Chapter 5 Chapter Four

After saying yes, Frank and I spent a week building Lacey 3.0.Frank visited around during the day to learn about Lacey, her schedule, emotional attitude, and interpersonal relationship. At night, he came to my residence to pour the harvest of the day into my mind.I had almost forgotten how good he was at this sort of thing, methodical, detail-oriented, and expecting me to follow in no time. On Sunday evening, when we stepped out of the office of the serious crimes team, he handed me a copy of Lacey's weekly routine and paper materials, and on Monday he gave me a thick stack of relevant person materials, including photos, voice, background and Gao Ming's profile. Draw analysis, let me remember easily.On Tuesday, Frank took the aerial photo of Glensky Village and asked me to write down all the details until I had a map in my mind. Then he narrowed the scope and began to study the floor plan and photos of the Hawthorn House with me.It's time-consuming to collect all this information, Frank, a bastard, has already figured out that I will agree to serve as an undercover agent.

We repeatedly studied the video on the mobile phone, and Frank would flick his finger every few seconds to emphasize the details: Did you notice?When she smiles, her head turns slightly to the right.You do me once and watch her watch Xiaorui, and here, watch her look at Justin, she's flirting with them.She looked directly at Daniel and Abby, but her eyes were slanted upwards when she looked at those two people. Remember this, did you see her posture for holding a cigarette?She doesn't hold it in the right corner of her mouth, which is different from your habit.She will put her hands against her and inhale from the left.Let me watch you do it again Note here, you see Justin is very uncomfortable seeing the mold, Abby and Lacey immediately look at each other and start complimenting the tiles to divert his attention, which shows that they know each other well

We don't know how many times we re-watched it. It wasn't until five o'clock in the morning that Frank lay down on the sofa with all his clothes on.When I closed my eyes and fell asleep, the previous images emerged one after another. Daniel’s rude and clear voice contrasted with Justin’s whisper, the pattern of wallpaper and Abby’s messy laughter, all of which seemed to pull my dreams under the current. The life of the five of them is as regular as a ritual, which is amazing.I think my school days were either impromptu parties at home, or crazy late nights working hard, skipping several meals in a row or munching on toasted sandwiches at odd times.However, these five guys always get up early in the morning, the woman makes breakfast at 7:30, and then go out together in Daniel's or Justin's car.Regardless of whether there were classes or not, they always arrived at school around ten o'clock and returned to the forest house at half past six in the evening, where the boys prepared dinner.

On weekends, I usually stay at home and read, and occasionally go out for a picnic when the weather is nice.If there's spare time, it's mostly Rui playing the piano, Daniel reciting Dante aloud, or Abby fixing an eighteenth-century barbed ottoman. They didn't have a TV, and they didn't want to buy a computer. Daniel and Justin shared a typewriter, and the other three went to school to use computers if they wanted to keep in touch with the twenty-first century.They are like spies from another planet who, because they got the situation wrong, read Edith.Wharton (Editor's note: American female writer, 1862︱1937, born in the upper class of New York, her works mainly focus on observing the upper class, her representative work is "The Age of Innocence", which won the Pulitzer Prize for Literature. ) novel, watch reruns of the American TV series Little House on the Prairie.For them, Frank had to search the Internet for how to play Pique (Editor's Note: Pique is French poker, a total of thirty-two cards, a card game played by two people.) and taught me how to play.

Of course, all this made Frank furious, and his speech became more and more merciless, and the more he cursed, the more exaggerated: I think they are heretics at all, thinking that technology is a trick of Satan, and when the moon is full, they will sing to the plants in the house.Don't worry, if they start messing with men and women, I'll transfer you right away.Seeing them like that, I think you're having a great time.Why doesn't someone have a TV at home these days?I didn't tell Frank, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that their life was not strange at all, but fascinated me deeply.In recent years, the pace of Dublin has been so fast and crowded with competition that everyone is afraid of being left behind, so they have to shout loudly to avoid being overwhelmed by the times.I was also in such a hurry from the start of Operation Vesta, gritted my teeth all the way forward, and never stopped no matter what I encountered, the elegant life of the four of them (embroidery, my God!) seemed to slap me in the face.Not only did I forget about slowness, I also forgot how to have something that was slow, soft, wide, and sure-footed.The life of the Hawthorn House and the four of them was as fresh as well water in my heart, and as shady as under the oak trees on a hot afternoon.

I practiced during the day, imitating Lacey's handwriting, her walk, her accent.Luckily for me, she spoke with a bit of an old-fashioned Dublin County accent, probably picked up from a TV or radio talk show host, not too far off from mine.I imitated her cadence and laughter, and the first time I uttered the same laughter, light and helpless as foam, as thin as a child being tickled, I almost died of my own fright. I took some comfort in the fact that the girl played Lacie differently from the ones I had played.Many years ago, I became Lacey at University College Dublin. She was a happy and outgoing girl who liked to make friends and be the protagonist. She had no treacherous and changeable personality, no shadows in her heart, and no one who dealt or bought drugs would feel threatened, at least That's how it started.

At first, Frank and I only regarded Lacey as a special precision tool, built completely according to needs, and acting according to clear goals. In contrast, Lacey played by the girl is very fickle, erratic, capricious, and feels like a Siamese cat, bouncing around, chattering, and playing naughty with friends from time to time, but she is as cold as ice to outsiders.This was giving me a headache because I couldn't retrace the girl's actions to understand what she was trying to accomplish with Lacie, a well-designed tool. I have thought about whether I have overcomplicated things. There is no purpose for a girl to do this. At least in terms of personality, she is just being herself.After all, it's not easy to wear someone else's clothes for years, I should know that.However, I can't let go of the idea that girls are innocent and have no intentions.A voice inside me told me that underestimating girls would be a huge mistake.

On a Tuesday evening, Frank and I sat on the floor of our house, strewn with photos of maps, eating Chinese takeout in front of a low, battered wooden cabinet that served as a coffee table.It was a stormy night, and Frank and I were a little on edge, with the wind lashing the windows like mad thugs.I've been memorizing my contacts all day, and I'm so exhausted that I'm doing a handstand when Frank arrives to keep from bouncing to the ceiling.Frank moved in a hurry, swept away the things on the table, muttered non-stop, and arranged the map and lunch box.I don't know what's in his XBox-like head, and I don't have to ask, and he doesn't tell me.

The map and the food made us calm down a bit. Maybe Frank would choose Chinese food, and that’s why.Stuffed with lemon chicken, it's hard to be nervous. Look here, Frank is trying to fork up the remaining rice with a fork in one hand, and pointing to the map with the other hand, he said: This is a gas station on Rathowen Road, open from 7:00 am to 2:00 am, mainly selling cigarettes and gasoline Locals who won't buy these two things here.You sometimes buy cigarettes here.anything else? God, no, I said.I didn't expect to be so hungry. I used to eat like a horse, and Rob used to wonder how much food I could cram, but Operation Vesta took away my appetite.Want some coffee?I put a pot of coffee on the stove and Frank's eye bags are big enough to frighten a child.

