Chapter 4 third chapter

So, on Sunday evening, Sam and I came to Dublin Castle to attend the Frankish War Council.Dublin Castle is home to the Major Crimes Unit. On a cool night last autumn, it took me a while to clear my desk. Files were neatly stacked and marked with post-it notes. Pens with bite marks, comics stuck to the computer, Toss out the old Christmas cards and stale M&M's in the drawer, turn off the lights and leave the office, closing the door. Sam came to pick me up and it felt silent.He got up early that morning and went out, leaned over and kissed me goodbye, the room was still dark.I didn't ask him about the case, because he would take the initiative to tell me as long as he found something, even if it was a trivial clue.Don't let that guy put pressure on you, Sam said in the car: Force you to do things you don't want to do.

Come on, I said: When did I get someone to force me to do something I didn't want to do. Sam adjusted the rearview mirror carefully.Yes, he said: I know. Sam opened the door, and the smell of the castle came to his nostrils, as if roaring. The smell was old and elusive, and the damp smelled of smoke and lemon. It was not at all like the domestic violence team in the new building of Phoenix Park, full of the pungent smell of disinfectant.I hate nostalgia and think nostalgia is nothing but lazy dressed up.But every time I took a step, a scene popped up in my mind: I ran down the stairs with an apple in my mouth and a stack of documents in each hand; my partner and I made the suspect confess to the crime in the interrogation room, and the two went outside the door to high-five to celebrate.We hugged the officer in the hallway and sang and sang to try to persuade him to extend the deadline.I feel that the aisle is like Ascher's three-dimensional illusion painting Father.), the wall tilted slightly, as if he was seasick, and he still couldn't focus his eyes to see what was going on.

how are youSam asked softly. Starving to death, I said: Who the hell picked the dinnertime meeting? Sam smiled in relief and squeezed my hand slightly.We don't have a violence room yet, he said: We'll have to wait until we decide, uh, how to do the case, and then we'll see what to do.After speaking, he pushed open the door of the serious crime team's office. Frank sat back on his chair, facing the big whiteboard in front of the office.He'd reassured Sam and me that it was bullshit just to chat about the case, because Chief Medical Examiner Cooper and Team Leader O'Kelly were sitting at a table across the room, arms folded, with identical sullen expressions on their faces.The scene was supposedly fun, with Cooper looking like a heron and O'Kelly a freshly groomed bulldog, but I found it uncomfortable.Cooper and O'Kelly were rivals, and it took a good tongue and two bottles of good red wine to keep them in the same room.For some unknown reason, Frank tried his best to get the two of them to come over.Sam took a look at me and told me to be alert, which he didn't expect.

Casey, O'Kelly said, was trying to look injured.During the time I was in the Serious Crime Squad, he never reused me, but from the moment I applied for transfer, he acted as if I was under the scorpion he had trained for many years, and even bit him back and slipped to the Domestic Violence Squad.How is the minor league doing? Good luck, leader.I said that as long as I was nervous, I would lose my sense of proportion.Good night, Dr. Cooper. Nice to meet you, Detective Casey.Cooper said, completely ignoring Sam's existence.Cooper also hated Sam, in fact he disliked almost everyone.Right now I'm fine with him, but if he finds out I'm hanging out with Sam, he'll be off his Christmas card list in no time.

At least in the serious crimes team, Team Leader O'Kelly gave me a dull look at my ripped jeans. I just couldn't come here in the new professional clothes, and most people can't afford decent outfits.How is Rob? I don't know if this question is well-intentioned or malicious.Rob was my former partner in the Homicide Squad, and I hadn't seen him in a while, and I hadn't seen O'Kelly in a long time since my transfer, and Cooper.Everything happened so fast, it was completely out of control.Say I love him and want to kiss him.I said. I'll just say it.O'Kelly snickered at Sam, who turned his head away.

The serious crimes team has 20 people, but it is Sunday evening, the office is empty, the computer is turned off, documents and fast food wrappers are scattered on the table, and the cleaners will only show up on Monday morning.Rob and I were sitting in the corner by the window, the two tables still at right angles.We like to sit like this because we can sit shoulder to shoulder.Two tables were already occupied by another group, perhaps rookies who replaced me and Rob.The guy at my table had a kid, a grinning boy in a silver framed photo with a missing front tooth.The other is a stack of confessions, which happened to be illuminated by the sun.At this time before, my eyes were always stung by the sun.

I could barely breathe, the air seemed congealed, thick and dense.A fluorescent tube hissed, giving the room an epileptic flicker, like a feverish nightmare.There are two large files on the top of the filing cabinet, and my handwriting is still on the back.Sam pulled his chair back to the table and gave me a slight frown, but said nothing, much to my gratitude.I couldn't take my eyes off Frank's face, which had bags under its eyes and a shaved face, but looked very alert and alive.He was clearly looking forward to the meeting. He found me looking at him.Are you happy to be back? It's so cool.I said, suddenly wondering if he deliberately asked me to come to the office of the serious crimes team, knowing that I might be deeply shocked.I tossed my schoolbag on the table Tom's desk, I recognized the handwriting on the paper against the wall, my hands in my jacket pockets.

It is a rare opportunity to meet with you here, Cooper said a little further away from O'Kelly: But I still want to cut into the theme of this meeting as soon as possible. Of course, Frank said: Lacie Murder, the murder of an unknown woman under the pseudonym Lacie, what should this operation be called? Mirror action.Sam said.Pretty, it seems that the girl's appearance has been spread to the Bureau.I wondered if it would be too late to change my mind and go home and order a pizza. Frank nodded.Mirror operation, that's it.Three days after the incident, we still cannot find the identity of the suspects, clues and deceased.I think you should understand that it may be necessary to try another way

Wait a minute, O'Kelly said: What's he? I'll talk about that later. I have a question. Please advise.Frank answered coolly, and his movements were handsome. O'Kelly glared at Frank, and the male hormones in the office suddenly increased.Unless I missed something earlier, he said: the girl must have been murdered.Maybe I'm wrong to say that, but Frank, I can't see that her death is related to domestic violence, and I can't see that she is an undercover agent. Why do you two compare your chins to me and Frank, and intervene in this matter?May I explain it first? I didn't, and I said to O'Kelly: I don't want to either.

The pseudonym used by the deceased was the name I used to handle the case before. Frank said: I think it has a lot to do with me, so you can't get rid of me.As for whether you can get rid of Detective Casey, we are here today to determine the answer. I can tell you the answer right now.I said. Do me a favor, said Frank: Wait until I'm done.When I finish speaking, if you tell us all to leave, I will never say anything. Isn't it more interesting? I gave up.This is Frank's trick again. He always has a way to make a big concession on the surface, so that you have to give in to him half a step, so as not to make people think that you are making trouble for no reason.It was almost like a dream.I said.

