16 THE BACK ALLEY ADVENTURE

Veronica was standing behind the bush. Just then, she heard footsteps. It seemed like the owner of the footsteps headed in her direction. She hurriedly sat down. 'Am I busted?' She thought nervously.

She didn't dare to look up to check who it was. Her heart was thumping so loud that she was afraid that the person who was walking closer would hear her heartbeat.

The sound of the footsteps gradually intensified. She held her breath and braced herself. She prepared herself for the worst.

To her surprise, the person walked past the bush she was hiding behind.

Veronica waited until the person walked further away. Only when the footsteps almost turned faint did she open her eyes. As she couldn't curb her curiosity, she peeked to see where that person was going.

She noticed a dark figure. She couldn't recognize the figure. It slowly but steadily walked in the direction of the room where Sister Ruth just died. Then the figure disappeared inside the room.

'Who is that person going to Sister Ruth's room and for what reason?' She pondered. 'No one wears dark clothes in our temple. Is this an outsider?' She gasped as she came up with a conclusion. 'It couldn't be a thief trying to steal from Sister Ruth, right?'

The person came out of her room not long after and was now heading to the East.

To find out what's the motive of that person, Veronica chased after that figure. She followed the figure carefully, trying not to make a sound or trip once again.

That person walked a long while before stopping in front of a huge wall. Veronica also paused. She knew it was the wall of the outer perimeter of the temple. Behind the wall was the town.

'There is no way he can climb this high wall…' she wasn't finished talking to herself before that person started climbing the wall as if it was provided with an invisible yet zig-zagged ladder. She gaped at the figure in disbelief. It didn't seem like it was a human.

If he climbed the wall like this, how could she follow him?

A sudden idea flashed in her mind. The kitchen was just a few meters away from the place where she was standing now. She hastily ran in that direction.

Using the secret door, she got out of the temple area and reached the dark alley. She was wondering how that person would get out of that place.

When she saw that figure, swiftly jumping from the wall, she felt like her heart was leaping out of her chest. If it was her, she would have definitely died by now. The wall wasn't just any normal wall. It was a fifty two feet tall wall.

To her surprise, the figure gracefully landed on the ground without even making a sound. Afterward, the person blended into the darkness.

'Where did he go? That person was right here!' Veronica rubbed her eyes. 'I shouldn't let him go. Maybe, just maybe that person knew the reason behind Sister Ruth's death. For a kind person like her… to take her own life… I believe it has to have a logical explanation.' She marched into the darkness of the back alley to find out who that person was.

Although the lights of the town were still lit, people were hardly walking on the streets. It was past midnight. Only a few shops and restaurants were open, along with some motels. Only small groups gathered here and there, to play cards or gossip.

Whenever she walked past a group, the men would stare at her. Veronica didn't have enough time to notice their weird gazes. Her eyes were darting around to find the person who she was sticking to. She didn't have the time to mind where she was actually heading.

She entered another small lane and finally found that person. Her eyes lit up. Not to lose that figure again, she strode forward and was ready to catch that person red handed. She stretched her hand to pull the black robe.

At that moment, her hand was grasped abruptly by something dark and she was pulled into another passage in the next second.

Veronica opened her mouth to yell but her small mouth was covered. Something strong was wrapped around her waist. She couldn't move. Her soul was about to leave her body in fear. Her body stiffened due to nervousness.

That's when she heard a voice, "And what business brought a lady like yourself to this alley? Aren't you worried that you would be attacked like last time?"

The voice was oddly familiar. If her memory served her correctly, she heard this voice today at dawn.

Veronica relaxed her body. Observing that she wasn't struggling anymore, Arthur loosened his grip on her mouth and let her go. She quickly left the passage and tried to locate the person she was looking for but that black figure was long gone.

She turned around and faced Arthur. She vented her anger on him, "Why did you stop me? Because of you, I lost that man."

Arthur narrowed his eyes and saw her face that turned red in anger. "Are you saying that you deliberately wore a night garment and walked on the streets to seduce someone? I guess I thought too highly of you." His tone showed a bit of annoyance. He himself didn't know for what reason he was feeling annoyed.

"Night garment?" Veronica looked down and noticed her attire.

Earlier, she was going to sleep but upon hearing a shout, she only wrapped a thin shawl around her shoulders and went out. When she decided to find out what was happening, she quickly wore her worn out boots.

She froze on the spot. It was definitely an inappropriate dress to go out. She thanked the goddess for not facing any trouble yet.

"Umm…" she hesitated before continuing, "Do you have any spare robe?" She wished to cover herself completely before going after that person.

"Are you still hoping to find him? Forget about him. He is long gone," Arthur dismissed her intentions immediately. He was waiting for someone here. He didn't envision that he would find her here of all places.

Veronica panicked. "Then what should I do now? I need to find that person at any cost!"