It's a lot, we've got work to do, and it's a long night, baby. What a surprise, I said: You stayed with me overnight, and Olivia didn't speak? I spoke probingly, and after hesitating for a second before Frank pushed the plate away, I knew that I guessed right, and the undercover sequelae showed their power again.I'm sorry, I said: I didn't mean to No wonder, you did it on purpose.Olivia came to her senses last year and divorced me.I see my daughter Holly one weekend a month and two weeks in the summer.I'm spending the night with you and little Sam didn't protest?

Frank's eyes were calm, without flickering and evasion, his tone was firm, and there was no anger in his words, but the meaning was very obvious: don't ask any more questions.He's fine, I said as I got up to go to coffee, as long as it's work related. Yeah?His focus on Sunday didn't seem to be on work. I changed my mind, and Frank was actually annoyed that I brought up Olivia, but an apology would only make it worse.Before I could think of what to say, the doorbell rang.I tried my best not to jump up in fright, but when I went to open the door, I bumped my calf against the corner of the sofa like the confused Inspector Crusoe in the Pink Panther. Frank looked up curiously I glance. It's Sam.The answer came, Frank grinned, stood up from the floor with difficulty and said: For you, he believes anytime and anywhere, but for me he can't let go.I'll get some coffee, and I'll leave the hugs to you. Sam looked tired, and when he kissed me, he could feel the weight of his whole body, and the moment he exhaled, his whole body seemed to relax.Gosh, it's good to see you, he said, then glanced at Frank in the kitchen, oh. Welcome to Lacey's lab, Frank said happily: Would you like some coffee?Sweetened or sour pork?Or with shrimp cakes? Well, Sam said with a wink: I mean no, just coffee, thanks.If you are working, I will not stay.I just thought you guys were busy? It's ok, I said to Sam: We're having dinner, have you eaten today? I'm fine, Sam didn't answer. He threw the large canvas bag on the ground and struggled to take off his coat.Can I have a few words with you in private?If you are okay now. He was asking me, but Frank answered generously: So what's the problem, please sit, please sit, he waved Sam to sit on the mat, milk or sugar? No milk, two sugars, Sam sat down on the cushion and said: Thank you.I'm sure he's hungry, but he doesn't want to touch the food Frank bought, and his canvas bag is definitely full of ingredients that are a hundred times better than lemon chicken.I really want to put my hands on Sam's shoulders and spend five minutes relieving his tightness.I thought the trickiest part of the case was the undercover agent, but that doesn't seem to be the case now. I sat down next to Sam, getting as close as I could without touching him.How about it?I asked. He grabbed my hand and squeezed it lightly, stretched his arm to the coat behind the cushion, and took out his notebook.Well, I think it's pretty good, it's okay, the main thing is to investigate and eliminate suspicions.Durr, the one who found the body, had an alibi that was fine.We checked the domestic violence contacts you reported and ruled out the possibility of being involved in the case.We are looking for other information, including your case in the Major Crime Unit, but nothing has been found so far.I thought of my colleagues in the serious crime team reviewing my case files and remembering all kinds of rumors and my victim in my mind, and my neck couldn't help twitching, reaching my collarbone.The girl never seems to use the Internet. There is no log-in record on the school computer, and there is no My Space page under her name. The email address that Trinity College gave her is intact, and no clues can be found on the Internet.Girls never argue with anyone at school, not even bickering.The English Department is very gossip-loving, and if a girl ever had trouble with someone, we'd be sure to hear about it. I really hate to say it, but I told you all about it, Frank said as he looked for a glass: But sometimes in life you have to do things you don't want to do. uh-huh.Sam responded casually.Frank pretended to be a servant, bent over to hand him the coffee, then winked at me behind his back, and I ignored him.Sam has a rule in handling cases, that is, not to argue with his partner, but there are always guys like Frank who think that when Sam is nervous, he gets nervous and can't feel anything.So I was thinking, Casey's current situation is that the elimination of suspicion may be endless, but as long as there is no motive and clues for the crime, I have to continue to do the elimination work, and there is no way to start the case.I'm thinking, if I know a little bit what I'm looking for, can you help me analyze it? After Sam finished speaking, I felt the room darken suddenly, enveloped in utter sadness, suffocating like smoke that could not dissipate.In my previous homicide cases, I always tried to do the criminal profile at home.In the dead of night, Rob and I drank whiskey while he curled up on the couch playing with rubber