The eagerly awaited dinner party

You followed Ben to the dining room and waited, while Leonard went to welcome the mayor himself.

The tableware had been neatly arranged on the long, rectangular dining table. The huge crystal chandelier on the ceiling caught your eyes, as it shone spots of light on the white tablecloth, making it look like the surface of a quiet lake. You felt calm and peaceful as you entered the room.

Ben led each of you to your seats. Your seat was in the middle, facing the window, with Grace on your left. George was sitting opposite you, with Fran on his right. You might guess that Leonard would be sitting at the head of the table and the mayor at the other end. The mayor's wife would be sitting on George's left. And the remaining seat on your right must be Sherry's.

You were feeling somewhat uncomfortable as you noticed that Grace was a bit reserved and quiet beside you. But you really couldn't talk about it, not in front of George and Fran. Especially Fran. Even now you could feel her blazing gaze and growing pressure from across the table.

"So, George, how do you know Mr. Smith and the mayor?" Fran started a conversation to lift the awkward silence.

"Well, the previous owner of the book shop was an old friend of the mayor. I bought the place after he passed away, and the mayor thought that his friend's legacy was carried on." George answered casually, "And the mayor told Mr. Smith my plan. That's pretty much the story. "

"Well, Mr. Smith has always been a very generous man." You smiled.

"It seems so, and we're all here because of that." George said, "We didn't know you were coming tonight. We could've picked you up at the hotel and come together!"

"I would have appreciated that. Actually, I'm not quite familiar with the roads here." You smiled helplessly. You didn't even want to remember what had happened the last time you drove here. And technically, you didn't even make it here.

"Yeah. James isn't very good at driving." Fran stared at you and said playfully, "I almost got carsick on the way here."

"Hey, it's not my fault!" You immediately defended yourself, "The mountain road is bumpy!"

"Right..." Fran totally didn't accept your excuse.

"Ha. You should see how Grace drives." George laughed as he looked at his sister, "She's much crazier when she's holding the wheel."

Crazy, huh? You couldn't shake the scene where you and Grace were alone in the book shop off your mind.

"Rude." Grace pouted and turned to you, "Hey, James, did you come by the white Sentinel parked in the front yard?"

"Yes?" You answered curiously.

"Figured." She nodded and continued, "When we arrived, I noticed that its ground clearance was too low for the bumpy mountain roads. This series of Sentinel can adjust the height of its chassis. You could give it a try."

"Uh... Thanks... for the advice." You didn't expect this from her.

"Wow, are you into cars?" Fran asked excitedly.

"Hmm? No, not exactly." Grace smiled and gently replied, "I work as a mechanic at a repair shop in the west of the town. I have many chances to get my hands on cars, that's all."

"A mechanic?" You couldn't believe what you heard. You looked at Grace's cute face, her slender fingers and slim arms, and you just couldn't imagine her doing all that hard work.

"Still an apprentice, though. You know, this is a mining town, and the equipment needs repair from time to time." Grace felt more relaxed now that she wasn't all concerned about what happened between the two of you.

"That's incredible!" Fran wondered with admiration.

"She was a troublemaker. When she was young, she enjoyed hanging out with the boys in the street, riding bikes or playing basketball, instead of settling down to read some books." George laughed.

"Growing up in a book shop doesn't mean I have to be as much of a bookworm as you and May." Grace fought back. "Besides, I did read books, about mechanics." She added proudly with a smile.

"So that you can show off to those boys." George rolled his eyes before he turned to you. "Seriously, James, if I were you, I wouldn't let her get close to your car. She'll break it in ten minutes."

"Hey! I have a good reputation in town!"

You all began laughing. The tension in the room seemed to have eased as you continued the topic, although whenever Grace looked at you, you could still feel the embarrassment on her face.

It was at this moment the side door was opened and you all turned to that direction. Sherry, wearing a light-colored dress, walked into the room steadily. She carefully looked around to see who was already here, and headed to the seat on your right.

"Greetings... I'm Sherry..." She said as she sat down, placing her hands over her thighs. She looked nervous. You could tell that either she was not familiar with occasions like this, or she was concerned about something very serious.

"You look beautiful today." Again, it was Fran who broke the silence.

"Thank you." Sherry appreciated it sincerely. After that, she turned and looked at you for a short moment. You didn't quite understand the expression on her face. Maybe envious, but also a bit sad.

The conversation didn't have enough time to go deeper as the front door of the dining room was opened by Leonard. He gently stepped to the side, so that the couple behind him could come in. The grizzled man was wearing an old suit, while the elegant lady next to him was dressed in a red coat. The wrinkles on their skin indicated that they were probably in their 60s.

"Welcome, everyone. We are especially honored to have the mayor, Mr. Andrew Sutton, and his beloved wife, Mrs. Margaret Sutton with us this evening." Leonard sat down and introduced the mayor's couple to the guests.

"Thank you, Leonard. You've already made us feel like at home. And I'm happy to see you, George." Andrew looked around the table, and eventually his gaze landed on the lady on his right side, "Ah, Grace! Last time we had dinner together in this mansion, you were still in college! Where was it... Owl City, right? I've never been there."

