Chapter 16 Chapter Sixteen

George Crossfield watched the back of a woman disappear down the aisle, and couldn't help but pause.Then he nodded to himself and ran after him. It was a store aisle with a double front...a closed store.The glass windows were empty.The shop door was closed, and George tapped.A bespectacled, bewildered young man opened the door and stared at George. "I'm sorry," George said. "But I think my cousin just walked in." The young man took a step back and George walked in. "Hi, Susan," he said. Susan, who was standing on a packing box with a ruler, turned her head when she heard the sound, a little surprised.

"Hi, George. Where did you come from?" "I saw your back. I'm sure it must be you." "You're so smart. I think everyone's back is different, so it's easy to spot." "It's easier to recognize than your face. Just add a beard, paint your cheeks, change your hairstyle, and no one will recognize you even face to face... But you have to be careful when you turn away." "I'll remember what you said. I don't have time to write it down. Will you write down seven feet fifteen for me?" "No problem. What size is this, an easel?"

"No, it's cubic space. Eight feet nineteen...three feet twelve..." The restless young man at the side coughed lightly. "Excuse me, Mrs. Bankes, if you're going to be here for a while..." "Yes," said Susan. "If you leave the key, I'll lock the door myself, and when I go back, I'll take the key to the company and return it to you. Is that okay?" "Okay, thank you. If we hadn't been short this morning..." Susan nodded to accept his half-spoken apology, and the young man walked out of the shop. "Glad we got rid of him," Susan said. "House brokers are annoying. They keep talking so hard I can't even do the math."

"Ah," said George. "Murder in an empty store. How exciting it would be for passers-by to see a beautiful female corpse displayed in a glass window. Their eyes would be wide open, like goldfish." "You had no reason to murder me, George." "Oh, I'll get an extra quarter of your uncle's inheritance. If a man loves money as much as his life, that's a reason enough." Susan stopped measuring and turned to look at him.She narrowed her eyes. "You look different, George. Really... unusual." "Different? Why is it different?"

"It's like one ad said. 'This is the same guy you saw on the next page, but now he's on Abington Healthy Salts'. Different is different." She sat down on the pack and lit a cigarette. "You must be very much in need of the money old Richard left you, eh, George?" "No honest person nowadays would say that he doesn't love money." George's tone was flippant. Susan said, "You're in trouble, aren't you?" "None of your business, is it, Susan?" "I'm just curious." "You want to rent this storefront for business?"

"I want to buy the whole building." "Buy it?" "Yes. The upper two floors are apartments. The first floor is vacant now, and it belongs to the same person as the storefront. The other floor is occupied by people, and I will buy it and ask them to move out." "It's nice to have money, isn't it, Susan?" George's tone was malicious.But Susan just took a deep breath and said: "To me, it's amazing. Pray for success." "Can prayer kill old relatives?" Susan ignored it. "This place is just right. It was built during a serious period of construction. Upstairs can be used as a home and is quite unique. The ceiling is lovely and the room layout is even more beautiful. Downstairs here where the cracks are there, I will completely modernize."

"What do you want to do? Clothing business?" "No. Beauty training. Herbal blending. Face cream!" "Full package?" "Old business, make money. Always make money. You just have to add a little bit of flair. I can do it." George gazed admiringly at his cousin.He admired her slanted face, that generous mouth, and that radiant complexion.In short, it is an extraordinary, fresh face.And he saw a strange, indescribable air about Susan, an air of success. "Well," he said. "I think you've got everything you need, Susan. You'll pay for it, and you'll get it done."

"The location is just right, just next to the main shopping street, and you can park right in front of the store." George nodded again. "Yes, Susan, you will succeed. You have been thinking about this plan for a long time, haven't you?" "More than a year." "Why didn't you ask old Richard? He might sponsor you?" "I mentioned it to him." "He doesn't think it's feasible? I doubt why. I thought he should see in you his own character." Susan didn't answer.A figure flashed through George's mind, a tall, thin, nervous young man with suspicious eyes.

