Chapter 15 Chapter Fourteen

None of them said a word.I can hear the traffic on the street outside, the rumble of the old plumbing at home, the thrushes chirping in the garden.I can hear Dalio breathing hard and Leah's painted nails tapping rhythmically on the table.I looked up at her smooth face, making an expression of none of my business.I watched Miles, who looked down at his interlocking fingers in his lap. Finally David coughed nervously and spoke.It couldn't have been more clear, he said, and it didn't do any harm, did it, Dalio?His words became softer and softer. Dalio turned around abruptly.What?He said.He spoke in a trance.No harm done?

I mean David, can you shut up for me?Pipa interrupted and said.She put a hand on Dalio's shoulder and stared at Lia across the way.Even I was overwhelmed by the cold anger in her eyes.Leah, however, was unmoved.Don't you think it's clear enough, Pipa went on, that Leah's behavior has become unacceptable to our family? Anyone want some whiskey?Owen asked.At least I think so.Or I'll take some Dalio's.Dalio, would you like to roll a joint? Can not accept?Dalio's voice is back to normal, it's not like a word I would use.I would say I'd better go first, Xiaomei said softly, this is your private matter.

stay.David put his arm around her, not letting her go. I would say, Dalio went on, growing more vocal, she was.is poison.Before she came, the world was peaceful.We are all happy.She's like a sickening polluting poison that permeates everything. Miles?Pipa said, do you have anything to say? Miles moved his body uncomfortably, still bowing his head.What do you want me to say?This whole thing is pretty bad, but Do you really think everything was fine before I came?Leah asked.Her eyes flickered, wondering if she was enjoying it. Don't ask her what she means.I was about to say that, but David had already spoken.

What do you mean?he asked. Well, look at all of you, Leah said, and say hello, Dalio.how old are you?Thirty?or bigger?No job, no love, no ambition.As far as I know, you're not good enough for anything but a little bastard who does bad things, and not even good enough for bad things. Dalio is pissed, spitting, and freckled with an adorable blush. Then there is Mike, she smiled wryly, would you describe him as a socially functioning person? Don't bring Mike into it, Dawei's tone was unexpectedly firm, he was not there, there was no way to refute. What about you, David.What are your strengths as a person?

It's not fair to say that.Xiaomei said that blush stained her cheeks. Look at Estelle again. Just watch me.Owen said, and her eyes immediately moved to him.I saw their eyes meet, and for a moment she looked lost in thought.Apparently Leah loves beautiful things.Listen to me.He went on. I'm all ears.She folded her arms. You are a bully and you are not welcome here. It shouldn't be your turn to say this, right? You are not welcome. Miles?Pipa said, are you going to pretend to be deaf and dumb like this? I just want him to speak miserably.But Miles cuts off his words as soon as Mike, still in his jacket and eating fish and chips out of a brown paper bag, walks into the kitchen.

You're going to pretend to be bad, right?It's okay for Pipa to continue talking, then I will speak as a lawyer, and the ugly words will come first, and our negotiation will break down. What's wrong?A potato chip was still half hanging out of Mike's gaping mouth when Mike asked with wide eyes. Cracked, Dalio said, pounding his fist on the table, yes.rupture. What did I miss?Mike said. Lute, Miles begged, don't do this.We've all talked about it, and it's in everyone's interest. I don't see what fuss is about it, Leah said calmly, I'm just giving the Chief Inspector what he needs to know.It's a murder investigation, and you know that, and you end up acting like you're sitting in the back row of the classroom.Guys, you are not on campus, this is real life.

What she said was so close to my thoughts that it made me feel uncomfortable.Besides, her criticism of Dalio is not entirely wrong.And sometimes I feel like Mike and Davey are like travelers I bump into on a train platform trying to change trains.I felt like I should say something, but I couldn't think of anything else to say.But I'm not without contributions.Dalio yelled that he would not continue to help with the house renovations. It's not a major loss either.Leah said. You haven't seen what I did in the bathroom of your suite this evening, have you?Dalio said. right. I was busy inside when the detective came.There was no plumbing there, he chuckled to himself, just a big hole.And the toilet bowl was turned off.

