Chapter 10 Chapter nine

Hey, hey, hey, that night, Frank said: You know what day it is, don't you? I don't know, my mind is still half in Hawthorn Cottage.After dinner, Xiao Rui dug out a tattered and yellowed sheet music from the piano chair, and continued to play the music between the two wars. With Justin doing the dishes, I walk across the grass and out the backyard gate, my ankles still bouncing to the beat, feeling sweet and brash and alluring.I really had the urge to stay home and let Frank and Sam and those mysterious eyes do nothing, just for one night.I don't feel like going for a walk is helpful, the clouds are slowly covering the sky, and the rain falls like needles on the communal coat. I don't like to turn on the flashlight when I talk on the phone, and my vision can't exceed fifteen centimeters.Who knows if there is a group of stalkers around the cabin, dancing macarena.

If it's your birthday, I say: The gift may be late. Ha ha ha, how funny.It's Sunday, baby.Unless I'm mistaken, you're still at Hawthorn Cottage, snug as a bug in a carpet.It means we've won the first battle, and you've had a good week without revealing anything.Congratulations, Detective Casey, congratulations on successfully sneaking in. probably.I said.I don't know from which day, I no longer count the days.I think that's a good sign. So, said Frank, I heard him adjust to a comfortable position and turn down the volume of the hoarse responding crowd on the radio.Frank didn't know where to live after being kicked out by Olivia, but he was at home right now.Let's wrap up the first week a bit.

I found a wall and sat on it, and waited for my mood to settle down before answering.Frank is jovial on the surface, but he is a real businessman in his heart. Like a boss, he requires regular briefings from his subordinates, and the clearer, more thorough and concise the better. The first week, I said: I went into Lacey's home and school, apparently quite successfully, and no one showed signs of doubt.I searched Hawthorn House as best I could, but found no directions worth investigating.This is mostly true, although the diary is supposed to be a guide, but I don't know where it leads.

I try to keep myself free. I will find time to be alone during the day and night, so that people I know can contact me. Walking will also reveal my whereabouts, so that unknown people can follow me smoothly.No strangers outside the scope of investigation appeared this week, but the possibility of outsiders committing the crime cannot be ruled out. The murderer may be waiting for an opportunity.I interacted quite a bit with my roommates, students, and professors, but they were mostly concerned with my condition.Greeley is more interested in the details of what happened than you think, but I think she just loves to watch.The reactions of those around her to Lacey's injury and her return home were not unusual. The housemates seemed to be hiding their panic from the police, but their behavior was not suspicious, and they were very reserved to outsiders. .

Needless to say, Frank said: What do you think? I shifted my body, trying to find a spot on the wall that wouldn't sting my buttocks.It's a bit complicated because I'm not going to tell Frank and Sam about the diary, or reveal that I feel like I'm being followed.I thought we were missing something, and finally I said: something important, maybe the mystery killer, maybe the motive, or I don't know.I just have a strong hunch that something hasn't surfaced yet.I always thought I was on the verge of finding out, but Is it about housemates?Or university?The child in the belly?Or Melus?

I don't know, I said: I really don't have a concept. Frank reaches for something, the sofa springs creak, it's a drink, I hear the gulp.At least it has nothing to do with Bo Gong, that's for sure.You guessed too far, Simon died of cirrhosis of the liver.He locked himself in the house, drank for thirty or forty years, and spent the last six months waiting to die in a nursing home.None of the five of them visited him, and Daniel actually only saw him when he was a child, at least that's what I tracked down. I rarely get ecstatic about my mistakes, but this time was an exception.Still, I still have a cranky feeling, and it's been this week.Then why did he leave the house to Daniel?

Because he had no choice, the whole family died young, and the only living relatives left were Daniel and his cousin Edward, the child of Simon's daughter.Xiao Ai is a real estate agent and a yuppie, and Simon obviously thinks that Dan is a less bad apple.He may prefer nerds to yuppies, or simply wants to be inherited by someone who keeps the family name. Well done Simon.Xiao Ai must have been furious. Needless to say, he was similar to Daniel in that he was not close to his grandfather, but he still had a problem with the will, saying that Simon drank too much and his head was muddled.This is the reason why the inheritance procedures will drag on for so long.It's stupid to do this, but then again, Xiao Ai is not a smart person.The family physician confirmed that Simon was a heavy drinker and a bad personality, but his head was as clear as ours, and that was it.Nothing suspicious.

I jumped off the fence.I shouldn't be depressed, I didn't think the five of them would sneak nightshade into Simon Park's denture adhesive , helps in summoning and resisting demons.), but I still can't get rid of the fact that the house is the key to the case, and I should have the feeling of mastering it.Well, ok, I said: It's just an idea anyway, sorry for wasting your time. Frank sighed: Don't say that, any clues are worth pursuing.If I hear this sentence again, I will definitely kill someone.If you think they are suspicious, they may really have a problem, it's just that Uncle's direction is wrong.

I never said they were suspicious. You were thinking a few days ago that they put a pillow on Uncle Simon's head, didn't you? I pull my hat down over my face.The rain is getting heavier and prickling like needles, and I really want to go home.I don't know which is more pointless, to come out and spy, or to talk to Frank.I didn't think about it, I just want you to look it up and try your luck, I can hardly imagine that they are a group of murderers. Well, Frank said: And you're pretty sure it's not because they're so cute. I couldn't tell if he was provoking me or testing me.In Frankish style, perhaps both.Come on, old Fa, you know I'm not that bad.You asked me what I thought, and I told you.I spent almost all my waking hours with these four guys, and after a week, I saw no motive at all, and no sign of a disturbed conscience.We said before that if the murderer was among them, the others must know.It's been a few days, if there is something, someone will definitely not be able to hide it, even if it's only for a second.I think you're absolutely right that they do have something to hide, but I don't think it will be this.