OK?Frank asked everyone present, if you want me to go back after tonight, I will never mention my little plan.But please listen to me first, so everyone can accept it? O'Kelly grunted noncommittally, Cooper shrugged nonchalantly, and Sam nodded after a moment.I suddenly felt like the end of the world was coming because of Frank. Before we get to the climax of the project, Frank says: Better make sure that the dead Lacey and the undercover Lacey are alike enough to stand up to the test.If not, then there's no point in continuing, right? No one answered.Frank turned and jumped off the chair, grabbed a photo from the file folder, and began to fix it on the whiteboard with blue stickers: a photo of a student ID card at Trinity College, enlarged to 8 by 10 inches; a profile photo of the deceased with eyes closed , face bruised and bruised; full body shot of girl lying on autopsy table (thankfully still clothed), fists clenched on blood-stained star pattern; close-up of girl's hands, palms spread, covered with brown and black spots, Smears of silver nail polish can be seen between the bloodstains.Kathy, can you help me?Please stand here for a while. fuck you!I cursed secretly in my heart.I walked away from the wall to the whiteboard, turned around and stood with my back, as if I were going to take a file photo of the suspect.I bet big bucks that Frank must have pulled my photo from the archives and compared it carefully with a magnifying glass.He loves to ask questions he already knows the answer to. We should actually compare it to a dead body, Frank told us happily, opening his mouth and biting off half of a sticker: but I think it might be a little weird to do that. damned!O'Kelly said. Damn, I miss Rob so much.I never allowed myself to think about him, no matter how tired I was and how late I was awake at night, in the months since we stopped talking.At first I just wanted to kick him to death, but I couldn't bear the thought, so I threw things at the wall from time to time at home.Afterwards, I stopped thinking about him.But now I am back in the serious crime unit, stared at by the other four people, as if I am a rare murder evidence, the girl's photo is on my cheek, so close that it seems to touch me, this week seems to have suddenly expanded the hallucination of drug use Into a frantic dizzying wave, it wounded me and left me with a dull pain in my chest.I would sacrifice an arm for Rob to appear for a moment, stand behind O'Kelly, raise his eyebrows mockingly, and bluntly say that it is impossible for me to replace the dead because the dead girl is much more beautiful.For a second, I literally thought I smelled Rob's shaving lotion. Eyebrows, Frank said, snapping a photo of his student ID card, I almost jumped up in fright.The eyebrows are alike, and so are the eyes.Lacey's bangs are relatively short, you need to trim them.Other than that, the hair is fine, can you turn the ears around a bit?Ears are fine.Do you have pierced ears? three.I said. There are only two girls.Let me see Frank get closer: there should be no problem, even if you look closely, you won't see it.The nose is okay, the mouth is fine, the chin is fine, the jawline is fine.Every time Frank pointed, Sam blinked, as fast as an instinctive shiver. Your cheekbones and collarbone seem to protrude more than the deceased. Cooper looked at me professionally, which is a bit creepy. May I ask how much you weigh? I never weigh myself.Fifty kilograms, or fifty-two, fifty-three? You are a little thinner than the girl, Frank said: It's nothing, you will lose weight after eating hospital food for a week or two in the hospital.She wears a size ten, jeans a twenty-nine-inch waist, a bra thirty-four B, and a shoe size five. Sounds like you? almost.I said, thinking how could I have fallen to this point.I wish there was a magic button that would turn back time in an instant, back to the days when you could hide behind Rob and kick Rob in the shin whenever O'Kelly started talking nonsense, instead of standing like a giant frog puppet Muppets in the show, having my ears studied, trying not to keep my voice from shaking, discussing with them whether I could fit the dead girl's bra. Immediately awarded a new wardrobe, Frank grinned and said to me: Who said being a policeman is not good? She must be in need.O'Kelly said meanly. Frank walked up to the full-length shot, stretched out a finger from the girl's shoulder to heel, and squinted at me.There is no problem with his figure, and he can pass by a kilogram or two. Frank scratched the photo with his fingertips, and Sam shook violently on the chair.Shoulder width looks okay, waist to hip ratio is good too, we can actually measure it just in case.However, as the weight becomes lighter, there is of course room for change in figure.Long legs feel okay. Frank pats close-up.This part is important, we all pay attention to other people's hands.Casey, please. I held out my hands as if to handcuff Frank.I could barely breathe and couldn't look at the pictures.It is impossible for Frank to know the answer to this question in advance, everything depends on it: only this slight difference can separate