Chapter 5 chapter Five

I kind of hope that retribution is imminent.In movies or novels, we often see the protagonist take a gun or a knife to track down the murderer who killed his family. He is like Charles.Bronson also solved the murderer, and the audience applauded in unison.I really hope that Dad loses his mind with grief like the protagonist of the movie, and gets rid of Mr. Harvey to avenge me. But the reality is this: Dad gets up as usual every day.Before waking up, he was still the same Jack.Shamon, but as he gradually regained consciousness, the poison seemed to slowly seep into his body. At first he could hardly get up. lose interest in life.He kept running around, but no matter how busy he was, he couldn't eliminate the guilt in his heart. The guilt fell from the sky like a big hand from God, and he kept pointing at him and saying: When my daughter needs you, you are not by her side.

Before Dad came to Mr. Harvey's, Mom sat by the gate, and there was a statue by the gate that she and Dad had bought together on St. Francis Island.When Dad came home, she was gone. Dad called her loudly and called her name three times, but he hoped that she would not show up; Dad continued to go upstairs to the study and wrote in his notebook: Does he like drinking?Get him drunk, maybe he'll tell the truth when he's drunk.I was overjoyed in heaven, I hugged Halle and Fernie, I thought Dad knew the truth. Linxi suddenly slammed the door hard, louder than before. Dad suddenly came to his senses when he heard the sound. He was a little lucky that Linxi slammed the door hard, otherwise he would probably continue to think wildly, or write more messy things in his notebook idea.It was a strange afternoon, the slamming door brought him back to reality, he had to force himself to recover, otherwise he would think more and more.I feel a little disappointed, just like when Linxi told her parents at dinner that she did well in the exam, or that the history teacher planned to recommend her as a model student, I always felt a little bit disappointed when I heard it.But Lindsay is still alive, and she needs someone to take care of her too.

She walked up the stairs with such force that the whole house nearly shook as her shoes thumped on the wooden stairs. Maybe I was jealous of her getting Dad's attention, but I admired the way she handled things.Only Lindsay in the family had to deal with what Harley called the walking dead syndrome: Everyone thought of me dead and ignored her alive. Everyone thinks of me when they see Lindsay, even our parents.Even Lindsay thought so herself, avoiding mirrors and always taking showers with the lights off ever since. She stepped out of the tub in the dark and groped her way to the rack where the towels were placed. The hot mist was still clinging to the bathroom tiles, tightly surrounding her.It was pitch dark, and she felt very safe, knowing that no one was disturbed by hiding in the bathroom, whether there was anyone in the house or not.Only here can she think about me well, sometimes she calls Suzie softly, and tears can't help but come out of her eyes as she talks.She let the tears run down her already wet cheeks, and no one could see her here, and no one could see how sad she was.Sometimes she imagined me running and running, far away, and she imagined herself being caught, struggling until she was safe.She kept suppressing the question that came to her mind at any time: Where is my sister now?

Dad heard Lindsay making noises in her room.With a bang, she slammed the door shut; with a bang, she dropped the book on the floor; with a squeak, she lay down on the bed;A few minutes later, Dad walked over and knocked on Lindsay's door. Lindsay.He knocked on the door and said. No one answered. Lindsay, can I come in? go away.Lindsay's tone was quite firm. Honey, don't do this.Dad pleaded under his breath. go away! Lindsay, Dad said in a low voice, why won't you let me in?He tapped lightly on the bedroom door with his forehead, and the wooden door felt cold, making him temporarily forget the throbbing of his temples.Suspicious, he seemed to keep hearing small voices saying: Harvey, Harvey, Harvey.

Lindsey puts on her socks and walks quietly to the door, she opens it, and Dad backs away a little, hoping he looks like he's saying please don't run away. What's wrong?Linxi was expressionless, with a provocative look, what do you want from me? I want to see how you are?Dad said.He wanted to make a good deal with Mr. Harvey, but lost the opportunity to do it.He thought of his family walking up and down the street every day, and his children passing Mr. Harvey's green house on their way to school, which made him even more annoyed.In order to rekindle the fighting spirit in his heart, he must talk to his children.