Well, Frank said noncommittally: So in the second week, you have two tasks. One is to find out where the hairy feeling in your heart comes from, and the other is to start testing your roommates to see what they are hiding.Those guys are taking it easy now, which is okay because that's what we planned, but then we're going to start reeling.However, you have to be careful when you do it.Remember the night before, when you were talking to Abby's boudoir? Um.I said, thinking of Frank hearing our conversation, I suddenly felt an indescribable feeling, almost angry, and wanted to get angry at him: that was a whisper!

Long live the slumber party, I'll tell you that girl is smart.So what do you think?Does she know who the father of the child is? About this, I'm not sure yet.She probably guessed something, but I don't think she was sure, and she wasn't going to tell me what she thought.I said. Paying attention to the girl, Frank took a sip of his wine and said: I think she is a little too sensitive, do you think she will talk to those boys? No, I don't hesitate at all.I think Abby knows how to mind her own business and let other people worry about her troubles.She mentioned the baby just to let me know that I don't need to face it alone. After clarifying this point, she made it clear that she would not interfere, and there was no hint or prying in the conversation.She won't say anything.By the way, Frank, will you still interrogate them? I don't know yet.Frank said, with a touch of caution, he hated being confined.what? If you interrogate them again, don't talk about the kids, okay?I want to tell them myself that they are wary of you and only show half of it, but I can see their full reaction. Well, Frank said after pondering for a while.He was helping me on the surface, but I could hear the satisfaction in his heart, and he appreciated my way of thinking.It's such a good feeling.But remember to get the timing right, while they're drunk or something. They don't get drunk, just slightly tipsy.I will judge the timing for myself. Okay, but I have to emphasize that Abby kept something on her mind, not only related to the case, but she kept it from Lacey, and never mentioned it to the boys.Every time we mention them, we think they are one, guarding a big secret together, but things are not that simple, there are still many gaps.They may have kept secrets together, or kept secrets separately, or even both.Watch out for these gaps and report back to me anytime. Frank was ready to hang up.What's going on with the girls?I asked, thinking of Melus, but I just couldn't say it.Just mentioning her makes me uncomfortable, like being electrocuted.However, if Frank finds anything, I must know. Frank snorted.Have you ever urged the FBI?They are too busy just to deal with murder and arson in their own country. How can it be possible to give priority to small murders in other people's homes?Forget it, if they have news, there will be news, you just need to concentrate on digging out some answers for me. Frank was right, and I did at first see them as one, my roommates, always walking side by side, always present like graceful figures in a painting, with the delicate brilliance of old beeswaxed wood.It wasn't until a week had passed that they became real people to me, separate individuals from each other, with their own quirks and weaknesses. I knew that was where Frank was talking about the gap, that this kind of friendship couldn't be like a Hollywood soft-focus scene that suddenly appeared on the other side of the rainbow one morning.To maintain such a friendship for a long time in such a close space, it will definitely take a lot of hard work.Any figure skater, ballet dancer or jumping horse rider, anyone who has dealt with the ever-changing world can tell you that nothing takes as much effort as effortlessness. At first the gap was very small, erratic like a mist, difficult to grasp.On Monday morning, we had breakfast in the kitchen. Xiao Rui came out groggy as usual to get coffee, and then went back to the room to wake herself up; Justin cut the fried egg neatly into strips; Marginal note on Old Norse photocopy; Abby flips through last week's paper she found in the Humanities Faculty, and I'm just casually chatting. I slowly increased my noisiness, which was not easy to do.The more I talk, the more likely I'm going to slap myself, but only by letting these four people relax can I have a chance to squeeze out clues, not to mention that Lacey didn't rely on silence to break into the small circle in the first place.I casually chatted about the four scary schoolgirls in Thursday's discussion class, thinking it would be a safe topic to talk about. I think they're basically the same person, named