Chapter 14 Chapter Fourteen

At midnight, I pulled the rental car into the town of Belin. I don't want to be noticed by the police yet, but I only have one way to find Shi Yiling. This method is easy to be considered as loitering and disorderly behavior and call the police.I drove into the first motel I saw, walked around in it, looked at the cars in front of each house, and drove out again.Come across the second motel, repeat this again.A Chevrolet, license plate RTD 671, was parked in front of house number ten. The motel still has one room available.I rented it and parked my car.I waited for the manager to turn off the neon sign, imagining that he had already gone to bed, walked to room ten, and knocked on the door lightly.

As luck would have it, Yi Ling was clearly not asleep.I heard the sound of the bed moving, the sound of feet hitting the ground, and then her nervous voice asking: Who? It's Tang Nuo.I said. She opened the door a crack. Donno, she said: I was in pajamas.I Do you have a dressing gown?I asked. No, I didn't bring it, I Wrap a blanket.I whispered: I have something important, I must see you. Wait a moment. She went back to bed and came back with a blanket wrapped around her. Don't turn on the light, I told her, keeping the voice as low as possible. I went in and shut the door behind itself.

The walls here are very thin.She whispered: Others would think that someone came to see me in the middle of the night. It doesn't matter.I told her: When people see you coming to register alone, they already know that someone will come to see you, so don’t disappoint them.See the newspaper? have. There will be more in the morning paper tomorrow.I said: You will find the police looking for me. Looking for you? Yes, I say: softer. But why are they looking for you? If you don't look for me, I will look for you.I said: If I stand up and tell the police about you, they will come looking for you.Otherwise, I will stand behind and not let them find it.

But how would they know about you? You'll see it in the newspaper.I told her: I don't have time to explain now, I read from the newspaper that Du Hanbo has no living immediate family members. I saw it too. Did I know? have no idea.I knew he was very lonely, and he also told me that he had no close relatives to walk around. There will be cousins, nieces, nieces, or any other relatives who can be seen for thousands of miles. What do you mean?Tang Nuo?Why did you drag me out of bed in the middle of the night and ask me this question? She was sitting by the bed, a little light coming in from the window, illuminating her helpless and anxious expression.

Think for yourself.I told her: Your son is Du Hanbo's son. There is nothing wrong with illegitimate children, but they are always his blood relatives. She held her breath and said, "Tang Nuo, do you mean this will work?" Of course it works.I told her: It just needs various proofs.If the proof is right, it will be different for your son, and it will be different for you. Of course, it will be too disadvantageous for distant relatives who want to get a share of the pie, so they will definitely fight with you. You said they would drag me in for a share, and my son? sky!I said: Don't be naive, please?They're going to drag you into a case, tear you to pieces, they're going to order a murder case for you.They'll tell you that you're blackmailing him and say the baby is his short story, and it's going to be very difficult.

She sat on the edge of the bed, wrapped in a blanket, thinking about the whole incident. So what should I do?What can I do?she asked. Yes, I said. can you help me I can try to help.I said: But I have to take a lot of risks. As long as I can avoid being caught by the police, I can control the overall situation. Once I am caught by the police, there is nothing I can do. Now I need your help. What? I said: You have been paying attention to everything about Du Hanbo, and you are paying attention to what he is doing.When he's with you, it's obvious he listens to you. You know him.He knows that you understand his problems and that you empathize with him.I think you still love him, but you don't want to go back to the old ways. As a mother, you think you have a responsibility to your son, and you want him to grow up.

Well, you must know a lot of things about Du Hanbo that others don't.From time to time, he secretly dated a woman in his office.I want to know who is she? Can you describe her?she asked. She is twenty-six to thirty-one years old, with big, dark eyes, long eyelashes, and a very special way of walking, swaying very seductively.It's not swinging, it's rhythmic Ma Taoli.she interjected. Well, how is she? I know, I know that Hanbo is very interesting to her, but he is locked by Ling Peizhu.She's holding him so tight I can't believe he's dead Donno Yes, I understand.I won't let her get off topic: we don't have time for sentimentality.What I want is the truth, and I want to be quick, tell me about Ma Taoli.

