Chapter 16 Chapter fifteen

I arrived in Dublin Castle at nearly eleven o'clock the next day.I wanted my mornings to be as normal as possible, including breakfast, the drive to school, and everyone going to the library to study, thinking that would reassure them that they wouldn't be following me.This trick really worked. When I got up and put on my jacket, only Daniel said: Do you want me to go with you and give you moral support?But when he saw me shaking his head, he nodded without saying anything, and continued to read.I remember comparing that guy and Sam with a trembling index finger at the same time, Xiao Rui said to me: scare him.

However, when I walked to the door of the serious crime team building, I lost my courage.The entrance is the most difficult. I can't force myself to register as a visitor at the service desk, gossip with the secretary Bernadette through pain, bear the surprised eyes of old colleagues, and wait for someone to take me through the aisle, as if I have never came.I called Frank and asked him to come out and get me. Good morning, after Frank came down, he poked his head outside the door and said to me: We are just resting and reassessing the situation, so it should be considered. What condition is assessed?I asked.

Frank opened the door for me, stood behind the door and said: You will find out later.Had such a fun morning, you guys really slapped that guy in the face, huh? Frank was right. Naylor was sitting at the interrogation room table with his arms folded, wearing the same old jeans and faded jumper. His face was completely lost, with two dark circles under his eyes, and his cheeks were big and small, swollen and bruised. Green, with a lacerated lower lip and blackened, the bridge of the nose seemed to be crushed, very scary.I tried to remember how he reached out to grab my eyes the night before, and his knees hard pressed against my stomach, but I couldn't connect with this guy in front of me.Naylor was in a panic all over, the chair was tilted back slightly, and he was humming "The Moon Rises" to himself.When I saw him, I felt a tightness in my throat when I remembered how we had dealt with him.

Sam was in the observation room, leaning against the one-way mirror with his hands deep in his coat pockets, staring at Naylor.Kathy, with a weary look on his face, winked at me and said: Hi. God!I pointed my head at Binelle and said. of course.He said that he fell from a bicycle and hit his face directly on the wall, but he didn't say anything else. I just said to Casey, Frank said: Say we have encountered a little situation. Yes, said Sam.He rubbed the corners of his eyes, as if he wanted to wake himself up: the situation was right.What time was it when we brought Naylor here?Around eight o'clock?He's been interrogating him ever since, but the kid doesn't say anything, just stares at the wall and hums songs, almost all songs of the rebels.

He made an exception for me once, Frank said: suspend the solo concert, call me a dirty Dublin bastard, I should be ashamed to lick my ass.I think he must be in love with me.However, the point is that we tried to get a search warrant to search his belongings, and the forensics department just moved the things back.Of course we hope to see bloody knives or bloody clothes, but unfortunately we are not lucky, but we did not expect accidents, accidents. Frank grabbed an evidence bag from the corner table and waved it at me: Take a look. The evidence bag contained a set of ivory dice, a tortoiseshell hand mirror, a small watercolor of a country scene, and a silver sugar bowl.I knew where these things were from before I turned the sugar bowl or saw the lettering (a delicate cursive M for the Simon family).Such a mishmash of cheap collections could only have come from one place, and that was Duke Simon Burg.

It's all under Naylor's bed, said Frank, well put away in a shoebox.I bet you could find a matching cheese jar if you looked through the house carefully.Which leads us to ask, how did these things get under Naylor's bed? He broke in, Sam said, staring back at Naylor, who sat listlessly, staring up at the ceiling.four times. But nothing was taken. We don't know that because the confession was given by Simon, who lived like a pigsty and was almost a quadriplegic drunk all the time.Even if Naylor took everything he wanted and stuffed his suitcase, the old man wouldn't know.

Or, Frank said, he might have bought it from Lacey. Of course, Sam said, but at that point, it could have been Daniel or Abby or whoever, or even Simon himself, though there's no indication the old man sold it himself. But none of them were stabbed or frisked, a kilometer away from Naylor's home. They had obviously debated for a while, and their tone was low and sophisticated after a dispute.I put the evidence bag back on the table, leaning against the wall away from the pile.Naylor earns just above minimum wage and cares for sick parents.Sam said: Where the hell is the money to buy all these antiques?And why do you want to buy it?

