Chapter 4

Sensing the calmer atmosphere, Angel crawled out from under the bed. And as if he had never run away, he rubbed his head against Eugene's arm affectionately. Then he climbed onto Eugene's lap and meowed.

"Angel."

Eugene gently stroked Angel's neck. Angel's fur was very soft as he purred. His narrowed blue eyes were full of contentment. Looking at Angel's blue eyes, Eugene was reminded of the blonde killer. His eyes were also this blue.

"...Valentine."

Eugene muttered what might be the killer's name or nickname.

Valentine.

A ruthless killer with an angelic appearance as if he had just stepped out of a masterpiece painting. His lips tasted like cherry.

The taste from his memory came alive on his tongue. Eugene was startled and firmly closed his mouth. Then he picked up the purring Angel and headed back to where the sports bag was.

He was about to put Angel in the sports bag and zip it up.

Knock, knock.

There was a knock at the door.

His body froze. Lightning seemed to run down his spine. His limbs stiffened, and cold sweat suddenly broke out on his back. Angel took the opportunity to dart under the bed again.

Knock, knock.

The knock sounded again.

Eugene swallowed hard and got up. Then he slowly walked to the door.

Was the killer here to silence him? Or maybe it was the elderly Chinese woman from across the hall coming to borrow sugar again.

Eugene put his eye to the peephole. Through the lens, he could see a man standing in the hallway. He was a man in his twenties with light brown hair. Wearing a comfortable shirt, he looked like an ordinary college student. He seemed to sense that someone was inside from the shadow over the peephole.

Knock, knock.

He knocked again and Eugene heard him call out, "Mr. Biscetti?"

"Your mail got mixed in with ours by mistake. It's addressed to Eugene Biscetti."

Mail ending up in the wrong mailbox was a common occurrence that happened once or twice a month.

Eugene hesitated briefly, then opened the door with the safety chain still on. He was prepared to flee immediately if the person pointed a gun at him. Showing his face through the narrow gap in the door, the light brown-haired man asked:

"Eugene Biscetti?"

Eugene quickly scanned to see if anyone was hiding behind him. There was no one else in the hallway. But he couldn't let his guard down.

"No, that's not me."

Eugene lied naturally. Just for some lousy mail.

"You're not Eugene Biscetti?"

"No, I'm not. That person moved out a while ago."

The lies came out smoothly. It was as if his tongue had been oiled.

Being a lawyer really is my calling.

Eugene thought to himself.

The light brown-haired man stared at Eugene for a moment, then raised the hand he had been holding down. He held out something. It was Eugene's driver's license. With Eugene's photo and name clearly visible...

"But you are, aren't you?"

The light brown-haired man grinned. The impression of the man who had seemed like an ordinary college student changed instantly. Eugene quickly tried to close the door, but the man had already wedged his shoe in the gap to block it. With a very leisurely movement, the man took out a gun from his waist and pointed it at Eugene. The barrel of the .22 caliber pistol had a long silencer attached to it, and the end was pointing at Eugene's abdomen.

Gulp.

Eugene swallowed hard.

"Unlock the chain and open the door. If you try anything unnecessary, you'll be dragged out with a hole in your stomach."

"Do you understand me, Mr. Eugene Biscetti?" the brown-haired man asked. A drop of cold sweat that had been hanging from the tip of his chin fell to the floor. Eugene slowly nodded.

* * *

"Leo. You can call me Leo."

The light brown-haired man said. Eugene kept his mouth shut and glanced at the gun tucked under Leo's thigh. It was in a position where he could draw and fire it at any moment. Whether this was his habit or a silent threat to sit still was unknown. Either way, it had the latter effect on Eugene.

"I apologize for breaking your safety chain."

Leo apologized while keeping his eyes fixed on the road as he drove. But whether it was a genuine apology or a rebuke to Eugene was hard to tell.

Eugene's lie about unlocking the chain and then closing and locking the door was a perfectly reasonable response. After all, one couldn't voluntarily unlock the chain and let an armed visitor into their home. It also seemed that Leo breaking down the door by kicking it, smashing the chain and lock when he heard the door locking, was an equally reasonable response from his perspective.

"I'll send someone to repair it. Of course, I'll cover the cost."

Leo offered.

"That's alright."

Eugene quickly declined and imagined jumping out onto the street by opening the car door while it was moving. But he didn't actually do it. Because Leo, as if seeing through Eugene's thoughts, briefly warned, "It would be better not to have unnecessary thoughts." His voice was calm and courteous, just as it had been all along. Honestly, that made it scarier.

The car got onto the Brooklyn Bridge. Eugene looked toward Brooklyn Heights and composed himself. It was where he had lived with his adoptive parents from childhood until a few years ago.

If he was being taken away to be killed, how many days would it take for a missing person report to be filed? Probably within three days. Eugene's adoptive parents, who had moved to Miami when he started college, needed to talk to him at least every other day to feel at ease. If they couldn't reach him for about two days, they would start calling everywhere, and would certainly show up at Eugene's apartment before three days had passed. And then they would file a missing person report. Before leaving, he had filled a large bowl with dry food and water for Angel, so he should be able to hold out until then. Eugene's mother, being a loving person, would gladly take care of Angel until she found her son.

Eugene thought about Angel, whom he might never see again. Then about his adoptive parents, and after that, the salary he was about to receive from the law firm.

As Eugene thought about death and what he would lose because of it, the car crossed the bridge and entered Brooklyn.

They're not going to take me to a place like the harbor and sink me in the sea, are they?

Eugene glanced at the man called Leo while imagining various forms of death. As if that was a signal, the car came to a stop.

Leo got out of the car, walked around to the front, and opened the passenger door.

Eugene got out of the car, somewhat relieved after confirming that people were actively walking up and down the street. Leo immediately guided Eugene to a small Italian restaurant on the street.