Chapter 4 4

Li Qicai walked twenty yards away from the car, sweating profusely and beginning to regret his decision.There is no village in front of this place, no store in the back, and you can only walk on the highway with two feet.The slowest car on the road is going at sixty miles an hour, no one is going to stop for him, even if someone wants to do it, first it is the reaction time of the brain, plus looking in the rear mirror, and then stepping on the brakes, by then, People are already a mile away.Then they shrug and speed up again to keep going.How can you hitchhike in such a bird place?That's all they think.

In fact, this place is not just birds, it would be suicide to do so.The power of the sun is frightening, and the temperature can easily exceed 120 degrees, so the air flow caused by the car passing by is like a strong wind, especially the suction force of the big truck almost blows him away.He had no water on him and had difficulty breathing.Just five yards away, the crowd kept moving, but he was walking alone in the desert, and blind.He thought he might have died here if the state troopers hadn't arrested him for crossing the road in a dangerous area. He turned his head and saw that the Cadillac was still parked motionless.He walked on, stopped after about fifty yards, turned his head to face east, and held out his thumb.But it didn't work at all, just as he expected.Five minutes later, a hundred cars passed by, and the closest thing to a reaction was a truck driver honking his horn, making a startling low-frequency noise, whizzing past him, tires squeaking at the same time, and then a puff of dust A tornado of gravel blows.Li Qi was almost suffocated, as if his whole body was about to start burning.

He looked back again and saw the Cadillac backing up slightly, then coming towards him along the shoulder of the road.She didn't control it very stably, the whole rear of the car swung back and forth, almost getting inserted into the traffic formation.Li Qi walked back, the car moved forward to meet him, the rear of the car was still shaking violently.Li Qi stopped beside the car, she slammed on the brakes, the suspension system wobbled, and she lowered the passenger window. sorry.she says. It was too loud outside for him to hear, but he could tell by the shape of his mouth. boarding.she says.

Li Qi's shirt was stuck to his back, his eyes were full of sand, and he couldn't hear the loud noise on the road at all. boarding.said the shape of her mouth.I'm very sorry. Li Qi got into the car, feeling exactly the same as the first time.The air conditioner was blowing, the leather chair was cold, and a frightened little woman was sitting behind the steering wheel. I apologize.she says.Sorry, I said something stupid.He closed the door, and suddenly there was no sound.He put his hand in front of the vent. I didn't mean to say those words.she says. whatever you want.he answered.

Really, I didn't mean to say those words, I just have no way out, I can't even tell right from wrong.I'm also sorry for saying the sex thing, that was really rude. Then her voice suddenly became very small.Some of the people I've driven before would have made me feel like this was the only way. Are you willing to sleep with them and let them kill your husband? She nodded.As I told you, I have no way out and am terribly afraid.I'm going all out, but I don't have anything to put on it. Li Qi didn't reply. And I've seen the same plot in the movie.she says. He nodded too.I've seen those movies too.He said.Can never live without those things.

She paused for a long time. So you don't want to.she says.As if stating a fact. Yes, that's right.He said. She paused again, longer this time. OK, I'll drop you off at Pecos.she says.You can't get out of the car and walk now, you'll die in the heat. Li Qi also paused for a while, longer than Carmen, then shook his head.He's got to stay somewhere, because if you've been on the road all the time, you'll soon learn that there's not much difference between here and there. No, I will go with you.He said.I will stay for two days because I sympathize with what happened to you.Carmen, really.I don't want to kill him out of nowhere, but that doesn't mean I don't want to help you in other ways.As long as I can do it, and you still want my help, that's it.

She pauses again.Yes, I still hope you can help me.she says. And I want to see Ellie, she seems like a really nice kid from the picture. She is really good. But I won't murder her father. She didn't speak. Is that clear?he asks. She nodded.clear.she says.I'm sorry I asked you to do that. It's not just me, Carmen, he said, no one else would do this.You're kidding yourself, and that's not a good idea at all. She looked small and lost. I thought that once I knew my situation, she said, no one would reject me. She turned her head to look at the traffic behind her, waiting for a gap to appear.After six cars had passed, she turned the car back onto the road, hit the gas and charged forward.Within a minute, the Cadillac was back at eighty mph, passing one car after another.The truck that was honking at Reach, the drivers that left him sucking up a pile of dust, was overtaken by Carmen's car after a full seven minutes.

