The Sleeper's Wrath and His Wife's Strike novel Chapter 71

Tina frowned and shot back, “What do you mean, ‘what about it’?”

“Where’s Naomi?” Lindsay asked.

“How should I know? It’s not like we’re close,” Tina replied, her tone dismissive.

“Then what’s with the blood on your white shirt?” Lindsay pressed, her voice sharp.

“Oh, that,” Tina said with a cold smile, her eyes narrowing, making her look almost sinister. “I ran into a chicken. It was strutting around, acting all high and mighty, so I grabbed a stick and gave it a few good whacks.”

Lindsay’s brow furrowed. A chicken? Was Tina actually calling Naomi a chicken? Or worse—had she snapped and started hallucinating, thinking Naomi was a chicken?

“So, what happened to this ‘chicken’?” Lindsay asked carefully.

“Someone took it away,” Tina muttered, her mood souring. “Ruined my shirt, too—just my luck.” With that, she stalked off to the restroom, muttering curses under her breath.

The moment Tina disappeared, a small crowd of coworkers rushed over to Lindsay.

“This is bad—didn’t they say people with mental problems sometimes hallucinate? What if she really thought Naomi was a chicken and… you know… killed her?”

“I wouldn’t doubt it,” someone whispered nervously. “I read this news story once—some woman thought her daughter was a rabbit and tried to stew her.”

“Should we call the police?” another asked, voice trembling.

Panic rippled through the group. Just earlier, they’d all been mocking Naomi for being an illegitimate child. If Tina had actually hurt her—and the police started digging—they’d all be tangled up in the mess.

Lindsay’s head was pounding from the anxious chatter. She raised a hand for silence. “Enough. If something really happened to Naomi, the police will come looking for us whether you call them or not.”

It wasn’t the gentlest reassurance, but she had a point. Still, everyone looked uneasy, as if guilt was gnawing at them.

Returning to her desk, Lindsay tried calling Naomi. Her phone was off.

She hesitated, then dialed Lester. He answered almost immediately.

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