He wanted to buy it, Frank said: because he hated the Simon family so much that he would never let go of the opportunity to take them down, and as you said, he is a poor man, but just because he doesn't have money doesn't mean the others don't. It took me a long time to understand the point of the dispute between the two, why the room was full of sharp confrontation.The Art and Antiques section feels like nerds, a bunch of professors in tweed suits with police badges on, but their jobs are no joke.The global network of black markets for antiques and art, and the involvement of organized crime in everything from Picasso to Russian-made submachine guns to heroin, has left many injured and even killed.

Sam grunted angrily, shook his head in frustration, and leaned back heavily on the one-way mirror.I just want to know, he said, if this guy is a murderer, and if so arrest him.As for his usual hobbies, even if he steals and sells the Mona Lisa, I have no interest, and I don't bother to care about him.If you really think he stole antiques, you can hand him over to the art and antiques team after the interrogation, but at present he only has one identity, which is a murder suspect. Frank raised his eyebrows, do you think the two are not related?Notice the pattern, before the five guys moved in, Naylor was having a blast throwing bricks and spraying paint, but after they moved in, he only did it once or twice, and then he flicked his fingers and said : Quiet on the Western Front.Why, does he think those five people are cute?Watch them renovate and don't want to spoil the new decor?

Because they chased them out, Sam pursed the corners of his mouth, and he was about to be furious.He didn't want to be taught to be sloppy. Frank smiled.Do you think resentment can go away overnight?impossible.Naylor must have found another way to hurt Hawthorn Forest House, otherwise he would not give up destroying it, and it would be impossible for him to give him a million years.You see what happened once Lacey stopped stealing antiques from him?He waited a few weeks to see if Lacey would contact him, and when he didn't, he started throwing rocks at the windows again.Besides, that night, he didn't care about being badly taught, did he?

You want to talk about patterns, right?Let's talk then.The first time those five people chased them out was last December, which made him hate the house even more.He didn't intend to deal with them all at once, but he spied on them, and found that one of them had a habit of going out for a walk at night, which happened to be his spare time.He followed Lacey for a while, and then killed her, but found that even the murder was unsuccessful, so he felt resentful again, lost control of his emotions, threw stones and threatened to set fire.How do you think he felt about what happened that night?What do you think one of them would do if he went on to walk the trail and was alone? Frank ignored it.The point is, he said to me: What are we going to do with this kid now.We could arrest him for theft or vandalism or whatever, and pray to God that the guy would let go of something about the murder.We can also stuff things back under his bed, thank him for his assistance with the investigation, send him home and see how he reacts next. The confrontation between Sam and Frank may be inevitable, since the two appeared at the scene of the murder at the same time, it is destined to have such a situation.The detectives of the serious crime team are always single-minded, without any distraction, and slowly narrow the scope of investigation until all the details are eliminated and the last thing left is found, which is the murderer.An undercover agent lives only on side issues, always sharing the stakes, and preparing for all possibilities, because you never know where the fork in the road will take you. If you look left and right long enough, unexpected results will emerge.The undercover will ignite all the fuses in his hand to see who will explode. And then, Frank?Sam asked: Assuming you are right, Lacey steals antiques and sells them to Naylor, and Kathy will do the same next time, so what? Then, Frank said: I will go to the Art and Antiques Group to chat, and go to Francis Street to help Casey buy a few shiny and cute gadgets, and see what happens next.He smiled, but squinted at Sam. how long? See how long it takes. Art and antique groups often use undercover agents, disguised as buyers, dealers or skillful sellers, to approach the big fish upstream step by step, and it usually takes several months or even years. I'm looking for a fucking homicide, Sam says: Remember?I