56: Chapter 56 Return

Outside the door, Ballard's car was parked at the alley entrance.

Ballard leaned against the car door, gripping her gun, vigilantly watching her surroundings.

Seeing Shaun and the others come out, she let out a sigh of relief.

But the next second, her gaze landed on the thing Shaun was dragging, and her expression froze instantly.

"...What is this?"

Shaun didn't explain. He dragged the corpse to the back of the car and opened the trunk. "Help me!"

Ballard froze for a second, then quickly walked over.

The two of them stuffed the corpse into the trunk together. The trunk barely closed, leaving a gap.

Madison helped Frank into the backseat and climbed in herself. Shaun sat in the passenger seat.

Ballard knew they couldn't stay here long, so she quickly returned to the driver's seat and started the engine. The car drove into the night.

After driving for two blocks, Ballard finally spoke up: "What is that thing?"

Shaun thought for a moment, then answered honestly: "This is the thing that killed White."

Ballard's hands tightened on the steering wheel: "You killed it?"

"Sort of."

Ballard fell silent, needing to digest this information. Then, she glanced at the rearview mirror and asked: "Is that old man in the back still alive?"

Madison answered from the backseat: "He's alive, just unconscious."

Ballard nodded. She pressed down on the accelerator, and the car sped up a little.

Then she suddenly said: "No! We can't go back to Hill Manor."

Shaun turned his head to look at her. Ballard said: "Going back to my own manor is too dangerous. If anyone sees us, it would be impossible to explain."

Madison asked from the backseat: "Then where are we going?"

Ballard clearly already had an idea: "To your witches' place."

It seemed... Ballard knew about Madison's identity.

Madison was stunned for a moment: "Robichaux?"

Ballard said: "Yes, that place is the safest; they wouldn't dare go there."

Shaun looked at her; Ballard's expression was calm.

Madison muttered from the backseat: "You sure know how to pick a place."

Ballard ignored her and pressed down on the accelerator. The car sped through the night. Shaun leaned back in his seat, closed his eyes, and frantically calculated everything in his mind.

The first thing: White's case. The real culprit was the Bat Monster, hired by the Colombians to do work for Elizabeth.

Elizabeth wanted to turn White, but an accident happened, and the Bat Monster killed him.

Now the Bat Monster's corpse was in the trunk. That's enough... this case can be closed!

To the outside world, he would say... after investigation, the killer was identified as an unknown creature and was killed tonight, avenging White.

As for the truth? Only the few of them knew the truth, and that was enough.

The second thing: Elizabeth Jensen. The Countess. A vampire who had lived for hundreds of years.

She was interested in the treasure, she was working with the Colombians, and she... was also interested in him.

But the problem was, being targeted by a vampire was not a good thing.

Especially a vampire who had lived for hundreds of years, killed without blinking, and was particularly patient.

She said, "One year, ten years, a hundred years... I have plenty of time." This wasn't a love confession. It was a declaration! She wouldn't give up!

Thinking of this, Shaun rubbed his temples. This was much more troublesome than the Colombians...

The third thing: The treasure. This was the root of everything.

Frank was looking for it, White was looking for it, the Colombians were looking for it, Elizabeth was looking for it, and Fiona Goode was also looking for it.

Whether that treasure was actually the witches' power was not certain at all...

But if it was witches' power, why did so many people want it? "Troublesome!" "Can't figure it out!"

While Shaun was deep in thought along the way, the gates of Robichaux Manor slowly opened as they approached.

The car drove along the oak-lined driveway, and the streetlights turned on one by one, as if welcoming them.

Shaun noticed Ballard's expression change slightly; clearly, she was still not used to this "house that moves on its own" thing.

The car stopped in front of the main house. Cordelia was already standing under the porch.

She was wearing a bathrobe with a shawl draped over it, her hair loose; clearly, she had been woken up.

But there was no sleepiness on her face, only a gentle calmness.

"Come in," she said. "I saw you coming."

Madison helped Frank out of the car. Shaun went to the trunk to check on the Bat Monster's corpse; the trunk lid had been pushed open a crack, and black blood had already flowed onto the bumper.

"What should we do with that thing?" he asked.

Cordelia glanced at the trunk and frowned slightly: "Leave it there for now, dispose of it before dawn, but come inside first."

The group walked into the hall. The fire in the fireplace was burning brightly, and the whole room was warm.

Madison placed Frank on the sofa. Queenie ran down from upstairs, still clutching a bag of potato chips. Seeing Frank and Shaun covered in blood, she froze at the foot of the stairs.

"What happened to you guys..."

Madison said: "It's a long story, come give us a hand first."

Cordelia poured a few cups of hot tea and brought them over: "Sit, tell me slowly."

Shaun sat down, Ballard sat next to him, and Madison squeezed onto the armrest of the sofa. The three of them, and the headmistress of the witch school, sat face-to-face.

Shaun recounted the whole thing. From the Colombians sending a text message to meet them, to encountering the Bat Monster in the warehouse, to seeing Elizabeth in the underground room, to White's true cause of death, to the things Elizabeth had said.

He spoke concisely. No exaggerations, no dramatic embellishments, just the facts. But every fact was heavy enough.

After listening, Cordelia was silent for a long time. Queenie even forgot to eat her chips.

After a while, Cordelia finally spoke: "Elizabeth Jensen."

"I've heard of her. She is very old. A bit younger than my mother, but she has lived for nearly two hundred years."

She picked up her teacup and took a sip. "She is a vampire, active in Los Angeles and New York in the 1920s, then went to Europe, and only returned in recent years. She likes to collect things... art, jewelry, real estate, and also..."

She paused as she spoke: "And beautiful people."

Madison snorted from the side.

Cordelia ignored her and continued: "I knew she had come to New Orleans long ago. In the last few months, she bought three properties in the French Quarter and has been in contact with a Colombian businessman."

"I thought she was just passing through, I didn't expect... that she was also after the treasure."

Shaun waited for what would come next.

Cordelia put down her teacup and said: "Not many people know about that treasure. But everyone who does is not simple."

As she spoke, she warned him: "Shaun, you had better keep a close eye on the people around you."

Shaun nodded: "I know."

No kidding! Between the Supreme Witch and the vampire Countess, although he wasn't an ordinary person anymore, compared to these big shots, the gap was still too obvious. He definitely had to be careful...