James drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, casually saying, "Give me a call when you''re done."


    Mirabe hesitated for a couple of seconds before replying, "It''s not the best idea for you toe along."


    Frank was an official, and his residence required an escort to get in, which wasn''t happening without one.


    "Just call me when you''re out," James said, keeping it simple.


    After giving it some thought, Mirabe agreed, "Alright, I''m heading out then."


    "Okay," James nodded.


    Mirabe quickly made her way back to Johnny''s car. Johnny closed the door for her and sneaked a nce towards the ck sedan. When his eyes met the gaze from the other car, he instinctively shivered a bit.


    That look was kind of intimidating.


    Johnny hurriedly opened the driver''s door and got in. He nced at Mirabe and asked, "Your friend needed something?"


    "Yeah," Mirabe replied, "Let''s hit the road."


    Johnny nodded and started the car.


    As they drove away, he noticed the ck sedan still parked there in the side mirror. He found himself wondering about Mirabe''s connection with someone from the Shepherd family, suspecting there was more than just friendship...


    **


    About thirty minutester, they pulled up at the Jones estate.


    David was already there when Mirabe arrived, waiting for her.


    Seeing David there didn''t surprise Mirabe. After exchanging greetings, she got straight to work on Frank''s final acupuncture session.


    David watched her deft movements and the precision with which she ced the needles, unable to hold back his curiosity, "You must''ve been practicing acupuncture since you were a kid?"


    "Practiced for a few years," Mirabe replied casually, her hands not missing a beat.


    David''s eyebrows shot up, "A few years... How many exactly?"


    "Two or three, maybe," Mirabe said lightly, as if it were no big deal.


    David''s expression grew thoughtful. Two or three years, plus a ''maybe''? That was a bit cheeky.


    Even seasoned veterans in alternative medicine, with decades under their belts, might not reach her level of precision and calm, right?


    It''s true what they say,paring yourself to others can be maddening.


    David sighed internally, impressed by her acupuncture skills and eager to see the medicine she''d concoctter.


    Shaking off his thoughts, David continued watching her. He noticed her technique differed slightly this time, with no use of gold wires, and he''d never seen this method before. He couldn''t help but ask, "What''s this technique you''re using now?"


    Mirabe inserted a silver needle into one of Mason''s acupoints, her fingertip gliding over the spot, guiding the needle with precision. After a full rotation, she removed it, raising an eyebrow, "A unique secret technique."


    She inserted another needle and added, "The kind people might spend a lifetime trying to master."


    David chuckled, "Don''t worry, I''m not trying to steal your secrets."


    Mirabe just smiled and continued her work.


    About half an hourter, she removed all the needles and took a prepared bowl, pricking Mason''s index finger to let a drop of dark blood fall in.


    Seeing this, David''s eyes widened. Anyone familiar with medicine knew that blood containing toxins would be that color, but his previous checks had shown no signs of toxins.