His hand reached out to pick up the smartphone left on a table. The caller ID was flashing, and it was Reeva calling. Since Rowan knew the person, he just decided to answer the call.
"Hello, Reeva, this is Rowan." By then, Rowan realized that this was not Scott's office phone. He shouldn't have answered it, or else he might be overstepping boundaries. He just sucked it up.
Rowan continued: "Sorry, Duke left his phone in the lounge. Also, he's still sleeping. Do you want me to wake him up?"
["Next time, don't answer his calls. You don't know who might be calling him."] Reeva chuckled, but the tone of his voice was not as friendly as last night. ["Wake him up, Rowan. He's running late."]
"Okay," Rowan didn't question the slightly hostile tone. Before he could say 'goodbye,' Reeva had already dropped the call. The screen changed even before Rowan could see the 'end call' screen.
The lock screen was filled with messages and missed calls from Reeva. Rowan didn't have to wonder what he wanted from Duke. There was supposed to be a shipment delivered this morning, so Reeva was probably looking for it.
Rowan turned to find his way back to the bedroom to wake Duke, but the lights suddenly came on. The brightness temporarily blinded Rowan, and so he raised both arms to cover his face. When his eyes coped with the light, he could see Duke by the doorway.
"I… I heard your phone from the hallway…" Rowan wanted to say something, but he somewhat made out an angry face on Duke's face. He just looked away in guilt. "I'm sorry. I didn't touch anything aside from your phone…"
"What did you do to get Scott so mad at you?" Duke only chuckled and shook his head. The supposed obedient man was wandering around now.
Since Rowan was in that room, he asked, "Do you think I'm diving into anything illegal?"
Rowan nodded and handed the phone to Duke with utmost care not to drop it. "I won't talk. I don't know anything either. Whatever I saw here…"
His voice ran out when he saw multiple easels standing around. Gallons of paint were also spread around the place. He didn't forget that the smell of thinner was still apparent, as well. Rowan turned around to find the rest of the room, and he was bewildered by a lot of canvases and paintings around him. Some were covered, but the one in front of him was left to air-dry.
He stared at the painting that was almost a square meter big. The color combination was good, but the painting itself was… well, passable for someone who just wanted to copy the real thing. Rowan could tell it from the original simply because it was quite on the ugly side of duplicates.
Rowan's brows frowned for the first time in a while. "What is this?"
"Don't say anything too harsh. I'm a doctor, not a painter. I'm not known for replicating simple paintings like that one." Duke chuckled, amused at the new expression on the sheep's face. "We're not selling that, so it should be fine."
"Is this… the shipment?" Rowan turned to face the other man, his face still smeared with the upset feeling of seeing the poor imitation.
Duke nodded and gestured at the others inside the room. "Ten of them will be sent out. Do you want to help me pack them?"
Rowan stared at the poor imitation and realized that everything in here would have been of the same quality. He just looked back at Duke and felt conflicted. "I… Can I just make breakfast for you?"
The sheep had returned after becoming a bull for a bit. Duke only nodded with a smile and a wave of his hand. "There's nothing to make. My kitchen has been depleted in one night. Can you handle ordering food? Or do you want to buy at the convenience store on the first floor?"
"Ah, I'll shop later if it helps…" Rowan suddenly realized that he did use whatever he found in that cursed kitchen. "I'll just order food…"
"Let me know if it's time to eat." Duke took out his wallet from his pocket and stuffed it in Rowan's hands. "Don't order for more than two people. The classic beef roast barely fits the space in the fridge."
Rowan received the wallet and nodded before leaving the room. He didn't forget to close the door behind him. He just walked to the lounge to find the landline he spotted last night.
He thought of calling their usual take-out place, but he realized he was in the city anymore. Rowan felt like he made a mistake. It's just that the wallet in his hand was too stuffed. When he opened it, it was filled with a few bills… and tons of receipts and restaurant flyers.
"…this doesn't seem to fit his personality…" Rowan frowned at the contents. "Is this really his wallet?"
He looked through them and saw how the addresses were all in this city called Wailing Veil. Rowan had never heard of this place, so it should be very far and remote.
The next things he checked were the bills. They were not too much, but the amount was enough for a bachelor to make it through the month. He then spied a credit card tucked deep inside the wallet.
The wallet belonged to a Trigger Wellington, not even close to the name Duke said he had. He was supposed to be named Dominique, right? Did Duke lie to him?
"No, he mentioned a Trig in their conversation…" Rowan remembered something from last night. He then stared at the wallet. "Did Duke pick this from that guy? Poor person… I should take note of how much we spend…"
…
"I'll just take you out for a stroll at a later time. I'd be taking a beating for this late delivery."
Those were the words Duke left for Rowan that morning. They also had a hearty breakfast, so Rowan wouldn't be hungry any time soon. It's just that Rowan didn't have anything to do but sleep in that house.
Rowan balled on the strange carpet in the lounge. He could tell if something was newly power-washed, and he wondered about the things that the house had seen in the years before. Duke and Reeva… were still strange people to Rowan. However, he never once thought that they were normal people.
"Something illegal? I really think you're selling counterfeit paintings…"
Rowan finally rose from the carpet. It was just ten in the morning, so he picked himself up and looked for anything to do. He could sweep around the place, but the house was strangely very clean. It was as if someone had recently come here to do some deep cleaning. It was not that far off to think that this place could have been covered in blood before.
He just closed his eyes and hoped to pass time quickly by sleeping. The faint remnant smell of thinner and paint in his memory, however, made his mind unable to rest.
"…I want to paint…"