Dalio, Myers said, don't take it too far. Hello!Mike said, did anyone hear me?Or maybe I'm dreaming.He pinched his cheek exaggeratedly.I watched in amazement as a red mark spread across his face, but he didn't seem to feel any pain.No, this is not a dream. And we're not going to do anything in the future, Dalio said, not a single thing.look.He picked up a can of beer and poured the rest on the ground, forming a puddle of water.I won't go clean.he said complacently. Oh my God, Leah snapped, don't be so childish please? I will not clear this either.Dalio says as he turns a full ashtray upside down.

Leah pushed back her chair, its legs scraping the floor; she got up and strode out of the kitchen. Well, who wants to take a sip?Owen said succinctly, holding up an oversized marijuana cigarette. I want.Dalio said. She didn't say what's wrong with me, Pipa said, what a pity. At this time, the door opened, and Liya's voice came from inside: You are no different from a public toilet. Pipa's cheeks turned red, but she just chuckled a few times and said, thank God, there is feminism and contraceptives in this world. Immediately, Dawei got up, kissed the top of Xiaomei's head, and then took a rag and began to wipe the beer that Dalio had spilled.

myles.I said. what are you going to do do what? We can't be in the same room like this. The anger will gradually subside. Do you think so?Pipa asked him contemptuously, do you mean that as long as we pretend nothing happened, we can go back to the life before Leah betrayed us? We must take care of this matter.I continued. We're going to set up no-go zones.Dalio said. He rushed out of the kitchen and we watched him go in bewilderment. He's upset, Davy said, rinsing the rag at the sink and drying his hands, everything Don't tell me. what?David asked me blankly. Don't say everything will be fine.Say what we can talk about.

