45: Chapter 45 Goodbye Frank

Shaun stayed at Robichaux Manor for another hour.

Mostly because Madison wouldn't let him leave.

"You were almost killed by that Old Hag just now,"

Madison said with righteous indignation: "I have to make sure you're okay."

Shaun said: "I'm fine."

Madison said: "You don't get to decide that."

Then she hung onto Shaun like a koala, refusing to let go no matter what.

Queenie rolled her eyes at them from the side.

"Madison, you're being really embarrassing."

Madison didn't even turn her head: "Embarrassing you?"

"Embarrassing the witches."

"Then don't look!"

Queenie sighed and continued eating her potato chips.

So, entangled by Madison, Shaun drank three more cups of tea and listened to her curse Fiona for forty minutes, finally finding a chance to slip away.

"Frank is still waiting for me."

Only then did Madison loosen her grip, saying reluctantly: "Fine, but you have to come back tomorrow."

Shaun felt that Madison had been a bit clingy lately; ever since reaching 100% favorability, she seemed to have a stance of sticking to him constantly.

However, since Madison was wholeheartedly devoted to him, he could satisfy this little "request."

So Shaun nodded.

Seeing Shaun agree, Madison smiled with satisfaction.

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed Shaun again.

She urged: "Be careful on your way."

Shaun nodded and turned to walk out.

Queenie's voice came from behind.

"Madison, you're truly hopeless."

"Shut up!"

Well!

These two really couldn't stop.

Shaun smiled, got into his car, and drove toward Hill Manor.

The rain had long since stopped, and Shaun was driving fast.

Forty minutes later, he parked the car at the entrance of Hill Manor.

Then he saw someone lying at the entrance.

To be precise, an old man.

With messy hair, a wrinkled suit jacket, pants so dirty their color was indiscernible, and missing one shoe.

Frank Gallagher.

He was lying right in the middle of the gate, hands folded over his chest, in a pose as peaceful as if he were... sleeping?

Shaun walked over quickly.

Before he reached him, he heard another voice.

"You know this person?"

Shaun turned his head.

He saw Ballard standing under the porch, holding a suitcase in one hand and hands on her hips, looking at the old man on the ground with a complicated expression.

She had arrived too.

Shaun walked over and said: "I do. His name is Frank Gallagher, and I've been looking for him lately."

Ballard frowned, seemingly dissatisfied that Shaun hadn't asked her for help in searching, then immediately looked down at Frank on the ground and asked: "Why is he lying here?"

Shaun thought for a moment: "He might have been sent back by someone."

Ballard glanced at him: "Sent back by someone?"

Shaun didn't explain. He crouched down and nudged Frank's shoulder: "Hey, Frank."

No response.

He nudged him again, his tone raised a bit: "Frank!"

Frank's body moved slightly.

Then he opened his eyes.

Those eyes were cloudy for a second, then focused on Shaun's face.

Then...

"Wah!"

And Frank actually started crying right then and there!

Shaun was taken aback.

Frank scrambled up, grabbed his leg, and wailed.

"Shaun! Officer Sean! You finally came!"

"I thought I was going to die there! That Old Hag! She's not human! She locked me in a dark room! Didn't give me anything to eat or drink!"

"And she used magic to scare me! That Old Hag knows magic!"

Hearing this, Shaun quickly interrupted: "Alright, alright, get up first."

Frank wouldn't get up at all.

He hugged Shaun's leg, crying with snot and tears running down his face.

"Do you know how I spent these past few days? That dark room, there wasn't a single ray of light!"

"I heard people crying, laughing, and calling my name!"

"I thought they were coming to save me, but it was ghosts! They were ghosts!"

Ballard watched from the side, her expression growing more and more complex, until she finally couldn't help but say: "He seems to have been scared silly."

Hearing this, Frank cried even harder.

"I am scared silly! I've been scared silly! Do you know what those ghosts look like?"

"There was one woman, her face was rotting, her eyeballs were hanging out, and she just... just stared at me like that!"

Frank gestured, his hands trembling.

Shaun looked down at him.

This old bastard had lost all his usual smooth-talking demeanor; he was clearly truly terrified.

Seeing this, Shaun said helplessly: "Alright, you're safe now. Get up, let's go inside to talk."

Frank looked up at him and asked: "Safe?"

"Safe."

"Those ghosts won't come back?"

"They won't."

Frank stared at him for three seconds, then let go and slowly scrambled up.

Shaun didn't help him, just let him walk toward the door on his own.

Ballard carried her suitcase and followed behind.

When they reached the porch, Frank suddenly stopped.

He turned back to look at Ballard and asked: "Who are you?"

Ballard didn't even look at him and replied directly: "Police."

Frank was stunned for a moment, then his eyes turned red again.

"Police! Good police! Do you know what I've been through? I..."

If Frank had been genuinely terrified just a moment ago, now he was likely putting on an act.

It was nothing more than wanting to cozy up to her after seeing Ballard...

So Shaun interrupted directly: "Let's talk inside."

Seeing that Shaun wasn't easy to deal with, Frank obediently shut his mouth.

The three of them walked into Hill Manor, and the door closed gently behind them.

In the hall, the fireplace was already lit.

The whole room felt warm. There was a scent of detergent in the air, mixed with the smell of burning wood, which was quite different from when Shaun had left.

Then all three of them saw Fiona Gallagher standing by the stairs, holding a rag, wiping the stair railing.

She had changed her clothes; she was no longer wearing that wrinkled grey knit sweater, but a simple white T-shirt and jeans, her hair tied in a ponytail, with a little sweat on her face.

She looked like she had just finished working.

Hearing the movement at the door, she turned her head, her gaze instantly landing on Frank.

Shaun thought she would be very emotional, but she wasn't.

She just walked calmly up to her old man and stopped.

Frank looked up at her.

On that old face, snot and tears were smeared everywhere, and he looked incredibly disheveled.

His expression was unsightly, very guilty, and very much "I know I was wrong but can you please not yell at me."

Shaun was quite impressed by Frank; whether real or fake, this guy was truly a master of facial expression management.

"Fiona..."

"Whack!"

As soon as he opened his mouth, Fiona slapped Frank on the shoulder.

A very heavy slap!

The sound of the "whack" was exceptionally loud in the spacious hall.

Frank stumbled from the slap.

Then Fiona let out the tone unique to the South Side of Chicago: "Where the fuck... where the fuck did you go?"