Crown Victoria arrived at the woman's designated destination within eighty minutes.An inch-wide brown scribble on the map is an empty gray area forty miles wide in real space.A road passes through here, going roughly northeast, and there are many mountains in the distance.It was a hot, desolate, worthless country, but it was exactly as she had expected it to be, and it would meet her needs.She smiled slightly, satisfied with her talent in this area. good.she says.First thing tomorrow, right here. The cart turned a corner and turned back to head north. The smoke and dust rolled up by the tires stayed in the air for a long time, and then slowly fell back to the sandy ground.

Carmen got off the interchange just before Pecos and headed south along a trail that passed through an empty space.Less than five miles, the car has been like driving on the surface of the moon. Tell me about Echotown.He said. She shrugged.What are you going to say?There is nothing to say at all.When the map of Texas was drawn a hundred years ago, the household registration unit considered that as long as there were more than six residents in a square mile, it was considered a developed area, but we can’t even meet this standard, so this is still a border area. But it's beautiful here.He said.

Indeed.The road meanders through the undulating terrain, and the road is flanked by the Redstone Grand Canyon. The east side is towering and elegant, and the west side is broken and pierced. From here, the ancient river flows into the Rio Grande.The dry mountains plunged into the clouds, the vast sky was filled with vivid colors, and even in the car at high speed, he could still feel the absolute emptiness of thousands of square miles, and the amazing silence it caused. I hate it here.she says. Where do I live?he asks. It should be the workers quarters of the ranch, they will hire you to manage the horses.We are never short-staffed, so if you show up out of the blue, they must be interested.You can say you're a horseman, that way they probably won't see it, and still keep you with us.

But I don't know anything about horses. She shrugged.Maybe they don't pay attention at all.In fact they don't pay attention to anything, like I was beaten to death and no one knew. An hour later, they started on their way.The car was going fast, and the tires screeched almost every corner.The car first climbed up a long steep slope, and then jumped to the top of the peak with two stone pillars. After passing the highest point, an endless flat land suddenly appeared before the eyes, and there was no obstacle at a glance below.The road went down like a brown Fetch ribbon, and twenty miles ahead there was another intersecting road that looked like a blurred line on a map in the haze.There are many small buildings around the intersection ahead, except for these buildings and the two intersecting roads, there is no evidence of human habitation on this planet at all. This is Echo Town.she says.Everything you see before your eyes is, of course, there is a lot you don't see.One thousand square miles, one hundred and fifty inhabitants.Well, one hundred and forty-eight to be precise, because one of them is sitting next to you now, and the other is still in prison. Her mood improved because she spoke with a slightly sarcastic smile on her face, but her eyes were on a puff of dust smoke rising from the road below, and the smoke was rising like a squirrel's tail, slowly Climbing south, there is still about fifteen minutes' drive from the intersection. That must be the school bus.she says.We gotta be in town before she did, or Ellie would get on the school bus and we wouldn't be able to pick anyone up. town?Li Qi said. She smiled again, but briefly.That's what you see now.she says.The busiest area in Echo Town. Carmen accelerated and rushed down, and the dust raised by the Cadillac spun behind the car, lingering for a long time.Because the entire ground is so vast, the speed of the car seems pitifully slow in comparison.The altitude and the clear desert air make the school bus look like a toy on the floor, as if you can reach it with your hands, but Li Qi only now realizes that the school bus is actually half an hour away from the intersection, and the Cadillac is twice as fast as the school bus , so you can catch up in fifteen minutes. It's very kind of you to help me.she says.Thank you, really. No hay de que, senorita.He said. So you understand more than one or two sentences! He shrugged.A lot of people in the army speak Spanish, in fact most of the new generations do, especially the better ones. It's