can't arrest anyone for murder as long as the victim is still alive and kicking and stealing the silver sugar bowl. So what?Then wait for the Antique Team to spy clearly before arresting him, whatever you want.Anyway, if we are lucky, we can find out the motive, find out his relationship with the victim, and use these two points to force him to confess, and at worst it will just waste a little more time.In short, now is not the deadline. To say that Lacey has been stealing and selling things from Hawthorn House to Naylor for the past three months just to earn some pocket money, the chances are not high. After she was sure she was pregnant, she was willing to do anything to get away, but it was absolutely impossible before. I could answer that, and I should say it, but Frank was right, and Naylor was hell-bent on destroying Hawthorn Cottage.He's like a cat in a cage, maddened by helplessness, turning centuries-old grudges on the forest house, but unarmed, nothing but rocks and spray paint.If someone offered him the contents of the house at this time, told him where to sell the stolen goods, and promised to continue to steal, he probably (very likely) would not refuse. How about this, said Frank: Let's ask Naylor one more time, just you, because he and I don't get on very well.Interrogate for as long as you want, and if he mentions anything related to the murder, even the tiniest clue, we'll forget about the antiques, get Casey off, and wrap up the investigation.but if he didn't say anything how about thatSam asked. Frank shrugged and said: If your tricks don't work, you come back here, and we'll talk about my method. Sam looked at Frank for a long time, then said: No tricks. trick? Interruption, knocking on the door when I was about to ask something, that kind of thing.I saw Frank's jaw clenched, but he just replied calmly: no tricks. Well, Sam said, taking a deep breath: I'll do my best.Can you stay a little longer?He is talking to me.certainly.I said. I might use you, like get you in or something, depending on the situation, Sam glanced over to Naylor, and saw that the guy had changed "Follow Me to Crowe", just at the annoying volume.good luck!Sam finished straightening his tie and walked out. Did your boyfriend think I was a villain just now?After Sam closed the door, Frank asked me. If you are not convinced, you can challenge him to a duel.I said. I've always been aboveboard, and you know that. Who is not?I said: It's just that everyone has a different idea of ​​what is above board, and Sam isn't sure you have the same definition as him. Therefore, I have no chance to share the Club Med holiday villa with him. Frank replied: Well, there is no way.But what do you think of what I just said? I'm watching Naylor through the mirror, but I can feel Frank's gaze sweeping over the side of my head.I don't know yet, I said: I haven't watched this guy enough to say anything. But you have seen a lot of Lacey, even if you know her indirectly, you know her better than anyone else.Do you think she can do it? I shrugged and said: who knows?The characteristic of this girl is that no one knows what she can and cannot do. You have hidden the cards very tightly since just now, and you can hold back for so long without speaking. It is really unlike you, especially since you must have thoughts in your heart.If your man comes out later empty-handed and we start arguing again, I'd love to know which side you're going to be on. The door of the interrogation room opened, and Sam walked in, holding two cups of tea dangling in his hand, leaning his shoulder against the door.He looked refreshed, even a little happy.As long as the police detective faces the suspect, no amount of fatigue will be swept away.Shhh, I said: I want to take a closer look. Sam sat down, sighed comfortably, and pushed the mug in front of Naylor.Well, he said, the country accent suddenly became apparent, as if by magic, instantly turning the scene into an atmosphere of us versus city folks.I left Detective Frank to do the paperwork, he's just annoying. Naylor stopped humming, thought for a moment, then said: I don't like him like that. I found the corners of Sam's mouth twitching, and yes, I didn't like it either, but we were miserable and couldn't get rid of him.Frank smiled softly beside me and moved closer to the mirror. Naylor shrugged and said: You may, I am not.As long as he's around, I have nothing to say. Well, Sam's tone is relaxed, now that he's gone, I don't intend to ask you anything, I just want to listen to you.I've been hearing that something happened to Grunsky, and I thought it could explain a lot