me from the girl, cut off all ties between the two of them in an instant, and let me go home. Frank looked at these hands for a long time, and then said in an admiring tone: They may be the most beautiful hands I have ever seen. It's amazing, Cooper looked at me and the unnamed girl through his glasses, and said with great interest: the probability of this kind of thing happening must be only one in a million. Does anyone see any difference?Frank asked everyone present. No one spoke, and Sam clenched his jaw. Ladies and gentlemen, Frank waved his arm: Exactly. That doesn't mean we should act.Sam said. O'Kelly clapped his hands slowly and mockingly.Congratulations, Frank, great performance, now that we all know what Kathy looks like, can you go back and explain the case? And can I stop standing here?I asked.My legs were shaking like I just finished a race.I look at everyone there, including myself, and I can't help but feel angry, unless you still need me to inspire you. Of course, Frank took out a whiteboard marker and said: The following is the existing information: Lacey.Maddison, also known as Lacey, was born on March 1, 1979 in Dublin.I should know this, because I was the one who registered. In October 2000, he started to draw the timeline and quickly added a few strokes. She applied to University College Dublin as a graduate student in the Department of Psychology.In May 2001, she dropped out of school due to a stress-induced illness and went to Canada to rest at her parents' house.The story should have ended here Wait, you're breaking my nerves?I pressed Frank. Papers are driving you crazy, Frank grinned, academia is hard work.You don't have that ass, so of course you can't take laxatives, so you have to leave.I have to think of a reason to make you disappear, right? I leaned back against the wall and made a bad face at Frank, who winked back.Long before the girl showed up, Frank had paved the way for her.As long as she meets old acquaintances and can't recognize them, she asks strange questions; as long as she behaves abnormally, as if she doesn't want to see her old acquaintances again: well, you know, she had a nervous breakdown before However, in February 2002, when Frank exchanged the blue pen for the red pen, Lacey reappeared in Dublin. She went to University College to obtain her school record, and tried her best to apply to Trinity College to study for a doctorate in English literature.We don't know who the girl is, what she was doing, or why she knows Lacey's profile.We've compared her fingerprints, which aren't in the file database. You should probably expand, I say: she's probably not Irish. Frank suddenly looked at me sharply: how to say? Irish people will not stay in the country if they want to avoid the limelight, they will run out.If the girl had been Irish, she would have met her mother's friends at the bingo club in less than a week. Not really, she was very reclusive. Not only that, I said, trying not to show emotion.I have a French look and no one sees me as Irish unless I talk.If my looks came from somewhere else, the girls probably did too. Great, said O'Kelly: Undercover, Domestic Violence, Immigration, Brits, Interpol, FBI, who else wants to join?Irish Ladies Association?Or St. Vincent's? Can I do a dental identification to trace my identity?Sam asked: Or nationality?Isn't there a way to find out where the girl got her teeth? The teeth of the young woman who was killed were extremely healthy, Cooper said: Of course, I am not an expert on this trip, but the teeth of the deceased had no fillings, braces or extractions, and there were no other visible signs of surgery. Frank raised his eyebrows and looked at me inquiringly, and I immediately pretended not to know anything. The girl only had two lower incisors that overlapped slightly, Cooper said, and one upper molar was slightly misplaced, indicating that the girl had not had orthodontic treatment in childhood.In my humble opinion, the possibility of identification from the teeth is extremely remote.Shaking his head dejectedly, Sam resumed his case notes. Frank was still looking at me, making me uncomfortable.I moved away from the wall, opened my mouth wide at him, and pointed to my own teeth.Cooper and O'Kelly looked horrified at the same time. No, I haven't had a filling, I said to Frank: See?It doesn't matter anyway. Good boy, Frankish approving: Remember to keep flossing. Awesome Kathy O'Kelly says: Thanks for sharing.So, in the autumn of 2002, Lacey entered Trinity College, and in April 2005 she was murdered in the suburb of Glensky.What is she doing in between, do we know? With a rustle, Sam raised his head and put down the Biluo ballpoint pen.Almost doing research, he said: The theme is related to female writers and pseudonyms, I have no idea at all.The girl's supervisor said that she performed very well, although the progress was a little behind, but the parts she did were very good.Until September of last year, she lived in a modest apartment near the South Loop, surviving on student loans, scholarships, and part-time jobs in the English department and at a city store called Caffeine.The girl had no