Chapter 108: Assistant Foster Also Has a Problem!?

Chapter 108: Chapter 108: Assistant Foster Also Has a Problem!?

"Betrayal?" I asked, feigning composure. "How could that be..."

Howard Finch let out a sigh of relief. "I didn’t think it was possible, either. There’s no way you’d do something like that."

My palms started to sweat. I clenched my fists. "Class President, has the Benefactor... given any instructions lately?"

’Who is this Benefactor, anyway?’

"The recent operations haven’t been going smoothly. The Benefactor’s applications have been denied several times, and a few of the kids even got hurt. We can’t get funding approved, and we can’t find the kids’ birth parents," Howard Finch sighed. "The Benefactor said you married into a wealthy family and are now completely absorbed in your high-society dream, with no time to care about those children. That you’re going to betray us."

"The kids?" I asked instinctively.

’I didn’t quite understand what Howard Finch was talking about.’

"Back when we were rescuing trafficked children together, we made some enemies. Those people even came and smashed the Benefactor’s windows yesterday." Howard Finch looked terrified. "Those people are insane."

I stared at Howard Finch for a long time. ’Silvia Lynch, Howard Finch, and the Benefactor rescued trafficked children together?’

’A charity organization?’

’The secrets Silvia Lynch kept are just full of surprises.’

"Class President, uh, I’m sorry. I was sick a few days ago, and when I woke up, I couldn’t remember a lot of things. It took me a while to recover before I could come find you. If I delayed anything..." I said guiltily.

"So you were sick. That explains it." Howard Finch waved his hand dismissively. "I’ll explain it to the Benefactor. It’s fine."

"The Benefactor, he..."

"The Benefactor is a good man. He never complained when he was sponsoring the two of us back then. Now, he’s completely devoted to these children. We should help if we can," Howard Finch said, trying to reassure me. "By the way, Silvia... why did you suddenly marry that... madman from the Lancaster family?"

Howard Finch watched me warily, a clear look of terror on his face when he mentioned Asher.

"Listen... he might be a murderer," Howard Finch whispered, warning me.

I feigned confusion. "Why?"

’Why would he think Asher is a murderer?’

"It’s... a long story." Howard Finch scratched his head. "You know I’m an orphan. I was adopted in my teens, but my adoptive parents went bankrupt later on. Life was always pretty tight, but thankfully I met the Benefactor."

"That madman and I were in the same orphanage. He used to be a genius, but then he went crazy." Howard Finch’s explanation was vague.

"Class President, part of the reason I came to see you today was to ask about Asher," I said, looking at Howard Finch seriously.

’At the class reunion the other day, I could tell he had some leadership skills. He’s also involved in charity, so he can’t be that bad of a person.’

’But what exactly happened at the orphanage back then?’

"You’ve heard about the serial killings, right? That all the victims were from our orphanage?" Howard Finch asked, looking at me.

I nodded. "Aren’t you scared, Class President? I heard the killer is specifically targeting people from the orphanage."

"Pfft. If you’ve done no wrong, you’ve got nothing to fear. I never hurt any of them, so they have no reason to kill me," Howard Finch said confidently. "The ones who died all deserved it."

I looked at Howard Finch with curiosity written all over my face.

"The first one to die, Mindy Foster, was the ’big sister’ of our group. She’d been at the orphanage longer than anyone, so she was always the ringleader when it came to bullying. She loved picking on people. Anyone who didn’t submit to her was in for a rough time." Howard Finch glanced from side to side. "She was the first victim. I read in the news that her death was the most gruesome—her stomach was full of worms. It was a very painful death."

I swallowed hard. I’d also heard that the first victim’s death was the most brutal. By the time the police found the body, it had been eaten by insects beyond recognition.

"When I was at the orphanage, I saw her with my own eyes... hold down that kid, Charlie, and force him to eat worms," Howard Finch said in a low voice.

"Charlie was a genius and one of the newer kids. He was skinny and weak. Mindy Foster loved to lead the others in bullying him. She even had some of the older boys strip him naked and let insects bite him."

’So Howard Finch was an eyewitness.’