like baseball.she says. That's right.He said.It's like baseball. But you should call me senora, it would make me so happy to call me senorita. She picked up speed again when the road leveled off, then pulled the car into the oncoming lane about a mile away from the school bus, ready to overtake.Li Qi thought to himself, this should be very safe, right?At the end of the world, meeting an oncoming car is probably harder than winning the lottery.The car approached the school bus, passed through the swirl of dust, quickly overtook it, and continued to drive in the left lane for a mile before slowly turning to the right.After five minutes, they started to slow down as they approached the intersection. From a plane view, this small village is dilapidated and lifeless, just like other small villages exposed to the sun.There are some plots of dry weeds with thorns growing here, surrounded by raw cement blocks as walls, there are commercial plans, but never really developed.On the right side of the northwest corner is a restaurant, a low, long wooden house built with a few simple wooden boards, and the color of the paint has been peeled off due to the high heat.On the opposite corner is the school, with only one building, like something popping out of a history textbook, the beginning of rural education.In the southwest corner opposite to the school is a gas station. There are two cement islands for refueling and a small parking lot. There are a lot of broken down cars parked behind the gas station.Diagonally opposite the gas station and directly opposite the school, the northeast corner is an open space with some cement blocks scattered on it. It seems that I originally wanted to build some kind of storefront, but then gave up. Maybe it was President Johnson at that time (Note: Thirty-sixth President of the United States, born in Texas.) During his tenure.There were four other buildings, bare concrete bungalows with a small uneven driveway leading to the main road.private houses.Li Qi thought to himself.The yards of these homes are littered with trash, children's bicycles, old locomotives parked on cement tiles, and antique living room furniture.The yard was hard and dry, and there was a fine wire fence around it, probably to keep the big snakes out. There were no stop signs at the intersection, just a thick stop line drawn on asphalt, which also melted from the heat.Carmen went straight across the intersection, turned around after passing the school, straddled the entire length of the road, and turned back into the shallow gutters on both shoulders.After returning to the car, Carmen drove to the school gate, which was next to Li Qi's window.A wire windbreak fence surrounds the campus, which looks like an animal shelter.The school gate is made of galvanized pipe, and it is irregularly shaped and square, covered with the same barbed wire. Carmen looked past Li Qi and looked at the school gate.The school bus came slowly from the north and stopped in the opposite lane, parallel to the Cadillac, but in the opposite direction.The school gate opened and a woman came out, her movements were slow and she looked very tired.It's the teacher, Li Qi thought to himself, preparing to end the day's work.When she saw the school bus, she waved to the children, and the children lined up and filed out.Li Chu counted, there were seventeen children in total, nine girls and eight boys.Allie.Guriel, seventh in the line, looked sweaty and hot in a blue dress.Li Qi would recognize her, on the one hand because of the photos, and on the other hand because of Carmen's movements.He heard Carmen hold her breath and reach for the doorknob. Carmen skirted the hood and greeted her daughter outside the car on the sidewalk, which was really just a dirt track that many people had trodden on.She reached out and picked her daughter up, exaggeratedly, and turned around and around.Ellie's tiny feet flung out, and the blue lunch box kicked up and hit her mother's back.Li Qi could see the child's smile and Carmen's tears as they came back from the back of the car, holding hands tightly.After Carmen opened the car door, Ellie climbed directly into the driver's seat and stopped suddenly when she saw Li Qi.She said nothing, her eyes were wide open. This is Mr. Li Qi.Carmen said. Ellie turned to look at her. he is my friend.Carmen said.Say hello to him. Ellie turned her head back and said: Hello. Hey Ellie.Li Qi said.Is school fun? Ellie thought for a moment.not bad. Did you learn anything? spelling.She thought again, then lifted her chin up a little.Difficult word.she says. Ball and