She's a mysterious figure, I don't know much about her, she's very tight-lipped.She said: "I do know that Humber is very interested in her, I think she is encouraging him, I don't think there is any intimate thing between the two of them. Do you know where I can find this girl? No idea, I think I've heard her before No, sorry Dono.I'm sorry I can't help you. It doesn't matter, I said: Tell me another thing, Ling Peizhu has a luxury apartment in Santa Ana under Diane's name, and I think Du Hanbo paid for it. In Santa Ana!she yelled. I nod. No, no.She said: "Humber gave her an apartment in Los Angeles.

Do you know the address?I asked. I don't know which street it is.She said: "But at the Queen's Apartments. OK, here's another question.I said: Ling Peizhu stayed at the Sunny Hotel for one night under the name of Diane, and Diane was the name she used in the Santa Ana apartment.Why do you think she wants to live in the Sunny Hotel? Yi Ling shook her head.I don't know, Tang Nuo. Du Hanbo met you at Sunny Pool? Yes. How many times? That's where we usually meet, yes. However, if he wants to meet Ling Peizhu, do you think he will God, no!She rushed to say: Why should he arrange to meet her in a motel?He was keeping her an apartment in Los Angeles, and from Humber's point of view it was over.He had already seen what she was like, a standard gold digger.

In fact I believe he was never in love with her, just dazzled by her.You have to believe me, this woman has used all means, she is a good hand.Humber was very lonely and a little lost.She came out, flaunted her fine figure in front of her, and sent herself into his arms, but she did it beautifully, always as if Humber had taken the initiative, which was the old way. I look up and down at her. Don't look at me like that, Tang Nuo.She said: There is a difference between me and him, I love him, and he loves me.If he were alive to speak to you today, he would tell you that my leaving him has left him with an irreparably empty void.