Ola, Fiona, or Ophelia, talk like they've had their sinuses removed, hair straightened and dyed blond, and never read, don't know why they're in college Well. About the golden tortoise.Abby didn't look up. At least one of them made it, and met a guy who looked like a football player.The discussion ended last week, and the man was waiting for her at the door.I kid you not, he was horrified when he saw the four of them come out, the real girlfriend jumped at him, and he reached for the wrong girl, and he couldn't even tell who was who. It's finally getting better.Daniel smiled at me. Chatterbox, Justin put another piece of toast on my plate and said: I'm really curious, have you ever been quiet for more than five minutes? Yes, I had laryngitis when I was nine years old, and I couldn't speak a word for five days, feeling really bad.People keep giving me chicken soup and comics and shit and I keep saying I'm perfectly fine and I want to get out of bed but they just want me to be quiet and let my throat rest.Did you ever have Damn it, Abby suddenly put down the newspaper and looked up: The cherries I bought had a best-by date of yesterday.Who else is hungry?We can put it in pancakes, or make other things. I've never heard of cherry pancakes, says Justin: It's disgusting. Why?Since there are blueberry pancakes And cherry scones.I munch on toast to remind everyone. That's totally different, Daniel says: it's glace cherries, no acidity or moisture We can still give it a try, the cherries cost me so much, they must not be rotten for nothing. I'm fine with everything, I try to smooth things over, I can have a little cherry pancake. Oh, my God, no, Justin shuddered slightly in disgust, just took it to school and ate it for lunch. Xiao Rui couldn't eat, so Abby folded the newspaper, went to the refrigerator and said: Do you smell the strange smell of his bag?He stuffed half a banana into his inner pocket and completely forgot about it.From now on, we can't feed him as long as we can't see what he eats on the spot.Xiaolei, can you wrap the cherries for me? It happened so naturally that I didn't notice it at all.Abby and I quartered the cherries with our sandwiches for the day, but Rui ate almost all of the cherries, and I forgot about it until the next evening. We washed a few less dusty curtains and hung them in the spare room, more for warmth than aesthetics.The house was only heated by an electric heat accumulator and a fireplace, and it must have been arctic cold in winter. Justin and Daniel were on the second floor, and the others were on the top floor.Abby and I helped Xiao Rui install the hooks and asked him to hang the curtains. Suddenly, we heard the sound of a heavy object falling downstairs, with a bang, and then Justin screamed, and Daniel said loudly: It’s okay, I’m fine. what happened?Holding the curtain rail with one hand, Xiao Rui stood unsteadily on the window sill and said. Someone dropped something, and Abby said with the hook in her mouth: Or fell on something, I think it should be fine. Suddenly there was a deep roar from under the floor, it was Justin: Lacey, Abby, Xiaorui, come down and watch! We ran to the empty room on the second floor and saw Daniel and Justin kneeling on the ground with a bunch of strange things beside them. I thought they were really injured.Then I realized what they were looking at, a stiff, dirty skin on the floor between them, and Daniel was holding a revolver. Daniel fell off the high stool and Justin said, hitting this pile of stuff and it landed right at his feet.It's such a mess here, it's impossible to figure out where the guns are coming from and what else is there. The gun was a Webley, elegant, dusty and green with a patina.Oh my god, Xiao Rui squatted down beside Daniel and reached out to touch the barrel of the gun.This is an old model of the Weberley Mark VI, the standard issue gun of World War I.It could be your crazy uncle, Daniel, or the guy who looks like you. Daniel nodded, looked down at the pistol, and then turned the chamber, no bullets.You mean William, he said: Indeed, the gun might have been his.After speaking, he turned back to the bullet chamber, holding the handle of the gun cautiously and gently with one hand. This gun is a mess, Xiao Rui said: But there is still a way to clean it, just soak it in a good solvent for two days, and then use a brush to scrub it.However, I'm having a bit of a hard time finding bullets. Daniel smiled at him, a sudden grin, and turned the leather bag upside down, only to see a faded ammo box fall out and onto the ground. Ha, great!Xiao Rui picked up the carton and shook it.I heard the box was almost full, nine or ten bullets.We'll be able to play with it soon, I'll go get the solvent. It's