Chapter 29

David extended his hand, firmly shaking Randy's with a sincere and grateful expression. "If it weren't for you, I might have lost Emma."

He then thought of Milo, that lively and adorable child, who could have fallen into the hands of the clown, and his mood inevitably became somber.

"Don't worry, Emma is a very smart girl; she'll be fine."

Randy displayed a smile appropriate for his age.

Even if Emma had really encountered the clown, lacking any physiological fear, she would unlikely be seen as food by Pennywise. To a clown, fear is the seasoning; without it, it's just raw meat, only good for energy replenishment.

David felt fortunate; after all, his generation had lived through the time of the clowns' chaos.

"Emma, did you say thank you to your brother Randy?"

"Of course."

Emma frowned, as she disliked others' nagging.

But to David, this was a sign of his daughter's cuteness, and even if she was angry, it was probably because she had lost the medal and was in a bad mood.

"You'll definitely win the next Saint Alden Award, don't be sad. You are the best in my heart."

Emma naturally said, "I'm not sad. Milo is my friend; I'm happy for him even if he won the award. I'm also very concerned about his situation now."

Randy, watching from the side, almost wanted to laugh. As expected, a habitual liar.

"Now that Emma is safe, I'll take my leave. Goodbye."

His coat was still down at the cliff, and as he spoke, he waved his arm, revealing the severe and still-healing wounds on his wrist, which caught David's attention.

"Wait, Randy. Given your age, you should still be in school. Why don't you come to my house for a bit?"

"No, I was just fishing. My gear is still down there."

David was genuinely grateful.

"You like fishing? We could arrange a time to go together. I also enjoy it. Randy, where do you live? Or could you tell me your father's name? I'll bring Emma by to thank you another day."

"No need for thanks; it was just a small matter. Goodbye, Mr. David. Goodbye, Emma."

Randy waved his hand and turned to leave.

David looked like an elite, dressed plainly but wearing a fine watch. Moreover, the school's teachers, including Milo's parents, showed him great respect, indicating a high social status.

He was a person of value.

David tried to persuade him to stay several times but eventually gave up. He recalled the wounds on Randy's wrist and felt that there might be some issues with the boy's family, so he should offer some help if possible.

David looked down at his daughter Emma.

Emma smiled, pointing at Randy's departing figure. "He's a good person."

"Yes, I forgot to get his contact details. It's okay; I'll check on him later."

There was also the matter of Milo to worry about.

Though according to Emma, the boy was likely in serious trouble.

Meanwhile, after Randy descended the cliff, he continued to fish by the sea, maintaining appearances and also preventing Milo's parents from returning to check the cliff.

However, after fishing until noon, Randy heard the siren several times. Due to Emma's testimony, almost no one came to the shore; the search was mainly focused on the forest above the cliff.

"They probably won't come back. The traces by the sea have been cleaned up, and they definitely won't search the sea."

Randy tidied up his gear and then carried his backpack home.

In the last few days, he decided to spend more time here. Apart from sleeping and eating, he would stay here as much as possible.

Unexpectedly, as Randy approached home, he saw that there were already visitors at his door.

A police car was parked at the intersection, with two officers, one black and one white, standing by the car. Next door, Carrie and her mother were also there, with Margaret appearing agitated as she talked to the officers.

Randy approached with a neutral expression.

Was this crazy woman reporting him? He didn't seem to have provoked her.

"That guy often goes to the shore, acting mysteriously and even trying to harass my daughter."

As Randy got closer, he could clearly hear Margaret's words.

The two police officers were taking notes.

Carrie quickly explained, "There's no such thing. Randy and I are just normal classmates."

"Be quiet, and go to the room."

Margaret scolded with a frown. She didn't dare act out with the police present.

Even so, it still drew a warning from the black officer.

"Ms. Margaret, you should speak more gently about your daughter. She's still young and her heart is very fragile."

Margaret took a deep breath in anger but finally nodded. "I understand, sir."

Carrie remained silent, not daring to speak.

It seemed that Carrie's early trauma had already shaped her into someone so weak, even with her powers awakened.

"Ding-ling-ling."

Randy rang the doorbell, inserting himself between the two parties.

"Hey, Ms. Margaret, Carrie."

Margaret glared and didn't respond, while Carrie only dared to nod slightly.

Randy then looked at the two officers, one of whom looked somewhat familiar, being one of the two he encountered in the school alley when he dealt with Chris. As for the other black officer, he didn't recognize him.

"Hi, officers. Is something happening?"

"Are you Randy?"

The black officer stepped forward to confirm.

"Yes."

Randy nodded. Margaret, seeing him approach, dragged her daughter into her house like a thief avoiding capture.

Was she not at the store today? Could she really be guarding Carrie all the time?

"Don't worry, kid. I'm Officer Mike, and this is my colleague Jackson. We're here to ask you about some details."

Randy looked at Officer Mike with a serious expression. "What's the matter?"

"It's about Carl, Billy, and Robert. Did you have a dispute with them on Wednesday?"

"I wouldn't call it a dispute. They ganged up to bully me just because I didn't buy them snacks."

Randy's expression was stubborn, glancing sideways, showing that although he was badly bullied, he still refused to admit defeat.

"What exactly happened?"

"How would I know? They were all drunk, especially Carl. I argued with them a bit, and ended up getting knocked out in the alley. I only woke up the next morning."

The black officer Mike frowned, seemingly recalling something unpleasant about this bullying incident.

Randy continued, "No one cared about me or even tried to wake me up during that time. After all, I'm just a minority with a lost father, at the bottom of the city. I endured the pain and rode a bike here."

Mike took a deep breath, glancing at his colleague.

Officer Jackson nodded. "That's true. The surveillance shows he only left town on Thursday morning."

At the same time, he looked at Randy with a puzzled expression, feeling that he looked familiar.