Outside the old church in Summerfield, Odie leaned against his car, lighting a cigarette. By the time he finished his smoke, Jonah and his crew had sealed the ce off. "Find anything?" Odie asked.


    Jonah gestured for his team to bring over a few boxes. They opened them to reveal ck cloaks and some white masks that looked like props from a European y. "Is this all?" Odie frowned.


    "That''s it," Jonah confirmed.


    Odie took a deep breath and nced at Sophie, who was sitting in the car. "Is this it?" he asked, holding up one of the masks.


    Sophie looked at the mask, her memory aligning with the sight. She nodded, "That''s the one."


    "Pack it up and take it away," Odie ordered.


    "Mr. Odie, you''re quite the expert at this," Jonah remarked.


    "Decent enough," Odie shrugged.


    "That wasn''t apliment."


    Sophie had thought Odie had something urgent when he called her over that morning, but it turned out he just wanted to seal the church.


    "Mr. Odie, have you thought about how we''ll catch those people next time they gather if you seal the church now?" Sophie asked.


    "The Pearl Hotel is already under my control. Do you think they''lle back here?" Odie replied.


    "That makes sense. Looks like you do think things through," Sophie admitted.


    "Obviously."


    "So, what''s the point of sealing this church?" Sophie pressed.


    Odie frowned, "Don''t you find it satisfying?"


    Sophie forced a half-decent smile, "So, you called me over just to satisfy me?"


    "Didn''t it?"


    "Should I thank you then, Mr. Odie?"


    "No need. Happy to help."


    Sophie rubbed her temples. Smart, but not by much.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    "Colby''s almost healed, so we''ll leave things here to you, Mr. Odie. Colby will pick me up, and we have a noon flight back to Devonport."


    Hearing that Sophie and Colby were


    heading back to Devonport, Odie paused mid-flick of his cigarette. After a moment, he slowly said, "Leaving this mess to me, huh? You''re quite the strategist, Sophie.


    II


    "Mr. Odie, I''m solving a problem for you in Summerfield. How is that leaving a mess?"


    "Nice try," Odie shot back. "The person wanted to kill you, not me."


    "Does it matter? We''re in this together now," Sophie replied. "I''ve given you the share transfer agreement of Burke International. Whether that person wants to kill me or you is still unclear."


    "Bold of you to say that. If it weren''t for you..." Odie''s sentence trailed off as he saw Sophie''s reflection in the rearview mirror.


    He changed his tone, "If it weren''t for needing Devonport''s influence, I wouldn''t have taken the risk of buying your shares."


    Soon, Colby''s car pulled up in front of the church. Sophie looked at Odie and said, "Exactly, we both got what we needed. Thanks for your care these past few days. As they say, we''ll meet again if fate allows."


    Watching Sophie''s carefree expression in the rearview mirror, Odie looked away. He had always known Sophie was ready to leave once her business was done, but now that the day hade, he couldn''t shake the feeling that he was letting her go too easily, like he was the one losing out.