best not to touch things you don't understand.Abby said.Among us, she was the only one who didn't sit down to see what happened, and she wasn't very interested in Xiao Rui's proposal.I don't know how to react.The Webbery was a good gun, and I'd love to try it out, but its presence introduced a whole new dimension to undercover work, a development that Sam certainly wouldn't like. Xiao Rui rolled his eyes.How do you know I don't understand?My father used to take me hunting every year since I was seven years old.I even hit the pheasants flying in the sky, three out of five.we have a year to scotland Are guns legal?Abby asked: Don't you need to apply for a license or something? But it's a family legacy, Justin said: We didn't buy it, we inherited it. It's us again.You don't need a license to buy a gun, idiot, I say: you only need a gun.I decided to let Frank explain to Sam why we wouldn't confiscate the gun even though it hadn't been licensed. Xiao Rui raised his eyebrows and said: Don't you want to hear it?I was talking about the story of the deep love between father and son, and you guys are actually discussing how to apply for a license?After my father found out that I could shoot, every year when the hunting season came, he would help me ask for a week off from school. Only then would he not regard me as a living lesson and tell others the importance of contraception.On my sixteenth birthday, he sent me I'm pretty sure we'll have to apply for a license, Daniel said, but I don't want to deal with it right now, at least temporarily, I've had enough of the police lately.When can you get the solvent, Rui? Daniel stared at Xiao Rui intently, his eyes were cold and focused.Xiao Rui glanced at him, then shrugged and took the gun from Daniel.Within this week, I think, as long as I can find a place to put it.He started dismantling the gun, peering at the inside of the barrel, much more deftly than Daniel. At this time, I suddenly remembered about the cherry, and remembered that I was interrupted by Abby when I was chatting nonsense that day.It was Daniel, and it was his calm, closed-door tone that reminded me.I thought about it for a moment, and finally remembered what I was talking about before the others changed the subject without a trace.I'm talking about having laryngitis as a child and being forced to lie in bed. That night, I tested my theories.We hung the curtains, Daniel put the gun aside, and the five of us huddled in the living room.Abby had just finished the puppet's petticoats and started making dresses with scraps of fabric I picked out on Sunday at the waist. I also had a lot of dolls when I was a kid.I said.If my deduction is correct, it should be okay to say that they don't know much about Lacey's childhood.i have a whole set you?Justin gave me a weird smile and said: You only collect chocolates. Speaking of which, Abby asked me: Do you have any more chocolate?walnuts? Sure enough, he changed the topic immediately.I really had a whole set, and I said: Four girls in "Little Women," you can buy their mother too, but she's a hypocritical cow, and I don't want her near her.Actually, I don't even want those four girls, but my aunt Why don't you buy a "Little Women" doll?A little frustrated, Justin asks Abby: Get rid of that scary doll? If you complain about it again, I can guarantee that you will wake up one day and find it next to your pillow, staring at you.Xiao Rui was playing Solitaire, he looked up at me, his golden eyes and eyelids drooped.I kept telling her I didn't like dolls at all, and I ignored Justin's nasty noises and continued: But she just wouldn't listen, she Daniel put down his book and looked up and said: Don't talk about the past.I could tell from the deep determination in his tone that this was not the first time he had said this. Everyone was silent for a while, and the atmosphere was a little awkward.Sparks burst out from the fireplace and flew up the chimney. Abby continued to patch together rags and weave a dress. Xiao Rui still stared at me. I looked down and read Corey's "May I Get Married", but I still felt his gaze. For some reason, anyone in the room crossed the line just by bringing up the past.The novel "Magic Watership Plateau" (Editor's note: the work of British writer Richard Adams, the protagonist is a group of anthropomorphic rabbits, with their own culture, myths, legends, etc., because their homeland is about to be destroyed, the rabbits set foot on the road to find a new home. Journey.) where the creepy bunny doesn't answer any questions that begin with, and the four never talk about the past. Also, Xiao Rui must know this, so it is obviously a deliberate provocation.I don't know who he wants to provoke and why, maybe he just wanted