bands, racking his brains to find loopholes in my analysis.During Operation Vesta, we called on Sam for support.The music and the moths kept tapping on the window, and Sam smiled shyly at me. I just remember being very happy at the time.But at this moment, it seems that this place has changed, and it seems crowded and restless.The cold Chinese food tastes greasy, my calf hurts like hell, and Frank's eyes watching the show from time to time feel like walking into my house and mocking the weird reflection in a distorting mirror, and there is only one ridiculous thought in my mind, which is :I want to go home. Sam carefully moves the stack of maps aside, looks up at us to make sure nothing has been messed up, and sets the mug on the floor.Frank sat down on the edge of the sofa, palms crossed against his chin, exuberant.I lowered my eyes so they wouldn't see the look on my face.On the table was a photograph of Lacey, half-hidden under the meal box, of Lacey standing on a ladder in the kitchen of Hawthorn House, in coveralls and a man's shirt, smeared with white paint.It was the first time I saw a girl feel good: the handcuff marks on my wrists pulled me to the ground, and the cold water slap hit my face, blasting everything out of my heart, I almost reached out on the photo. Oh, sure, let me think about it, and I said: But you should know there's a limit to what I can do, right?There is really no way to rely on one crime alone.Most criminal profiles are based on pattern crimes. It is difficult to determine whether it is a coincidence or a clue based on a single case analysis, and is often limited by the murderer's life style or impenetrable psychological mechanism.A homicide on Wednesday night was nothing, and the fact that the next three homicides happened on Wednesday meant that the murderer was free that day.If I had watched it a couple of times, I might have caught the guy whose wife was busy playing bingo on Wednesday.The tactic of a single rape is meaningless. Four rapes of the same tactic mean that someone's girlfriend, wife, or ex-wife must have recognized that it was a man's game. Whatever, Sam said, opening his notebook, taking out his pen, and leaning forward, staring at me intently, ready to take notes. You can think of anything. Well, I'm going straight to the point, I don't need files at all.I've thought about it a lot. In the past few days, when Frank was lying on the sofa like a buffalo, and the outside of the window turned from black to gray to golden, I kept thinking about it.First of all, the murderer should be a man.We cannot rule out the possibility of women committing crimes. If there is a suspicious object, don't ignore it.But purely statistically, assassinations are usually committed by men, so it can be tentatively assumed that the murderer was a man. Sam nodded and said: I think so too, how old do you think the murderer should be? Not teenagers, because the murderer is too planned and self-controlled.But he is not an old man, because although stabbing people with a knife does not require the skill of an athlete, it requires a certain amount of physical strength, running on paths, climbing over fences, and dragging corpses.I think the murderer must have been between twenty-five and forty years old, at most younger or older. I think, said Sam, scribbling notes, that he should know the place. Yes, I said: the murderer was either a local, or had spent a lot of time in Grunsky, and was therefore quite at ease in the vicinity.Generally, a murderer would be very nervous when committing crimes outside the territory, and would leave immediately after finishing the crime, but he stayed for a long time.Furthermore, the map showed that the terrain there was like a maze, but he was able to find someone after the girl ran away. Moreover, it was late at night and there were no street lights, so he was obviously very familiar with the place. Somehow, profiling was more difficult than I thought it would be.I've analyzed all known facts, squeezed out every clue, reread every textbook I have, but I just can't grasp the shape of the murderer.All I have to do is reach out and grab him, and he'll escape from my fingers like a puff of smoke, drifting across the horizon, leaving me alone to watch, only to see Lacey.I kept telling myself that profiling, like a skill like a backflip or biking, gets rusty if you don't practice it, but that doesn't mean it's gone forever. I got out the cigarettes because I thought it best not to have my hands idle.Well, the killer knew Grunsky well, and he should definitely know the dead girl.Among other things, we know the posture of the body, the girl's face is on one side, facing the wall.Any movement to adjust the head of the deceased, whether it is covered, disfigured or turned in a certain direction, usually involves personal emotions, and the murderer and victim clearly knew each other. However, Frank threw his feet on the sofa, put the mug on his stomach, and said: "It may have been an accident. The murderer put the girl on the ground, and her head was turned to one side." Possibly, I said: but don't forget that the murderer