Just as Dawei was showing disappointment, Dalio came back. He held the paint bucket in one hand and the paint brush in the other, put them on the ground heavily, and pried up the lid of the bucket.The paint inside is dark green. How is it now?Miles asked, as Dalio dipped his brush into the bucket and started drawing a thick, messy line across the kitchen floor. She can only stay on the other end of the line, he said, I will not let her cross the line. Wow!Pipa snickered and said, look.In this way, she can't use the electric cooker, and she can't go into the garden. She can only enter from the alley next to her.And she can't sit at the table either.You can only go straight to the cupboard with the light bulb in it. You stepped on paint.I said. I don't know if it has any coercive force, Dawei said, Pipa, what do you think? Not mandatory, but fun.she says. Give me the brush.Miles stood up and held out his hand.Finally he showed anger, not embarrassment or frustration.Now! Come and grab it.Dalio swung the brush in mid-air, getting bits and pieces of green paint everywhere. I'll make tea, Xiaomei said, we should have some tea. Now Miles is also holding the brush, and the two big men will not let the other.Little green dots of paint splashed over them like duckweed, and they were out of breath.Then the brush slipped from their hands and fell wet on the floor.Silence suddenly enveloped the room.Miles stared at all of us, opened and closed his mouth, hesitated to speak, and finally chose to leave.The expression on his face was so sad that I wanted to chase him for a moment; but Pipa held out his hand to stop me.Now is not the time.she says. Don't feel sorry for him.Dalio said.There was a glint in his eyes on a green face. I got up and walked out of the house to stare at the garden, watching its quiet and stable appearance under the afterglow. What's the matter, Estelle?Pipa asked. do you know?How one can stick to one's ground and get caught up in self-righteous fairness and justice, and then say so many terrible things and do so many terrible things, I say, until it's too late and there's no way to undo it. redeem?Davy asked. We were all friends once. He had to choose between us and that woman.Dalio says That's it, I said, and that's what I mean. The order of our interactions seems to be reversed.I said. What's the meaning?Owen asked me. We never did the things couples do, like watch a movie, have a meal, or hold hands in public. Do you want to do these things? I brushed his smooth body with my hand, he gave a cold face, and a kind of uneasy joy flooded into my heart.He looks so indestructible, yet, when I touch him, he trembles.After experiencing the earth-shaking chaotic scene downstairs, confrontation, and sword-striking, it seems natural to go upstairs together and hug each other tightly.At the same time, I found myself surrendering.You're doing great downstairs, I say, not everyone is self-made.I'm also not sure what I want.But don't talk nonsense to me.Don't say you're not ready for a relationship. He didn't say that.He didn't say anything, just pulled me close to him, resting my head on his chest, resting my chin on my hair, our legs intertwined under the covers, our hearts were beating together, and the beats were indistinguishable each other.We drifted off to sleep like this, and then I woke up in the dark and crept away like a thief. For the next two days, the atmosphere at home was eerie and gloomy.An ominous and gloomy atmosphere enveloped everything.I try not to stay in the living room, and spend a lot of time in my bedroom.Even so, it's hard to ignore the arguments, the squabbles, the whispers in the corners, the slamming of doors, and the sudden, harsh silence that falls when Leah walks into the kitchen. From time to time, people from different cliques would pull me aside to give me an update, or who said what to whom.Pipa said she was now going to seek more compensation from Miles.Miles said he couldn't ask for a higher price, and he didn't think he should ask for anything, and asked me to be a mediator.Leah said she wasn't going to make Miles pay us a dime, and that if Dalio didn't start paying the rent and replace the bathroom fixtures right away, she was going to throw him out of the house.Dalio said he would never change the bathroom fixtures, wash the dishes, flush the tub after a shower, take out the trash, vacuum the carpet, or any other household chores; but as far as I can tell You know, he never did these things.He even said we should strike collectively.Mike didn't say anything, but his face was unprecedentedly gloomy.Davy said we should have kept Miles alive, not cornered him.I went into the bathroom to find Davey changing the fixtures. That's it, he said, that Dalio.It's amazing that we didn't get cholera. Owen went on a long trip again, this time to Milan, the journey was farther and the trip took longer.Maybe that's fine too.I also want to stay out of it, away from everyone, but I can't.When I reminded Dalio that he still had to ask his friend Lee to contact the police; he told me to be careful or I would become Leah Two. Ingrid.De.A few days after Soto's murder, I got a call.I was about to go out when David stopped me and handed me the microphone. I'm going to be late.I gesture with my mouth. He covered the phone receiver.This call seemed important.He said. I sighed and took the microphone in his hand. Hello? Excuse me, it's Estelle.Belle?A man's voice I don't recognize; hoarse, confident, with a slightly American drawl. I am.I said cautiously and fearfully. I'm William.Hamilton. My mind went blank for an instant. Sorry, I then remembered.He is Ingrid's father.A strong emotion rushed to my heart, and I took a deep breath.I am so sorry for the loss of your beloved daughter. I want to meet you. Of course I can understand that, but you should know that I really can't help you My son-in-law Andrew.De.Soto will also be there.he interjected.Then he said: Please, Miss Belle.We won't take too much of your time. I'd love to meet you, that being said, it's actually the last thing