I want to be alone in the room, Lindsay said: Can't you see? I'm here if you need me.He said. Dad, my sister gave in slightly and said to Dad: I want to face this alone. What else could he do?He didn't care what others thought, and shouted: I don't want to face this alone, I can't handle it alone, don't force me, but he just stood quietly at the door and replied softly: I understand.Although he still didn't understand, he turned and left after speaking. I saw a picture of a statue in an art textbook. The statue is a man and a woman. The woman lifts the man up in the air. Now I really want to lift up the father like the woman in the picture. I want our roles to be reversed. It's up to me The daughter came to comfort him and said: It's okay, it's okay, I won't let you get hurt.

But all I could do was watch him call Ryan.Fenemont. In the weeks that followed, the police were almost unanimously revered, after all, murders of missing girls were rare in small towns.But as the days passed, the police still lacked clues. They didn't know where my body was, and they couldn't find the murderer. The police became more and more anxious. After a murder, evidence usually emerges within a period of time, but The longer the time dragged on, the less chance of solving the case. I don't want you to think I'm out of proportion, Detective Fenemont.Dad said. Please call me Ryan.He had a picture of me in the corner of the desk, and my mother showed him the picture of me at school, and before the news was confirmed, he knew that I was probably in danger.

I'm sure a neighbor knows something.Dad said that he was standing at the window of the study on the second floor, looking at the cornfield in the distance. The owner of the field told the media that the cornfield would be temporarily fallow. which neighbor?How are you sure he knows something?Ryan.Fenemont asked, and as he spoke, he picked out a pen with a severed head and bite marks from the drawer. Dad told him about Mr. Harvey putting up a tent, the way he said my name, and the way he called Dad home; Dad also said that Mr. Harvey had no regular job and no children, and the neighbors thought he was weird.

I'll look into it.Ryan.Fenemont said he had to answer that, although papa could hardly come up with any useful clues, he had to do his best to reassure his family that this unfortunate event had happened.Don't mention it to anyone, and don't go to him again.Ryan warned. After Dad hung up the phone, he suddenly felt a sense of emptiness. He didn't know where the emptiness came from, he just felt exhausted.He opened the door to the study room, closed it gently, and after standing in the aisle for a while, he called out to Abigail again, looking for his mother at the top of his voice.

Mom secretly ate almond cookies in the downstairs bathroom. Every Christmas, Dad’s company would give everyone a box of almond cookies.The summer she was pregnant with me, she didn't want to spend extra money on maternity clothes, and she wore the same checkered cotton sweater every day.She ate whatever she wanted, touched her stomach while eating and said, "Thank you, baby."Chocolate dripped onto her chest. Suddenly someone knocked on the door lightly. Mommy?She hurriedly put the biscuit back in the medicine cabinet and swallowed the biscuit in her mouth. Mommy?Barkley yelped again, sounding like he was trying to sleep.