of doubts a long time ago, and I just want you to tell me if it's right.Naylor gave Sam a suspicious look, but stopped singing.Well, Sam took a swig of tea and said: Grunsky had a girl in WWI Sam told what he heard in Rathowen, what I read from Simon Uncle's masterpiece, and Hollywood actress Lilian.The plot of the movie starring Gish is cleverly woven into a story, and it does not forget to add jealousy: the girl's father throws her out of the house, the girl begs in the village street, the villagers spit on her, the child throws her stones. When tactfully hinted that the girl was lynched by angry villagers, it should obviously be accompanied by tragic orchestral music. As Sam's tearful story draws to a close, Naylor begins to shake his chair again, looking disgusted and indifferent.No wonder, he said: God, that's not it, that's the craziest bullshit I've ever heard growing up, where did you hear that? I'm currently, Sam shrugged: That's what I've heard, and unless someone corrects me, I'll have to believe it. The chair creaked in a muffled, piercing tone. Tell me, Mr. Detective, said Naylor: Why are you so interested in us and the stories of our past?You know, we're just ordinary people in Grunsky, not used to the attention of you big men. That was all he told me from the car to the Bureau, Frank told me, adjusting his shoulders to a comfortable position against the edge of the window.This kid has persecution paranoia. There's a little trouble at Hawthorn House above you, said Sam: "Of course, I don't need to say much about that."We've been told that the house and the Grunsky villagers aren't getting on very well, but I need to get the facts right before I can decide if the two are really related. Naylor smiled, but grimly, without grinning.It didn't get along very well, he said: I guess it's okay to say, um.Is that what the people in the house told you? Sam shrugged and said: They only said that they were not very popular in the village pub, but there was no reason to be popular, after all, they were not local people. Fortunately for them, just a little trouble, the police came out to sniff around.Where is the note when the locals are in trouble?Where was the note when the girl was hanged?It's not like dismissing it as a suicide case, I just want to go back to the bar quickly. Sam raised his eyebrows and said: Not suicide? Naylor stared at Sam, his swollen eyes half-closed, feeling menacing.You want to know the truth? Sam waved his hand out to show that I was listening. Naylor was silent for a moment, leaning back in his chair, holding the cup with his hands with broken nails and bruised joints.The girl was the maid of the Hawthorn House, he said: A young man up there, a boy of the Simon family, fell in love with the girl.Maybe the girl was stupid enough to believe the guy would marry her, maybe she didn't, but either way, she got in trouble. Naylor stared at Sam like a bird, making sure he understood before going on: The girl wasn't kicked out, and I bet her father was furious and threatened to block the Simon boys in the lane at night, but he's crazy That's why it's so crazy.We were not independent back then, remember?The village of Glensky was owned by the Simon family, and whoever the girl was, her father's house belonged to them.As long as he said one more word, the family had to drink northwest wind by the roadside, so he did nothing. It's not that easy to give up, is it?Sam said. It's that simple.Since then, people in the village will never have anything to do with the Hawthorn Forest House unless necessary, because the house has a bad reputation and is a demon tree, you know that?Naylor smiled grimly at Sam, and said inscrutably: Even now, some people avoid the hawthorn tree at night, even if they don't know why.But now this is the only thing left, which is a remnant of the past, but there were rumors everywhere at that time, because of the dark sky.There was no electricity at that time, and the winter nights were long. Whatever strange things came to my mind, I could see them in the dark.Many villagers believe that the people in Hawthorn Grove House dealt with goblins and even devils, but everyone has a different opinion.A sneer appeared on the corner of Naylor's mouth as he spoke: What do you think, Mr. Detective?Do you think we were all barbaric lunatics back then? Sam shook his head.There were goblins on my uncle's farm, too, and he said it so often, he didn't believe in it, never did, but he just couldn't get rid of it. Naylor nodded. That's what the Grunsky people say when a girl is pregnant.They say the girl deserved what she deserved by sleeping