in the world I want to do, when is it convenient for you? So at three o'clock in the afternoon that day, I walked into the lobby of a high-end and elegant hotel in Covent Garden. Hard hat, and politely led me into a box.There were already two men sitting there, and a tray of refreshments had been laid out on the low table in the middle, but they were completely untouched during our meeting. Miss Belle.William.Hamilton got up and said hello to me.He was tall and stocky, with a mass of white hair and bloodshot eyes beneath menacing silver eyebrows.I also noticed liver spots on the back of his hands.He was wearing a dark suit that probably cost more than all my clothes put together, but he didn't seem to care about my outfit, just shook my hand firmly and gestured for me to sit in an armchair .Thank you for making this trip. Andrew.De.Soto was much smaller than his father-in-law.With his cropped, greyish, sturdy hair and bags under his eyes, he wasn't at all the type of person I'd have in mind to marry Ingrid.He looked tired and dazed, and I even noticed that his white shirt was buttoned incorrectly. Hope there is something I can help with.My words are not convincing at all. Of course we know that you have made a statement to the police, William.Hamilton said, however, because it was you who found him unable to speak.I saw his huge hands gripping the armrests of the chair.is you Yes, I said, it was me.I went to pick up the package. pack.right.I know that.Package that does not exist.He studied my face, then carefully creased the knuckles of his hands.Miss Belle, I am a rich man. I didn't know how to answer, so I simply kept silent.Andrew sitting across from me.De.Soto coughed forcefully. Ingrid is my only child, he went on, and I would lose everything if I could catch the murderer. you mean? mean?nothing.nothing.He stooped forward.Miss Belle, what do you know? I don't know anything, I said desperately, Mr Hamilton, I don't know Qianjin.Never spoke to her either.I'm just a courier.Anyone could have found her, except me.I saw her fall to the ground, dial 119, and break through the window.That's all.Although I can't imagine the torment you're going through right now, I have nothing else to say except what I told the police and what the police told you, and I don't think there's any news that you don't have. He rubbed his face with his hands.It seems important to meet you, but why?What am I expecting to know? Is her face peaceful?This time it was Andrew.De.Soto. I gave him a puzzled look.Didn't he know that his wife had been brutally murdered?Didn't the police say that his wife was disfigured under the vicious torture? Well, I murmured, peacefully. Excuse me, William.Hamilton said.With difficulty, he got up from the low armchair and walked to the bathroom. As soon as he left the box, his son-in-law leaned forward, causing the little table to wobble.She is having an affair.he whispered. What? She is having an affair. Look, I know nothing about this.real.you have to tell the police, then I have no evidence in hand.Do you think I haven't investigated it?But I'm not stupid.I just know it. I regret.I said.It seems to be the only word left in my vocabulary. Now someone killed her. I later relayed the story of the meeting to my roommates, but I wish I hadn't.Because the whole thing was told with an inexplicably black humor, but it wasn't funny at all. The end of May and the beginning of June are my favorite seasons of the year. The new leaves on the branches are bright, the blue sky is cloudless, the dusk is soft and warm, and it gets dark very late.It would be a shame not to have a good time.It's just that a phase of my life seemed to be coming to an end, and it ended in a disappointing and chaotic way.These days, when I get home, I don't go inside the house right away, but hide in the vegetable garden, where my vegetables are thriving, juicy little sprouts lying in neat rows in the patch I've laboriously dug and weeded.Four days after Kamsky's visit, however, I heard more uproar from the house in the vegetable garden than usual.I put down the trowel, wiped the dirt from my hands on the grass, got up and listened carefully, trying to hear what happened.At first I thought it was one roommate yelling at the other, but I couldn't tell whose voice it was, and I couldn't understand many words, only a few dirty words one after another. Then Davy came out of the kitchen and went into the garden.He looked tired.What is the situation now?I asked. Pipa may need your help.He said. I ran to the front of the house along the side alley.The constant dry voice was louder, and I heard other conversations too, like how dare you, interference, malice, and bitch.I didn't recognize him at first, because he was standing at the top of the stairs, with his back to me; but I saw the lute on the other side of the gate, and although she looked shocked, she was still defiant.Having said that, the guy's tall and thin figure seemed familiar to me. Jeff, hello.I said. He spins and turns.Oh, it's you. The police went to Jeff's house, and Pipa pretended to be dignified and said that he was not at home at the time, but his wife was. The police should have acted more alertly. Who asked your opinion? I have already asked you to go to the police station in person, Pipa said, so all this will not happen. I was planning to go.I'll go when I have time. The police were investigating homicides, so they naturally had little patience. You don't care what happens to me. Oh, less childish. Listen carefully, Davy said, it's a shame you're arguing like this. Dalio pokes his head out of an upstairs window.What happened?He cried, Pipa, do you want me to pour hot asphalt on his head? Still free.You probably didn't splash him, but you splashed Estelle all over. So be it.Jeff flew into a rage.He bent down, picked up half a brick from the path, and threw it hard.The bricks arced across the sky and hit the large window to the left of the gate, shattering the glass in an instant.We were all dumbfounded.And behind the smashed glass window, Leah's face appeared.