Chapter 64: My Girlfriend Said She’s Taking Me to Meet a Friend

Chapter 64: Chapter 64: My Girlfriend Said She’s Taking Me to Meet a Friend

Zoe Sawyer sniffed. The scent felt a bit familiar, but she couldn’t place it.

Before Zoe could get a better whiff, the sour stench of garbage drifted over on the wind, making her instinctively cover her nose.

Heath Hale, meanwhile, was sizing up the woman pushing the garbage cart, Aunt Monroe.

Her salt-and-pepper hair was neatly combed back. She looked to be in her fifties. Perhaps due to constantly bending over, her janitor’s uniform, no matter how clean, inevitably had a few smudges on it.

Other than that, her gaze was calm, and her demeanor was poised and natural. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"Lily, are these your friends? They look quite sharp." Aunt Monroe sized up Zoe Sawyer and Heath Hale, smiled at them, and then spoke to Lily Golding.

Lily Golding nodded happily. "Yes, they’re my friends. They came to visit me.

We have to go, Auntie. I’m heading up now."

After exchanging a few more words, the three of them started walking toward Lily Golding’s dorm.

Since Heath Hale was male, he stayed downstairs to wait for Zoe and Lily.

Before they split up, Heath Hale specifically instructed Zoe Sawyer to pay close attention to certain areas.

The dormitory was an old building with no elevator, and Lily Golding’s room was on the fourth floor.

It didn’t take long to climb the stairs.

As soon as she entered the dorm room, Zoe Sawyer smelled incense.

"Lily, since when did you get into incense? It smells quite pleasant." Zoe Sawyer took a deep breath, curious about the scent in Lily Golding’s room.

’I never knew she had a hobby like this.’

Lily Golding’s smile was a bit strained. "It’s not mine. It’s my roommate, Shannon Shelby. She likes to burn it. I’ve slowly gotten used to it, and now I can’t sleep without it."

The strange feeling in Zoe Sawyer’s gut grew stronger.

"I’m too scared to sleep now. I have to wear an eye mask and take sleeping pills every day just to fall asleep. Otherwise, I wake up startled after just a little while." Lily Golding rubbed her nose, her expression helpless.

’If this keeps up,’ she thought, ’I’m afraid I might just drop dead from exhaustion.’

"Do you mind if I search the room? My friend couldn’t come up, and he told me to pay special attention to a few places." Zoe Sawyer pulled some evidence bags from her purse and showed them to Lily Golding.

Sean Hughes had put them in her bag before she came, just in case they were needed.

’And now, here’s the chance!’

Lily Golding knew the procedure and didn’t object.

After getting Lily Golding’s consent, Zoe Sawyer put on a pair of gloves and began feeling around under the desk, under the bed, on the chairs, and in various crevices.

When she felt something in a particularly tricky corner under the bed, Zoe Sawyer’s eyes glinted.

"Lily, how is your relationship with your roommate?" Zoe Sawyer asked.

"It’s pretty good. We go to all the study activities together." Lily Golding was a little confused, not understanding why Zoe Sawyer would suddenly ask such a question.

Zoe Sawyer then pried out the object she had found under the bed and held it in front of Lily Golding, simultaneously making a "shushing" gesture.

Once she was sure the other woman had seen it clearly, she took a photo and then stuck the object back in its original place.

Then she typed a message on her phone and showed it to Lily Golding. After confirming Lily understood, she put her phone away.

When you don’t know the other party’s motive, not tipping them off is the right move.

Next, Zoe Sawyer collected some of the other things she had found elsewhere, placed them in evidence bags, and clearly labeled their sources.

She then restored those areas to their original state, only stopping once she was sure no one would notice anything was amiss.

Just as she finished putting everything away, Lily Golding received a call from Shannon Shelby. They exchanged a few words, and she hung up.

"Zoe, my roommate is coming back. Why don’t you have dinner with us later? We rarely get to see each other, so we should definitely have a good chat." Lily Golding stepped forward, linking her arm with Zoe Sawyer’s and speaking affectionately.

"Sure. It’ll be a good chance to meet your friend, too. Lily, I’m just going to use the restroom first." Zoe Sawyer’s smile didn’t waver as she walked into the bathroom, carrying the evidence bags.

From an angle where Lily Golding couldn’t see, Zoe Sawyer opened a door that led to the police station and placed the items on her own office desk.

’I’m about to meet that girl, Shannon Shelby, and I have no idea what her personality is like.’

’It’s better to be cautious.’

Although Lily Golding didn’t understand Zoe Sawyer’s actions, she remembered the message she had just been shown and held back her questions.

When Shannon Shelby rushed in from outside, she saw a strange girl sprawled out on Lily Golding’s bed, hugging the soft pillow Lily couldn’t sleep without.

Meanwhile, her roommate, Lily Golding, was tenderly brushing the girl’s hair behind her ear.

The two of them looked incredibly intimate, giving off a vibe that left no room for anyone else.

Shannon Shelby took a deep breath and then raised her voice. "Lily, is this your friend?"

Zoe Sawyer and Lily Golding acted as if they had just noticed her return and quickly sat up straight.

"Shannon, let me introduce you. This is my best friend from college, and my old roommate. You can just call her Zoe." Lily Golding kept her arm around Zoe Sawyer’s, smiling with exceptional happiness.

Shannon Shelby forced a smile, nodded at Zoe Sawyer, and then said to Lily Golding, "Dining Hall Two has a surprise menu today. I heard there’s a lot of good stuff. We should hurry, or it’ll all be gone."

"You didn’t have to wait for me. You could have gone ahead and eaten," Lily Golding said as she stood up.

"How could I abandon you and go eat by myself? Let’s go." Shannon Shelby subtly took the spot Zoe Sawyer had just occupied and said in a tone only they would understand, "You know how that auntie in Dining Hall Two is. Her hand shakes when she serves anyone but you. I’m planning to ride your coattails to get an extra scoop."

As she spoke, she pushed Lily Golding forward.

Standing behind them, Zoe Sawyer raised an eyebrow.

The three of them soon reached the ground floor, and Heath Hale walked up to meet them as soon as he saw Zoe Sawyer.

After nodding to Lily and Shannon, Heath Hale took the bag from Zoe Sawyer’s hand with practiced ease. "Give that to me. You’ve been carrying it this whole time. Aren’t you tired?"

Zoe Sawyer’s movement as she handed it over was just as natural.

Their interaction was noticed by Shannon Shelby, who had been secretly watching them.

"Lily, your friend brought her significant other along, huh? The young couple looks great together," Shannon Shelby said, draping an arm over Lily Golding’s shoulder and teasing her with a grin.

Heath Hale hadn’t yet figured out what was going on. Just as he was about to speak, he felt Zoe Sawyer poke him in the back.

The explanation he was about to give turned into, "Yeah, my girlfriend said she wanted to bring me to meet her best friend from college."