36: Chapter 36 Fiona's Phone Call

The next day, sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains and landed on Shaun's face.

He opened his eyes and stared at the unfamiliar ceiling for three seconds before remembering where he was.

Hill Manor, his house.

The events of last night flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern...

The Colombians, Scarface, the machetes scattered on the ground, and the words Ballard had spoken while standing in the moonlight.

Shaun sat up and rubbed his eyes.

The room was very quiet.

Too quiet.

He got out of bed, pushed the door open, and walked out.

The hallway was empty, and the doors to the rooms on the second floor were all closed.

He walked to the door of the room where Ballard was staying and knocked.

No one answered.

He pushed the door open.

The room was neat and tidy; the quilt was folded at the end of the bed, the pillows were straightened, the curtains were drawn, and the sunlight shone in, illuminating the entire room.

But Ballard was gone.

She must have gone to the precinct last night.

"Hmm..."

"Should I go check it out too?"

Just as Shaun was wondering if he should go to the police station, his phone rang.

Shaun took it out and saw it was an unfamiliar number.

Frowning, he answered it anyway.

"Hello?"

"Shaun?"

The voice on the other end was a bit hoarse and tired, but Shaun knew who it was the moment he heard it.

Fiona Gallagher.

"Fiona? What's wrong?"

There was a second of silence on the other end.

Then Fiona spoke, her voice lower than before.

"Shaun... is there any news about my dad?"

Shaun's throat tightened.

Frank.

He had promised to call Fiona the next day, but he had been so busy these past few days that he had forgotten about it.

"Not yet, but I've found some leads... The place where he was last seen is connected to another case, and I'm looking into it."

There was silence on the other end for a few seconds, and then he heard Fiona say, "Oh."

Just one word.

But Shaun could still hear the exhaustion in it.

After a moment of thought, Shaun asked with concern, "Fiona, are you okay?"

There was no immediate answer on the other end.

Shaun could hear her breathing; it was a bit heavy and ragged.

Then she said, "Shaun... I'm out of money."

Shaun was stunned. He hadn't expected it to be about money, so he asked instinctively, "What?"

"The hotel money," Fiona's voice dropped even lower, perhaps out of embarrassment. "I only paid until yesterday. The landlady knocked on my door this morning and said if I didn't pay, she'd make me leave."

"I only have twenty-something dollars left... not enough for another night."

Damn it!

Shaun finally understood; she was truly broke.

It wasn't surprising, though; things had never really been good for Fiona's family.

Coming to New Orleans, she probably wouldn't last many days.

He thought about it; since he had run into this, and it was just a money issue, it shouldn't be hard to solve.

So Shaun asked, "Where are you now?"

The voice on the phone replied, "Outside the hotel, I just got kicked out."

Shaun said, "Stay right there, I'm coming to pick you up."

There was a second of silence, and then Fiona said, "You don't have to..."

Before she could finish, Shaun interrupted her firmly, "Stay right there, twenty minutes."

He hung up the phone, grabbed his jacket, and headed out.

Actually, this problem was quite easy for Shaun to solve. Hill Manor had over a dozen rooms, and living there all by himself was clearly not appropriate.

Having a few more people living there was not a problem at all.

The only problem was...

The manor needed to seem "a bit more normal" and couldn't attract too much attention...

So, before leaving, Shaun made some arrangements. Then he took out his phone and sent Fiona a message: "You have a place to stay, don't worry."

He then went out, got in his car, started the engine, and drove towards New Orleans.

Sunlight shone on the windshield, a bit blinding.

Shaun stepped on the gas.

In his mind, a page of the golden book turned.

[Fiona Gallagher Favorability: 15 → 25]

[Note: You didn't forget her dad +3]

[You said "I'm coming to pick you up" +5]

[Didn't ask why she had no money +2]

[Current Favorability: 25/100]

...

When Shaun parked the car at the entrance of the alley in the French Quarter, he spotted Fiona at a glance.

She was sitting on a worn-out suitcase, leaning against the hotel wall, her head down, wondering what she was thinking about.

The sunlight shone on her, revealing the dust rubbed onto her gray knit sweater.

A few messy strands of hair, and the pair of sneakers on her feet that were already starting to come unglued.

In short, it all screamed "miserable."

Hearing the sound of the car, Fiona looked up.

There was no expression on her face.

But Shaun saw what was in her eyes: exhaustion, embarrassment, and a little bit of... wariness.

She stood up and picked up the broken suitcase.

The suitcase was very light, so light that Shaun could tell at a glance that there wasn't much inside.

Shaun got out of the car and walked over.

"Get in."

Fiona looked at him, not moving, and said stubbornly, "You don't have to..."

Shaun interrupted her directly, repeating it firmly, "Get in, it's hot out here!"

He took the suitcase from her and walked towards the trunk. The suitcase was ridiculously light, as if it were empty.

Shaun said nothing.

He put the suitcase inside, closed the trunk, and opened the passenger door.

Fiona stood there, watching Shaun's actions the whole time.

Only when Shaun had finished putting everything away did she snap out of it, take a deep breath, and get into the car.

It felt...

As if she had made some important decision.

...

Shaun didn't notice Fiona's various expressions; he closed the door, walked back to the driver's seat, and started the engine.

The car drove out of the alley and merged into traffic.

Fiona sat in the passenger seat, looking out the window, without saying a word.

Neither did Shaun.

He knew she didn't want to talk right now.

Shaun was quite understanding; he knew Fiona didn't want to explain why she had no money, why she had been kicked out, or why that suitcase was so light.

Right now, Fiona... just needed someone to pick her up.

The kind that wouldn't ask for reasons...

The car drove for twenty minutes.

The scenery outside the window changed from streets to buildings, and from buildings to woods...

Seeing that it was getting more and more remote, Fiona finally spoke: "Where are we going?"

Shaun glanced at her and said, "My house."

Fiona was stunned: "Your house? You live in the woods?"

Shaun didn't answer, and the car turned into an overgrown driveway.

Fiona sat up straight, staring ahead.

Then she saw the manor.

Hill Manor.

A three-story, ancient building, standing quietly in the afternoon sunlight.

Although it was overgrown with weeds, the outer walls were mottled, and it looked like it had been abandoned for a long time... it was still a manor.

Fiona opened her mouth: "This is... your house?"

Shaun parked the car in front of the rusty iron gate.

Now he could answer with confidence, and he said: "That's right, this is my house!"

As he spoke, Shaun got out of the car and pushed open the iron gate.

Fiona followed him inside.

She stood in the overgrown front yard, looking up at the three-story old house.

That expression... simply put, was one of shock!

A shock of "what the hell is going on!"