to make everyone angry on a whim.But anyway, it's a tiny rift, and their lives aren't as perfect as they appear. On Wednesday, Frank's friends at the FBI got back.As soon as Frank answered the phone, I knew something was wrong, and it was serious. where are youhe asks. I don't know about a certain path, why? The owl hooted behind me, very close.I turned my head and saw it flying into the forest, only a few steps away from me, with its wings stretched out, as light as soot.what?Frank asked sharply. It's just an owl, take it easy, Frank. Do you have a gun? I didn't bring it.I was so caught up in the world of Lacey and the Fantastic Four that I completely forgot that my target wasn't inside the house, but outside, and possibly being watched.My carelessness shocked me more than the displeasure in Frank's tone, and my stomach turned: Be alert at all times. Frank noticed that I hesitated for half a second, and immediately said abruptly: "Go back immediately." I've only been out ten minutes, others would think Just let them think that you are not allowed to walk around without a weapon. I turned around and walked back along the path. The owl was swaying in the tree, its figure showing a pair of pointed ears against the night sky. I took a short cut and approached the front door of the house, where the path was wider and there were no bushes for the assailant to hide in.What's wrong? Are you walking back? Yes, what happened? Frank said with a sigh: You have to be mentally prepared, baby.My American friends tracked down Melus's parents, who lived in a shitty place in the North Carolina mountains without even a phone.He sent someone to notify her parents and inquire about the news, but you know what his subordinates found? I haven't told Frank to be less critical, but I'm going to get to the point, and I suddenly understand it in my heart.The girl is not her. Bingo, Melrose died of meningitis at the age of four.My friend's men showed the girl's student ID photo, they had never seen her before. I seemed to take a big mouthful of pure oxygen, and I just wanted to laugh wildly, drunk and dizzy like a teenager in love.The girl gave me a complete set (what kind of pickup truck, what kind of carbonated spring, fuck you), and I just thought in my heart: girl, you are amazing.I thought I was a gamer, but I didn't expect it to be just a child's trick, just like the wealthy little Kai pretending to be poor.Girls are the masters of the game, regardless of their lives or identities, they are like wild flowers in their hair, which can be thrown away at any time on the fast-moving road.Something I can't do once is as easy to her as brushing my teeth.No one has ever hit me this hard, not friends, not relatives and Sam, not anybody.I also long to feel the fire burning through the bones and the wind blowing away the skin, wondering if that freedom smells like ozone, thunderstorms, or gunpowder. Goddamn thing, I said: how many times has she done the same thing? I'd rather know why.This supports my inference that someone is chasing girls and hasn't given up.She didn't know where she got the name Melus, maybe it was a cemetery, maybe it was an obituary in an old newspaper, and decided to change her face, but she was still chased by that guy, so she escaped again, this time leaving the United States.Most people wouldn't do that unless she was terrified, but the girl got caught anyway. I walked to the front gate, leaned my back against the post, and took a deep breath.Under the moonlight, the driveway feels very strange. The fallen cherry blossoms and shadows dotted the ground black and white, blending with the trees, like a tunnel with brilliant patterns.Yeah, I said: she got caught in the end. I don't want him to get you, Frank sighed, and I hate to admit it, but Kathy, little Sam might be right this time.If you want to get away, you can start pretending to be sick tonight, and I will take you away tomorrow morning. The night was so still that not even the cherry trees were disturbed by the breeze.From the driveway came a thin, sweet voice, a girl singing: No crimson ribbons in my town A pang in my arm.I don't know if Frank was lying to me, and I still don't know if he really meant to evacuate me, or if he knew before I answered that I couldn't possibly give him another answer. No, I said: It doesn't matter, I will keep it. crimson ribbons, let her tangle her hair Well, said Frank, not at all surprised.Remember to bring the gun with you and keep your eyes wide open. As long as I find anything, no matter what clues, I will let you know. Thanks, Frank, I'll call again tomorrow at the same time and place. It was Abby who sang.The windows of her room were dimly lit, and Abby was combing her hair, slowly