Mommy! She really hates those two words. As soon as the mother opened the door, the younger brother immediately hugged her knees and buried his face tightly between the knees. Dad heard the voice, and followed the voice to find Mom in the kitchen. They comforted Barkley together and comforted themselves. where is susieBuckley asked as Dad spread peanut butter on whole-grain bread and he made three servings, one for his mom, one for himself and one for his four-year-old son. Have you put away your toys?Dad asked Buckley, and only Buckley asked that directly, but he didn't know why he kept avoiding the question. what's the matter momBuckley asked again, and the father and son looked at their mother together, and the mother stood by the sink, staring at the empty sink in a daze. Do you want to go to the zoo this week?Dad asked, hating himself for doing this, hating himself for bribing and deceiving his youngest son like this.But could he tell Buckley that the elder sister might have been cut into pieces and buried? When Buckley heard about the zoo, he immediately thought of monkeys, and forgot to ask me where I was.He is still young, and the burden of memories has not yet fallen on him.He knew I was away, but everyone who goes out comes home, doesn't he? Ryan.Fenemont visited the neighbors from house to house, and he felt that George.There was nothing particularly strange about Harvey. Mr. Harvey was a bachelor, and it was said that he had planned to move here with his wife, but she died before moving.He helps the art shop to build doll houses, and has always been a loner.The neighbors knew only so much, and although no one was particularly close to him, the neighbors always felt a little sympathetic to him.Ryan.Fenemont felt that every house had a story behind closed doors, George.Harvey's family seems to be different from others. No, Mr. Harvey said, he didn't know the Salmons well.He said he'd seen the Shamons' kids, and everyone knew who had kids and who didn't, and he lowered his head, tilting his head a little to the left, as he spoke.You can see the toys in the yard, and it's always more lively when there are children.He talked and stopped. I know you spoke to Mr. Shamon recently.Ryan said to Mr. Harvey during his second visit. Yes, is there anything wrong with that?asked Mr Harvey.He squinted at Ryan, and after a while had to say: I've got to get my glasses, I was doing some Second Empire work before you came. Second Empire?Ryan asked. I've placed my Christmas order and now want to make something new.Mr Harvey said Ryan followed him to the back of the house, where the dining table had been pushed against a wall covered in rows of cardboard that looked like mini-wainscoting. It seemed odd, Detective Fenemont thought, but it wasn't enough to prove he was a murderer. As soon as Mr. Harvey picked up his glasses, he said: Yes, I spoke to Mr. Shamon recently and he was out for a walk and helped me put up a bridal tent. Bridal tent? Every year I help Liya make something, he said: Liya is my wife, passed away a few years ago, I am a widower. Ryan felt that he had violated the privacy of the man in front of him, well, I get it.He said. It makes me sad to think about something like that happening to that girl.Mr Harvey said: "I wanted to send my condolences to Mr Shamon but I've been through the same thing and I know there's no point in saying anything at a time like this. So you pitch a tent this time of year?Ryan.asked Fenemont, which he could check with his neighbors. In previous years I have pitched the tent inside the house, but this year I wanted to try pitching the tent outside, our wedding anniversary was in the winter, I thought it would work, until the snow got heavier and heavier, I realized it wouldn't work. Where do you pitch your tent inside the house? The basement, if you want to see it, I can take you down, I put all Liya's things in the basement. But Ryan didn't follow up. I've been bugging you long enough, he said: I just want to search this area more carefully. How is the investigation going?Mr Harvey asked: "Have you found any clues?" Ryan always hated people asking this question, but he thought that the police's handling of the case inevitably violated everyone's privacy, and everyone had the right to ask this question.Sometimes I think that if clues should come out, they will come naturally, he said: If they want to be found by the police, we will find them naturally.Such an answer was a bit vague and slightly Zen-like, but almost every commoner nodded. Did you interrogate the Iris boys?asked Mr Harvey. We talked to the Iris family. I heard he mistreats the animals in the area. You're right, he does sound like a problem kid, Ryan said, but on the day it happened, he was working at a mall. Are there any witnesses? have. That's all I can think of, Mr Harvey said: "I wish I could be of more help. Ryan thought he was quite sincere. From certain angles, he seemed a little uncomfortable, Ryan said to his dad on the phone: But I can't find any openings. What about the tent?How did he say? He said it was built for his wife. I remember Mrs Steady telling Abigail his wife's name was Sophie.Dad said. Ryan checked his notebook and said: No, his wife's name is Lia, and I copied the name down. Dad wondered where on earth had he heard the name Sophie?He's sure he's heard the name before, maybe at a community dinner a year