was after the girl again.The hut was far from the path, and it was dark at the time, so unless you knew the location in advance, you might not even see the hut.It took a while for the girl to run away and be caught up, which showed that the murderer was not in a hurry. I doubt he really saw the girl running into the hut.Besides, the girl entered the house and sat against the wall. Unless the murderer spotted the girl with the flashlight on, she would not be able to see her from the path.And how can a person who is avoiding the pursuit of madmen turn on the flashlight?So there must be a reason why the murderer came to the cabin, I think he knew girls liked cabins. It doesn't mean the girl knows him, Frank said: it just means he knows the girl.The murderer may have been following her for a while, feeling that he has an unusual relationship with her and knows her living habits very well. I shook my head and said: I don't rule out the possibility of a stalker, but even so, girls should know him.Remember when the girl was stabbed in the chest?She didn't run away, nor was she attacked from behind, but the two faced each other.The girl sees the killer and even talks to him for a while.The girl showed no signs of being hurt in self-defense, which I take to mean she was off guard.The murderer was very close to her, and the girl was very comfortable until the other party stabbed her with a knife.If it were me, if a stranger appeared in the middle of the night where no birds lay eggs and barged in front of me, I would never be so relaxed. In order for these analyzes to be useful, Frank said, it was necessary to find out who the girl knew. What else should I be aware of?Sam asked himself, I could tell he was trying to ignore Frank, do you think he has a criminal record? He may have had criminal experience, I said: because he's very good at dealing with aftermath.But if he'd been so careful, he probably never got caught, or he probably learned the hard way that he had to be careful.As you track records, look out for people with previous convictions for car theft, robbery, or arson.This type of crime usually requires a clean-up of the scene, but no direct contact with the victim.Don't look for previous assault or sexual assault records. Based on the clumsiness of his actions, this guy should not have any violent tendencies, and he has never even used violence. He's not that bad, Sam said softly: the girl died anyway. Almost, I say: but just luck, that's all.I don't think he's looking for the girl to kill her, there are a lot of inconsistencies here.As I said on Sunday, the stabbing seemed impulsive and unplanned, but methodical before and after.The murderer knew where to look for someone. On a path in the wilderness in the middle of the night, I don't think he met the girl by chance.The murderer either knew the girl's movements, or made an appointment with her.After the stabbing, the murderer remained calm and moved slowly. He chased the girl, searched him, removed his shoe prints, and wiped the girl's belongings. This means that he did not wear gloves, and that he did not intend to kill. But he had a knife, and Frank reminded me: What do you think he was carrying a knife for?Chipping wood? I shrugged and said: Threat her, maybe.Or scare her and make her admire, I don't know.But with him being such a careful and cautious guy, if he had intended to kill someone, he would never have been in such a mess.The attack was so sudden that the girl must have been taken aback, giving the killer plenty of time to get things done.But it was the girl who reacted first, and she ran away first, and after running for a long distance, the murderer started to move, which I think meant that he was as surprised as the girl.I thought that the two should meet for another purpose, but I didn't expect a big mistake. Why chase after her, Sam asks, after he stabbed the girl?Why don't you get up and leave the scene? The murderer caught up with the girl, I said: found the girl was dead, moved her, checked her pockets, so I thought he would chase after her, because of the things on the girl.He didn't hide or expose the body. It is impossible for you to spend half an hour looking for someone just to drag her a few meters. Therefore, moving the body should have another purpose. It may be to find a place to hide so that no one can see the light of the flashlight. Or in order to avoid the rain, in order to accomplish his real goal, either to make sure the girl is really dead, or to search the girl's body. If, as you said, the killer did know the girl and Sam said he had no intention of killing her, is it possible that he moved the body because he cared about her?He blamed himself enough for killing the girl and didn't want her in the rain I've thought about it, but the guy is smart enough to plan ahead and determined not to get caught.Moving the body means that it will be stained with blood, more shoe prints will be left, more time will be spent, and maybe hair or fibers will fall on her body.He must have a clear reason for doing this. It doesn't take much time to check if the girl is dead, at least