and absently.If I live to be 100 years old, the three boys are washing dishes in the kitchen, Daniel's shirt sleeves are neatly rolled up to the elbows, Xiao Rui is waving the dishcloth and arguing about something, and Justin shakes his head in objection.Leaning against the thick trunk of the cherry tree, I heard Abby's singing come out of the window frame, drifting into the boundless night. Who knows how many identities the girl has changed before she found this place and found her home.I can go in, I thought, I can step up the steps and open the door whenever I want. Tiny cracks.On Thursday evening, we went out to the yard again after dinner.Dinner was piles of roast pork, roasted yams and vegetables, and apple pie, so it was no wonder Lacey weighed more than I did.We drank red wine and tried to pull ourselves together and find something useful to do.The strap of my watch came loose, so I sat on the grass with Lacey's nail file and tried to put it back on, but the rivets kept slipping off.I used the same file to read Lacey's diary before. You bastard, get fucked by a man!I said. What you said is obviously inconsistent, Justin sat on the rocking chair and asked lazily: What's wrong with being fucked by a man? I am immediately alert.I always suspected that Justin was gay, but Frank couldn't find any concrete evidence.He has neither a boyfriend nor a girlfriend, and he may be a straight man, but he is more gentle and sensitive, and a little domestic.But if Justin was gay, at least he would be missing from the child's father's suspect list. Oh, please, Justin, can you stop showing off like this?Xiao Rui said.He lay on the grass with his eyes closed, his arms resting on his head. You're so homophobic, Justin said: If I say: Go fuck yourself.Lacey said: What's wrong with having a cannon?You wouldn't say she was showing off. I will, Abby said beside Xiao Rui: I will say that Lexi Ming knows that we don't have a boyfriend or a girlfriend, but still shows off her love life. It's because you don't have a boyfriend.Xiao Rui said. Well, Abby said: You're an exception because you don't talk about anything.Maybe all the women's hockey players at Trinity College are having an affair with you, we don't know. I've never had a relationship with a women's hockey player.Xiao Rui answered seriously. Does the school really have a girls' hockey team?Daniel was curious. Don't even think about it.Abby said to him. I think this is Xiaorui's trick, and I said: Think about it, he has been pretending to be mysterious and not saying anything, making us think that he must have done shameful things behind our backs, seducing hockey players, like a rabbit Everywhere.But I think he doesn't say anything, actually because he has nothing to say at all, his love life is just as lackluster as ours.Xiao Rui glanced at me and smiled enigmatically. I find it difficult.Abby said. How come no one of you asked me if I was having an affair with a boy hockey player?Justin said. That's right, Xiao Rui said: We won't ask if you're having an affair with someone, because even if we don't ask, you will still say it, and it must be so boring. It seems that Justin paused and said: I am obviously not good enough, even though you said What?Xiao Rui leaned on her elbows, stared at Justin coldly and said: What did I say? No one answered.Justin took off his glasses and wiped them on the hem of his shirt, very carefully, a little too carefully.Xiao Rui lit a cigarette. Abby gave me a look, as if giving me a cue, and I suddenly remembered the video I watched earlier.They were on the same page, Frank used to say.Lacey's role is to defuse the deadlock, to make everyone roll their eyes and laugh with a few random nonsense words, and to put an end to their suspicions.Hey, bastard bastard, go and get fucked, man or woman, the rivet fell into the grass again, and I blurted out: Is this the head office? What's wrong with being a man or a woman?Abby asked me: I just like men and women. Everyone laughed, even Justin grinned.The indifference and sullenness on Xiao Rui's face disappeared, he put the cigarette on the edge of the balcony, and started to help me find rivets.There was a burst of joy in my heart, because I did the right thing. That detective came outside my classroom again today.Abby said in the car on Friday evening.Justin has gone home first, and he's been complaining about a headache all day, but I think he's sulking, and directed at Ray.So now we're all crammed into Daniel's car, stuck in two-lane lanes, stuck in traffic with thousands of commuters and mentally handicapped people in their SUVs.I blew against the window, playing circles in the mist. which one?Daniel asked. sam. Well, Daniel said: what is he doing here? Abby took