Chapter 5

Winston took much of the food he had taken to the basement kitchen and transferred it to the main kitchen, he was going to give the impression that he was healthy and eating well. Pure lie. There were plenty of rooms in the house, not counting the new ones that remained in the basement. He didn't plan to show the place to Chelsea, and there was no reason, the basement only allows storing what nobody cares about, she wouldn't imagine that in that house there would be a “mini house” ready to receive teenagers that would be kidnapped.

He sprayed perfume on himself three times, instead of the usual amount. Not only that, but he was ready for their arrival, luckily for him, visitors like coffee, so he took the time to spray some sweet, just the way he liked it. He filled the house with the scent of lavender and made everything as beautiful as possible. He also transferred a complete set from one of the new bedrooms to the guest room. Luckily, the giant room he had made on the second floor was still empty, so on the spot, he would make up any excuse about what the room would be like in the future.

Finally, the time came, half an hour before, Chelsea had already said she was on her way, and that the paperwork was ready, she looked excited, and in the background, he could hear the girl's voice, but it was too low to understand. He sat down on his couch and waited for the bell to ring, thereafter, he walked to the door and found Chelsea, still dressed the same way she was when in the morning, next to him was Morgan. Flashbacks of his first sister's death came to mind, she looked a lot like his other sister, the one who had died in childhood, in an attempted robbery, she had died protecting him, he was too young. Looking at Morgan was like a shock, he wasn't going to be able to get her on the tests, not as long as he remembered his sister every time he saw her.

"Come in, make yourselves at home," and then he smiled gently at the girl, who naively smiled back. They went inside.

"Why a house so far away?" she questioned gently, as she accepted a simple cup of coffee.

"Well, it's not that far away judging by the street, I'd say everyone around here likes their privacy, it's quiet, and the atmosphere is nice," Winston knew how to be a nice, correct person, the problem is that most people still don't know that this is the most dangerous kind of person.

"Well, your kitchen is quite bright, it must be nice to cook here," she said, as she blew her coffee sometimes yes, sometimes no.

"I like pudding," Morgan commented, taking a bite of a piece of bread.

"Oh? We can make some together sometime, what do you think?" Connel offered, the girl smiled encouragingly and shook her head positively. He had a good portion of her trust, manipulating it wouldn't be as complicated as it seemed. Chelsea liked the mood she was seeing, little did she know the nightmare she was inserting the child into. "Shall we tour the house?" he asked, they nodded.

The 'tour' began in the living room, there was a TV and a medium-sized couch, it was a small room. Across the room, to the right, was the giant kitchen, which met the main room; a corner sofa, a Smart TV, a coffee table, and a massive rug, made the room cozy. It was a room that he didn't use, so it looked spotless. He showed the bathroom that was there, and then the guest room, which was neutrally decorated enough for anyone to feel at ease, regardless of gender. Finally, he showed her the study, leaving Ms. Miller amazed at the size of the book collection, and the comfortable space. Not far from the stairs to the second floor, there was the stairway to the basement.

"That door leads where?" the assistant questioned.

"It's the basement, it's average, and it's a mess, I just moved in and there's a lot of old stuff from the old residents too, opening that door would spoil the experience, I imagine the girl here is eager to see what's upstairs," and he directed his gaze at her, who excitedly nodded and started up the steps in complete elation; Chelsea laughed low. They went upstairs.

The psychologist's room was as spotless as the living room, after all, he didn't even use the room. The 'tour' went on to the bathroom that was there, and then two more rooms, which were a bit sloppy. Finally, at the end of the corridor, was the huge room, which before was only two rooms. As imagined, there were questions, and he, as a good improviser to make good impressions, said that he had no plans, but that it was always good to have a big place in the house because ideas sometimes needed big spaces. Theoretically, he didn't lie, that room meant exactly the expansion of an idea. Morgan didn't like the room, she didn't seem comfortable with that space all empty and with wide walls barely painted gray. Chelsea found Winston's answer quite philosophical, and he concluded that the girl had high indications of claustrophobia; he would find out soon enough.

The meeting ended with Winston signing a horde of guard papers, and Miller's security guard unloading the girl's bags into her room. Chelsea concluded that he was fully fit to care for the girl and that the girl seemed excited about staying with him. Conditions were imposed: Morgan would not change schools, and he would have to pick her up and drop her off daily while she was still a child; in short, he would have to wake up earlier, and finally, quarterly visits by the assistant would take place during the first two years of her custody. In the end, everything worked out with the girl.

He had many things to review. He no longer liked the idea of her being a victim, he cogitated at that moment, to raise her as any normal girl, with a normal life, in a normal house. He would have to keep her away from the basement, and he would also have to keep the basement discrete from the house. He would have to muffle the sound, Morgan wouldn't find out about the kidnapped teenagers, and Winston would do everything he could to make sure that didn't happen.

After Ms. Miller left the house, he helped Morgan pack up her things. She reminded him too much of his older sister, and he liked her very much, in only a few hours he found himself attached to her, but no more than in his survival thesis.