previous convictions, no debt other than student loans, no bank records showing shady dealings, no alcohol or drug addiction, no boyfriend or ex-boyfriend Cooper raised an eyebrow.No enemies, and no arguments recently. So no motive, Frank muses at the whiteboard: no suspects either. The main contacts of the girl, Sam said in a flat tone: they are also graduate students, namely Daniel, Abigail, Justin and Rafael. That's a stupid name, said O'Kelly: Is Rafael a gay, or a Brit?Cooper closed his eyes briefly in feline disgust. He is half British.Sam said, and O'Kelly snorted triumphantly.Daniel got two speeding tickets, Justin one, and other than that, they're all four perfect babies.They didn't know Lacey used an alias, and even if they knew, at least they didn't say anything.According to the four, the girl was rather estranged from her family and did not like to talk about her past.They don't even know where the girl is from, Abby thinks it's Gagway, Justin thinks it's Dublin, and Daniel gives me a condescending look and says he's not very interested in such things.They also don't know about the girl's family, Justin thinks her parents are dead, Rafael thinks they should get a divorce, Abby says the girl is illegitimate Or none of the above, Frank said: We both know this girl doesn't mind telling little lies. Sam nodded.Last September, Daniel succeeded his uncle Simon.All five of them moved to the house in the Horse District, that is, the Hawthorn Forest House in the suburb of Glensky.Last Wednesday night, five people played cards in the house. They played until about half past eleven. Lacey said she was tired and went out for a walk.It is her habit that girls often go out for a walk late at night.The area was safe, and it wasn't raining at the time, so the others didn't think much of it.The four of them played until after twelve o'clock, and each went to bed.Their descriptions of the playing process are quite consistent, such as who wins how much in which hand, of course there is a little difference between each other, but this is normal.We interrogated them several times, and none of the four showed signs of letting go.They were either innocent, or they made a very beautiful confession. The next morning, with a flick of his arm, Frank put the final touch on the timeline, and the girl died. Sam grabbed a stack of papers from the file folder on the desk, went to the whiteboard, and fixed something beside the whiteboard. It was a partial map of the suburbs for geological surveys, including a recently completed house and fence, and it was painted in different colors. The crosses and lines are neatly marked. This is Glensky, and Hawthorn House is in the south of the village, about one and a half kilometers away.A little to the east between the two is the deserted hut where we found the girl's body.I have marked the main possible path for the girl to get to the hut. The forensics department and the local police are still searching, but nothing has been found so far.According to the girl's roommate, the girl always left through the back door and wandered along the path for about an hour.The trails in that area wound around like a maze, and the girl sometimes came back by the front door and sometimes by the back door, depending on which route she took. Going out in the middle of the night?O'Kelly wanted to know, was she mentally ill, or what? The girl always carries the flashlight we found on her when she goes out. Sam said: Unless the night is bright enough, you can see the road without a light.The girl is very obsessed with ancient trails, she goes out almost every night, even when it rains heavily, she always dresses warmly before going out.I think she went out not for exercise, but for privacy, living with four other people, and the only time the girl was alone was for a walk.They didn't know if the girl would go to the cottage, but they all said she liked it there.Not long after the five of them moved to Hawthorn Cottage, they spent a day exploring the village of Glensky and getting acquainted with the sights.When the group caught a glimpse of the hut, Lacey immediately said that she was going to take a look inside and around the hut. Even though they warned that the farmer might show up with a shotgun at any time, Lacey insisted on going.She liked the isolation of the cottage, even if it was deserted.God knows what Daniel meant when he said girls like inefficiency.In conclusion, we cannot rule out that the cottage may have been a regular stop for her walks. So girls are definitely not Irish, at least not raised in Ireland.There are so many such cottages in the Irish countryside that it is almost impossible to see them.Only tourists, and tourists from the New World, such as Americans and Australians, will stare long and feel the weight of the cottage's history. Sam took another sheet of paper and taped it to the whiteboard. It was a plan of the cabin, with a small scale neatly drawn underneath.Regardless of how the girl got to the hut, he taped up the last corner of the floor plan, but she ended up dying here, against this wall.We call this place the outhouse.Shortly after the girl's