Katherine hadn't said a word the whole way. There was no emotion on her face, not even a hint of anger. It was clear that something was bothering her, and that it had something to do with her conversation with Mrs. Hudson. But Elizabeth was afraid to ask her questions, she really didn't want to bother her.

As soon as they entered the house, Katherine went to the kitchen. She quickly collected the glass shards and wrapped it in a piece of paper and placed it in a bag. After vacuuming the kitchen, she put everything back in it’s place. Then she went to her room without saying anything. A few minutes later, she returned to the living room, all changed. All this time Elizabeth sat on the couch and waited for a single word from the girl.

Katherine met Elizabeth's eyes as she took the car key from the hanger. She was finally able to come back to reality and remember that she was here with Elizabeth. Her expression became softer. “Elizabeth, I need to go out a bit. I’ll come back in a couple of hours.” Just as Katherine turned around, Elizabeth jumped up and called after her, “Uhm! Katherine!”

When Katherine turned to her, she panicked. What was she going to say? She couldn't think of anything. But for some reason she didn't want Katherine to leave. Something inside her told her she had to stop her.

“Yes? Do you need something?”

“I… Yes. Yes, uhm… The thing is…” Think Elizabeth, think! “I’m… Uhm… Hun… gry…? Ah, yes! I’m hungry!” Perfect!

Katherine tapped her forehead with her palm, “I'm so sorry, I completely forgot about that... If you want, I can order something for you from outside? Or if you want to prepare something yourself, I can get you groceries from the market-”

“N- no! I- I mean what about you? Aren’t you hungry too?”

“I’m okay. I can wait till I come back-”

“B- b- but I don't like to eat alone!” Her voice was louder than she had expected. She couldn't bring herself to open her eyes, which were closed in embarrassment. What if she had annoyed Katherine by acting like a spoilt child? She'd probably want to kick her out of the house for causing her so much trouble. After all, what had she ever done for Katherine since the day they'd met, except cause her trouble? And now she was probably keeping her from doing an important job just because of a whim...

“Sorry,” Hearing Katherine's soft voice, she involuntarily opened her eyes and looked at her. Katherine was smiling. “Let's eat together then.”

Elizabeth watched her with great confusion. Wasn't Katherine angry with her? More interestingly, had her simple excuse really worked?

“But first, I need to make a quick call. I`ll be back in a minute. And then we can decide what to eat.” Katherine hung the car key back on the hanger and took her phone out of her trouser pocket. She had gone outside so she could talk on the phone.

Elizabeth sighed to herself, happy that she had managed to persuade Katherine not to go. Katherine was a strange person, agreeing to stay with her just because she said she didn't want to eat alone. Especially when what she was going to do was so important that it could have turned her mood upside down. Still, she felt relieved. Though, she wondered, what Katherine had discussed with Mrs. Hudson? What was it that she had to take care of that was making her so tense?

Katherine returned a few minutes later. She seemed to be back to her old self, but Elizabeth occasionally found her checking her phone with a face she could hardly read.

As soon as they had finished eating, Elizabeth was already looking for a new excuse. She ran her gaze around the room. Looking for something that might be useful. Then she noticed Katherine's game console. She pointed a finger at it, “Katherine, ca- can I play games with that?”

Katherine was both surprised and happy, “Of course! Of course you can.”

“But I don’t know how to… I never played with it, I only watch people while playing. So… Can you teach me?”

Katherine hesitated for a few seconds. Although it was obvious that Elizabeth was faking it, she didn't want to turn her down. And... She looked adorable right now. She swirled her fork between her fingers a few times and smiled, “Why not?”

Elizabeth clapped her hands in joy at being successful for the second time, “Great! Let's do it!”

Katherine watched as Elizabeth excitedly examined the console controller. Within seconds the smile had disappeared from her face. She looked at the screen of her mobile phone and a message appeared on the screen.

'We are on close watch, boss.’