Ellinor wanted to ask the maid who'd just brought the coffee if the bloodstain on the cup was an accident in the kitchen.
But when she looked up, the maid was long gone, and there were no other servants around.
Ellinor frowned, thinking about that poor kid Patricia was always taking advantage of.
Could Patricia be abusing that child again?
The thought had Ellinor on her feet and heading towards where the maid had disappeared.
She followed the maid's trail and ended up in the Howard family's grand kitchen.
But no one was bustling about in the kitchen; the counters were spotless, and there were no signs of blood.
Could the blood on the coffee cup have been human blood? From that child?
What was even weirder was that the maid who'd entered the kitchen was nowhere to be found, even though Ellinor had clearly seen her being the first one to come in.
The more Ellinor looked around, the more she felt something was off. The kitchen was deserted, but other than that, nothing seemed out of place.
Then, she spotted droplets of blood on the kitchen floor.
Not just a drop or two, but a trail of it, like someone or something injured had passed by.
Barely daring to breathe, Ellinor traced the trail of blood droplets to a heavy iron door at the farthest end of the kitchen.
"I came to the kitchen looking for Baber, thinking he might be snacking. Then I saw the blood on the floor!"
She pointed at the blood droplets with a face full of fear and a trembling finger.
Ellinor glanced at the blood, then back at her, "And? What do you want me to do?"
Tears streamed down Patricia's face, "I'm really scared... I'm afraid that's Baber's blood! So, I followed the blood trail, and when it ended at that storage room, I tried to open the door... But I couldn't!
I was worried that Baber was hurt inside, so I pulled hard on the door, and then there was this rough cough from inside.
Ellinor, there's someone in that room! Someone took Baber! He's in there!"
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