death, before her body stiffened, she was moved to the back room, where she was found early Thursday morning. Sam motioned to Cooper. Cooper has been staring up from just now, his expression high and in a trance.Slowly, he cleared his throat primly, and looked around to make sure everyone was listening with bated breath.The deceased, he said, was a white female, in good health, with a height of 165 centimeters and a weight of 54 kilograms. There were no scars, tattoos or other obvious marks on her body. It is said that two or three glasses of wine have been drunk.Other than that, toxicology tests were all negative, indicating that no drugs, poisons or drugs were taken at the time of death.Organ functions are within normal limits, and I have not detected any defects or signs of disease.The growth plates of the long bones have been fully articulated, and the skull gaps have also shown signs of articulated. The girl should be between twenty-five and thirty years old.The structure of the pelvis clearly shows that the deceased was never fertile.Cooper picked up the glass and took a sip of water cautiously, but I knew he hadn't finished speaking, the pause was just to create a suspenseful effect, and he still had a treasure chest that he hadn't brought out yet. Cooper put down his glass, carefully aligning it with the corner of the table.However, he said: "The deceased had just recently conceived.He leaned back, enjoying the shock of the words. Oh my gosh.Sam sighed softly, Frank let out a long sigh against the wall, and O'Kelly rolled his eyes. Isn't the case complicated enough?I wish I had a way to sit down.Anyone from the girl's roommate mentioned it?I asked. None, said Frank, and Sam shook his head too.This girl likes to keep her friends, and she likes to keep her secrets even more. Maybe she doesn't know it herself, I said: If her menstruation is irregular. Oh, my God, Kathy, O'Kelly looked terrified: We don't want to know about such trivial matters, just put them in the report. Is there a way to find out the father of a child using DNA?Sam asked. There's no reason why it couldn't be done, Cooper said: Because we have samples of the prospective fathers, which are embryos.The embryo is currently nearly four weeks old, about half a centimeter in size, and Come on, O'Kelly said, a sneer forming on Cooper's lips.Forget the damn details and move on.How did the girl die? Cooper deliberately paused for a long time, proving that he ignored O'Kelly's orders.On Wednesday night, he waited for everyone to understand this before saying: The girl was stabbed in the right breast, which may have been a frontal attack.According to the angle of the wound and the penetration point of the murder weapon, it is difficult for the suspect to attack from behind.I found slight bruises on both palms and one knee of the deceased, which should be caused by falling on a hard ground, rather than self-defense injuries.The blade of the murder weapon is at least eight centimeters long, with a blade on one side and a sharp front end. It has no obvious features. It may be a large pocket knife or even a sharp kitchen knife.The blade penetrated the mid-clavicular line of the eighth rib and cut upward through the lung, causing a pressure pneumothorax.In short, Cooper gave O'Kelly a mocking glance, and the blade cut a valve in the lung. As long as he inhales, the air will escape from the lungs into the chest cavity. When he exhales, the valve closes and the air cannot be exhaled.Emergency medical assistance would have been able to bring the girl back, but due to the lack of first aid, air gradually accumulated in the chest cavity, compressing other organs, and eventually causing the heart to fail to congest, resulting in death. There was a moment of silence in the office, only the hissing of fluorescent lamps.I imagined the girl staying in the cold deserted house, listening to the mournful whimper of the night bird, the soft sound of the rain all around, dying slowly alone. About how long?asked Frank. The process will be affected by many factors, Cooper said: For example, if the deceased runs after being assassinated, the breathing will be accelerated and aggravated, and a pressure pneumothorax will be formed faster.In addition, the blade slightly cut through a major blood vessel in the chest cavity, and as long as it was moved, the incision would tear, and profuse bleeding would begin shortly thereafter.I personally roughly infer that the girl lost consciousness about 20 to 30 minutes after the injury, and the death may be another 10 to 15 minutes. For those thirty minutes, Sam asked: How far can the girl go? I am not a psychic, Mr. Detective, Cooper replied sweetly: Adrenaline is a very magical thing. There is evidence that the deceased was emotional at the time, because she clenched her fists at the moment of death, which lasted until the rigor stage.Such cadaveric cramps are often associated with extreme emotional stress.If the girl is excited enough, which I personally think it is, it's no surprise to walk a kilometer and a half.But of course, she could also fall to the ground within a few meters. learn.Sam said.He took a