Fall. Li Qi nodded seriously. four letters.He said.Very difficult. I think you will definitely fight. B． A． L. L.Li Qi said. F. A． L. L.It's like this, right? You are grown up.Allie said, as if he'd just passed some kind of test.But you know what?The teacher said there were four letters, but there were actually only three, because the L appeared twice, at the end. You are very smart.Li Qi said.Get to the back seat quickly so Mom can come in so Mom doesn't have to bask in the sun. Ellie crawled past Li Qi, exuding the smell of elementary school.Li Qi had probably attended fifteen different primary schools, most of them in different countries or even different continents, but they all tasted and smelled the same.It was more than 30 years ago that he went to primary school for the last time, but he still remembers it clearly. Mother?Allie said. Carmen got into the car and closed the door.Her face was flushed, maybe it was because of the heat, maybe it was because of the sudden exertion of a lot of strength, or maybe it was the sudden happiness, Li Qi was not sure. Mom, it's so hot.Allie said.Let's go get ice cream sodas and go to the restaurant. Li Qi saw that Carmen was about to smile and agreed to her request, but she looked back at the purse and remembered the lonely one-yuan bill in the purse. Go to the restaurant, Mom.Allie said.Ice cream soda is best when it’s cold, so buy it before you go home. Carmen's face sank, and her face sank even more after Ellie finished speaking.go home. At this time Li Qi spoke.OK!He said.Let's go get an ice cream soda, my treat. Carmen turned to look at him.It made her sad to be at his expense, but she hit the gas and drove forward, turned back across the intersection, and turned left into the restaurant parking lot.She turned the car around and parked it against the north wall, in the shadows.The only car parked next to it was a dark blue Victoria Crown, very new, and the whole car was shiny.Li Qi thought, this must be the car of the plainclothes state police, but it might just be a taxi. It was cold in the restaurant, with an old air conditioner blowing cold air from vents in the ceiling.The restaurant was empty, with only one table of customers, and Li Qi thought that it should be the passengers on the Victoria bus: two men and one woman, they looked very ordinary, the type who hardly traveled far.The women had pale blond hair and were not bad looking, one of the men was short and dark, and the other was taller and more handsome.So that Victoria was a taxi, not a police car, and these guys were probably salesmen, going back and forth between San Antonio and El Paso.Maybe there's a lot of samples in the back of the car, so they can't fly.Li Qi looked away and let Ellie lead him to the booth on the other side of the room. This location is the best.she says.The other chairs are torn and stitched, and those seams are so thick they hurt your legs. I guess you've been here before.Li Qi said. Of course!She smiled happily, as if Li Qi was a lunatic, two rows of small square teeth were exposed.I've been here many, many times. Then she jumped up and crawled to the side. Mommy, sit next to me.Allie said. Carmen smiled and said: I have to go to the toilet first, I'll be right back, you are here with Uncle Li Qi, okay? The child nodded earnestly.Li Qi sat down opposite her, and the two looked at each other generously.He wasn't quite sure what Ellie was looking at, but what Li Qi saw in his eyes was the photo in her mother's purse, sitting right across from her right now.Thick corn-colored hair, tied into a ponytail, staring at him with big mismatched black eyes, as if using Li Qi as a camera.Small snub nose, serious mouth tightly closed, with a serious look.Her skin was almost perfect, like damp pink velvet. where do you go to school?she asked.Do you go to school here too? No, I went to school in many different places.He said.I'll be moving around. Didn't you go to the same school all the time? He shook his head.I switch to a new school every few months. She thought about it seriously, but didn't ask why, she just weighed the pros and cons of this proposal. So how do you remember where things are?like a toilet?You might forget who the teacher is, you might call her by the wrong name.He shook his head.People have a good memory when they are young, and they will forget things when they are old. But I tend to forget things.she says.I forgot what Dad looked like, he's in jail, but I think he'll be home soon. Yes, I think so. Where did you go to school when you were six and a half like me? Going to school is the only focus