with the leprechaun in the house and conceiving her child. They thought the child would be an ugly monster? Oh, Frank said: No matter how ugly you are, you are still a human being, Lao Nai, it's just that they look different.He deliberately held back his laughter, his body trembling slightly, I really wanted to kick him. Yeah, that's right, Naylor said coldly, "Don't look at me like that, Mr. Detective, we're talking about you and my great-grandfather's generation.How dare you swear that if you lived back then, you would never believe such a thing? Times are different.Sam nodded. No one mentions goblins anymore, there are only a few left, almost all old men.But somehow the guy thought so too, I said the father of the child.Either he hates kids at all and just wants to use legends as an excuse, or there's something wrong with his head.According to the current statement, the people in that room were a little strange, maybe that's why it was rumored that they were dealing with goblins.Anyway, the guy believed it, he thought there was something wrong with him, that there was ominous blood in his body, and he would ruin the kid. Naylor grinned open his wounded and torn mouth.So, before the baby was born, he asked the girl out one night.The girl went to the meeting alone, not worried at all, this guy is her lover, isn't he?She thought that the man must want to make some arrangements to provide for her and the child's life, but the man took out the rope and hung her from the tree.That was the truth, and everyone in Glensky knew that the girl hadn't killed herself, and no one in the village had killed her. It was the baby's father who killed the girl because he was afraid of his own child. A dead countryman, Frank said: I dare to swear to God, there are two worlds between Dublin and Dublin.Jerry.Springer (Editor's note: Jerry Springer, an American talk show host, the program is known for gossip, and invites the so-called marginalized people of society, such as family disharmony and incest, to reveal shocking stories.), you are still far behind. God!Sam said softly. That's right, Naylor said: My God.Before your predecessors went to arrest the gentleman in the big house, they first said that the girl committed suicide.In the end she was buried with the child, without a priest's blessing. What Naylor said could be true, what we've heard could be true, and the truth is impossible to judge a hundred years apart, but the point is that Naylor believed every word he said.He doesn't seem to think he's done anything wrong, but that's not as important as you might think.He's so involved, you can hear the indignation in his tone, that he probably doesn't feel the need to apologize.My heart was beating fast and heavy, and I thought of other people working hard in the library, waiting for me to go back. Why did no one in the village tell me? Because it's none of your business, and we don't want outsiders to gossip that this is a madman's village, and a madman thought his illegitimate child was a goblin, so he killed him.The people we live in the village are honest people, ordinary people, not idiots or savages, and we don't want others to look like freaks, you understand?We just want to live a good life by ourselves. But someone couldn't let it go, and Sam reminded Naylor that someone had sprayed Baby Killer at Hawthorn Cottage, twice.Someone threw stones at their windows, and just the night before, after they caught up with them, they had a violent fight.Someone didn't want that child to rest in peace. There was a lengthy silence.Sam waited patiently as Naylor squirmed in his chair, fingering his lacerated lip to check for blood.Not just the kids, at last Naylor said: It's bad enough about the kids, but it just proves what the family on the hill is, and what it's like, that's all I can say. Naylor had almost confessed to the spray painting, but Sam didn't respond, he wanted to catch bigger fish.What do they usually look like?He leaned on the back of the chair and asked, with the mug on his lap, with a relaxed and curious expression, as if he was talking with a fellow villager by candlelight. Naylor subconsciously touched his lips again, thinking hard, looking for the right words.You detectives have been in Grunsky for so long, do you know where this village came from? Sam grinned and said, "My Irish is rusty. Glenn means hawthorn, right?" Naylor showed impatience, shook his head hastily and said: Hey, no, no, it’s not the name, it’s the place. This village, Glensky Village, where do you think this village came from? Sam shook his head. The Simon family, they built it for their own