ago, but there was polite chatter at the dinner, kids' and wives' names popped in and out like scraps of paper, and the next day everyone forgot about it. up. He was sure Mr. Harvey hadn't been at the dinner party, he remembered that well.Mr. Harvey never participated in any activities in the community. Many neighbors thought it was strange, but Dad didn't think so.He himself disliked and felt uncomfortable in these semi-forced social events. Dad wrote Lia in his notebook? , and then wrote Sophie? .Before he knew it, he had listed the names of other victims. Maybe it would be easier for my family to be in my paradise on Christmas Day.In my paradise, people don't care much about Christmas, some people dress up in white and pretend to be snowflakes, but other than that, nothing happens. That Christmas, Samuel.Hankel made a surprise visit to my house.He was not at all dressed like Snowflake, instead he was wearing his brother's black leather jacket and a poorly fitting overalls. The younger brother was standing at the gate with the toy, and the mother was secretly glad that she had bought Christmas presents for the younger brother. Lindsay got a pair of gloves and a cherry-flavored lip balm, and the father's gift was five white handkerchiefs.As early as a month ago, she helped Dad mail order this gift.In fact, except for Buckley, no one wanted any presents. In the days before Christmas, no one lit the little bulbs on the Christmas tree, only the candles that Dad put in the study window, flickering faintly.Dad didn't light the candles until after dark, but Mum, sister, and brother didn't go out after four, so I was the only one who saw the candles. Someone is outside!The younger brother shouted, he was busy building a skyscraper with building blocks, the building blocks were stacked up to the sky, and the skyscraper hadn't collapsed yet, and he was holding a suitcase. Mom left the eggnog in the kitchen and went to the front door.Reluctantly, Linxi plays Monopoly with her father in the living room. Every holiday, the family must gather in the living room. Linxi really doesn't like this.She and her father put water on each other. Regardless of the high taxes, they deliberately accommodate when they get bad opportunities. Mother stood in the gate, her hands on the hem of her skirt, and she told Buckley to stand in front of her, with his arms around the boy's shoulders. We wait for the man to knock on the door.she says. Reverend Stricker, perhaps.Dad told Lindsey while taking fifteen dollars from the bank for the second place prize in the beauty pageant. For Suzie's sake, please please don't be a priest.Lindsay said boldly. Dad hung on to the words, and immediately realized that Lindsey had finally said my name.Lindsey rolled the dice and made her way to Marvin Gardens. You owe me twenty-four yuan toll, and my father said: but I will take ten yuan. Lindsey, mom yells: Someone's looking for you. Dad watched my sister get up and leave the living room, and I watched Lindsey leave, then sat down with Dad.My figure bobbing on the game board, Dad looking at the shoe-like piece in the box, alas, if only I could pick up the piece and move it from the wide boardwalk on the game board to the Baltic Sea.I've always claimed that people in the Baltic countries live a higher life, and that's because you're weird, and Lindsey retorted, and Dad said, I'm so glad to have a daughter who isn't a snob. Railroad, Suzy, he said: You always like to buy railroads. In order to emphasize the V-shaped hair on the forehead and the unkempt curls hanging in front, Samuel.Hankel's hair was pulled back deliberately, and this hairstyle, combined with the leather jacket he was wearing, made the thirteen-year-old look like a young vampire. Merry Christmas, Lindsey.He said to my sister, handing her a small box wrapped in blue wrapping paper. I could see Lindsay throbbing. She tried her best to keep everyone out of her heart these days, but she thought Samuel was cute, and a heart melted like spices in cooking.Although her sister had passed away, she was still a thirteen-year-old girl, and the boy looked very pleasing to the eye, and he came to see her at home at Christmas, and his visit inevitably caused a ripple in her heart. I heard you were selected as a gifted student, and he broke the ice by talking first, and so did I. Mom just came back to her senses at this moment, and played hostess' hospitality without thinking: Would you like to come in and sit down?She begrudgingly said: I have some eggnog in the kitchen. Okay, thank you.Samuel.Hankel said, and then held out his arm for Lindsey to take him, which both Lindsey and I found amused. what is that?Buckley hid behind his mother and asked Samuel, pointing to what he thought was a suitcase. It was an alto saxophone. What?Barkley continued to question. Then Lindsey spoke: Samuel could play alto saxophone. I only know a little. : Said Samuel. The younger brother didn't ask what the saxophone was. He knew that Linxi had put on what I call arrogance. Every time Linxi put on this kind of virtue, I told Buckley: Don't worry, Linxi is just arrogant. "Ao Li Ao Qi", I said "Ao Li Ao Qi" while tickling him, and sometimes I hit his stomach with my head, forcing him to keep shouting "Ao Li Ao Qi" until the two fell to the ground laughing. Buckley followed the adults into the kitchen, repeating the question he asks at least once a day: