massive headache coming on.

Given her state, he doubted he could get anything more out of her even if he tried.

This time... aside from reminding Shaun that he could use magic to actively contact "Departed Souls," there didn't seem to be any other gains.

So Shaun offered a few more words of comfort and then left on his own.

Just as he stepped out the door, his phone rang.

Shaun picked it up and saw it was Ballard.

"Hello?"

Ballard's voice came through the receiver.

"The Technical Team found something. Come and take a look..."