highlighter from a table and drew a large circle around the hut on the map, covering the village, the hawthorn grove house and several hectares of pristine slopes.This means that the first scene may be in this circle. Wouldn't she be in so much pain that she couldn't walk far?I asked.I felt like Frank was giving me a sideways glance, because we never ask victims if they're suffering, unless they're being abused, we don't need to know.Being emotionally involved will only make you lose your objectivity, and you will have nightmares at night. Anyway, we will always tell the family that the victim passed away without pain. Don't be too imaginative, Detective Casey, Cooper said to me: Stress pneumothorax is usually painless, the girl may feel more and more panting, heartbeat faster and faster, after the shock passes, she will start to feel clammy, Dizzy, but there's no reason to assume the girl is in pain. How strong is the stabbing force?Sam asked: Can an average person do it, or a strong man? Cooper sighed.We always ask him if a skinny man can do it?What about women?Child?How tall and how big is the child?According to the shape of the wound, Cooper said: and the fact that the skin at the point where the blade penetrated was not stretched, indicating that the blade was very sharp and did not penetrate bone or cartilage.The penetration was very quick and I think it could have been done by a large man, a small man, a large woman, a small woman or a strong adolescent child.Does this answer your question? Sam obediently shut up.What about the time of death?O'Kelly asked. Between eleven and one o'clock at night, Cooper looked at the cuticles on his nails and said: I think it should have been mentioned in the preliminary autopsy report. We can shorten the time a bit now, Sam said, took out the whiteboard marker, and drew another line under the timeline drawn by Frank: It started to rain at around midnight in the local area, and the forensic personnel deduced from the humidity that the girl was exposed to the rain at most fifteen to twenty Minutes, so she entered the cabin about half past twelve, but was dead by then.According to Dr. Cooper's analysis just now, this means that the attack happened before midnight, or even earlier. I personally think that the girl lost consciousness before it rained, otherwise she should have rushed to the hut immediately.Assuming the girl's roommate is not lying, and she leaves the house at 11:30 with no abnormal symptoms, then the attack happened half an hour before midnight.Even if they lied or misremembered, we can still narrow the time down to between eleven o'clock and midnight. These, Frank said, sweeping his foot over the chair, are all the clues we know.There were no footprints or blood, all washed away by the heavy rain.There were no fingerprints, and someone had searched the girl's pockets and cleaned her of everything.According to forensic personnel, there was no residue in the girl's nails, indicating that she did not fight the killer.They're checking for traces of remnants, but initially they don't seem to be anything worth noting.All the hair and fibers seem to have come from the deceased, his roommates and household items, in other words not very useful.We are still searching the surrounding area but have not yet found a murder weapon and no clues to the location of the attack or fight.Anyway, all we have is the girl's body, and that's it. Great, O'Kelly said angrily: Another case like this.What the hell did you do, Kathy, put magnets in your bra to attract bad cases? Leader, this case is not handled by me.I remind him. But you are not here yet?What about the direction of investigation? Sam puts the whiteboard marker back in place and gives a thumbs up.1. Sudden attack, as long as you enter the serious crime unit, you will develop the habit of ordering, because O'Kelly likes it.The girl is out for a walk, and someone takes the opportunity to attack, maybe for money, maybe with the intention of sexual assault, or even just looking for trouble. If there were signs of sexual assault, Cooper said, looking at the nails in a disgusted tone: "I think I would have mentioned it long ago."Honestly, I can't find any evidence that the girl has had sex recently. Sam nodded and said: There is no sign of robbery either.The wallet is still on the girl, and the money is not lost.The victim did not have a credit card and left his mobile phone at home.But this does not mean that the murderer's motive was not robbery.Maybe the girl resisted, the killer stabbed her, the girl ran, the killer came after her, but then realized what he had done Sam said, giving me a quick look, asking for my opinion. O'Kelly is full of prejudices about psychology and always likes to pretend that he doesn't understand criminal profiling, so I better be careful.Yeah?I said: I don't know, I think I mean, the girl was moved after she died, didn't I?If it took her half an hour to die, either the killer kept looking at her questioning which robber or rapist would stay or someone found the girl later, moved the body, and didn't call the police.Both are possible, but I don't think either is possible. Thank