of her world.When Li Qi thought about it, it wasn't long before the Vietnam War started when he was six and a half years old, but the scale was already so large that his father had to go there.So he thought, he should have lived in Guam and Manila that year.And most of the time should be in Manila.He thought so, relying on the buildings and tree landscapes in his memory, recalling the places where he hide and seek and play around. the Philippines.He said. Is that also in Texas?she asked. It was a bunch of islands, between the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea.On the sea, far from here. the sea.She seemed a little uncertain and asked: Is the sea in America? Do you have a map on the wall at your school? Yes, there is a world map. Well, the sea is those blue parts. There are many places in blue. He nodded.Of course. My mom went to elementary school in California. That place is also on the map. After finding Texas, look to the left. Li Qi watched her look down at his hands, trying to remember which one was the left hand and which one was the right hand.Then seeing her raise her head and look behind his shoulder, Li Qi also turned her head and saw that Carmen was about to return to her seat, just as those salesmen also stood up and left the private seat, slightly blocking her.She waited until they had reached the door and the aisle was clear, then walked briskly back and sat down, all in one breath, elegantly.She clung to Ellie, putting an arm around her to tickle her, and in exchange for a scream.After paying the bill with the three at the counter, the waitress came over with a menu and a pencil in her hand. Please give us three Coke Floats.Allie said clearly and loudly. The waitress wrote it down.Come right now, baby.After she finished speaking, she walked away. Can you drink this?Carmen asked. Li Qi nodded, just like the taste of primary school, he also remembered the taste of Coke Float.He remembers drinking Coke Float for the first time in the sales department of the US Army Welfare Agency in Berlin, a building left after the occupation by the top four, a long, low half-barrel-shaped mobile home.That summer was very warm in Europe, and there was no air conditioning in the house. Li Qi still remembers the heat on his skin and the bubbles in his nose. Really stupid.Allie said.It's not a Coke Float, it's ice cream floating on a Coke, they should call the drink an Ice Cream Float. Li Qi smiled, remembering that when she was her age, he had thought about similar things, and was filled with righteous indignation at some illogical things in the new world. Just like elementary school.He said.I found out that small means easy and simple, so primary school should be a light and simple school.I still remember thinking at the time, why is it so difficult for me, it should be better to learn a name that is difficult. Allie looked at him seriously.I don't find it difficult.she says.But if the school is on the sea, it may be more difficult. Or maybe you're smarter than me. She thought about it seriously.I am smarter than some people.she says.Like Peggy, she is still learning three-letter words, and she thought ZOO only had one Z. Li Qi didn't know how to answer, so he had to wait for Carmen to answer, but before she could speak, the waiter came back with a tin tray with three tall glasses on it.She put the plate on the table solemnly, and whispered to Ellie: Please enjoy.Then just walked away.The cup is nearly a foot high, and the straw extends another six inches, but Ellie's chin only reaches table height, so her mouth is far from where she can drink the soda. Do you want me to take the glass down?Carmen asked her.Or are you going to kneel on the chair? Seeing Ellie thinking, Li Qi began to wonder if the kid had made a quick and simple decision.But he felt that Ellie was a bit like himself. He used to take everything too seriously. Every kid in school laughed at him, but they usually only got one chance. I'm going to get up on my knees.she says. In fact, she was not just kneeling anymore, she was standing bent over on the plastic leather chair, with her hands propped beside the glass, her head stretched forward to suck on a straw.This method is good, Li Qi thought.Ellie began to drink her drink, and he turned to look at his glass, the ice cream on it was round and slippery spoon-shaped.He thinks the cola is too sweet, it seems to have added too much syrup, and the bubbles are very big, it seems that a lot of artificial coloring has been added.Unpalatable, far from the distant memory of that summer in Germany. Do you not like