it is shorter than moving the body.Therefore, I personally think that the reason why he followed the girl and moved her was to search her body. Why?Sam asks: We all know the murderer wasn't in it for the money. I only want to get three possibilities, I said: one is to make sure that there is nothing on the girl that can identify him, for example, the girl did not write the date between the two in the diary, or delete her number in the girl's mobile phone, etc. The girl didn't have a diary, and Frank said towards the ceiling: I asked the Surprise Four Superman. And she left her mobile phone on the kitchen table at home. Sam said: The roommate said this is very common. The girl always said that she would take her mobile phone for a walk, but often forgot.We've checked this and there's currently no evidence that they lied. However, this does not mean that the murderer knew that the girl did not have a mobile phone, I said: but it is also possible that he was looking for something more special.Maybe the girl gave him something, and that's the problem: the girl repented, and either the murderer had already taken the thing away, or the girl didn't take it with him at all. Treasure map?Frank kindly suggested: Or royal jewellery? That house is full of old things, Sam said, if one of them is valuable, did the boy take an inventory of the property when he inherited the house? Aha, said Frank: You've seen that house yourself, who would want to count it?In his will, Simon listed only things in good enough condition, mainly antique furniture and two paintings, which were long gone.The posthumous affairs were not cheap, and all the valuable things in the family were sold to pay for the funeral.According to the results of my investigation, there should be only the tatters in the attic. Another possibility, I said, was that he was trying to find out the girl's identity.Everyone knows that the girl is a mysterious figure. Maybe the murderer thought the girl was me at first and became suspicious, or the girl accidentally revealed that Lacey was not her real name.In short, the murderer may be looking for identification documents and wants to know who the girl he assassinated is. The several possibilities you mentioned all have some things in common. Frank lay on the sofa with his hands crossed and pillowed on his head, the pride in his eyes flickered more clearly: the person we are looking for plans to meet the girl, indicating that he does not rule out going to the girl in the future. chance to meet her.He did not intend to kill anyone, saying that it is unlikely that anyone else will be killed in the future.And this guy doesn't live in Hawthorn House. That's not necessarily the case, Sam said: If it was a housemate, a man or a woman, they could have taken the phone from Lacey to make sure she didn't call the police or record anything.We know that girls often take pictures with their mobile phones, and the killer has every reason to worry about his name appearing in them. Has the mobile phone's fingerprint identification report come out yet?I asked. This afternoon, Frank said: only Lacey's and Abby's fingerprints.Both Daniel and Abby testified that Abby handed Lacy the phone on the drive to school that morning, and fingerprinting confirmed this.There are at least two places on the phone where Lacey's fingerprints are on top of Abby's, indicating that Lacey touched the phone after Abby.No one took the phone from Lacey, which was on the kitchen table when the girl died.Her housemates don't have to run after her to be sure of that. It could also be that they took her diary, Sam said, because we only had their testimony that the girl didn't have a diary. Frank rolled his eyes and said: According to you, the girls don't live in Hawthorn House at all, because we only have their testimony.With the clues we have, even if you said that the girl had a fight with her roommate a month ago and moved to the loft apartment in Shelburne to become the mistress of the Saudi prince, it would make sense, even if there is no evidence.The four of them said exactly the same thing, we didn't catch half of them lying, and the girl was killed outside the house again What do you think?Sam interrupted Frank to ask me directly: Do any of them match the profile? Yeah, Kathy, Frank said sweetly: What do you think? Sam very much hoped the murderer was one of those four, and I'd love to say yes, regardless of the impact on his investigation.All I wanted was to get the drained expression off Sam's face and restore a little sparkle to his eyes.Statistically, I answer: they are really close.He was the right age, he was a local, he was smart, he knew Lacey, and he knew her best, which is usually the case with murderers.None of them had a criminal record, but as I said earlier, some of them may have done something somewhere, we just don't know.At first I also thought they were right, but the more I listened, I scratched my head with my hands, and I didn’t know how to express it: there was one thing about them that I didn’t really believe.Do we have evidence other than four that girls usually go for walks by