Chapter 86

Other than the phone ringing, the spacious living room fell into a brief silence. Edward held his breath and slowly turned his head, locking eyes with Alice’s clear yet slightly puzzled gaze. He quickly looked away, tapped his phone screen to silence it, then brought it to his ear. “What’s up?” As he spoke, he walked out of the room. Alice watched his tall frame disappear around the corner, and something about it felt oddly familiar. She thought hard for a second, and then it hit her—outside the courthouse that day, when she called Alexander Blake, Edward’s phone had also started ringing right then. Weird coincidence… She frowned a bit and then looked away. Her own phone was still ringing, no one picking up. After a while, the mechanical voice came on. “Sorry, the number you’ve dialed is currently unavailable…” Mr. Hawthorne’s heart had shot up to his throat. Only after seeing how fast Edward reacted and the confusion slowly fading from Alice’s eyes did he calm down. Hearing the automa