"Thank you for your cooperation,"
Roger said with a smile as he bid farewell to Travis's mother.
"You are Betty's friend, and that makes you my friend as well,"
the middle-aged woman's attitude had softened a lot, she even walked Roger to the door.
Upon opening the door, the remnants of the setting sun cast a faint red glow on the edges of the house.
In the distance, a group of people were hurrying towards the depths of the marsh, and for a moment Roger thought he saw a figure in the lead that somewhat resembled Betty.
"Are they heading to the marsh so late?"
Roger asked casually.
"It's a custom here, only at midnight can one hear the ancestors' summoning and make contact with the spirits."
Roger didn't say much else, just greeted her and left.
He drove the car out of the gathering place, as the sun on the horizon gradually disappeared, the surroundings dimming.
Pulling the car aside into a clump of roadside bushes, Roger snapped off some branches to cover it.