convenience.When they got the land, they built a house, and then hired people to do the work for them, such as maids, gardeners, grooms, gamekeepers, and so on.They hope that the servants also live in the land, so that they can be controlled nearby, but not too close to avoid the smell of farmers.Naylor twitched the corners of his mouth, looking vicious and disgusted.So they built a village for the servants, a little luxury, like a swimming pool, and greenhouses, and stables, to make life a little more comfortable. It's hardly human, Sam agrees: But it was a long time ago. Yes, a long time ago, when the Simons needed Grunsky.Now that the village no longer serves them, they just watch us fend for ourselves.I watched Naylor talking about the past in the village to Sam, and heard a slight change in his tone, which was erratic and dangerous, and I was finally able to connect him with the evil beast that gouged my eyes in the path late at night.The village has disintegrated, and in a few years there will be nothing left.Those who stay can't get out, like me, they can only be buried with the village.Do you know why I didn't go to college? Sam shook his head. I'm not stupid, I'm good enough, but I have to stay in Grunsky and take care of my parents.The work in the village does not require reading and writing at all, and the capable work is not only farming, but also farming.I'm digging mud on someone else's farm, where do I need a degree?I started working as soon as I left school and had no other choice, and there were dozens of others like me in the village. This is obviously not the fault of the Simon family, Sam tried to reason, what can they do? Naylor growled again and said: They can do a lot, a lot.Four or five years ago, someone came to the village for inspection, Gawei people, just like you.He was a real estate developer who wanted to buy Hawthorn House and turn it into a luxury hotel, and he was going to expand it, add wings, a few new buildings, and a golf course.He has big plans, that guy.Do you know how much hotels influenced Grunsky? Sam nodded and said: A bunch of new jobs. Not only that, but tourists, shopkeepers who deal with tourists, and people who work for shopkeepers will all come here.Young people in the village can stay, too, without thinking about moving to Dublin.There will be new houses and decent roads, a school of its own again, and no need to send children to Rathowen.There will be jobs for teachers, doctors, even real estate agents, for people who have studied.Not all of a sudden, of course, it could be years, but as soon as the snowball starts rolling we're going to need this, a little help, a chance, to bring Grunsky back to life. Four or five years ago, it was the first time Hawthorn House was attacked.Naylor fit my profile perfectly, perfectly.I thought Naylor deserved to be bruised at the thought of the possibility of Hawthorn House being turned into a hotel.But having said that, it is still hard not to be moved by the enthusiasm between his words, and you can also imagine the lively scene he is looking forward to, seeing the village prosper again, full of hope and vitality. But Simon refused to sell?Sam asked. Naylor shook his head, shuddering slowly and angrily, rubbing his swollen jaw.A person, living in a house that can accommodate dozens of people, what good does it do him?But he just refused to sell.Nothing good has happened there since the day the house was built, but he still clings to it, preventing anyone else from getting any good, even after death.The new boy had never been near Grunsky except when he was a boy.He has no family and doesn't need a house, but he still lives in Hawthorn Forest House.They are this kind of people, I say the Simon family, from before to now.They keep what they want, and it doesn't matter if others die. It was their family's house, Sam reminded him: maybe they liked it. Naylor looked up at Sam suddenly, and saw that his eye circles were swollen and bruised and black, but his pale eyes were shining brightly.What a man makes, he said: it is his duty to take care of it, which is the duty of a righteous man.You gave birth to a child, as long as he lives for a day, you have to take care of him, you are not qualified to kill him for your own convenience.When you build a village, you have the responsibility to take care of it and do your best to protect it. You are not entitled to watch it decline and die just to keep your own house. I agree with him on that point, Frank said beside me: Maybe we have more in common than we think. Frank's words drifted past my ears.My profiling was a bit wrong after all: