Found Obsession

Chapter 53: Greco's case IV: 21 Questions before a Nightmare

"Is that a question?" he scribbled down. Rose chuckled in response.

"No, definitely not."

"Ladies first," he wrote, clearly satisfied with her reaction.

Rose decided to test the waters with an easy question as he glanced down, ready to write.

"What's your favorite color?" she asked.

He looked up, surprised, then began scribbling.

I'm between blue and red, he wrote.

When she read that, she swallowed. Could it be a coincidence that her hair was red and her eyes were blue?

"Your turn," she said.

What's your favorite color" he returned the question.

"Grey," she blurted out.

His Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and he seemed to shift uncomfortably at her response.

Rose quickly moved to her next question.

"What's your favorite food?"

He stared at the notepad, as if it were a difficult question.

Rose frowned. "If you don't have one, then... what's your favorite movie?" she tried, avoiding an "I don't know" answer.

The same result. Silence.

"Favorite juice?" she tested again, hoping to get a response.

He glanced at her, then down again, as if ashamed. It struck Rose-he didn't know himself. The easiest questions felt like a challenge to him, and his hands trembled slightly. For a moment, she didn't see a killer; she saw a vulnerable man.

Setting the fruit bowl aside, Rose slipped out of bed, wincing slightly from the pain.

"Come with me," she said, holding her wound and walking barefoot to the fridge.

She pulled out all the juices she had: strawberry, mango, peach, grape, pineapple, apple, lemon, coconut, and watermelon.

As she set them on the table, she grabbed plastic cups and poured each flavor into a separate cup.

She could feel his eyes on her the whole time.

"Go ahead, taste them," she encouraged. He stared at the cups, then back at her, and she realized-he would have to take off the mask.

Rolling her eyes, she grabbed a cloth napkin from the kitchen and tied it around her eyes like a blindfold.

"There. Now taste."

After a moment, Rose heard a soft click, followed by silence, as if he were testing whether this was a trap. Trusting him after everything he'd done to help her, she resisted the urge to remove the blindfold.

The sound of cups being lifted and set back down filled the room. After what felt like an eternity, she heard another click. Rose carefully placed her hands on the blindfold, waiting until she was certain it was safe to take it off.

When she finally removed it, she noticed that some of the cups still had juice left, while others were empty. Peach, mango, and strawberry were completely gone.

She watched as he scribbled on his notepad and turned it toward her.

Mango.

Rose gave a half-smile, feeling like she had just uncovered a small piece of him.

"I'll go back to bed," she said, wincing as her bare feet touched the cold floor.

"Think of a question," she added, making her way back to the bed. She sat down, pulling the covers over her cold legs and took the bowl of fruit in her hands.