the cigarette from Daniel's fingers to light her own.He asked why we never went to the village.she says. Because the people there are all six-toed idiots.Xiao Rui said to the window.He sat next to me, slouching on the seat, pushing one knee against Abby's back.Xiao Rui would get angry whenever he was stuck in traffic, but his mood was not ordinary, which made me think that there was something wrong between him and Justin. Then how do you tell him?Daniel asked.He turned his head to take a look, cut the car to the next lane, and the traffic flow only moved forward by three or five centimeters. Abby shrugged and replied: I told him, I said we went to the bar once, but the villagers gave him a bad face, and then we stayed away. Funny, Daniel said: I think we may have underestimated Detective Sam.Xiaolei, have you ever mentioned the village to him? Never thought about it.I won the rounds and crosses, clasped my fists and raised my arms and cheered softly. Xiao Rui glared at me angrily. Well, Daniel said: sure enough.To be honest, I didn't think very much of Sam at first, but if he pursued this lead by himself, the man was obviously smarter than he looked.I was thinking maybe hmm. That man was more annoying than his appearance, Xiao Rui said: But at least Frank stopped, when will they let us go? Come on, I got stabbed yeah, I'm sad to say: almost died.They want to know who did it, and so do I, don't you?Xiao Rui shrugged, turned his head and continued to stare at the car formation bitterly. Did you mention spray paint to him?Daniel asked Abby: Is there something about breaking into the empty door? Abby shook her head and said: He didn't ask, so I didn't say.Do you think?I can call him and tell him. Nobody mentioned the spray paint and the break-ins.Do you think it was someone from the village who stabbed me?I gave up the circle and cross, and leaned in between the front seats.Really? I don't know, Daniel said, I don't know if he was answering me or Abby.I have to think about all possibilities.But for now, I think the best course of action is to stay put.If Detective Sam wants to go after our relationship with the villagers, he'll find out the rest himself, and we don't have to push him. Oh Rui, Abby reached around the back of the seat and gave Rui a hard pat on the knee.Stop pedaling.Xiao Rui sighed loudly, and turned his feet against the car door.The car array gradually began to move, and Daniel made a smooth turn to leave the second-lane lane and began to accelerate. That night, I called Sam on the trail, and he already knew about spray painting and breaking doors.He has been staying at the Lasowen branch for the past few days to check the files, looking for records related to the Hawthorn Forest House. Sure enough, there was a problem with the house, and there were a lot of files in the branch office.Sam's tone was hurried and focused, as long as he found a favorable clue, you can see his tail wagging.Rob once said so.For the first time since Lacy burst into our lives, he was in a good mood.The crime rate in Glensky was extremely low, but there had been four burglaries at Hawthorn House in the past three years, the first in 2002, the second in 2003, and the last two when old Simon was hospitalized. Did the thief take anything?Ever flipped a house?I said.Sam thinks Lacie might have been killed because of some valuable bric-a-brac in the house, but I've seen what Uncle Simon left behind and it's hard to believe that.However, if someone enters the house four times for this Not at all, nothing was taken four times, at least Simon didn't find any loss.However, Bourne said that the house was a dump, and if something was stolen, Simon would not know it.No indication of what the burglars were looking for, they just broke two panes of glass in the back door, stormed the house and wreaked havoc, cut a few curtains, pissed on the couch the first time they broke in, smashed a bunch of crockery the second time, etc. of.Those people obviously had no intention of robbing, but just wanted to vent their anger. Hawthorn Forest House, I thought of a few bums breaking into the room recklessly, smashing whatever they liked, taking out their guns and urinating on the sofa, my heart was burning with anger, and I just wanted to punch people.My reaction was so violent that even I was taken aback.handsome!I said: Are you sure it's not a kid messing around?Grunsky didn't have much to do on Saturday night. Wait, Sam said: I'm not done yet.蕾西他們搬進去之前，那屋子幾乎每個月都遭人破壞，時間長達四年。不是有人拿磚頭砸窗戶，用酒瓶扔牆，將死老鼠放進信箱裡，就是噴漆塗鴉，比方說翻動筆記本的聲音。愛奸統統滾蛋，地主不得好死，共和軍萬歲！ 你認為蕾西是愛爾蘭共和軍殺的？我承認這件案子確實很怪，什麼狀況都有可能，但我從來沒聽過這麼離譜的推論。 山姆笑了，笑得很開懷。喔，天哪，當然不是，這不像共和軍的風格。但葛倫斯凱仍然有人認為西蒙家族是英國佬和地主，即使沒那麼氣他們。聽好了，二〇〇一年和〇四年各有一次噴漆，內容都是：嬰兒殺手全部滾蛋。 嬰兒殺手？