themselves?Never had other housemates? In fact, Frank was groping on the floor for his cigarettes: there were.There is a female graduate student named Grace in the English Department, and she is the same as Lacey's supervisor.Greeley was on the list, buxom, with bulging gooseberry eyes, round cheeks that began to droop, and curly ginger hair.She likes to gossip.After the five of them moved into the Hawthorn House, she asked Lacy if she would have no privacy.I guess she asked this question because she wanted to probe into the shady relationship between men and women.But Lacey just looked blank, said she would go out for a walk by herself every night, and she just needed the privacy, thank you, she didn't like to run into people unless it was someone she liked, and then she left.I think our Greeley may not have heard that Lacey was actually hurting her. Well, I said: In this case, I really can't think of the possibility of their involvement in the case, at least according to the current situation.One of them needed to have a private conversation with Lacey, something important, too important to be in the usual unobtrusive ways, like asking her to get coffee at school or something, or walking with her or stalking her.Whether it was the former or the latter, this person broke the usual rules, but these five people took the rules very seriously, so everyone else must have immediately noticed that something was wrong, including Lacey.So the man brought a knife, but they were good middle-class intellectuals Kathy meant that they were motherfuckers.Frank lit the lighter and said this to Sam. Speaking of which, Sam put down his pen and said: Wait a minute, you can't rule them out because they're middle-class.We have handled countless cases, and the suspects were originally cute and respectable I didn't rule them out, Sam, I said: It's not about killing people.If girls were strangled or bang their heads against a wall, I'd think they were very likely.Even stabbing someone with a knife, I think they can do it, if they happen to have a knife in their hand.The problem is that the guy wouldn't carry a knife at all unless he really wanted to kill the girl, but that doesn't fit with my previous deduction.I bet none of the four had the habit of carrying a knife with them, and even if they wanted to threaten or persuade someone, it wouldn't have occurred to them to use one.When they conflict with others, what they think in their hearts is how to win the opponent, not how to show the knife. Yes, Sam said after a long silence.He took a deep breath and picked up the pen again, but it was hanging on the paper, as if he had forgotten what to write.I think it does, of course. Even assuming one of them was stalking the girl, I said, and for some reason with a knife ready to intimidate her, what did he think would happen next?Did he really think he could get away with it?His and the girl's overlapping social circles were small and tight enough that Lacey could have accepted his request and gone straight home to tell the other three what had happened.After a moment of scare and panic, the guy negotiating with a knife, unless he was Daniel, would probably be kicked out of the Hawthorn House.They were wise men, Sam, and it was impossible to ignore such an obvious fact. However, Frank said kindly again, obviously because he was too bored, he wanted to change his position. There are many smart people who do stupid things in this world. But not like this, said Sam, laying his pen horizontally on his notebook and pressing his fingers against the corners of his eyes: Of course they do stupid things, but they don't do things that don't make sense. It was me who made Sam look tired, I felt like a jerk.Do they do drugs?I asked: For example, cocaine and the like?Drug use occasionally makes the mind go out of order. Frank took a puff of cigarette.I don't think so, and Sam said without looking up: They're all good kids, and I said these five guys are very clean.They do drink, but by the looks of it, let alone anything stronger, I don't think they've even smoked weed.The girl's poison test was flawless, remember? The wind beat against the windows, the glass shook violently with a bang, and then fell silent.So, unless we're missing something big, I say: The odds of them being involved aren't high. After a moment of silence, Sam said: Yes, he carefully closed the notebook and clamped the pen, I think it's time for me to find important clues. Can I ask you a question?Frank said: Why are you holding on to the four of them? Sam rubbed his face with his hands and blinked hard, as if trying to focus.In case you haven't noticed, he pauses before saying: But they're the only ones there, no one else.If not them, who else? It's the guy we just profiled.Frank reminds Sam. I know, Sam's tone is heavy, thank you Kathy, I really appreciate it, but I don't have anyone who fits the description.I have checked many local people of the same age, including women, and I must say that there are many smart people with plans in doing things, but there is no evidence that they knew the dead girl.I also asked quite a few