it?Ellie asked. Her mouth was full of soda, and she sprayed some on her sleeve. I didn't say that. But your expression is very strange. It is too sweet.He said.It will give me tooth decay, and you will too. She made a big grimace, as if showing her teeth to the dentist.It doesn't matter.she says.Anyway, it will still drop later, and Peggy has already dropped two. Then she bent her head back to the straw and drank the rest, then poked the slush at the bottom of the cup to melt it and suck it up.I can drink it for you, if you want.she says. no.her mother said.You'll spit in the car. No, I promise. no.Carmen said it again.Now go to the bathroom, okay?It's still a long way to home. I've been on it.Allie said.We all go when we get out of school, and that's the last thing.There's a queue, and you have to get on it, and the bus driver gets pissed if we pee on the bus. Then she laughed happily. Allie.her mother said. I'm sorry, Mommy, but only boys do this, not me. Anyway, you just go one more time, okay? Ellie rolled her eyes dramatically, then crawled over Mom's lap to the back of the restaurant.Li Qi put a five-yuan bill on the bill.Very cute child.He said. I think so.Carmen said.It should be said that this is the case most of the time. very smart. She nodded.Smarter than me, no question about that. He didn't answer, just sat quietly, watching her eyes become melancholy. Thank you for the soda.she says. He shrugged.You're welcome, and it's a new experience. I haven't bought soda for my kids so far. Obviously you don't have kids of your own. Never thought about it. Don't you have any nephew or niece?Don't have younger cousins? He shook his head. Long, long ago, I was a kid myself.He said.I don't know much about them, though, other than what I remember. Leave it for a day or two!Ellie will give you something unexpected, I think you should have felt it. At this time, she raised her head and looked over Li Qi's shoulder.He heard Ellie's footsteps behind him. The floorboards were old and there was clearly a gap under the nailed rug because Ellie's shoes made a hollow slap on the floor. Mom, let's go!she says. Uncle Li Qi is coming too.Carmen said.He's coming to help take care of the horses. Li Qi got up to leave the private seat and found that she was looking at him. good.she says.Then let's go! They pushed open the door and stepped out into the heat, growing familiar even though it was mid-afternoon.Crown Victoria has gone lightly.The three walked to the side of the Cadillac.Ellie climbed into the back seat, and Carmen sat in the driver's seat for a long time, hands on the keys, eyes closed.Then open your eyes and start the engine. She drove back to the intersection, passed the school again, and continued south for sixty miles.She was driving slowly, maybe half as fast, but Ellie didn't complain.Li Qi was thinking that she should think this is normal, Li Qi thought to himself, Carmen probably wouldn't be able to drive fast when she was driving Ellie! The scenery on the road is very monotonous. There are old telephone poles appearing every so often on the left shoulder of the road, and electric wires hang regularly in the middle.There are scattered windmills and oil pumps in the distance, some still working, others stuck completely still.On the west side of the road, there are many irrigation equipment modified with V︱8 engines on the edge of the old fields, but they are all rusted and abandoned. The wind has already blown the soil on the ground too thin. In some places, even the calcium carbonate veins If it is exposed, even if there is water, it is useless.The east side was much better, with several square miles of mesquite and occasional patches of rich grass, stretching in irregular linear patterns where there must have been veins of water in the subsurface. Every ten or twelve miles a farm gate stood alone by the road.A simple rectangular shape, about fifteen feet wide by fifteen feet high, with many repeating tracks on the ground extending into the distance.Some doors have names nailed on wooden strips or cast iron, and some are quite delicately handcrafted; some doors have a cow’s skull hanging in the middle, the bones have turned white with age, and the long horns are bent outwards, just like Like the wings of a vulture; there are also some doors bound with barbed wire, stretching aimlessly into the distance, separating ancient boundaries.The wire hung from the wooden posts, and the weather-beaten posts had twisted into spirals like cork drills and looked as if they would turn to ashes at the slightest touch. Houses can be seen on some