goodness, Kathy, O'Kelly said bitterly: It's a good thing we don't have to worry about what you think anymore, because you just said that this case has nothing to do with you. But Frank murmured to the sky. There were other doubts about the stranger's hypothesis, Sam said: the area was deserted during the day, let alone at night.If someone intends to cause trouble, why would he choose a small road with no village in front and no shop in the back, and wait for people to pass there?Why not Wicklaw or Rathowen?Or at least go to Glensky Village? Has there ever been a similar case?O'Kelly asked. There were no cases of robbery with a knife or sexual assault by strangers. Sam said: Needless to say, Grunsky is a small place. The two major accidents in the village are drunk driving besides late-night drinking.There was only one stabbing case last year, and it was a stupid thing done by a bunch of drunk guys.Unless a similar case occurs next, I think we can rule out the possibility of a stranger committing the crime for the time being. Agreed, Frank said, grinning at me.If it was a temporary crime, there was no need to investigate the victim's past, and there was no need to find evidence or motives, so there was no reason to send me undercover.totally agree. Anyway, it's not bad, O'Kelly said: Even if it's a temporary idea, we can't do anything.If you are lucky, you can catch someone, but if you are not lucky, you will be empty-handed. That's right.So, second, Sam holds up another finger, and the new enemy strikes, the one the girl had made during her time as Lacy.The living circle of the deceased was very small, so it shouldn't be difficult to find out who had gotten along with her recently.We are gradually investigating from the girl's housemates, the staff and students of Trinity College Unfortunately no progress.Frank said, not to anyone. The investigation had only just begun, Sam insisted: the interrogation was still in its preliminary stages.Now that we know that the girl is pregnant, it means that there is a new direction of investigation, which is to find out the father of the child. O'Kelly snorted: You're lucky to find it.Girls these days, that guy might be the guy she met at Disco, and the two of them went to the alleys to mess around. I suddenly became angry: Lacey is not such a person.每回只要女人出事，就會被人這樣揣測，但我提醒自己也許情況變了。組長，迪斯可和計算尺都是過去式了。I said sweetly. 就算那傢伙是在夜店遇上的，山姆說：我們也要把他找到，查清嫌疑。這可能會花點時間，但一定做得到，他看著法蘭克，只見法蘭克認真點頭。我會請女孩屋友提供DNA樣本，從他們查起。 我覺得可能暫時不要，法蘭克語氣溫和說道：當然這必須看情況。要是我們決定讓女孩親友以為她還活著，那最好不要打草驚蛇，讓他們喘息，放鬆警戒，覺得偵查會暫緩下來。DNA樣本隨時都拿得到，不差這一、兩個星期。 山姆聳聳肩膀，神情再度緊繃。怎麼做看偵查進展決定。第三：舊仇家報復，知道女孩原本身分的人找上她，挾怨報復。 我想的就是這個可能，法蘭克直起身子說：我們在女孩化名蕾西的生活期間看不出任何問題，對吧？但不管她之前在哪裡，顯然有地方出了大差錯。她不可能隨隨便便化身成其他人，只為了好玩。女孩要嘛在躲條子，要嘛在躲別人。我賭別人。 你的說法，我覺得不是很對。I said.歐凱利要怎麼想就隨他去吧，我很清楚法蘭克在鋪陳什麼，我才不想任人擺佈。行兇過程很沒計畫，刺傷根本不足以致命，兇手沒有繼續下手或抓住女孩不讓她求救，反而讓她逃脫，耽擱了三十分鐘才又找到人。我覺得這表示兇手不是預謀，甚至無意殺人。 歐凱利看著我，滿臉嫌惡。那傢伙拿刀刺進女孩的胸部，凱西，我認為他當然曉得女孩應該會死。 我在重案組那幾年，早就習慣歐凱利在我耳邊嘮叨。那是沒錯，但假如兇手多年來處心積慮想置女孩於死地，他絕對不會放過任何細節，什麼都會小心注意，擬定殺人計畫，然後照計畫行事。 也許兇手真有計畫，法蘭克說：只是沒打算使用暴力。他會追查女孩下落，或許不是積怨，而是單戀，覺得自己和女孩是天造地設的一對，希望兩人歡喜重逢，從此過著幸福快樂的生活。沒想到女孩竟然脫稿演出叫他滾蛋，讓他手足無措。 由愛生恨，我說：這有可能，但兇手通常會做得更徹底，瘋狂施暴，不是連續重擊或毀容，就是過度殺人。然而，女孩只受了一刀，淺得不足以致命，和一般狀況不合。 也許兇手沒有機會過度殺人，山姆說：他刺了女孩一刀，女孩逃跑，等他追上女孩的時候，她已經死了。 問題是，我說：兇手對女孩這麼迷戀，跟了她幾年，不曉得跟了多遠，這樣的情感一旦發洩出來，絕對不可能因為目標死了而消退。別的不說，光是女孩逃跑就會讓他更加氣憤，所以我覺得他應該會多刺幾刀，或朝她臉部踹個兩下之類的。 能夠這樣討論案子，感覺真好。我彷彿再度成為重案組警探，而女孩是被害人，感覺有如風吹雨打一天之後喝下溫熱的威士忌，滋味濃烈甘醇，撫慰心靈。法蘭克優閒地坐在椅子上，但我感覺得到他在看我，也知道自己表現得對案子太感興趣。我聳聳肩膀，仰頭靠牆，凝視天花板。 重點是，法蘭克果然開口了：如果女孩是外國人，而兇手不管為了什麼追她追到這裡，只要他把事情搞定，應該下一秒鐘就會離開愛爾蘭。只有一種情況兇手會留著不走，被我們逮到，就是他以為女孩還活著。 辦公室裡一陣沉默，短暫而沉重。 我們可以檢查所有出國的人。Sam said. what to check for?法蘭克問：我們連要找誰、兇手要去哪裡都不曉得。我們得先挖掘出女孩的身分，才有辦法偵查下去。 我剛才說了，我們正在努力。女孩自稱愛爾蘭人沒有被識破，表示英語可能是她的母語，所以我們就從英國開始，還有美國、加拿大 法蘭克搖頭說道：這樣太久了。我們必須想辦法將兇手留在附近，直到我們找出他或她的身分為止，而我只想出一個辦法可以做到這件事。 第四，山姆不為所動，再舉起一根手指，目光匆匆在我身上停留一秒隨即轉開，搞錯身分誤殺。 Another short silence.庫柏回過神來，突然興致勃勃。我險上一陣灼熱，彷彿眼影太厚、劉海太長，塗了不該塗的東西。 妳最近惹到誰嗎？歐凱利問我：除了平常就會惹到的人之外？ 大概有一百名家暴男性和二十多名家暴女性，我說：我沒察覺什麼異狀，但我還是會把檔案送來，標出行為特別鹵莽的。 妳之前做臥底的時候呢？山姆問：會不會有人對蕾西懷恨在心？ 你是說除了那個拿刀捅我的白癡之外？我說：印象中沒有。 那傢伙已經在牢裡蹲了一年，法蘭克說：持有並意圖販售毒品。我剛才本來想跟你們說，總之，他的腦袋已經糊得差不多，就算要他指認也認不出妳來。我還檢查過當時的情報資料，找不到任何可疑對象。凱西警探沒有惹惱任何人，也沒有人懷疑她是警察。她受傷之後，我們立刻將她調走，換人臥底。沒有人直接因為凱西警探而被逮捕，她也無須出庭作證。總之，沒有人有理由想置她於死。 那個白癡沒有朋友嗎？山姆追問道。 法蘭克聳聳肩說：應該有吧，但我還是不覺得他會教唆朋友攻擊凱西警探。我們根本沒有以攻擊罪嫌起訴他，我們只是把他抓來，聽他胡謅一套狗屁說詞，說動手是出於自衛，我們假裝相信，就放他走了。對我們來說，他在外頭比在牢裡有用多了。 山姆猛然仰頭喃喃自語，但很快便咬緊嘴唇，全神貫注地擦拭白板上的污點。無論他對法蘭克寧可將襲警兇手放走有什麼看法，兩人都已經甩不開對方，非得一起行動不可。這件案子有得瞧了。 重案組呢？法蘭克問我：妳有沒有惹到誰？歐凱利冷笑一聲。我逮的人都還沒出來，我說：但我想他們應該有朋友、家人或同黨，另外也有幾名嫌犯一直沒定罪。陽光已經離開我之前的辦公桌，我和羅伯的角落沉入黑暗，重案組辦公室突然冷了、空了起來，任由哀傷的晚風迴盪。 我來做，山姆說：我來追查這些人。 要是有人釘上凱西，法蘭克好意地說：她在山楂林屋會比獨自待在家裡還要安全得多。 我可以待在她家。山姆說，完全不看法蘭克。我和山姆並不打算公開他有半數時間都在我家度過，法蘭克顯然知道這點。 法蘭克眉毛一挑說：二十四小時都在嗎？要是她去臥底，身上就會裝麥克風，還有人從早到晚監聽她的去向 預算我管的，你別想！歐凱利對他說。 沒關係，那就用我們的錢。我們會在拉索文分局駐點，只要有人跟蹤她，我們就會派人出去，幾分鐘內就能趕上。她在家裡會有這種享受嗎？ 假如我們認定對方是警察殺手，山姆說：那還用說，她當然應該待在家裡。山姆的聲音開始緊繃。 有道理，你打算花多少經費全天候保護凱西？法蘭克問歐凱利。 去你的，歐凱利說：她是家暴組的人，那是家暴組的問題。法蘭克兩手一攤，朝山姆咧嘴微笑。 庫柏顯然看得很樂。我不要二十四小時保護，我說：要是這傢伙釘上我，絕對不會輕易放棄，對象換成蕾西也一樣。大家放輕鬆點。 好了，山姆過了一會兒才開口說道，語氣悶悶不樂，我想就是這樣。他用力坐下，將椅子拉到桌前。 總之，女孩被殺的原因不是錢，法蘭克說：他們有公費，每人每週拿出一百英鎊存進小貓撲滿，支付食物、汽油、帳單、布置房子和其他雜費。以她的收入，剩下的閒錢不多。她銀行裡只有八十八鎊。 What do you think?山姆問我。 他在問我對嫌犯心理的看法。罪犯側寫不是簡單無誤，我對自己做的分析也不是很有把握。