Chapter 84

After Randy hung up the phone, he walked into Mike's house, which was already filled with people.

In addition to Beverly, Bill, Ben, Andy, and Ricky, there were also Jackson and a few other people who seemed to be Mike's colleagues.

Mike's coffin was now placed in the center of the room against the wall.

"Randy."

Beverly approached him, looking somewhat haggard, likely from keeping vigil all night.

Randy didn't say much and followed her to view Mike's remains.

"He was a good policeman; I deeply regret his death," Beverly said.

Then they retreated to a corner, and Randy did not greet the other attendees. Jackson was asleep with his head tilted back, so Randy did not disturb him.

"Have you decided when the burial will be?"

"Probably in two days."

In foreign customs, there is no seven-day mourning period. Generally, friends and family are notified, and there's a vigil, viewing of the body, and then the funeral and burial.

As Beverly spoke about the funeral, her brow furrowed suddenly. Mentioning the funeral made her think of Carl. For some unknown reason, memories of Carl seemed to be fading.

She decided to investigate further but…

Beverly glanced at Randy and then at Mike's portrait.

Perhaps it was because of the recent troubles with the Clown that she felt mentally strained.

Randy, with a calm demeanor, asked, "Beverly, you haven't slept all night, have you?"

"Actually, I have."

With Mike's affairs left to be handled by a few old friends, he had not mentioned any specific arrangements while alive. So, it was likely his estate would go to welfare organizations, and personal items would be distributed among friends and colleagues.

"You need to rest. Otherwise, you'll wear yourself out," Randy said.

Beverly wanted to refuse but was already swaying on her feet.

"I drove here. Let me take you home to rest. There are already many people here, and it's fine if you're not here," Randy insisted.

Not waiting for her to say more, he went over to the others, specifically approaching Ben.

The four people had been keeping an eye on Randy, speculating about his identity. He seemed quite familiar with Beverly.

Though they all grew up in the small town, they hadn't been around for over twenty years, so they didn't know Randy, who was of a younger age. The only one who knew Randy was Jackson, who was currently asleep.

Randy appeared quite close to Beverly.

"Aunt Beverly seems to be in bad shape. I'm going to take her home to rest. She's been through a lot recently and is already very distressed. So, I'm leaving Mike's affairs to you…"

The others did not show any unusual reactions, but Bill was still cautious, as he suspected the Clown might exist and was preparing to ask Randy more about his identity.

But he was interrupted by Ben before he could speak.

"No problem, we'll handle things here," Ben said, looking at Beverly with concern. "We should have thought of letting her rest first. You take her home now. Don't let her get exhausted."

"Yes, I'll bring her back tonight," Randy agreed.

"It's alright. If she's too tired, she doesn't need to come back tonight. We can handle everything," Ben assured, waving to Beverly.

Randy nodded to the others and then turned to Beverly.

"Let's go. I've talked to your friends, and they'll take care of everything here. You really need to rest."

Beverly finally nodded and followed Randy out of Mike's house.

"Let's go home first."

Randy opened the passenger seat for Beverly, and she got in.

"Thank you, Randy. Are you close to Mike as well?" she asked.

Randy, who had appeared in front of Mike and Beverly, knew that Mike, unlike Jackson, would likely be suspicious of his motives for being close to Beverly.

For example, did he want to get revenge on a classmate through the classmate's mother?

"He was a very good officer and helped me many times before. Recently, he even arranged for a nun to visit me and give a sermon," Randy explained.

Beverly nodded but then sighed.

She seemed to want to say something but ultimately didn't.

In fact, Beverly wanted to keep Randy at a distance. She felt that her fate was unlucky, and all the men who got close to her ended up having unfortunate outcomes—her father, husband, son, and friends.

But she was reluctant to sever this feeling of being cared for.

Caught in this internal conflict, she eventually fell into a deep sleep, her brow furrowed.

She slept very soundly.

So much so that Randy had to carry her to the house, and only when he was about to take her inside did she suddenly wake up.

"Randy?"

"It's me."

Randy put her down again. "Sorry, I called you a few times, and you didn't wake up, so I was going to carry you inside."

Beverly thought to herself that it wasn't really about carrying her.

"It's alright. I was just too tired."

She adjusted her slightly dizzy head and looked at her front door, feeling an inexplicable sense of resistance. It was a familiar home, but why did she feel uneasy?

"What's wrong?"

Randy, with a kind smile, asked, "Are you too tired? It's okay, I'll support you."

He then took her arm and guided her forward. Beverly, not wanting to refuse, followed him to the door and opened it.

The layout was still familiar, seemingly unchanged from when she left yesterday.

"Let's go upstairs. I'll take you up," Randy offered.

Beverly nodded, still feeling disoriented from waking up abruptly, and allowed Randy to lead her.

As they went upstairs, Randy's gaze subtly shifted to the downstairs corner of the living room, where Pennywise's clothing was faintly visible.

Beverly seemed quite perceptive, as she had noticed the abnormality.

Randy brought her to the master bedroom and helped her onto the bed.

"I'll get you a glass of water."

He stepped out of the room, grabbed a cup, added a drop of his own blood, and filled it with water.

Randy's skills included both wood and water. Summoning water was a simple task for him!

Worried that Beverly might fall asleep again, he hurried back to the room.

"Here, drink this. A glass of water before bed is good for your health."

After Beverly drank it, Randy left the room and went downstairs to the living room.

At that moment, Pennywise was also in the living room, staring intently at a photo of Beverly as a child with her father.

"All the children from that time have grown up. The fears that accompanied them have been eradicated."

Pennywise's perception of the Losers' Club was somewhat strange, trying to evoke sentimentality even in its final moments.

Randy sat at the table. "The flower has bloomed, hasn't it?"

"Yes," Pennywise replied quickly, kneeling with its head bowed. A lotus flower had emerged from its head, representing a certain ability.

This was something Randy had fed it the previous night, which had matured quickly due to the belief in child abuse.

Since Pennywise had not died, it had the right to evolve on its own. This blooming flower corresponded to the ability to alter memories.

Randy picked the flower, made a cut on his body, and grafted the flower onto the wound. As the wound healed, the flower's nourishment was rapidly absorbed and it eventually withered.

Randy now gained the ability to alter memories.