this man would never have killed Lacey because she was pregnant with his child, not even because she lived at Hawthorn House.I always thought he was an avenger, obsessed with the past, but his thinking was obviously more violent and complicated.Naylor is obsessed with the future. The future of his homeland is about to go to waste. The past and the future are like Siamese twins. The former is a dark and evil brother, and the future is held in his hands and at his mercy. Is this what you want from the Simon Family?Sam whispered: To make them do what they had to do, sell the house and give Grunsky a chance? Naylor was silent for a long time, then finally nodded, stiff and reluctant. You feel like the only way to get them to do this is to intimidate them. Naylor nodded again, Frank gave a low whistle, and I held my breath. And the best intimidation, said Sam in a flat, brooding tone, is to stab one of them one night. It doesn't have to be serious, it doesn't even need to actually hurt her, just let them know that they are not welcome in this place. good. Naylor slammed the mug on the table, pushed the chair back, folded his arms tightly and said: I never hurt anyone, ever. Sam raised his eyebrows and said: On the night you fell down on your bicycle, someone had a big fight with three guys from Hawthorn House. It was a duel, a fair duel, and they were three against me.Can't you see the difference?If I wanted to do it, Simon would have been cut more than a dozen times, but I didn't even touch him. Simon is an old man, and you know he's going to be dead in a few years, and his grandchildren will probably sell the house before they leave Grunsky, and you can wait. Naylor muttered something, but Sam went on, flat and heavy, and interrupted Naylor: But when that boy Daniel and his friend moved in, things were different.They're not going anywhere, and just spray paint doesn't scare them, so you just have to up your game, don't you? no i never You have to let them know, and know it clearly: For your own good, get out.You caught Lacey going for a late-night walk and maybe stalked her, right? I don't You come out of a bar, drunk, and you happen to have a knife by your side.You thought of the Simon family sitting back and letting Grunsky Village fend for itself, so you decided to go up and make things right.Maybe you just want to scare her, don't you? no What happened next, Naylor?Tell me, what's going on? Naylor suddenly stepped forward, raised his fists, and pressed his lips tightly, as if he was about to pounce on Sam.You disgusting guy, they told you, those guys on the mountain, once they said it, you obediently chased you like a dog.They cry to you that there's a bad farmer down there who can't control himself, and you bring me here and accuse me of stabbing one of them.This is total bullshit.I want them to leave Grunsky, and believe me, they will, but I never meant to hurt anyone, ever, and I wouldn't let them have their way.When they pack up and get out of here, I'm going to wave goodbye to them myself. I should be disappointed, but the blood rushes to my throat, and I can't breathe.I leaned against the one-way mirror, turned my head away from Frank's sight, and found myself actually relieved. Naylor is still saying: Those nasty bastards used you to make me quiet, just like their family has used the police and others for three hundred years.I'll tell you straight up, Mr. Detective, whoever hears we're a mob, I'll tell him that, come to Glensky, but I promise you won't find anything, that girl is no villager Hurt.I know it's harder to track down the rich than the poor, but if you're looking for criminals, not scapegoats, you'd better go to Hawthorn House, they ain't got our upbringing. After finishing speaking, Naylor folded his arms tightly, fell back his chair, and began to sing "The Wind Blows the Barley".Frank arched his back away from the one-way mirror and smiled softly. Sam tried for over an hour, going through all the incidents of vandalism one by one, starting four and a half years ago, and going on to give evidence that Naylor and the rocks from that night had something to do with the fight, some actual evidence like his bruises and mine descriptions, some of which are purely fabricated, such as fingerprint and handwriting recognition.Sam walks into the observation room, grabs the evidence bag and walks away without looking at Frank or me, then returns to the interrogation room, throws the bag on the table in front of Naylor, threatens to steal or attack with a deadly weapon or something Naylor was arrested on charges that did not directly accuse him of murder.But