但就我看來，所有跡象都顯示女孩是被熟人所殺，兇手很容易激動，一點小事就會發狂，不是處心積慮記恨報仇的人。因此兇嫌或者是孩子的父親，或者是女孩的屋友，也許兩者都是。 但我只要開口，會議就結束了，起碼再也沒有我的事情。山姆不可能接受我和一屋子可疑嫌犯住在一起，他會氣到極點，而我不想讓他發火。我在心裡告訴自己，我不要假手山姆，要獨自決定，但我很清楚自己已經受到影響。這間辦公室、這群人和這番談話全都悄悄動搖著我，一切都在法蘭克的意料之中。在這世界上，沒有什麼比兇殺案更能讓人血脈僨張，以如此強烈、懾人而無法抗拒的聲音，要求你的身心完全投入。我已經好幾個月沒有這麼集中精神，努力琢磨證據、犯罪模式與假說，此刻感覺卻像睽違了幾年之久。 我會選二號，最後，我開口說：認為她是蕾西的人。 假如這樣，山姆說：女孩的屋友是最後看到她的人，也是最親近她的人，表示他們最有可能是嫌犯。 法蘭克搖搖頭說：我不曉得。女孩穿著外套，而且不是死後穿上的，因為外套右上角有切口，和傷口形狀吻合。我覺得這表示女孩被刺的時候人不在屋子裡，也不在屋友身邊。 我還沒排除他們涉案，山姆說：雖然我不曉得他們為什麼下手殺她，也不曉得為什麼選在屋外下手，但從我幹警探以來，我只知道一點，就是最明顯的答案通常是最可能的答案。除非我們找到目擊者，證實女孩完好無缺地離開屋子，否則我還是會把他們列為嫌疑人。 法蘭克聳聳肩說：話雖如此，但就算兇手是其中的一名屋友，以他們四個人如膠似漆的程度，被我們偵訊了幾小時連眼皮也沒眨一下，要突破他們的心防簡直不可能。假設是外人犯案，我們連這個人是誰、怎麼會認識蕾西、要到哪裡找他都沒有概念。有些案子就是無法從外面偵辦，所以才會有臥底，而這又回到我一開始提出的計畫。 就是把一名警探扔到一群殺人嫌犯之間。Sam said. 那是當然，法蘭克對山姆說，眉毛半挑，似乎覺得很好玩：我們從來不會派臥底去查無辜的人，置身罪犯之中本來就是我們的工作。 你說的罪犯是愛爾蘭共和軍、幫派和毒販，歐凱利說：這四個傢伙只是學生，就算派凱西出馬也能搞定。 沒錯，山姆說：沒錯，臥底只辦販毒和幫派之類的組織犯罪，不辦一般的兇殺案件，為什麼這件案子需要破例？ 這句話從一位重案組警探的嘴裡說出來，法蘭克語帶擔憂，真是讓我意外。難道你是說女孩的生命還比不上一公斤海洛因？ 不是，山姆語氣平淡：我只是說辦案還有其他方法。 For example?法蘭克追問道，準備使出撒手鐧：就這件案子而言，你還有什麼其他方法？你連被害人的身分都不曉得他彎身湊近山姆，匆匆扳動手指說：沒有嫌犯，沒有動機，沒有兇器、第一現場、指紋、目擊者、微量跡證和任何線索，我有說錯嗎？ 調查才進行三天，山姆說：誰曉得我們 那就來看你有什麼，法蘭克舉起一根手指：你有一位訓練有素、經驗豐富的頂尖臥底，容貌和死者幾乎一模一樣，就這樣。你有什麼理由不利用這點？ 山姆忿忿地冷笑一聲，雙腳一頂讓椅子後腳站立。你問我有什麼理由不把她扔進鯊魚嘴裡？ 凱西是警探。法蘭克輕聲細語。 沒錯，過了半晌，山姆將椅子前腳小心翼翼地落回地面說：她是警探。他的目光飄離法蘭克，越過重案組辦公室，越過幽暗角落裡的桌子，越過滿是註記、地圖與蕾西相片的白板，越過我。 別看我，歐凱利說：這是你的案子，你自己決定。要是案子砸鍋，而他顯然如此認為，他可不想被牽連進去。 他們三個開始惹惱我了。Still remember me?我問：你或許還得說服我，法蘭克，因為我想這件事有一部分也需要由我決定。 我們派妳去哪，妳就去哪。歐凱利說。 那是當然，法蘭克語帶埋怨對我說：我是要和妳談，只是我覺得禮貌上應該先和山姆警探討論清楚，因為我們要聯合偵辦這件案子。我說得對吧？ 這就是聯合偵辦討厭的地方，沒人曉得誰是老大，也沒人想搞清楚。照理說，山姆和法蘭克必須一起做決定，但要是情況緊急，事情又和臥底有關，那就由法蘭克下令。山姆可以否決法蘭克的做法，因為案子的原始承辦人是他，但其間勢必經過一番拉扯，而且非得有很好的理由。法蘭克說禮貌上就是為了確定山姆知道這一點。對極了，我說：但別忘了，你也得和我討論才行。可惜到目前為止，我還沒有聽到什麼能夠說服我的理由。 這麼做要多久？山姆問法蘭克，目光卻定在我的身上，眼神專注、無比嚴肅，幾乎帶著憂傷，讓我嚇了一跳。就在那一秒鐘，我明白山姆準備同意。 法蘭克也察覺了。他語氣沒有改變，但脊背突然一直，臉上閃出新的光彩，顯得機警而咄咄逼人。不久，最多一個月。我們要查的不是組織犯罪，不需要臥底很多年。這件案子要是臥底幾週沒有成效，再做下去也不會有用。 她需要有人支援。 二十四小時。 要是有任何危險 我們就立刻將凱西警探調離，甚至強行將她帶走。假如你查到什麼線索，不再需要臥底，我們也會照辦，當天就會讓她離開。 所以我最好馬上開始動手，山姆深呼吸一口氣之後輕聲說：好，要是凱西警探同意，我們就這麼辦，前提是我必須隨時掌握進展，沒有任何例外。 太好了，法蘭克趕緊從椅子下來，免得山姆改變主意，我保證你絕對不會後悔。等一下，凱西，在妳開口之前，先讓我拿一樣東西出來。我答應要給妳看錄影畫面，我這個人向來說到做到。 歐凱利用力哼了一聲，嘴裡嘀咕幾句，想也知道又在說什麼自拍性愛影帶，但我根本懶得去聽。法蘭克在黑色大行軍背包裡翻翻找找，摸出一張用油性筆做了註記的光碟，朝我揮了一揮，接著放進重案組辦公室的廉價光碟機裡。 日期顯示時間是去年的九月十二日，法蘭克打開螢幕說：丹尼爾十日拿到房屋的鑰匙，他和賈思汀當天下午就開車過去，確定屋況，看屋頂有沒有坍塌等等。五個人十一日打包，十二日退回各自住處的鑰匙，帶著所有家當搬進山楂林屋，毫不遲疑，一點也不留戀。他吃力地坐上湯姆的桌子，靠在我旁邊，按下遙控器的播放鍵。 畫面全黑，接著喀噠一聲，應該是舊鑰匙轉動的聲音，然後是林中的腳步聲。我的天哪，語氣抑揚頓挫，帶著一點貝爾法斯特口音，是賈思汀。這味道。 你幹嘛這麼驚訝？聲音稍微低沉，語氣冷靜，幾乎沒有口音。（是丹尼爾。法蘭克在我耳邊說。）這很正常。 我完全忘了。 這東西有沒有在動？女孩問：小瑞，你看得出來嗎？ 她就是那女孩。法蘭克低聲說，但我早就聽出來了。她的聲音比我輕，低沉清晰，才剛開口就讓我寒毛直豎，脊骨一涼。 拜託，英國口音的男人，似乎覺得很有趣，是小瑞。妳在錄影？ 當然啦，這是我們的新家。只是我不確定它有沒有在錄，因為畫面全是黑的。這裡有電嗎？ 又是腳步聲，門吱嘎作響。這裡應該是廚房，丹尼爾說：我記得是。 開關在哪裡？ 我有打火機。另外一個女孩的聲音，是艾比蓋兒，艾比。 準備好囉。賈思汀說。 微小的火光出現在螢幕中央，我只見到艾比的側臉，挑著眉毛，嘴巴微張。 我的天哪，丹尼爾。小瑞說。 我就說吧。賈思汀說。 沒錯，他有說，艾比說：如果我沒記錯的話，他說這裡是考古遺跡和史蒂芬．金小說場景的混合體。 我知道，但我以為他像平常一樣故意講得很誇張，沒想到是不夠誇張。 有人（是丹尼爾）從艾比手中拿過打火機，一手弓成杯狀，湊到嘴邊點煙。房裡有風吹來，畫面顫動之間，丹尼爾的臉龐冷靜沉著。他抬起頭，目光越過火焰，朝著蕾西嚴肅地眨了眨眼。也許是我之前凝視相片太久，見到他們能走能動讓我嚇了一跳，彷彿故事書裡的小孩發現一副望遠鏡，窺見了古畫中的秘密，感覺既誘人又危險。 別這樣，賈思汀將打火機搶走，面對搖搖晃晃的架子，小心戳動架上的東西說：要抽煙就到外面抽。 Why?丹尼爾問：免得我弄髒壁紙，還是燻臭窗簾？ He has a point.艾比說。 你們真是一群膽小鬼，蕾西說：我覺得這間屋子真是太刺激了，感覺自己就像《五小歷險記》裡面的小主角一樣。 《五小尋找史前遺跡》。Daniel said. 《五小登陸發霉星球》。小瑞說：棒極了！ 那我們應該吃薑餅和罐頭碎肉。蕾西說。 兩個混在一起？小瑞問。還有沙丁魚，蕾西說：罐頭是什麼？ 史邦豬肉罐。艾比對她說。噁。 賈思汀走到水槽邊，湊上打火機，將水龍頭轉開。其中一個噗哧幾聲，最後總算流出一道涓涓細流。 嗯，艾比說：有誰想喝腸熱病茶嗎？ 我要當喬治，蕾西說：她很酷。 我絕對不當安妮，艾比說：她老是在洗碗盤，只因為她是女孩子。 Is there something wrong with this?小瑞問。 那你當小狗提米好了。蕾西對他說。 他們的對話節奏比我想像的快，靈活淘氣有如吉特巴舞（編註：流行於四〇年代的快節奏舞蹈。）。我能理解英文系的人為什麼覺得他們很討厭，因為你根本沒辦法和他們交談。他們講起話來緊湊伶俐，外人完全插不上話。然而，蕾西還是打進了這個小圈子，靠著一點一點修正自己或調整他們，直到擠出她的空間，成為他們的一分子，徹底密合。不管女孩心裡打的是什麼主意，她顯然做得非常高明。 我腦中浮現一個微弱清楚的聲音：和我一樣。 畫面突然奇蹟似的亮了起來，只不過亮度有限。艾比在一個奇怪的角落，沾滿油垢的鍋子旁邊找到開關，將天花板上一盞四十瓦燈泡點亮。做得好，艾比。蕾西拿著手機開始搖鏡。 這我就不敢保證了，艾比說：看到之後感覺更糟。 艾比說得沒錯。廚房牆壁顯然曾經貼著壁紙，但已經被青色的霉菌侵佔，並從四個角落蜂擁而上，幾乎就要在牆中央會師。天花板蛛網塵封，有如萬聖節的裝飾，迎風輕輕搖晃。塑料地板變灰捲曲，爬滿醜惡的黑紋。桌上的玻璃花瓶插了一束死透的殘花，枝梗折斷地彎成詭異的角度，房間裡所有東西都積了三寸厚的灰塵。艾比滿臉猶疑，小瑞似乎覺得有趣，但還是帶著驚恐，丹尼爾有那麼一些好奇，賈思汀則是一副快要嘔吐的模樣。 你要我去住在那裡？我問法蘭克。 那裡現在已經不是這樣了，他語帶埋怨，他們真的花了很多工夫整理。 用推土機剷平，然後重建嗎？ 真的很棒，妳一定會喜歡。hush. 這裡，蕾西說完手機突然一晃，畫面猛烈閃動，接著就看到一團恐怖的橘色捲式布簾，七〇年代的式樣，上頭爬滿蜘蛛網。換你拍，我想去探險。 妳還沒拍夠啊？小瑞說：妳要我拿著手機做什麼？ 別引誘我。蕾西對他說，接著便跳進鏡頭，朝櫥櫃走去。 她的動作比我輕，微微踮腳，步伐小而更有女孩子氣。身材曲線沒有我突出，但卻搖曳生姿，引人注目。她那時頭髮更長，鬈度剛好蓋過耳朵，穿著牛仔褲和貼身乳白色套頭毛衣，我有一件和她的非常像。我還是不曉得自己要是有機會和她見面，會不會喜歡對方。可能不會，但這不是重點，完全不是，反而讓我不知道該如何思考。 哇哦，蕾西探進一個櫥櫃裡說：這是什麼？還活著嗎？ 有可能，丹尼爾在蕾西背後拉長脖子說：很久以前。 我覺得正好相反，艾比說：它以前不是活的，現在才是。你看它演化出可相對拇指了沒？ 我想念以前住的地方。賈思汀一臉憂傷，站得遠遠的。 才怪，蕾西對他說：你住的地方不到半坪，用紙板搭的，你根本不喜歡。 起碼那裡沒有不明生物。 那麼住在樓上，有音響系統，自認為是阿里吉的生物是誰？ 我想應該是某種菌類。丹尼爾興致盎然檢視櫥櫃說。 夠了，小瑞說：我不錄了。等我們老了，頭髮又灰又白，開始沉迷往事，想起我們的住處，我可不希望第一個想到的就是蕈類。我要怎麼把它關掉？ 塑料地板閃過一秒，畫面頓時黑掉。 我們有四十二段類似的錄影畫面，法蘭克一邊按鈕，一邊對我說：長度都在一到五分鐘之間。只要加上一星期密集訪問女孩的朋友舊識，我敢保證一定能拿到足夠的資訊，打造出原汁原味的蕾西。當然，假如妳同意臥底的話。 他將畫面定格在蕾西身上，女孩轉頭說話，雙眼閃閃發亮，嘴巴微笑半張。我看著她因為移動而模糊的身影，感覺她下一秒就要飛出畫面，心想：我以前也是這樣，充滿自信，堅強勇敢，不怕任何未來。幾個月前，我還是這樣。 凱西，法蘭克柔聲說：由妳決定。 我想拒絕，感覺自己想了很久。我想回家暴組，週一早上照例收拾週末的殘局，檢視無數瘀青，面對坐在室內依然穿著高領毛衣和戴墨鏡的女人，經常週一控告男友、週二晚上就撤銷告訴的女人；還有坐我旁邊，宛如穿著毛衣的粉紅火腿，只要調出沒聽過姓名的檔案就會低頭竊笑的 我知道自己只要回去，就再也不會離開。我很有把握，就像此刻胃裡的糾結一樣清楚明白。女孩是個挑戰，朝我直撲而來，精準致命，千載難逢，機不可失。 歐凱利伸直雙腿，誇張地嘆氣，庫柏盯著天花板的裂痕，我從山姆僵硬的肩膀看得出來他屏住呼吸。只有法蘭克看著我，眼神專注，眨也不眨。辦公室裡的空氣只要觸到我，就讓我一陣疼痛。畫面裡的蕾西沉浸在泛黃光線中，有如等我跳入的黝黑湖泊、結了薄冰等我滑溜的河面，又像即將起飛的長途班機。 她最好會抽煙。I said. 我的胸腔彷彿窗戶猛然推開，沒想到我還能呼吸得如此之深。天哪，妳慢慢來，歐凱利勉強從椅子上站起來，將褲頭拉到小腹上，妳真他媽瘋了，不過這一點也不新奇。萬一妳被人做了，不要來找我哭。 厲害，庫柏說，雙眼若有所思地看著我，顯然在想我