"So...what's his name...Gregor...has anything to do with this project?" he asked. "He'll quit his old job and stop hanging around with those pills and powders all the time, I suppose?" "Of course. A laboratory will be built later. We will have our own formulas for face creams and cosmetic medicines." George stifled a laugh.He wanted to say, "Then the baby will have a playground," but he didn't say it.As her cousin he didn't mind making a nasty joke, but he had an uneasy feeling that Susan had a special feeling for her husband, a sensitive area that had to be careful not to touch.Her affection for his husband is dangerously explosive.He suspected, as he suspected on the day of the funeral, that weird guy, Greg.That guy is kind of weird.The appearance is so indescribable... However, in a certain way, it is not so...

He looked again at the calm, refreshed Susan. "You have the true heritage of the Abernethier family," he said. "The only one in the family who has received a true biography. As far as old Richard is concerned, it must be deeply regretful that you are a woman. If you were a man, I believe he would leave you all his possessions." Susan said slowly, "Yes, I think he will." She paused and continued: "He doesn't like Greg, you know..." "Ah." George raised his eyebrows. "His fault." "yes." "Oh, anyway, everything is going well now...everything is going according to plan."

After he finished speaking, he was surprised to find a fact: this sentence was especially applicable to Susan. For a moment, the thought made him feel a little uncomfortable. He didn't really like such a calm and capable woman. He changed the subject and said: "By the way, have you received Helen's letter? About Enderby?" "Yes, I got it. This morning. How about you?" "Yes. What are you going to do?" "Greg and I want to go next weekend...if it's convenient for everyone. Helen seems to want us all to go together." George laughed shrewdly. "Otherwise someone would pick something worth more than someone else picked?" Susan laughed too. "Oh, I suppose there is a proper estimate. But the estate is estimated to be much lower than the market price. Besides, I'd love to keep some relics of the founder of the family fortune. I'd like to have a real Victorian here or two." Something absurd and charming from the period would be quite fun. Use them to attract customers! That period is now trending again and there is a green malachite table in the living room. You can use it as a dominant color and design a pretty nice Color. Maybe I'll ask for a boxed pair of stuffed hummingbirds...or a wax wreath. Something like that...would work really well as a base." "I trust your judgment is correct." "I suppose you're going too?" "Oh, I'm going...if not why at least to see if it's fair or not." Susan laughed. "You mean there's going to be a fight?" she asked. "Rosamund might want your green stone table for a stage setting!" Susan couldn't help laughing now.Instead, she frowned. "Have you seen Rosamund lately?" "I haven't seen the beautiful Cousin Rosamund since the last time we came back together in a third-class car after the funeral." "I've seen her once or twice...she...she seems a little odd..." "What's the matter with her? Any plans?" "No. She seems... er... restless." "Uneasy about inheriting a lot of money and being able to put out some frightening show where Mike can make a fool of himself?" "Oh, it's already going on. And the play does sound like it's going to scare people...but it might work. Mike's good, you know. He's got all the stuff on stage, not just pretty like Rosamund." fool." "Poor pretty fool Rosamund." "But Rosamund isn't really as stupid as people think. Sometimes she says things that are pretty shrewd. Things you wouldn't expect her to pay attention to. It's... quite confusing." "Like Aunt Cora..." "yes……" For a moment, both of them were haunted by a shadow of uneasiness...seemingly brought on by the mention of Cora Lansquenet. Then George said, with a little playfulness: "Speaking of Ke Na... what about her female companion? I think she should be dealt with." "Treat her? What do you mean?" "Oh, let's say it's a family responsibility. I mean I've been thinking that Cora is my aunt and your aunt... I guess it's not easy for this woman, Cora, to find a new job." "You do, don't you?" "Yes, people value their lives that much. I'm not saying they really think this Gilchrist woman is going to take an ax on them...but deep down they feel like hiring her is Unlucky. People are superstitious." "It's strange that you should think that, George. How do you know that?" George said dryly: "You forget I'm a lawyer. I see a lot of illogical weirdness in people. What I'm saying is, I think we can deal with her, give her a stipend or something, help her out, or Get her an office job, if she can do that. I feel like we should keep in touch with her." "You don't have to worry about it," Susan said.Her tone was mocking. "I've done it. She's gone to Timothy and Moody." George looked horrified. "I said Susan...is this a smart move?" "It's the best arrangement I can come up with...at the moment." George watched her with a strange expression. "You're very confident in yourself, aren't you, Susan? You know what you're doing and you don't...regret it." Susan said lightly: "Regret...is just a waste of precious time."