An eerie atmosphere settled over the Recreation Room.
Several children began chiming in with their own experiences.
"I saw him too!" "Sometimes he shows up in the kitchen!" "He giggles when he's on the swing!" ...
Their discussion grew louder and louder. Dick scratched the back of his head and looked helplessly at the Orphanage teacher.
Bruce rose from his seat.
"You said the person who looked like a clown had a white face?"
Several children nodded at once, as though someone finally believed them.
Ririko's first thought was that Jerome couldn't possibly have wandered into the Orphanage just to prank children.
That guy's idea of fun went far beyond "scaring kids on a swing in the middle of the night."
If he had that much free time, he would be better off making a few Laughing Gas Bombs and setting them off in a busy square. At least that would suit his usual twisted tastes.
The commotion in the Recreation Room continued for a while, until the children finished their candy and forgot about "seeing a ghost."
Bruce extricated himself from the crowd and walked over to Ririko and Dick.
"The clown those children saw... I don't think it was necessarily the real one. But to be safe, we should search this building for clues."
Ririko also wanted to know who that clown-looking guy really was.
If it really was Jerome, she would have to figure out how to teach him a harsh enough lesson that he wouldn't dare wander into a place like this again.
Holding a flashlight, she climbed a wooden staircase to the second floor.
She pushed open the girls' bathroom door and swept the beam beneath the stalls, under the sinks, and over the shadows along the windowsills... Nothing.
Next, she entered the girls' bedroom.