"Yes, Mr. Sutton." Grace smiled and replied, "Actually it's been four years since my graduation."

"Has it been that long? Ha. Time flies by, they say. Or maybe it's just because I'm too old." Andrew scratched his head.

Owl City... You haven't heard of this name for a very long time, and you definitely didn't expect to hear it on this occasion.

"And we have some new friends here. Leonard already told me about you, Mr. Wilson and Miss Evan." Andrew looked at you and Fran, "It's my pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine." You said, "Please, just call me James."

"I'm Francesca. Nice to meet you, too." Fran nodded and gently shook the mayor's hand.

The dinner officially began after a brief exchange of pleasantries.

The French escargots smelled really good with butter, and the grilled beef was very tender, although you found yourself still preferring raw meat. Everyone gave high appraisals for the wine except Sherry, who was underage and drinking orange juice.

But the food itself was not your focus of attention. For most of the time, there were only Leonard, Andrew, and Margaret sharing their two-month vacation and the recent events in town, except Leonard didn't mention Shannon's short disappearance. Sherry has been quietly eating her dish, and somehow she didn't seem to enjoy it very much. Fran and George were sharing reading experiences. Grace tended to join every conversation and find common topics among the other guests. And you were just listening.

"Come on, Andrew! Tell us about that glorious deed of yours. We all want to hear it." Leonard blushed after drinking too much wine.

"Alright, alright." The mayor didn't have a clear mind either. "It was 18 years ago. The small village on the north side of the mountain was robbed by a group of cultists, the villagers murdered..."

"Oh my God!" George gasped in horror, while Fran and Grace both trembled.

"No way... You said they were terrorists last time." Leonard laughed at him.

"Okay... Cultists, terrorists... They're all the same, alright?" Andrew looked annoyed, but he continued with enthusiasm, "Anyway, I convinced the town's police that we had to do something. I assembled an experienced team and searched for the cultists in the mountains, and we got them! Hit them when they let their guard down!"

"Oh, he loves this part." Margaret smiled as she looked at her husband.

"So, what happened to the cultists?" You asked.

"They resisted arrest and opened fire, so we were forced to fight back! It was a tough fight, and none of them surrendered. In the end, all the cultists were put down." Andrew said proudly.

"Were the police officers okay?" Grace was concerned.

"Well... Only two of our officers were killed and another one wounded. But I believe this was the best outcome we could get." Andrew looked sad when he talked about it, like he was still mourning them.

"Oh, darling, last time you told me the story, you said all three officers lost their lives. You should put more effort into your stories next time." Margaret slightly shook her head and sighed. Apparently, she didn't even think it was real.

"Hey, I'm telling the truth! You can check the records at the police station! It's there!" Andrew talked louder, as if he wanted to prove himself.

"Yes, that's dramatic, as always. You should find some more interesting things to do, Andrew." And Leonard just laughed louder at him.

Andrew began to argue with Leonard about other stuff, but you could tell from everyone's expression that no one around the table truly believed what he had just said. Fran, George, and Grace basically just laughed with Margaret, and Sherry didn't even care and continued eating.

You, however, saw this from another perspective. A private investigator's perspective.

The mayor might not have made up the whole story, but definitely some parts of it. You had run into some of these cases back in the days when Melissa asked for your help. The suspect tended to lie in the testimony at first. They made up stories, trying to clear their name. You, Melissa, and other officers asked them to retell their stories once in a while, and you noticed that the details in one story were different from its previous version. Sometimes, one contradicted another.

Because those details were not real, and people needed more effort to "remember" what was not real.

And you would like to find out the truth behind what was not real in the mayor's story - who those people were, and how high the number of casualties were. Maybe you could find the answers at the police station, if you could really manage to get the records, and if you had spare time to satisfy your curiosity.

The dinner proceeded as usual until the fruit was served. The atmosphere in the room began to calm down as everyone was sobering up from the wine.

"So, James... Do you have some stories to tell about your career?" Andrew suddenly asked you.

"No... The cases were boring most of the time." You sighed. But what could you tell them? That you were hunted by an obsessive vampire? That you were fucked by a hungry werewolf? They would think you were crazy.

"I don't think it's true. You've been through a lot. I can see it in your eyes, kid. Don't give up. You're doing good deeds here." He spoke to you earnestly. You could still feel the fire behind this old man's eyes.

"I won't. Thank you." Not expecting this, you took a deep breath and replied.

"And don't let this beautiful lady worry about you." Andrew looked at Fran with a kind smile. "Francesca, you should always support James. I don't know much about the two of you, but whatever James's doing often shows him the dark side of people, of the world. And he needs someone, who will always be there, to tell him it's okay. Just like what my Margaret does for me."

"Darling..." His wife gave him a gratified look.

"I will." Fran nodded as she felt flattered.

She looked across the table and met your eyes. No words needed to be said. You just looked at each other with smiles quietly, like the world around you didn't exist.