Where's Suzie? Everyone was silent, and Samuel looked at Lindsay. Buckley, Dad yells from the living room next to the kitchen: Come and play Monopoly with me. No one ever asked Barkley to play Monopoly with him, everyone said he was too young to know how to play. But there are always miracles at Christmas, and he ran to the living room, where his father picked him up and sat him on his lap. See this chess piece that looks like a shoe?Dad asked. Buckley nodded. I'm going to tell you something, you have to listen carefully, okay? About Suzy?The little brother asked, he had unconsciously associated me with what Dad was about to say. Yes, I'm going to tell you where Suzy is. I couldn't hold back tears in heaven, what else could I do? When Susie played Monopoly, she chose this piece that looked like a shoe. Dad said: I choose a car or a wheelbarrow, and Lindsey chooses an iron. Sometimes my mother also plays together. Is that a puppy? Yes, that's a collie. I want this one! good.Dad said patiently that he felt he already knew how to explain this to his youngest son.He sat the little brother on his lap and could feel Buckley's body against his knees as he spoke, and the little Buckley's body was so warm and alive that Dad felt reassured.Well, the Collie is yours.Tell me again: which piece is Suzie's? shoe.Buckley said. Well, the car is mine, the iron is Lindsay's, and the cannon is Mama's. The younger brother listened very attentively. Let's put all the pieces on the board now, shall we?You start first and help me put the pieces on the board. Barkley grabbed the pawns one by one, and another, and didn't stop until all the pawns were placed between the decks of chance and community service. Well, let's say these other pieces belong to our friends. Like Knight? That's right, we tip our hats to Knight.Well, the game board is like a small world, what do you think it means if I tell you that after I rolled the dice, someone took a piece away? This person can't play Monopoly anymore? That's right. Why?Buckley asked. The younger brother looked up at his father, who suddenly felt timid. Why?The younger brother continued to question. Dad didn't want to say it was because the world wasn't fair or that was the way it was, he wanted to be brief enough for his four-year-old son to understand what it was all about.He put his hand on Barkley Jr.'s back. Suzy is dead.Dad said he couldn't explain it with any rules of the game, do you know what that means? Barkley covered the shoe on the board with his small hand, then looked up at Dad, as if asking him if it was all right. Dad nodded and said, Baby, you'll never see Suzie again, and we'll never see her again.Dad sobbed softly after he finished speaking, and Buckley looked up into his teary eyes, still not quite sure what was going on. Barkley put the shoes in the drawers of his wardrobe until they disappeared one day, no matter how hard he looked for them, they still disappeared Mom left after mixing the eggnog in the kitchen. She went to the dining room to double check the cutlery. She methodically arranged the three types of forks, knives, and spoons. Before I was born, my mother worked in a bridal shop. That permutation was learned there.She really wanted to smoke, and she also hoped that the two children who were still alive would disappear for a while. Do you want to unwrap it to see what the gift is?Samuel asked. They stood in front of the kitchen counter, leaning on the dishwasher and the napkin drawer, Dad and brother sitting in the living room to the right of the kitchen, and Mom sitting in the dining room on the other side of the kitchen thinking about bright blue Wedgwood bone china, Royal Worcester, a famous British porcelain with dark blue and gold border, and Lenax porcelain with pure white and gold border. Lindsay smiled and pulled the white ribbon off the box. My mother tied the ribbon for me.Zhaimuel said. She tore open the blue wrapping paper, and inside was a black velvet box.After tearing off the wrapping paper, she carefully put the box in her hand. I was very excited to see it in heaven. When I used to play Barbie dolls with Lindsey, Barbie and Kenny got married when they were sixteen. We all felt alone. There is only one true love in our life, we don't know what compromise is, and we don't want to settle for the second best. Open it and have a look.Samuel said. I'm afraid. Don't be afraid. He put his hand on her forehead and I watched and exclaimed: Wow, there's a cute boy coming to Lindsay, I don't care if he looks like a vampire or not!This is really big news, and it deserves to be posted on the bulletin board to tell the world. I suddenly felt that I knew all the secrets. Normally, Linxi would never tell me such a thing. You can call what's in the box unsurprising and disappointing, or you can call it amazing, depending on the individual.This gift is not surprising, because Samuel is only a thirteen-year-old boy after all; this gift is disappointing, because it is not a ring in the box; Just amazing.There was half a gold heart in the box, and Samuel took the other half out of the shirt, and hung the heart on a leather cord around Samuel's neck. Lindsey was flushed, and I was flushed in heaven. I forgot my dad sitting in the living room and my mom counting the silverware, and I watched Lindsey go up and kiss Samuel.Hankel, this image is so beautiful, I almost feel alive again.