’But why didn’t he tell the police about this?’

’With Zeke Shaw’s skills, he must have questioned him.’

"This... did you tell the police?" I asked nervously.

Howard Finch’s expression changed. He nodded. "I told them when they came to question me. The police zeroed in on Charlie, but he died a long time ago. Died in that fire."

’So the lead went cold.’

I took a deep breath and looked at Howard Finch. "Then what about Asher..."

"Asher got to the orphanage even before Mindy Foster. He was abandoned there when he was very young. He was always withdrawn, kept to himself, and had no friends. But the good thing was, after being bullied for being strange, he learned to fight back, tooth for tooth. Mindy Foster wanted to bully him too, but she didn’t dare."

Howard Finch recalled, "In my memory, Mindy Foster provoked Asher once. It was because Asher, who never got involved with anyone, suddenly intervened to save Charlie. After that, Charlie was always clinging to Asher, and Asher always protected him. Since Mindy couldn’t get to Charlie to bully him anymore, she decided to get revenge by putting worms in Asher’s noodles."

I clenched my fists.

’That Mindy Foster girl was truly vicious.’

"And you know what happened?" Howard Finch said conspiratorially. "Asher didn’t say a word. Right in front of everyone, he shoved Mindy Foster’s head into her bowl and forced her to eat all the noodles. After that, whenever Mindy saw Asher, she’d be scared and run the other way."

I nodded in understanding.

’Charlie was very dependent on Asher. He saw Asher as his salvation.’

’And Asher always protected Charlie.’

’They were both geniuses at the orphanage and were selected for the youth prodigy class.’

"The second victim was named Holly Morgan. She was Mindy Foster’s little lackey, the most disgusting person in our group. She was the one who caught all those worms for Mindy and helped her do a lot of other nasty things. So when she died, her hands were chopped off and her tongue was torn out."

’I heard from the police that the second victim had her hands cut off and her tongue torn out while she was still alive. She died from the sheer pain.’

I clenched my hands and picked up my glass of water, taking a sip.

’It’s impossible not to feel disgusted and terrified. It’s a normal physiological reaction.’

Listening to Howard Finch describe the victims, I noticed something: all the dead were terrible people.

"The murderer has been killing people from the orphanage, but they haven’t touched Asher..." I murmured.

’Based on the memories I had before I died, I’m certain the killer and Asher are connected somehow.’

’Right now, I still firmly suspect Charlie.’

’Did Charlie really die?’

’Was that charred corpse really Charlie?’

"That’s why I said... he might be the killer. You should stay away from him. That guy is seriously creepy. I’ve found him terrifying since the first moment I saw him." Howard Finch shuddered.

"Class President, do you know anything about a person named Cecilia Caldwell?" I asked, looking at Howard Finch.

At the mention of Cecilia Caldwell, Howard Finch froze mid-sip of his coffee and fell silent.

"Cecilia Caldwell? A good person." His assessment of me was ’a good person’.

’They all know me, but I’ve forgotten all of them.’

"Back then, no one was willing to sponsor the orphanage. Only Cecilia Caldwell’s father sponsored us. Cecilia was a good person, too. Her dad often brought her to the orphanage to visit and play with us." Howard Finch took a sip of coffee, his gaze drifting.

I watched Howard Finch. My sixth sense told me I couldn’t completely trust his words.

’When he spoke, his eyes were unfocused, which meant he had a guilty conscience.’

’Besides, the way he recounted the events at the orphanage was too proactive, as if he were deliberately telling me all this.’

"Well, uh, it’s getting late. As long as you’re okay. I’ll explain things to the Benefactor. When you have time, we should still do some charity work together." Howard Finch glanced at the time, ready to leave.

I nodded.

Howard Finch got up and left in a hurry.

I secretly followed him, watching as he looked left and right before cautiously ducking into an alley.

"I told her... just like you said," Howard Finch said nervously from the alley, his voice trembling with fear.

"You know what to say and what not to say," the other person replied in a low, hoarse voice.

I hid around the corner, my body suddenly freezing stiff.

The person talking to Howard Finch... was Assistant Foster!