Those nights I was with him at the Sunpool motel he valued those dates with other women more than any tryst with other women, just you know. I said: OK, Yi Ling, I must warn you.Sooner or later this matter will explode and become public.Your son, Uncle, will be the center of attention.I don't want to, but I can't help it. Tang Nuo, if they ask me, how can I tell them? Don't say anything, I said: the first thing is to find a lawyer, if the lawyer finds a good one, he will teach you to keep silent until I have a chance to find out more facts, I am leaving. Tang Nuo, are you in any danger? If I don't resist arrest, I won't be in danger.I said: I wouldn't be stupid enough to do that.But if they catch it, it is inevitable that they will repair it. You mean they'll still beat you up. When Mi Shanlou has a bad temper, he likes to fix people. Now I know that he has a bad temper. You are pitiful.She said: You became like this because of me.you The blanket fell to the floor.She put her hands on my shoulders and said, "Tang Nuo, we know each other well. I'm not interested in you. I'm really grateful to you for protecting me with all your strength. I know it." She kissed me on the forehead, stood up and put on only her pajamas, and opened the door for me. I walked over and grabbed her arm with one hand, giving her another layer of security by shaking her gently and firmly.I said: Continue to sleep with your chin up. I drove to Palm Springs, walked into a phone booth, and made a long-distance call to Baisha's apartment to find her. A minute or two later, Baisha woke up drowsily to answer the phone.Hello, what the hell are you doing?who is in the middle of the night It's Tang Nuo, I said. you!Bai Sha yelled, the sleepiness was completely gone.You little bastard!You are screwed this time.Mi Shanlou said that he will never let you eat in this profession again in his life.Who are you Shut up and listen to me.I told Baisha. Shut up?I heard you say?who do you think You Are?You self-righteous, dime-worthy straight flush.Do you know what they will do to you? How to deal with me?I asked. I want you to plead guilty, first degree murder.Baisha said: You have gone too far this time, you have made Shanlou sad, I can't help you at all, Shanlou has already linked you with the murder case. How wonderful.I said: Have you found the murder weapon? I don't know what the hell he found.Baisha said: But I know he has enough evidence to send you to the gas chamber, and I will tell you another thing.Diane, who saw that voyeur in the motel, has already identified you from your photo as the one who watched her get out of the bath. How can this be!I exclaimed, unable to contain my surprise. That's it, Bai Sha said: Mi Shanlou showed her your photo, and she recognized you immediately.Then there is Mu Maya, Mu Maya is obviously the person who just walked out of the shower room within a minute or so of Du Hanbo's death.She described you very carefully.As soon as she saw your picture, she told Shanlou that you were the one peeking at her, and she said she would recognize you no matter how many people there were. So, you are already hopeless, you little bastard.But there's one thing I don't understand about you, why did you kill this man?I don't understand what's wrong with you and him.I told Mi Shanlou, as far as I know, you never knew him before, I only know that you are investigating him. I filter what she told me in my head. are you still thereBaisha asked. I am here. where is this palm springs. what are you doing in palm springs To find out, who killed Du Hanbo.I said. Shanlou had already been found.She told me: He said you killed it. What he couldn't prove, I said: Diane once described a completely different look after seeing the voyeur. Which one is more trustworthy between description and face-to-face identification?Baisha said: She has already identified your photo 100%, and Mu Maya is even more certain. I said: This is how the police do things. They choose a self-righteous person.Take a picture of him, show it to witnesses, keep implying it's this guy.Then witnesses, in the ranks of the identified, saw his words Oh, come on!Stop it!Betha interrupted me: I don't know how many times I've heard you say that. Doesn't that justify its usefulness?I say: the power of suggestion is Power of suggestion shit!Bai Sha said bluntly: I think you have no way to end it yourself. You listen to me, you call Mi Shanlou and apologize to him.Say you shouldn't have lied to him; you shouldn't have messed with his case; tell him you're innocent; say you're going to surrender for clarification. Maybe after you do that I can put him in a good word so that he won't insist on charging you with first degree murder and have mercy on you pleading guilty to second degree murder. God, Tang Nuo.Usually you can't see enough women who don't wear clothes, why do you want to touch other people's back yards to peek at other people's back windows?this time Baisha, you are behind the times.I said: The latest news is that they have caught the peeping tom.His name is Pang Lutu, he is the manager of a telegraph branch, and he was caught tonight. Bai Sha thought about the news and said: Shanlou didn't tell me that he no longer thinks I'm reliable.Don Nuo, you're too slippery and too quick for this sort of thing.I'm thinking that you set a trap and pushed this man into it.I advise you to hang up the phone and call Shanlou immediately, saying that you want to surrender yourself to him. I will think about it.I told Baisha: Now I don't want to call again, so as not to waste public money too much public money!Baisha yelled: "Hear me, little bastard, this matter has nothing to do with our detective agency. This is your personal difficulty. You got it in by yourself and figured out your own way out. Don't think that I will Pay half of the phone bill for you, don't think that our detective agency is a god, the detective agency is a fart. I gently hung up the phone and left the phone booth. Lucky Air has a flight to Phoenix. According to the newspaper clippings, the first person to report encountering a voyeur in the Sunshine Motel was Helen Hao from Phoenix. Long nose, broom eyebrows, quite stylish and not at all like a voyeur. I know it won't be long before Mi Shanlou will show her my photo to make her believe that I am the person she saw, and he will tell her that Di Anne has absolutely confirmed it, and that Mu Maya saw me there, so Officer Mi knew that I must be the person she saw. He would ask her to look at my photo carefully, and he would tell her that she was too nervous at that time anyway. Yelling and calling the police is still the same old, suggestive power, but it's still most useful against witnesses. My only chance is to show her myself before Shanlou shows her my picture. I checked the phone book, and she had an address for a store, and an address for an apartment, both in Phoenix. I'm calling. After a few minutes, I heard