the only responses he got were "Bald Boy" and "Four Green Fields", interspersed with a song "She Walked Through the Market" that changed the atmosphere. Finally, Sam had to give up.He left Naylor in the interrogation room and walked to the observation room, and there was a long delay.He held the evidence bag in one hand, tiredness returned to his face, even more tired than before. I think it's going well, Frank said happily: If you didn't want to catch big fish, you should have gotten him to plead guilty to sabotage. Sam ignores him, what do you think?he ask me. As far as I understand, there is another possibility that Naylor is so angry that he stabbed Lacey with a knife, that is, he is the father of the child, and Lacey said she wanted an abortion.I don't know, I said: I really don't know. I don't think he's the man we're looking for.Sam threw the evidence bag on the table and sat down heavily on the table, looking back at Naylor.Frank looked surprised and said: You only interrogated him for one morning, so you gave up?As far as I'm concerned, he's a fat sheep. With motive, opportunity, and the right mental state, you're going to arrest him for petty sabotage charges and pass up the chance to charge him with murder just because he's a good storyteller? I don't know, Sam said, massaging his eyes with his wrists: I don't know what to do now. Well, said Frank: Then do it my way.If you lose, you lose, and your method is completely useless.Let Naylor go, and let Casey test him with an antique deal to see if he can find clues to the murder. The fellow didn't care about money at all, and Sam didn't look at Frank, saying: he only cared about the village, and the damage Hawthorn Cottage was doing. So he has a motive, and the person who believes in one thing with all his heart is the scariest.How much do you think he is willing to sacrifice for his goal? There is a characteristic of Frank arguing with others. He will keep changing the main axis of the conversation, making you unable to catch up, and finally completely forget what he wanted to say in the first place.I don't know if he really believes in Naylor's antiquities, or if he's just out to get Sam. Sam stared blankly at Frank, dizzy like a boxer who has been punched in a row.I don't think he is the murderer, his tone is firm, and I don't know why you think he is a peddler, I don't see any signs. Let's ask Kathy, Frank suggested, looking warily at me.Frank was born to gamble, but I wish I knew why he bet on it, baby, you know?我猜是古董詐騙，妳認為有可能嗎？ 千頭萬緒忽然湧入我的腦中。我想起自己對觀察室瞭若指掌，兩年前打翻咖啡在地毯留下污漬，現在成為訪客站在這裡。我想起警探芭比服掛在家裡衣櫥；馬厄早晨猛清喉嚨，聲音抑揚頓挫。我想起其他人在圖書館等我，山楂林屋我房裡的鈴蘭清香有如薄紗，輕柔將我包裹。 有可能，我說：嗯，是的話也不令人意外。 山姆已經折騰一早上，聽我這麼說終於火了。老天，凱西！What now!妳該不會真的相信這套蠢話吧？妳到底是哪一國的？ 別這麼說，法蘭克出來打圓場，他自在地靠著牆面，手插口袋注視我們說：我們是同一國的。 少來了，法蘭克，我厲聲說道，免得山姆出拳揍人。山姆，我和蕾西一國，不和法蘭克，也不和你一國，只和她一國，聽懂沒有？ 我最擔心的就是這個，山姆發現我一臉詫異，怎麼，你以為我會在意這個智障法蘭克指著自己胸口，裝出受傷的表情。沒錯，他是個大混帳，但起碼我還能看住他，可是那女孩和她一國非常、非常糟糕。她的室友一直挺她，但要是法蘭克說得沒錯，她其實暗地裡出賣他們，而且毫無悔意。女孩在美國的戀人也挺她、愛她，結果妳看他的下場？那可憐的傢伙，整個人都垮了。妳讀過那封信嗎？ letter?我轉頭對法蘭克說：什麼信？ 法蘭克聳聳肩說：查德寄了一封信給她，在我聯邦調查局的朋友那裡，寫得很感人，但我仔細爬梳過，沒什麼有用的發現，我覺得沒必要再麻煩妳。 老天，法蘭克！我不是說你只要發現和她有關的東西，任何東西 這個晚點再說。 記得讀信，山姆語氣粗魯，臉色發白，有如那天在命案現場，把信讀完。要是法蘭克不給妳，我就幫妳印一份。那個叫查德的傢伙完全崩潰了，事情到現在四年半，他沒有和半個女孩約會過，可能再也無法相信女人了。How can it be?他，天早上醒來，生命已經摔成碎片，他所夢想的一切頓時化為輕煙。 小聲一點，法蘭克輕聲細語，免得你們老大進來關切。 山姆置若罔聞。還有別忘了，女孩不是從北卡羅萊納平空出現的，她之前還在別的地方，再之前還在別的地方。在那些地方還有其他人，天曉得有多少，直在想女孩究竟在哪裡，是不是身首異處被人草草掩埋，還是離經叛道流落街頭，是不是從開始就不在乎他們，他們的生命到底為什麼會支離破碎。他們全都和女孩同一國，但結果又是什麼？站在她那邊的人都毀了，凱西，所有人，妳也不會例外。 我很好，山姆。I said.他剛才的話語有如晨霧覆蓋我，感覺虛幻不實。 那我問妳一件事，妳上一個認真交往過的男朋友，你們是在妳剛開始擔任臥底之前認識的，對吧？叫艾什麼？ 沒錯，我說：艾登。艾登是個好對象，聰明熱情，前途光明，而且非常會講冷笑話，就算我一天過得再糟，也能逗我大笑。我已經很久沒有想起他了。 What's up with him? 我們分手了，我回答：在我臥底期間。我眼前忽然浮現艾登和我分手當晚的眼神。當時我正趕著回到住處，和幾個月後刺傷我的毒梟小子見面。我坐在雙層公車頂層往下看，艾登待在公車站旁，我彷彿見到他泛著淚光。 因為妳是臥底，這就是怎麼了，山姆說完，轉頭對著法蘭克，你呢，法蘭克？你有老婆嗎？還是女朋友？任何親密關係？ 你想約我嗎？法蘭克玩笑似的問，但卻微瞇雙眼，目光如電。因為我得警告你，我可不是什麼隨便的人。 換句話就是沒有，我想也是，山姆又轉頭看我，說：才三個星期，凱西，妳看我們已經變成什麼樣子？這是妳希望的嗎？要是妳為這個可笑到極點的想法，繼續臥底一年，妳覺得我們會怎麼樣？ 這樣吧，法蘭克身體僵硬靠著牆壁輕聲說：你那邊的問題你自己決定，我這邊的問題我自己解決，可以吧？ 法蘭克眼神狠戾，連長官和毒梟都會怕得抱頭鼠竄，山姆卻毫無感覺。不可以，一點也不可以。你那邊的狀況根本亂七八糟，你可能沒發現，幸好我看得出來。我有嫌犯就坐在隔壁，不管他是不是殺人兇手，我都是按照警方程序逮到他的。你找到什麼？發了三星期神經，搞得人仰馬翻，結果什麼也沒有。可是你卻不想收手，反倒叫我們繼續加碼，發更大的神經 我沒叫你做什麼，我只是問凱西別忘了，她會辦這個案子可是因為我，當我的臥底，不是重案組警探我只是問她願不願意更深入一點。 我想像夏日無盡，午後獨坐草地，傾聽蜜蜂嗡鳴，搖椅慵懶搖晃吱嘎作響；想像自己跪在香草園子採擷收成，空氣中飄著細雨與焚燒草葉的薰香，手上沾滿揉擰迷迭香與薰衣草的味道；我想像在蕾西房間地板上包裝耶誕禮物，窗外白雪飄飄，小瑞在樓下彈奏頌歌，艾比在自己房間輕聲唱和，薑餅的香氣從門縫飄來。 山姆和法蘭克盯著我，眼睛眨也不眨。兩人都不再說話，房裡突然寂靜下來，感覺深沉平和。當然，我說：有何不可？ 奈勒開始哼唱<艾馮戴爾>，奎格利在走廊抱怨什麼。我想起自己和羅伯在這個房間觀察嫌犯，在走廊並肩嘻笑，中了薇絲塔行動之毒而分開，有如流星撞毀燃燒。但我沒有任何感受，只覺得牆壁有如花瓣，輕盈展開傾倒在我身旁。山姆雙目圓睜，眼神晦暗，彷彿我揍了他，法蘭克的目光讓我覺得似乎應該害怕。但我只感覺全身肌肉瞬間放鬆，彷彿回到八歲當時，我在青翠山坡側翻觔斗，頭暈目眩，又像潛入冰涼湛藍的水中兩千公里，完全不用呼吸。我說對了，自由的氣味有如臭氧、雷雨和火藥，又像雪花、營火與除過的青草，嚐在嘴裡有如海水，又有柑橘的味