girls about their college acquaintances, and several of them fit almost every description, except that, as far as I could tell, they had never been to Glensky, let alone familiar with the local surroundings.After all, no one person fits all traits perfectly. Frank raised an eyebrow.I don't want to keep bringing it up, he said, but that's what Detective Casey and I are doing. I know, said Sam, without looking at Frank, if I get to him soon you won't be too busy. Then you'd better hurry up, Frank is still lying on the sofa, watching Sam through the smoke with his lazy eyes squinting, because I plan to do it on Sunday. There was complete silence in the room for a second, and even the strong wind outside the window seemed to miss a beat.Frank hadn't mentioned the exact date before, and I squinted at the table, only to see the map and the photo tremble suddenly, taking concrete shape into corrugated glass, sun-shining leaves, and weathered smooth stones, becoming real scenes. this sunday?I said. Don't look at me so surprised, Frank said to me: You'll be fine, baby.Why don't you think about it from another angle, so you don't have to look at my ugly face next?The moment he spoke, I really thought yes, thank goodness. Well, Sam said, drank his coffee in one gulp, flinched, I have to go.He stood up and patted his pocket casually. Sam lives in the kind of place I'm talking about, weird new neighborhoods in the middle of nowhere.He was exhausted, and the wind started to blow again outside the window, shaking the roof tiles.Don't drive so far, Sam, I said: especially in this weather.You stay tonight, we'll be busy till late, but Yes, stay, Frank spreads his arms, grins at Sam and says: We can have slumber parties, roast marshmallows, and truth or dare. Sam picked up his coat from behind the cushion and stared at it, as if he didn't know what to do.Oh, no, I'm not going home, I want to go to the bureau for a while and check some files.我會很好的。 好吧，法蘭克開心朝山姆揮手告別，那就祝你玩得開心囉。要是找到主嫌，記得打電話過來。 我陪山姆下樓，在前門和他吻別，看他手插口袋，低頭頂著強風朝車子走去。也許是強風灌進樓梯間，跟我一起回了房間，但山姆離開之後，我感覺公寓變得更冷、更荒蕪，空氣鋒利如刀。他本來就會走，法蘭克，我說：你沒必要那麼機車。 誰曉得，法蘭克說著坐直身子，開始將外賣紙盒疊好，但話說回來，我看過手機的錄影，蕾西遇到這種情形不會說機車，而是討厭，有時會說有夠討厭，或是蠢蛋和豬頭，記得這一點。要是妳能告訴我怎麼從林屋走到小屋，而且不偷看，我就幫妳洗碗。 山姆之後不再替我準備晚餐，他總是在奇怪的時間來訪和離開，回自己家過夜，發現法蘭克躺在沙發也沒說什麼。他通常只是給我一吻、一袋日用品或簡單報告進度就和我告別。山姆能說的不多，蕾西深夜散步會走的小徑，鑑識人員和支援員警全都一寸寸搜查過，找不到任何血跡、足以辨認的鞋印、掙扎痕跡或隱匿地點問題就在那天的雨也沒有兇器。 山姆和法蘭克隨便挑了兩人偵訊，免得媒體大作文章。他們仔細撰寫文稿，說明葛倫斯凱的攻擊案件，還刻意語焉不詳，表示被害人已經送往威克勞醫院。他們在醫院派人盯梢，但女孩沒有訪客，就連屋友也沒出現。 電信公司提供的蕾西手機紀錄找不到線索，接受挨家訪查的民眾不是茫然聳肩，就是舉出無法證實的不在場證明，例如誰是贏家播完之後，我和老婆就上床睡覺了。還有人對山楂林屋的有錢小鬼嗤之以鼻，對伯恩、道帝和警方突然對葛倫斯凱大感興趣更是沒有好話。總之，都不是什麼有用的線索。 由於道帝和伯恩在村裡人緣欠佳，做事又不起勁，因此便被派去重看成千上萬小時的監視錄影畫面，指認經常出現的陌生訪客。然而，監視攝影機不是為了監視外來客而架設，因此他們頂多只能確定命案發生當晚十點到兩點之間，沒有車輛直接進出葛倫斯凱。於是，山姆再度認定屋友可能涉案，但法蘭克立刻指出兇手有許多方法可以進入村裡而不被拍到。伯恩開始抱怨穿制服的從都柏林湧入葛倫斯凱，瞎忙一氣，浪費眾人時間。我有預感，暴力室裡一定愁雲慘霧，充滿一觸即發的較勁意味，以及走投無路與意志消沉的凝重氣氛。 法蘭克對蕾西的屋友說她會回家，他們送來一些東西，包括一張慰問卡片、六條吉百利巧克力棒、淺藍睡衣、出院服、面霜（絕對是艾比送的）、兩本美國女作家芭芭拉．金索夫的書、一台隨身聽和一疊自製錄音帶。 撇開我二十多歲就沒再看過錄音帶不說，他們送來的帶子真是令人匪夷所思：湯姆．威茲、布魯斯．史普林斯汀和深夜漫漫長路上聽的老歌，例如琵雅芙、海鷗樂團和一位名叫艾瑪利亞（編註：指的是Amalia Rodirgues，將法朵這種音樂類型傳至全球的傳奇女歌手。）的女歌手唱的沙啞葡萄牙歌。幸好這些音樂都還不錯，要是裡面有阿姆的專輯，我肯定會把插頭拔掉。卡片寫了愛和四人的簽名，就這樣，簡短得令人感到神秘，似乎隱藏著我無法解讀的訊息。法蘭克把巧克力棒吃了。 警署的官方說法是，蕾西因為昏迷而喪失短期記憶，忘了自己遭受攻擊，也幾乎不記得前一天發生的事。 這麼說還有其他好處，法蘭克說：要是妳搞錯小細節，就可以裝出不安無助的樣子，低聲說起昏迷的事，大家就會不好意思再追問下去。 另外，我回農莊向姑姑、姑丈和朋友報告，含糊說起我要接受訓練，接下來幾週不會出現。山姆散播消息的方法是找奎格利聊天，他是重案組的誤會大王。山姆私下對奎格利說我留職停薪，打算讀完學位，這樣要是有人在城裡看到我一副學生樣，才蒙混得過去，奎格利這個人屁股大，嘴巴也大，而且向來不喜歡我。我想不出二十四小時，警署裡所有人就會曉得我離開工作，說不定還不忘加油添醋，說我懷孕、精神病發作，甚至染上毒癮。 星期四，法蘭克開始連珠砲似的對我發問：妳早餐坐在哪裡吃？鹽巴放在哪裡？星期三早上誰載妳到學校？妳指導教授的辦公室是哪一間？只要我答錯，他就會集中火力，從各個角度切入，不管是相片、往事、手機影像或訪談錄音，直到一切彷彿變成我的親身記憶，答案脫口而出為止。接著他又開始追問：妳前年耶誕節在哪裡過？星期幾輪妳採買食物？坐在沙發上的法蘭克，簡直就是真人發球機。 我沒有對山姆說，我那一週其實過得很愉快，因為我覺得自己不該這麼感覺。我喜歡挑戰，雖然我偶爾會想起自己的處境相當詭異，而且只會越來越怪，但這件案子就像莫比烏斯帶（編註：Mobius strips，將紙帶扭轉一百八十度後黏合兩端，會得到一個連續曲面，此曲面為無盡循環，從起點開始不可能出現終點。），很難讓人頭腦清醒。我身旁四處都是蕾西，彼此接觸交疊，直到複雜得無法明辨，搞不清你講的是哪一個。有那麼幾次，我差點脫口而出，問法蘭克蕾西過得如何。 法蘭克的妹妹潔姬是美容師，因此星期五傍晚，法蘭克帶她到我住處幫我理髮。潔姬身材清瘦，頭髮染成金色，一點也不崇拜自己的哥哥。I like her. 嗯，沒錯，妳頭髮是需要修剪了，潔姬的指甲留長塗成紫色，雙手專業地撥了撥我的劉海，妳想剪成什麼樣子？ 這裡，法蘭克找出命案現場的相片遞給她說：妳可以幫她剪成這樣嗎？ 潔姬用大拇指和食指指尖捏著相片，目光懷疑地看了一眼。這個，她說：那女的死了？ This is confidential.Frank said. 機密你個頭！她是妳妹妹嗎，親愛的？ 別問我，我說：出點子的是妳哥，我是被他拉來湊數的。 妳不用理他。這個潔姬又看了相片一眼，接著拿得遠遠的遞給法蘭克，真是有夠噁心，實在是。你為什麼不找正經一點的事情做，法蘭克？例如指揮交通之類的，起碼有點用處，何必大老遠花兩小時把我從 妳可不可以專心剪妳的頭髮？法蘭克氣得雙手抓頭，將頭髮耙成一束一束，對潔姬說道：別再轟炸我的腦袋了，潔姬？潔姬偷偷瞟我一眼，兩人嘴角同時浮現女孩才懂的淘氣微笑。 還有，法蘭克發現我們的小動作，兇巴巴地說：記得閉上嘴巴，別講出去，聽到沒有？這事非比尋常。 alright!潔姬從袋子裡拿出梳子和剪刀說：非比尋常。去幫我們泡茶，這總行吧？希望妳不介意，親愛的。這後半句話是對我說的。 法蘭克搖搖頭，大步走向水槽。潔姬將我的頭髮梳到眼前，朝我眨眨眼睛。 剪完頭髮，我簡直變了一個人。我從來不曾將劉海修得這麼短，雖然只有毫釐之差，卻讓我的臉龐感覺更加年輕、素淨，明眸大眼，給人有如模特兒般純真的錯覺。那天晚上就寢之前，我看著浴室鏡子裡的身影，越看越覺得那不是自己，越看越想不起我原本的模樣，直到完全忘記。我放棄再想，朝鏡子比了中指，上床睡覺。 星期六下午，法蘭克說：我想差不多可以上陣了。 我背靠沙發，雙手抱膝，再看蕾西助教學生的相片一眼，試著裝出無動於衷的模樣。法蘭克在房裡走來走去，越接近行動日期，他就越坐不住。 tomorrow.I said.這兩個字灼傷我的嘴唇，有如冰雪留下的印記，讓我無法呼吸。 明天下午，我們先試個半天，讓妳進入狀況。我晚上通知蕾西的屋友，確定他們會辦個溫馨的派對，歡迎妳回家。妳覺得自己準備好了嗎？ 遇到這樣的行動，我實在不曉得什麼叫準備好了。準備好就好了。I said. 我們再複習一次：妳第一週的任務是什麼？ 盡量不要露餡，我說：還有不要被殺。 沒有還有，法蘭克從我面前走過，手指湊近我的眼睛彈了一下，喂，妳專心一點，這不是鬧著玩的。 我將相片放在腹部說：我很專心啊，幹嘛啦？ 要是妳會被人懷疑，肯定是剛到的頭幾天，還沒站穩腳步，大家眼睛都盯著妳看的時候。因此，妳第一週只需要做一件事，就是別露餡。這次任務難度很高，剛開始會很累，只要一心多用，絕對會出紕漏，但妳禁不起任何錯誤。因此，放輕鬆點。盡量找時間喘息，例如早點上床或讀書，不要和其他人玩牌。妳只要撐過一週，就會抓到節奏，大家也會習慣妳回來，幾乎不再看妳，妳就會有很多時間。在此之前，妳盡量保持低調，不要冒險、不要刺探，不要做會讓人起疑的事情，連案子都不要想。