After Faye Lowe left, Renee Jennings slung an arm around Michelle Fuller's shoulder and played the video Irene Lee had sent for them to watch together.
Lillian Griffin first filmed the villa's surroundings. The courtyard design was indeed the same as the one at the villa where they were currently staying.
Then, the camera flipped around to show her face.
On the screen, the girl said with a sweet smile, "Mom, this is Villa 6. It looks so fun! I'll bring you here when you get a day off..."
When the video ended, Michelle Fuller couldn't help but sigh, "I really hope she's okay."
Renee Jennings found Henry Stark's number in her call history and sent him a text message.
"Did you send it?" Michelle Fuller asked.
Renee Jennings nodded. "Sent."
Michelle Fuller got up from the sofa. "Let's go change and get in the hot spring, then."
Renee Jennings and Michelle Fuller changed into their swimsuits and soaked in the flower-shaped hot spring pool, while the cat and dog lay lazily beside them.
"Renee, make them do a somersault," Michelle Fuller insisted, still fixated on the idea.
Renee Jennings was helpless against her, so she asked Woody and Dumpling, "Can you two do a somersault?"
Woody and Dumpling lifted their heads from the ground in unison and shook them.
Michelle Fuller: "Well, do you have any talents?"
Woody: "I can sing."
Dumpling: "I can dance."
Renee Jennings translated, "They can sing and dance."
Michelle Fuller's interest was piqued. "Alright, showtime!"
However, Woody and Dumpling had barely started their performance before Michelle Fuller was filled with regret.
She couldn't appreciate it at all.
Just then, Renee Jennings's phone rang.
She glanced at the number on the screen. "It's Captain Stark."
Woody was still meowing his heart out. Renee Jennings said softly, "Okay, Woody, that's enough singing. I have to take a call."
Woody obediently fell silent.
Renee Jennings answered the phone and put it on speaker. "Hello, Captain Stark."
A deep male voice came through the phone. "Miss Jennings, I've looked into it. Irene Lee reported her daughter missing on December 30th, but our investigation shows Lillian Griffin never went to the Cresthaven Hot Springs Villa Area."
"According to information from the villa manager, the guests who stayed in Villa 6 from December 29th to January 1st were two men."
Renee Jennings frowned. "Are you sure it was two men?"
Henry Stark: "That's what the investigation results show."
"I see. Thank you, Captain Stark."
"Is she a friend of yours?"
"No," Renee Jennings explained. "My friend and I just happened to be staying in Villa 6 when we ran into Irene Lee."
Henry Stark chuckled. "I understand. Good Samaritan Miss Jennings."
Renee Jennings: "..."
"I'll let you go, then." She hung up.
Michelle Fuller said with a grin, "That Captain Stark has a really nice voice."
"I think it's just okay." Renee Jennings put down her phone and gazed at the darkening sky, her brow furrowing slightly.
[System 009: New Mission Triggered: Find Lillian Griffin. Mission Reward: Monkey Dictionary. Mission Failure: Struck by lightning.]
Renee Jennings sighed.
"What's wrong?" Michelle Fuller tilted her head to look at her.
Renee Jennings closed her eyes. "I guess I can't just let this go after all," she said, troubled.
"You mean Lynn?"
"Yes."
"So what do we do?"
"Woody, come here," Renee Jennings called out.
Woody trotted over, meowing, "Renee."
Renee Jennings opened her eyes and turned her head to look into the cat's big, round eyes. "After Lori's big sister got sick, did she say anything else?"
Woody answered obediently, "Lori's big sister said the guests in Villa 6 were scary. She kept getting woken up in the middle of the night by screams."
"Is that all she said?"
"Yep."
Renee Jennings's face grew thoughtful.
After a moment, she had Michelle Fuller call the villa manager to ask specifically for the kitten named Lori.
Michelle Fuller hung up, looking disappointed. "Lori is at the vet clinic for treatment, so she can't come."
Renee Jennings nodded. "It's fine. There must be another way."
**
At six in the evening, Renee Jennings and Michelle Fuller got out of the hot spring pool, ready to head to Villa 8 for dinner.
By the time they had showered and gone outside, the sky was completely dark. The breath they exhaled condensed into frost on their eyelashes.
Villa 8 was brightly lit, and the aroma of all kinds of food hit them the moment they walked inside.
Ingredients were neatly displayed on wall cabinets, and people of all ages moved about, carrying plates and selecting their favorite foods.
Renee Jennings and Michelle Fuller did the same.
During the meal, quite a few men came over to hit on them.
"Lady, you're exactly my type," a man with small eyes and a big nose said, deliberately flashing his BMW key fob. "How about we get to know each other?"
Renee Jennings glanced at him and said coolly, "Sorry, I'm allergic to ugly people."
"..."
Michelle Fuller commented, "Renee, you're so polite, yet so brutal."
The words had barely left her mouth when a shadow fell over them.
Michelle Fuller looked up, her eyes filled with disgust.
A bald man oozed inexplicable confidence. "Hey beautiful, how about I get your number? You look a lot like my next girlfriend."
Michelle Fuller: "You look a lot like a bald guy I once killed."
"..."
Renee Jennings's lips curled into a smirk. "Brutal. But I like it."
Michelle Fuller chuckled slyly.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, the two returned to Villa 6 with dinner for Woody and Dumpling.
The cat and dog greeted them eagerly, tails wagging.
'Dinner time!'
"Renee, should we sleep on the first or second floor tonight?" Michelle Fuller asked, rubbing the cat's and dog's heads before flopping lazily onto the sofa.
Renee Jennings, a bit of a neat freak, replied, "Let's see which room is cleaner first."
After comparing the rooms on the first and second floors, they decided to stay on the second floor. It was spacious and well-ventilated, and the room had an en-suite bathroom.
"There's a media room here, too." Michelle Fuller was very satisfied and snapped her fingers. "I'll have someone send over some snacks. We can eat while we watch a movie."
Renee Jennings picked up the remote to choose a movie. "Michelle, what kind of movie do you want to watch?"
"Something scary and thrilling?" Michelle Fuller suggested, wiggling her eyebrows at her.
Renee Jennings laughed. "I'm worried you'll be too scared to go to the bathroom alone after watching it."
"It's fine. I'll have Dumpling and Woody come with me." Michelle Fuller hugged Dumpling. "With you guys to give me courage, I won't be scared."
Dumpling and Woody barked and meowed cooperatively a few times, then started chatting with each other.
Dumpling asked, "Woody, Woody, have you noticed it smells way worse up here than downstairs?"
Woody sniffed the air and nodded. "The smell is stronger here."
Dumpling: "My nose is more sensitive than yours. The smell is really bothering me."
Woody: "Then why don't you plug your nose?"
"What are you two talking about?" Michelle Fuller watched them meow and bark back and forth, her curiosity piqued. She quickly asked for help from Renee, who was choosing a movie. "Renee, can you translate for me?"
Renee Jennings had been reading the movie synopsis and hadn't been paying attention. "What did they say? I didn't hear."
Dumpling quickly said, "Renee, Woody and I think it's stinky here!"
"Stinky?" Renee Jennings turned to Michelle Fuller. "They said they think it's stinky in here."
"Stinky again?" Michelle Fuller got up to open a window. "Is it a musty smell from a lack of ventilation?" she said, suspicious. "The cleaning here is terrible. We're never coming back."