farms.As long as the terrain is flat enough, Li Qi can see the buildings in the distance. The house is a two-story building, mostly painted white, interlaced with low barns and sheds. There will be windmills and satellite dishes behind the house. It looked eerily quiet and lifeless in the sun.The sun has started to set, but the temperature outside the car is still as high as one hundred and ten degrees. I think it should be the relationship between the road.Carmen said.After a long day in the sun, I'm now breathing back the heat. Ellie fell asleep in the backseat.Using the suitcase as a pillow, she brushes her cheek against the documents inside, which describe how her mother escaped her father. The land of the Guriel family starts from here.Carmen said.On the left, the next road is our house, about eight miles away. It's all plain as far as the eye can see, rising slightly to the right and extending westward for about a mile to an uneven plateau.The barbed wire tied to the Gurriel's land on the left is in better condition than most farms, and it looks like it hasn't been more than fifty years since it was last rewired.The fence stretches straight to the east, and there are some yellow and green grasslands inside.A few miles away on the horizon is a vast expanse of oil rig towers surrounded by shacks and abandoned equipment. Guriel III.Carmen said.The big oil field, which made a lot of money for Schlupp's grandfather, was a long time ago, and it was exhausted about forty years ago.Discovering the gushing oil well was a family event, perhaps the most exciting event ever for the family. She drove more slowly, clearly not wanting to drive the last few miles.In the distance, the road melted into a part of the heat, and Li Qi could also see the image of the barbed wire distorted into a fence.The fence clings to the shoulder like something out of New England, but painted crimson.About a mile and a half later came a farm gate, also painted red, and the fence continued farther out of sight.There are some buildings behind the gate, which are closer to the road than the ones seen earlier.It was a big house, the main body was two stories, with a tall chimney, and an additional building beside it.Scattered around the house were low barns and store-houses surrounded by circles of pasture fences, and everything was painted crimson, as were the buildings and fences.The orange sunset that is about to set shines on it, making the building glow and shimmer, splitting horizontally into many phantoms. From the moment the red fence appeared, she slowed down even further, taking her foot off the accelerator for the last few hundred yards and letting the car coast, before turning through a gate and onto a dirt road.On the crimson wooden door hung a name made of crimson wood, which read: Red House.Carmen looked up as the car passed. Welcome to hell.she says. The Red House is the main building of the complex, and the entire complex consists of four magnificent buildings.There was a wide plank porch in front of the house, supported by wooden posts, and a rocking chair hung from a chain in front of the door.Eighty yards behind the rocking chair was the garage, but she couldn't park the car directly in it because a police car cut across the side of the road and completely blocked the way.The police car was an old Chevrolet Rhapsody, black and white, with the words Echo County Sheriff's Department on the door, though apparently it wasn't there before.Li Qi thought that this car should be a second-hand car bought by the county government from Dallas or Houston. After buying it, it was repainted and polished to handle simple duties in the countryside.There was no one in the car, the driver's door was open, and the warning lights on the roof flashed bright red and blue across the porch and front of the house horizontally. What's wrong?Carmen said. Then she covered her mouth with her hand.God, he must have gone home, right?She said: Oh, no. The police won't take him home.Li Qi said.They don't work for prisons. Ellie woke up in the back of the car, the hum of the engine was gone, the suspension was no longer shaking.She struggled to get up and looked out, her eyes wide open. what is that?she asked. It's the police.Carmen said. why is he hereEllie asked. I have no idea. Why are the lights blinking? I have no idea. Has anyone called the police?There could be a thief, maybe he is wearing a mask and stealing something. Ellie crawled forward and knelt on the soft armrest between the two front seats.Li Qi smelled the smell of elementary school again, and saw that her face