Inside the church prayer hall.
Cang Nong jogged back to the area where Aiven had been earlier, wearing just the right amount of confusion and concern.
Without making any effort to lower his voice, he said to the nun who had spoken with Aiven earlier, "That man just now—um, Mr. Aiven—went into the washroom and hasn't come out. I waited a while and knocked, but no one answered. I was worried something had happened, so I pushed the door open to check... It was empty inside. There wasn't anyone there!"
His voice carried clearly through the relatively quiet hall. Many nearby residents who had been keeping their ears open, along with the clergy maintaining order, heard him.
At such a sensitive time, any "disappearance" was enough to put people on alert.
The nun's expression immediately turned serious. "There was no one inside? Could he have..."
She left the sentence unfinished, but her meaning was obvious. At a time when everyone had been forcibly gathered and strictly forbidden to leave, anyone who went to such lengths to slip out of sight probably had something to hide.
"I'll report this to the Archbishop at once!" The nun made a quick decision and turned toward the pulpit.
Zeng Lai and several other deducers nearby had also heard the commotion. His expression didn't change, and he only glanced over before casually looking away, though his ears carefully caught the residents' hushed, belated speculation.
"Was that Aiven? The painter, Aiven? That's the first time I've seen him!"
"Of course. We don't usually get to meet artists favored by such important people."
"I was wondering why he kept sitting in the corner and never spoke to anyone..."
"I could tell at a glance that he was gloomy! His soul is tainted!"
"Could he really be a