我驚訝得大腦渾沌，一時搞不清事件的先後順序，心中兀自想起蕾西不見天日的短命孩子。What are you doing?這和嬰兒有什麼關係？ 我也不曉得，但我會查清楚。顯然有人的洩憤對象非常明確，但不可能是蕾西他們五個，因為時間相隔太久。也不會是西蒙，因為噴漆強調統統和全部，表示對象不只一人，而是整個家族，山楂林屋和所有住在裡頭的人。 蜿蜒小路顯得暗懷鬼胎，居心叵測，堆積了太多陰影，記得太多發生在路上的往事。我走到樹影中，背靠著樹幹。為什麼我們之前都沒聽說？ 因為我們沒問，我們一直鎖定蕾西，不管她的真實身分為何，一直認定她就是兇手的目標，沒想過她或許只是那個叫什麼？間接受害。這不是道帝和伯恩的錯，他們從來沒辦過兇殺案，不曉得該怎麼著手，完全沒想到我們可能需要這樣的線索。 他們有什麼看法？ 山姆吁了一口氣。not much.他們想不出什麼可疑對象，也沒聽過嬰兒死亡的事，他們只祝我好運，希望我有所發現。兩人都說自己當初被派到葛倫斯凱，對這個村子一無所知，現在還是差不多。村裡的人很封閉，不喜歡警察，也排斥外人，遇到任何犯罪事件總是一問三不知，然後自己想辦法私了。據道帝和伯恩所說，就連附近的人也認為葛倫斯凱全村都是心理變態。 所以他們完全不管破壞案件？我說，語氣明顯焦躁。接到報案直接說：喔，對啊，我們愛莫能助。然後讓不知道是誰的混球繼續惡搞山楂林屋。 他們都盡力了，山姆說得斬釘截鐵，所有警察對他而言都是一家人，道帝和伯恩自然也不例外。屋子頭一回被闖入，他們就建議西蒙養隻狗或裝警報系統，西蒙說他討厭狗，警報系統是娘娘腔的玩意兒，他能照顧好自己，謝謝再聯絡。伯恩和道帝覺得西蒙應該有槍，就是妳發現的那支。他們覺得這樣不是很好，尤其那老傢伙幾乎天天喝醉，但他們也無能為力。他們直接問西蒙是不是有槍，他矢口否認，而他要是不肯裝警報系統，他們也不大可能強迫他做。 那他住院期間發生的那一回呢？他們曉得屋裡沒人，那附近的人一定都知道，他們應該很清楚屋子會成為 他們每晚都會巡邏一次，山姆說：但也就只能這樣了，不是嗎？ 他帶著微微吃驚的語氣，我才發覺自己太激動了。你剛才說蕾西他們搬進去之前，我聲音和緩一些說：他們搬進去之後呢？ 破壞還是持續發生，但少了很多。伯恩登門造訪，和丹尼爾談過，告訴他之前出過哪些事情，但丹尼爾似乎不大擔心。之後就只發生過兩次意外，一次是去年十月有人用石頭砸窗，一次在十二月，又是噴漆：外地人滾蛋。伯恩和道帝沒通知我們，這是其中一個原因，他們認為事情不是第一次，算是結案了。 所以說到底，兇手可能只是西蒙伯公的世仇。 有可能，但我認為不是。我敢說應該是所謂的定時騷擾，山姆的聲音裡帶著笑意，找到明確線索讓他的心情整個變了。檔案有其中十六起破壞的發生時間，全都在深夜十一點半到一點之間。這點絕非巧合，不管是誰盯上山楂林屋，顯然都挑過時機。 酒吧關門時間。I said. 山姆笑了。聰明，我想可能是一、兩個傢伙喝不夠，被酒吧踢出來心情惡劣，便壯著酒膽順手抓了磚塊或噴漆之類的東西到山楂林屋。西蒙老爹的作息正好合他們的意，他夜裡十一點半不是喝得不省人事，所以報案紀錄裡沒有事發時間，因為他隔天早上清醒過來才報警；就是醉得沒辦法追人。歹徒前兩回闖入，西蒙都在家睡死了，完全不曉得出了什麼事，幸虧他臥房的門鎖夠好，否則誰曉得後果如何。 但之後我們搬進去，我說，說完才發覺太遲了，是他們不是我們，不過山姆似乎沒有察覺。因此，最近夜裡十一點半到一點之間，屋子裡都有五個人神志清醒地四處走動，貿然騷擾可能會被三名粗壯的男生逮著，痛扁一頓，所以就不是那麼好玩了。 還有兩名粗壯的女生，山姆說，我又聽見他語帶微笑。我敢說妳和艾比一定會賞他們兩拳的。石頭砸窗那次就差不多是這樣，他們五人半夜之前都在起居室，石塊直接砸入廚房。他們一發覺出事了，就立刻從後門飛奔而出，想要追人。只可惜他們不在廚房，花了點時間才明白狀況，兇手早就溜之大吉。算他運氣好，伯恩說。他們搜查過所有小路，隔了四十五分鐘才報警，五個人依然氣憤難當。你們那位小瑞告訴伯恩，要是那傢伙被他逮到，肯定打得連他媽媽都認不出來。蕾西說她一定要，這是她親口說的話：痛踹他老二，讓他以後打手槍都只能把手伸進喉嚨。 well said.I said. 山姆笑了。沒錯，我就知道妳一定會喜歡。其他三個人的腦袋比較清楚，沒在警察面前說出類似的話，但伯恩說他們心裡都有同樣的念頭。他勸了他們一頓，要他們別枉顧法律，私下報復，但他不曉得那五人聽進去多少。 我不怪他們，我說：警察有時的確沒什麼用處。噴漆那次呢？ 那天是星期日晚上，蕾西他們不在家，去城裡吃飯看電影，過了午夜才回來，結果就看到屋子正面被人噴漆。那是他們搬進屋子之後頭一次那麼晚回家，事情有可能是巧合，但我認為不是。砸窗戶那一回讓歹徒心生警覺，但他要嘛一直盯著屋子，要嘛發現車子經過村裡沒有回來，總之他發現機不可失，就立刻行動。 所以你認為不是村民反對屋子之類的情況？我說：只是有人抒發怨氣？ 山姆不置可否。也不是，妳知道蕾西他們去過雷根酒吧，結果發生什麼事嗎？ 嗯，艾比說你找她問過這件事，她只說他們被賞冷眼，但沒有講得很詳細。 那是他們剛搬進屋子沒兩天發生的事。五人傍晚到酒吧去，找好座位之後，丹尼爾走到吧台，酒保竟然沒看見他。酒吧裡只有五、六個人，他離酒保不到四步，卻等了足足十分鐘。丹尼爾說：不好意思，我想要點兩杯健力士，還有但酒保就是站著不動，兩眼盯著電視擦杯子。最後丹尼爾只好放棄，回到座位，五個人低聲討論一陣，心想西蒙老爹可能被趕走太多次，不然就是他家族的人在村裡不受歡迎。於是他們改派艾比出馬，心想應該比英國佬或北愛小子有機會，結果還是一樣。蕾西開始找鄰桌的酒客攀談，想知道是怎麼回事，但卻沒人答腔。他們連正眼都不瞧她，兀自轉過頭去繼續聊天。 God!我說，要一次忽視五個人可沒那麼容易，更何況他們又想惹你注意。你得全神貫注才能克制住應答的本能，還得有足夠的理由這麼做，和巖床一樣又冷又硬的理由。我忍不住朝小路望去，想一眼看清楚左右有沒有人。 賈思汀不安地想要離開，小瑞生氣想要留下，蕾西越來越亢奮，千方百計想讓隔桌的老傢伙和她聊天，給他們巧克力，講換燈泡的笑話等等，坐在角落的一群年輕人開始投來不懷好意的目光。艾比不喜歡臨陣退縮，但她和丹尼爾都認為情況隨時會失控，因此便抓著其他人離開，之後再也沒去過那間酒吧。 微風拂過樹葉，讓我看見眼前的小徑。所以，全村的人都對屋子有反感，我說：但只有一、兩個人採取行動。 我是這麼認為。找出這些傢伙是誰，肯定很好玩。葛倫斯凱村加上外圍的農莊大約四百人，我想不會有半個人伸手幫我。 這個嘛，我說：我倒是能幫忙，你知道，我可以做側寫，算是吧。總之，破壞分子不像連續殺人魔，沒有人蒐集他們的心理資料，因此只能用猜的。但我起碼看出一點規律，可以跟你說說。 猜的也好。山姆開心說道。我聽見翻紙和挪動電話的聲音，他已經準備就緒要做筆記。 什麼都好，妳說吧。 好，我說：你要找的對象是當地人，這很明顯，土生土長的葛倫斯凱人，幾乎可以肯定是男性，我想兇手只有一人，不是一群人。臨時起意的破壞通常是一群人，但懷恨蓄意報復卻很少會有同伴。 嫌犯特質呢？妳有什麼看法？山姆的聲音含糊，他用下巴夾著電話，振筆疾書。 破壞從四年前開始，表示嫌犯大約二十五到三十多歲。破壞通常是年輕人所為，不過這傢伙很講方法，不可能是青少年。讀書不多，可能高中畢業，但沒上大學。他要嘛和爸媽或妻子住，要嘛與女友同居，因為他從來不曾太過深夜犯案，表示有人等門。他有工作，週間非常忙碌，否則應該在白天犯案，因為我們不在，下手更加保險。他的工作地點也在村裡，不用通勤到都柏林，因為他會這麼執著，顯示葛倫斯凱村是他的全部。但他並不滿足，工作遠低於他的能力與教育程度，至少他這麼認為。嫌犯過去或許也和別人起過齟齬，例如鄰居或前女友，甚至老闆。他跟公部門可能也處不好。你可以問問伯恩和道帝，看村裡有沒有宿怨或騷擾案件。 要是那傢伙和村裡的人起衝突，山姆喪氣地說：他們不可能找警察，我想頂多撂人夜裡把他痛扁一頓，而他也一定不會報警。 的確，我說：可能不會。小徑旁的田野裡一陣窸窣，黑影壓彎草葉，看大小不可能是人，但我仍然再往樹影底下站一點。還有一點，對山楂林屋的反感可能是某個人和西蒙有過嚴重衝突，由他發起的。西蒙這老頭感覺脾氣很壞，惹毛村民不是不可能的事。但對嫌犯來說，問題沒有這麼簡單，還與死掉的嬰兒有關。伯恩和道帝對這點也是毫無頭緒，對吧？他們到底派駐在村裡多久了？ 道帝只有兩年，但伯恩一九九七年就在了。他說去年春天村裡有嬰兒夭折，幾年前有小女孩掉進田裡的泥坑願他們安息不過就這樣。兩件事都沒有可疑之處，也與山楂林屋無關。我查過組裡的電腦檔案，關於村子一帶，沒什麼發現。 那表示事情還要更早，我說：和你想的一樣，天曉得多久以前。還記得你跟我說過波塞爾家族的事嗎？ 山姆沉默半晌才說：所以我們查不到了，因為沒有檔案。 愛爾蘭內戰期間，一場大火燒毀了大部分公家檔案，時間是一九二一年。你不需要檔案，村裡的人絕對知道嬰兒的事，我向你保證。不管事情發生在什麼時候，那傢伙肯定不是從舊報紙讀到的，因為他太投入了。對他來說，這不是一段歷史，而是真實事件，是不得不報的血海深仇。 妳認為他是瘋子？ 不是，我說：不是你想的那樣。他太小心了，總是選擇安全的時機，只要被追就立刻退縮假如他是精神分裂症，或者說性格兩極，絕不可能有這樣的自制力。嫌犯沒有心理疾病，但對這件事卻走火入魔到一個程度，我想你應該說他有一點失去平衡。 他有暴力傾向嗎？我是說對人，不只是對屋子。山姆身體坐直，聲音也跟著清楚起來。 我不曉得，我語帶保留。感覺不像他的行事作風。我是說，他大可以撞開西蒙老爹臥室的房門，賞他幾記火鉗，但卻沒這麼做。然而，從他只有喝醉酒才會幹破壞這點看來，他和酒精的關係應該不大平常，只要四、五杯黃湯下肚就變了個人，而且不是好人。酒精一旦加進來，事情就沒那麼好預料了。要是嫌犯覺得對手意圖挑釁，例如他用磚塊砸窗戶，結果對方追了出來，他很可能會增加反擊的力道。 妳知道這聽起來很熟悉，對吧？山姆頓了一下說：年齡相仿、當地人、聰明、自制、有犯罪經驗但不暴力 和我臥底之前在家裡做的兇手側寫一樣。是啊，我說：我知道。 照妳這麼分析，這傢伙有可能就是兇手，殺死蕾西的人。 黑影再度出現，悄聲匆匆穿越草地與月光，或許是狐狸在追逐田鼠。是有可能，我說：我們不能排除他的嫌疑。 假如是家族仇恨，山姆說道：蕾西就不是選定的目標，她和整件事毫無關係，妳也就沒必要繼續留著，可以回家了。 他語氣裡的希望讓我身體一顫。是啊，我說：有可能，但我想目前還不到這個階段。我們還沒找到確切證據，顯示破壞和兇殺有關，兩者可能沒有瓜葛，但只要從這裡離開，就再也回不來了。 短暫沉默，接著。也對，山姆說：那我最好把關聯找出來。還有，凱西 他語氣又變得嚴肅緊繃。我會小心的，我說：我一直很小心。 十一點半到一點，和命案時間吻合。 我知道，但我沒發現什麼可疑人士在附近。 妳帶著槍嗎？ 只要出門都會帶，法蘭克已經說過我這點了。 法蘭克，山姆說，我聽見他話語裡的疏離。Um. 掛斷電話之後，我在樹影裡佇立良久，傾聽長草窸窣與掠食動物終於發動突襲的尖細嘶鳴。騷動沉寂下來，四周只剩黑暗與微小的動靜，我踏出樹影，沿著小路回家。 我走到後院門邊，抓著鐵門輕輕推拉，聽到門樞發出低緩的吱嘎聲。我放眼凝望深長的後院。後院變了，屋子的灰石牆面顯得單調，有如城堡拒人於外，窗戶的昏黃燈光也不再溫馨，而是帶著反抗與警告，彷彿蠻荒森林的小簇營火。月光將草地照得白皙，有如波濤不斷的大海，山楂林屋靜靜矗立其中，形跡暴露，四面受敵。