her sleepy voice. Is this Miss Hao?I asked: Or Mrs. Hao?I'm a detective and I'm in Palm Springs, Miss Hao, or Mrs. My working name was Helen Hao.She said: I call myself Miss Hao, what do you want?Why are you calling me so late? I said: This is a relatively important matter. You saw a peeping person at the Sunny Motel about a week ago. You called the police at that time. I think if you can describe it more carefully, I can catch him. this person. I couldn't have been more detailed than the time the police came to question me and what I told them.She said: If you all like midnight This matter is very important, Miss Hao, I said: Of course I don't want to disturb you, but can you have breakfast with me? Where did you say you called from? I'm in Palm Springs. I just heard you say it was in Palm Springs. I can fly, if you will agree to have breakfast with me, I will I am a working woman.She said: I have a beauty salon to open, I have seven girls working for me, I don't have time for sporadic spending. So I want to invite you to have breakfast, I said: You can talk while eating. I am on a diet.She said: "My breakfast staple is coffee. How about eight o'clock?I asked. No, she said: half past seven. I will pick you up on time. Which police station are you a detective? Private detective agency.I said: But I am working on this case. I could say you're on the case, or I shouldn't be mad at you, but you sound honest and reliable. I am honest, and I sincerely hope that this case will be solved. See you at half-past seven. Just be on time.She said: Don't wait for the time. I'll wait outside your apartment, you can come out, we can No, you can have breakfast with me.She said: If you don't mind just coffee and crispy toast, I'm the host. Be there on time, thanks in advance.I told her. goodbye.she says.Her voice was no longer hostile, and I could see that she was already interested. If I could take the tape recorder and record her description of the voyeurism, it might be better, but the main purpose is to beat Shanlou in terms of time, as long as she has a breakfast with me, there is no doubt that I am That person, she would not be able to say that I was that person when testifying. Of course, Shanlou doesn't really need her testimony, but I don't, I desperately need her testimony to prove that it's not me. One thing that puzzles me is Ling Peizhu. It is very suspicious to live in Santa Ana with the name of Diane. How can she point out my photo in a brazen manner? I am not afraid of people saying that she knew Lai Tang in the first place. No?This meant that she had more serious difficulties, and could only risk it for a while. I want to see what Sun Mengsi is doing on the land five miles from Zonglanquan to Yindian. It is 1:30 in the morning. Of course, it is not a good time to look at real estate. Anyway, there is still time before getting on the plane. I will drive there . Selling the land in the desert is mainly a lively event, free transportation, free breakfast, construction site show, under the bustling environment, some people make a contract in a daze, and everyone scrambles to think it is cheap, which is called strong sales in jargon. Once this strength disappears, this place is useless. At this time of the morning, under the moonlight, Sun Mengsi’s sagebrush desert community is a ridge of death. The triangular flags that should have been flying under the sun and wind are now all hanging down, lifeless, like night quiet. The crescent moon hangs high above the head, and the four groups of stars show the silence of outer space. The moonlight streams down, and the near side is silvery white, and the far side is dark and black. Except for the desert, the sales office is the only place above the ground. In the background is the two-mile straight Sacred Ridge, a mass of granite dotted with white snow and palm trees. The lights of Palm Springs are far to the northwest, and the occasional sound of cars passing by on the highway can be heard. I was wandering around the reserved land in this community. Obviously, Sun Mengsi was doing quite well. Every piece of land in the front row had a sign in red lettering that it had been sold.The sales rate of the next few rows is not that high, but this community has only been launched for 30 days, and it is already extremely good to have such a good result. I stopped to pick up a promotional printout that a client had discarded. Even in the moonlight, I can still say that this is a work of sufficient standard, good quality paper, statistics, photos, everything is complete. I put the brochure in my top pocket, head to the car, and drive to the airport. I found that I talked too much about where I was and what flight I was going to take. Although this flight is very suitable for me, it is also too convenient for Mi Shanlou. I am afraid that he will arrange it on this flight. one of his people. I asked the airport clerk if he could charter a small plane and he was happy to put me on the phone. I woke the pilot out of bed, but he didn't care at all, he told me he would give me a special price, one way to Phoenix, and said I could get to the airport and take off in less than thirty minutes. I sat in the waiting room and took Sun Mengsi's brochure out of my pocket. In the brochure, there are photos of the busiest streets in Palm Springs, introductions of famous boutiques that attract tourists, photos of the shaded jujube garden in India, statistics of outdoor temperature in winter, statistics of sunny days, and on the last page The photo of Sun Mengsi, the founder of Sun's enterprise and our client, looking at the readers with his eyes, sincere and faithful, is a very well-photographed photo. This photo at the end of the brochure makes the whole event still, evocative of what is in the brochure. I was about to throw this thing into the wastebasket, when suddenly I had an impulse, I took out a small knife from my pocket, and carefully cut off the photo of Sun Mengsi. A plan gradually formed in my head. I have played tricks on Mi Shanlou more than once in the past, and this time I will play a big joke on him. Didn't he always want me to look good?I told him to see who was upset who. The pilot of my charter flight came to see me and was soon ready to take off when he had a stack of scratch paper on board. On the way to Phoenix, I practiced drawing Mr. Sun Mengsi's sketch. When our plane landed at Phoenix Airport, I was very sure that I could draw a portrait, very similar to Mr. Sun Mengsi. I paid cash to the driver, went into the airport washroom, tore up all the drafts of the paintings and the original photos of Sun Mengsi, and flushed them down the toilet. A taxi took me to Helen Hao's address. I looked at my watch and the time was exactly as expected, just in time. Thinking about Baisha seeing me prevent Mi from chartering the flight, and thinking about how much more the charter flight cost than the flight, my heart was beating wildly.