Devil's Whisper Chapter 104: The Wrong Message

"Tell me who you are and how you became aware of the message that I derived from some pieces of poetry," Kate demanded, her voice sharp and serious.

She wasn’t in the mood for games, and this strange woman’s calm demeanor only added to her irritation.

"I told you," the woman said, her voice as polite and composed as ever, "I am a well-wisher of yours. I traveled almost halfway around the world to come here and help you. And for your peace of mind, let me assure you—I know many secrets about many people, but I am not here to blackmail you or cause you any harm."

Kate studied the woman’s face carefully, her eyes narrowing as she tried to determine if this stranger was lying. There was no flicker of deception in her expressions, no nervous gestures or hesitation in her words. Yet, Kate couldn’t shake the feeling that this encounter was anything but ordinary.

"How do you know my name?" Kate asked, her tone unwavering. If this woman wasn’t going to disclose her identity outright, Kate would keep pressing until she got the answers she needed.

The woman’s polite expression didn’t falter, but her response was maddeningly vague. "Someone told me about you, your name, and everything else about you," she said, her voice as serene as a still lake.

Kate’s patience was wearing thin. The ambiguous answer grated on her nerves, the sheer vagueness making it clear that the woman was playing some kind of game.

"Don’t waste my time," Kate said sharply, her tone firm and no-nonsense. She took a step closer to the woman, her posture tense and her eyes locked on the stranger. "Tell me who you are and why you came after me."

"I am not wasting your time," the woman replied, her voice unshaken. "I am here to help you. And it is you who is wasting precious time by asking useless questions."

"Lady, don’t play word games with me," Kate snapped, her tone now tinged with anger. Her grip on the paper bags tightened, the heat from the contents seeping through the thin material.

"Kate Miller, I am not playing any games with you," the woman said, her tone suddenly serious, though the politeness in her voice never wavered. "I know that you don’t have time to waste, and neither do I."

"Then tell me who you are and what kind of help you’re offering me," Kate shot back, her voice sharp and demanding.

The woman remained calm, her expression as composed as ever. "I will give answers to all of your questions," she said, her words deliberate and measured, "but you will have to come to Somerton Beach to ask them."

Kate’s patience snapped. Her voice rose, sharp and resolute. "Listen, I don’t have time to waste on such ambiguous and pointless conversations. I’m leaving." Her tone was firm, leaving no room for negotiation.

"And I am not coming to the beach to see you," Kate added, her voice filled with frustration. "I know how to deal with scammers like you."

Her mind was already racing with thoughts. This woman must have seen her on TV or stumbled across her name on social media. It wouldn’t be the first time someone had tried to use her fame as leverage to get close to her. Kate mentally noted to have her team check for bugs at her office, her car, and especially at the Global News Network building.

But beneath her guarded skepticism, a flicker of doubt began to stir.

What if this woman wasn’t just another fame-chaser? What if she actually knew something—something Kate herself had missed in the chaos of her life?

The world had grown stranger lately, darker, as if unseen forces were tugging at its edges. Considering all she’d heard, all she’d seen in fleeting glimpses, anything seemed possible now—monsters, devils, truths too vast and terrible to name.

Suddenly, a wave of recognition washed over her, pulling her back to a memory she hadn’t touched in years. She felt what Jason must have felt in the past three years—the dizzying mix of disbelief and reluctant curiosity that had shadowed him every time she’d stormed into his office, her arms full of theories and notebooks.

A small, wry smile tugged at her lips. This must be his feelings, she thought, when I went to his office and shared all the crazy investigations and ideas I’d found and thought.

But she wasn’t Jason. Where he’d prod and poke with sharp questions, dismantling her theories with a journalist’s precision, or wave her off with a chuckle and a shake of his head. Instead of pressing the woman with sharp questions or dismissing her outright, Kate held back. She fixed her gaze on the stranger, waiting for her to finish whatever cryptic statement she’d begun.

"Kate Miller," the woman said sharply, her voice rising slightly, though the politeness in her tone and expression remained intact. "I am not some crazy fan following you to get your attention."

Kate’s eyes narrowed.

The woman took a step closer, her eyes locking with Kate’s. There was an intensity in her gaze now, a seriousness that hadn’t been there before. "I am the one who is going to help you get rid of Baphomet," the woman said, her words cutting through the tension like a blade.

Kate froze, her heart skipping a beat at the mention of the monstrous creature. She hadn’t spoken a word about Baphomet to anyone outside her immediate circle.

"You think that by avoiding your house, the monstrous creature won’t come after you or harm you. But I am the one who knows something about Baphomet that your priest doesn’t know," the woman continued, her voice steady but charged with meaning.

Kate stared at her, her mind racing as she tried to process what she was hearing.

"And I am the one who will show you how you derived the wrong message from the quatrains of Rubaiyat," the woman added, her tone serious yet eerily polite. "A mistake that could ruin your life."