就算下週這時候妳沒有發現任何有用的線索，我也不在乎，妳只要確保還能留在山楂林屋就好。要是發現什麼，我們會再評估，看接下來怎麼辦。 但你不認為我會發現什麼，我說：對吧？ 法蘭克停下腳步，久久凝視著我。要是我覺得不可能，他反問：妳想我還會派妳去嗎？ 當然會，我說：只要你覺得有趣，不管結果如何，你都會毫不猶豫地派我去。 法蘭克靠著窗框，顯然在想我說的話。他背對光線，我看不見他的表情。也許吧，他說：但這一點也不重要。沒錯，臥底進去是很不保險，妳一開始就曉得。但只要小心別被嚇到，保持耐心，還是能查明真相。記得我以前說過問話的原則嗎？ 記得，我說：假裝無辜，在不被起疑的情況下，盡量多提問題。 這回不一樣，妳要做的完全相反。除非妳很確定要用問的才能知道答案，否則千萬不要開口。換句話說，就是誰也別問，啥也別問。 要是不能發問，那我該做什麼？我自己一直在想這個問題。 法蘭克匆匆穿越房間，將咖啡桌上的紙張推走，一屁股坐下，彎身湊到我的面前，一雙藍眼神情專注。妳只要張大眼睛，豎起耳朵就好。這件案子最大的難題，就是沒有嫌犯，妳的任務就是找出他來。反正妳不能當面逮捕兇手，因此就算找到線索，法庭也不會採納，所以妳沒必要取得對方自白，這部分交給我和小山姆就好。妳只要點出方向，剩下就由我們搞定。找出是誰躲過我們的偵查雷達，他要嘛來自女孩的過去，要嘛就是女孩後來認識，但沒有向外人透露的傢伙。假如有關係人之外的人接近妳，妳就虛以委蛇，看對方目的何在，蕾西和他關係如何，儘可能要到姓名或電話。 是，我說：抓出神秘怪客。法蘭克說得頭頭是道，但他說話向來如此。我還是覺得山姆直覺正確，法蘭克這麼做不是因為他認為有可能逮到兇手，而是這個案子千載難逢，怎麼也想像不到會有如此離譜的巧合。但我決定不去理它。 沒錯，去當神秘女孩吧。但記得注意妳的屋友，讓他們多說一點。我不認為他們是嫌犯，我知道那四個傢伙在妳的小山姆腦袋裡，像蒼蠅一樣揮之不去，但我看法和妳相同，他們不符合描述。不過，我有把握他們有事瞞著我們沒說，等妳見到他們就會明白我的意思。他們的秘密也許和案情完全無關，可能只是考試作弊、在後院曬月亮或知道孩子父親是誰，但我還是想知道之後再來判斷。他們不會向警方開口，但要是妳摸對門路，他們或許會和妳說。別擔心其他的關係人，我們目前沒有證據顯示他們涉案，再說我和小山姆也會對付他們。但要是有誰舉止特別可疑，而且很明顯，記得向我回報，知道嗎？ knew.I said. 最後一件事，法蘭克從桌上起身，找出我和他的咖啡杯，拿到廚房。我們後來幾乎不分日夜，隨時都有一大壺濃咖啡放在爐上保溫。我想我們要是再忙上一週，可能會直接用湯匙舀咖啡粉來吃。我一直想找妳聊聊，已經想了一陣子了。 I knew it.我像小孩翻動學習卡一樣翻閱相片，努力集中精神將人名記住：華爾、奈麗根、蘿洛說吧。I said. 法蘭克放下馬克杯，開始玩我的鹽罐，夾在指間小心轉動。我實在不想提，他說：但又有什麼辦法，活著有時就是這麼機車。妳有沒有發現，該怎麼說呢，發現自己有一點焦躁？ 是有一點，我說，眼睛繼續盯著相片。伊莎貝拉、布萊恩．萊恩（編註：原文Brian Ryan，姓與名的發音幾乎接近，給人隨意取名之感。）這傢伙的爸媽要嘛沒有多想，要嘛就是有很詭異的幽默感歐雷利我也發現了。 我不曉得是因為這個案子，還是之前就已經這樣，我也不需要知道。如果只是臨場緊張，只要踏進屋子大門就會沒事，但我還是要跟妳說，要是不是，千萬別慌。不要胡思亂想，否則只會把自己逼瘋，但也別試著隱瞞，而是反過來利用它。蕾西這陣子會六神無主是很自然的，妳沒有理由不好好發揮。總之兵來將擋，不管是不是和妳的預期不一樣。妳手邊有什麼都可以當成武器，小凱，都可以。 我會記得的。I said.沒想到薇絲塔行動的後遺症竟然對我的臥底有幫助，我胸腔裡充塞著複雜的感覺，幾乎無法呼吸。但我曉得自己要是眨眼，法蘭克一定會發現。 妳覺得自己辦得到嗎？ 蕾西，我心想，蕾西不會要法蘭克少管閒事，她自己知道該怎麼辦，我直覺認為，蕾西也絕對不會回答。蕾西會朝法蘭克打呵欠，或要他別像老太婆嘮叨說教，甚至說她想吃冰淇淋。餅乾吃完了，我伸懶腰說，相片從我腹部滑下去撒了一地。我去拿，奶油檸檬口味。法蘭克滿臉驚訝，我朝他哈哈大笑。 法蘭克很體貼，放我週六晚上休息真是好心腸啊，老法讓我和山姆道別。山姆做了咖哩雞當晚餐，我試做的提拉米蘇有點失敗，看起來很好笑，但味道還可以。我們談些雞毛蒜皮、無足輕重的小事，隔桌觸碰對方的手，像剛交往的戀人一樣不停交換信物，例如童年的往事和青少年做過的蠢事，彷彿分享海邊拾到的貝殼。蕾西的衣服掛在衣櫃門上，在角落裡閃爍發光，有如沙上的豔陽，但我和山姆絕口不提，一個字也沒有說起。 晚飯之後，我們蜷在沙發上。我點了壁爐，山姆將光碟放進音響裡。這一晚就像其他夜晚，除了我明天要換上的衣服和我體內加速的脈搏，這一刻只屬於我和他。妳都好嗎？Sam asked. 我差點以為今晚能夠這樣過去，兩人閉口不談明天，但我想是太奢求了。還好。I said. 妳會緊張嗎？ 我想了想。以目前的情況，許多地方根本毫無章法，我應該嚇壞了才對。不會，我說：很興奮。 山姆抵著我的頭，我感覺他微微頷首。他一手緩緩撫摸我的頭髮，感覺很舒服，胸膛卻硬得像塊鐵板，彷彿屏住呼吸。 你很不喜歡我去臥底，對吧？I said. 嗯，山姆輕聲說：沒錯。 那你怎麼不制止呢？案子是你的，你想喊停隨時都能做到。 山姆的頭僵住不動說：妳要我喊停嗎？ 不是，我說，我起碼還確定這一點：絕對不要。 現在喊停也不容易，臥底行動已經就緒，是法蘭克的心血結晶，我無權置喙。但要是妳改變主意，我會想辦法 我沒有，山姆，真的。我只是很好奇，你當初為什麼會答應。 山姆聳聳肩說：法蘭克講的確實沒錯，我們對這件案子毫無頭緒，臥底可能是唯一的辦法。 山姆也有沒破的案子，任何警探都有。但我敢說他只要確定兇手的對象不是我，絕對不會在意懸案又多一件。你上星期六也沒有線索，我說：但你卻還是堅決反對我去臥底。 山姆的手又開始移動，只是顯得漫不經心。案發那天，他過了半晌才說：妳到現場來，和法蘭克那傢伙打打鬧鬧，妳還記得嗎？他嘲弄妳的穿著打扮，妳也不甘示弱地嘲弄回去，感覺就像妳之前在重案組和 他說的是羅伯。羅伯可能是我這輩子認識最親近的朋友，但之前那場複雜邪惡的案子辦完，我們的友誼也隨之結束。我轉身抵在山姆胸前，想看著他的眼睛，但他卻抬頭望著天花板。我已經一陣子沒看妳那樣了，他說：活蹦亂跳的。 過去這幾個月，我應該是很差勁的伴侶吧。 山姆笑了，但不是很明顯：我不是在抱怨。 我試著回想，山姆有沒有抱怨過任何事情。我知道，我說：你沒有。 後來到星期六，他說：我知道我們吵了一架他輕輕摟我一下，在我額前印下一吻，但不管。我後來還是明白一點，就是我們會吵架是因為兩人都很投入，對於這個案子，因為妳很在乎，感覺他搖搖頭，尋找合適的話語，在家暴組不是這樣，他說：顯然不是，對吧？ 聽他這麼說，我才突然明白自己之前甚少向山姆提起家暴組的工作，其實透露了許多訊息。 該做的就是要做，我說：家暴組是和重案組不同，但也很好。 山姆點點頭，抱著我的雙臂微微收緊。開會的時候，他說：我其實一直在考慮該不該下達指令，要法蘭克滾回去。這件案子是兇殺案，我是承辦警探，只要我說不行但我看妳說話的樣子，全神貫注，拚命思考我心想，幹嘛要掃妳興致？ 我沒想到山姆會這麼說。就算你閱人無數，還是很容易被他的臉龐騙過。山姆有一張鄉下人的臉，雙頰紅潤，灰眼澄澈，眼角開始浮現皺紋，單純直率得讓你覺得不可能隱藏什麼。謝謝，山姆，我說：謝謝你。 山姆嘆了一口氣，我感覺他胸膛一起一伏。這個案子說不定是件好事，誰曉得？ 但你還是希望女孩死在其他地方。I said. 山姆沉思良久，手指輕輕繞著我的鬈髮。yes!他說：那是當然。但希望沒有什麼意義，既然遇到了，就要充分運用才行。 他低頭看我，臉上依然掛著微笑，但眼角周圍洩漏了其他情感，近乎悲傷。妳感覺很開心，這星期，他只說了這麼一句：很高興看妳又再開心起來。 我真不曉得這個男人怎麼受得了我。而且你很清楚，要是你替我做決定，我一定會把你屁股踹扁。 山姆咧嘴微笑，用手指彈了彈我的鼻尖。沒錯，他說：妳這個小潑婦。但他眼裡依然帶著陰影。 經過漫長的十天，週日感覺過得很快，有如到達頂點終於破碎的浪濤。法蘭克下午三點到我住處，幫我裝上竊聽裝置，四點半將我送到山楂林屋。那天早上，我和山姆依然照著週日的作息做事，在床上看報紙喝茶、沖澡、烤吐司、煎蛋和培根，但頭上始終懸著一只巨大的鬧鐘滴答作響，等著一瞬間讓蕾西起死回生。那四位屋友正在期待，預備歡迎蕾西回家。 吃完早午餐，我開始換衣服。山姆還沒離開，我想獨自著裝，因此便到浴室裡。衣服感覺不只是衣服，而是為我手工打造的精緻鎧甲，又像特地為了極機密場合而準備的服裝。我摸著它們，只覺得掌心一陣刺痛。 白色純棉內衣，盤寧百貨的標籤還在；褪色牛仔褲，穿得很軟，褲腳已經脫線；棕色襪子、棕色短靴、長袖白T恤和淺藍麂皮夾克，夾克刮損嚴重，但很乾淨，領子帶著鈴蘭花和一種溫暖的味道，幾乎淡不可聞，是蕾西的體香。夾克口袋裡有鄧氏超商的發票，時間是幾週前，買了雞柳、洗髮精、奶油和一瓶薑汁汽水。 穿著完畢，我對著門後的全身鏡檢視自己，竟然一時認不出鏡子裡的影像，接著莫名其妙地很想大笑，因為感覺很諷刺：這幾個月在家暴組，我每天穿得像粉領芭比，現在臥底喬裝成別人，反而穿得更像原本的自己。妳看起來不錯，我走出浴室，山姆淡淡一笑說：感覺很自在。 我需要的個人用品已經收好放在門口，彷彿我即將外出旅行，讓我有種衝動想要檢查護照和機票。法蘭克幫我買了一只很棒的硬殼旅行箱，暗層做了加強，外加一個堅固的號碼鎖，只有保險櫃搶犯才打得開。箱裡裝滿蕾西的東西，包括皮夾、鑰匙和手機，全都是仿製品。另外就是屋友給她的禮物和一罐維他命C片，藥劑師在塑膠罐上特別明顯的地方寫著抗生素錠，一日服用三次，每次一粒。 我的工具放在夾層，包括乳膠手套、手機、麥克風備用電池和染有假血的繃帶，讓我每天早晚到浴室裡更換。再來是筆記本、身分證和新的佩槍。法蘭克幫我要了一把點三八短槍，拿起來很順手，也比我之前用的史密斯威森手槍更容易隱藏。另外還有一件塑身束腹（我沒騙各位），鬆緊帶的強度夠你穿在黑色小禮服裡面突顯身材曲線，但其實是臥底用的槍套。束腹穿著很不舒服，一、兩個小時之後會覺得肝臟都被壓出槍的形狀，不過掩飾效果一流。我光是想到法蘭克跑到瑪莎百貨的內衣部去買束腹，就覺得值回票價。 妳看起來真讚，法蘭克站在門口打量我，語氣相當滿意。他的雙臂夾了一堆黑色電子器材、線路和對講機，感覺很像〇〇七電影裡的道具，就為了幫我安裝竊聽器。眠袋太美了。 她晚上只睡三小時，山姆站在我身後，口氣緊繃。我和你也一樣，咱們看起來都好不到哪裡去。 嘿，我不是來吵架的。法蘭克從我們面前走過，將器材扔在咖啡桌上說：我其實很高興她這樣，感覺就像真的在加護病房待了十天。嗨，寶貝。 麥克風很小，和襯衫鈕釦差不多，扣在我胸罩前端，雙乳之間。幸好蕾西不穿低胸內衣，法蘭克說著看了看錶，到鏡子前面稍微彎身，看可不可以。電池在刀傷的位置，用手術膠帶固定在我的腰側，再用白色厚紗布蓋好，離販毒小子在蕾西一號身上留下的刀疤只有幾公分。法蘭克對著複雜的器材微調幾下，透過麥克風傳出的聲音清晰穩定。我都挑最好的器材給妳，寶貝。傳輸範圍十一公里，視情況而定。我們已經在拉索文分局和重案組裝了接收器，不管妳在家或在三一學院都接收得到，只有開車通勤會超出範圍，但我不認為會有人把妳推下車。妳身上沒有錄影設備，所以有什麼需要我們看的，就用嘴巴形容。要是情況緊急需要援助，妳就說我喉嚨痛。支援幾分鐘內就會趕到。但可別真的喉嚨痛，就算痛了也不要說。妳要盡量多和我碰頭，最好是每天一次。 And I.山姆背對我說。法蘭克蹲在地上，瞇眼盯著接收器的旋鈕，連嘲弄的眼神都懶得給我。 山姆洗完碗盤，開始用布擦拭，擦乾了還繼續擦。我將所有物品擺放整齊，感覺就像期末考前放下筆記那麼緊張，沒讀到的也沒轍了的感覺。我將東西成堆放好，裝進塑膠袋，準備待會兒拿到法蘭克車上。這樣，法蘭克伸手一揮將喇叭拔掉說：應該沒問題了。妳準備好了。 正在等你呢。我說著拎起塑膠袋，法蘭克一手抱住儀器設備，一手抓著行李箱就往門口走。 我來拿吧，山姆粗聲說道：你手上東西已經夠多了。說完就從法蘭克手裡搶過行李箱，逕自朝樓梯走去，輪子敲打台階，發出沉重的悶響。 法蘭克走到樓梯間，轉頭回來等我。我一手按著門把，心裡突然莫名驚慌，害怕得魂飛魄散，恐懼有如尖石猛然