was full of pleasant curiosity, but in an instant, great panic appeared on her face again. He may have stolen the horse.she says.He might have stolen my pony, Mommy. She climbed onto Carmen's lap, pulled open the doorknob, jumped out of the car, and ran across the yard as fast as she could, hands pressed to her sides, ponytail bouncing behind her. I don't think anyone is stealing horses.Carmen said.It should be that Sloop is back. Let the police car escort.Li Qi said. Carmen took off her seat belt, turned to the side, and stood up with her feet on the dirt in the yard.She kept her eyes on the house and put her hands over the door frame, as if the door could shield her from something.Li Qi also got out of the car from his side, the high heat outside quickly swept over, and the police car radio rang with noisy calls. Maybe they are looking for you.He said.You haven't come back all night, maybe they reported you missing. Through the roof of the Cadillac, she shook her head.Ellie is home.As long as they know where Ellie is, they don't care where I go. She stood still for a while, then took a step to the side, and gently closed the door, and Li Qi followed suit.Twenty feet away, the door opened and a man in uniform came out onto the porch. He was obviously the sheriff.He was about sixty, overweight, deeply tanned, with thinning gray hair clinging to his scalp.He walked half backwards, bid farewell to the darkness of the room, wearing black trousers, a white uniform shirt, epaulets on his shoulders, and stitched moldings.Around his waist was a large gun sash, and a wooden-handled revolver was securely holstered with a small leather belt.The door closed behind him, and he turned and headed for his patrol car, but stopped abruptly when he saw Carmen, and touched his forehead with his index finger in greeting. Mrs Gurier.He said.It sounded like he'd made a mistake or something. What's wrong?she asked. The people inside will tell you.said the sheriff.The weather is too hot, it is too hard to talk twice. Then his eyes jumped over the roof of the Cadillac and stopped on Li Qi. and who are you?he asks. Li Qi didn't speak. Who are you?The guy said it again. I'll talk to the people inside.Li Qi replied.The weather is too hot, it is too hard to talk twice. The guy looked at him calmly for a long time, then nodded slowly, as if he had seen all battles before.He got into the used patrol car, started the engine, and backed out onto the road.Reacher stood by letting the dust kick up on his shoes while watching Carmen drive the Cadillac into the parking barn.The garage was a low shed with no front door, and it was red, like everything else.There were two trucks and a Cherokee jeep parked inside.One of the trucks was relatively new, and the other had a flat tire that looked like it hadn't been driven in ten years.Behind the garage is a dirt path that winds its way into the endless desert.Carmen slowly drove the Cadillac in, parked next to the Jeep, and headed back out into the sun.Standing in the yard, Carmen looked small and out of place, like an orchid in a dump. Where is the worker's dormitory?he asks. Come with me.she says.You have to meet them first, get them to hire you first, not just go to the dormitory. good.He said. She led Li Qi slowly to the steps in front of the porch, and climbed up carefully, one step at a time.When he got to the door, he raised his hand and knocked on the door. You want to knock on the door?Li Qi asked. She nodded.They never gave me the key.she says. The two waited together.Li Qi stood on the next step behind her, which was very suitable for the status of a farm worker.他可以聽到裡面的腳步聲，然後門打開，有個傢伙站在門口，抓住門內的手把。他看起來應該只有二十來歲，大大的方形臉，皮膚上有紅紅白白的斑點，體積龐大。跟兄弟會的傢伙一樣，肌肉就快變肥肉了。他穿著一條丹寧牛仔褲、骯髒的白襯衫，袖子緊緊捲起來，只露出一點二頭肌。他的身上有汗臭跟啤酒味，頭上反戴著紅色棒球帽，塑膠扣帶上方露出半圓形的額頭，後面帽舌下亂蓬蓬的一堆頭髮跑了出來，顏色質感跟愛莉一模一樣。 是妳。他看了卡門一眼說道，然後把頭轉開。 巴比。she says. 然後他的視線落在李奇身上。 妳的朋友是誰？ 他叫李奇，來找工作。 The guy paused.那麼，該說請進吧！He said.兩位，把門關上，天氣很熱。 他轉身走進屋內的陰影。李奇看見帽子上有個T，德州遊騎兵隊，是不錯的球隊，但還不夠好。卡門跟著那傢伙進去，兩人相差三個階梯。這七年來都像客人一樣進自己家門。李奇緊跟在她身旁。 史路普的弟弟。她輕聲對他說。 He nodded.裡面的大廳很暗，到處都可看到紅漆的延伸，木頭牆壁、地板、天花板。絕大部分的漆都已變薄，甚至完全掉光了，只留下一些色素斑點。屋裡某處有架古老的冷氣機在運轉，讓屋內溫度稍微降了幾度。機器運轉的速度很慢，帶著低沉的嗡嗡聲，聽起來很安詳，就像時鐘緩慢的滴答聲。大廳跟汽車旅館套房差不多大，裡面有很多昂貴的物品，但都已老舊不堪，似乎這個家幾十年前就已經把錢花光。也可能是因為太有錢，所以打從上一代起花錢就已無法再產生任何快感了。牆上有面大鏡子，華麗的邊框也漆成紅色，鏡子對面則有個架子，上面放了六把槍機後拉式獵槍。鏡子反射架子，讓整個房間看起來好像裝滿了槍枝。 警長來做什麼？卡門叫道。 come in!巴比回叫道。 我們已經進來了。Li Qi thought to himself.不過這時他才發現，巴比的意思是說進來後廳，因為房子後面還有間很大的紅色客廳。這裡重新整修過，原本應該是廚房，本來的牆壁上開了另一扇門，通往現在那看起來少說有五十年歷史的廚房。後廳跟其他地方一樣，到處都是斑駁紅漆，家具也不例外。有張農家的大桌子，八張靠背椅，都是松木做的，也漆成紅色，但人接觸過的地方色澤褪盡，露出閃亮的木頭原色。 其中一張椅子上坐著個女人，五十幾歲，是那種無視年紀漸老，還堅持穿著同樣衣服的人。緊身牛仔褲，繫上皮帶，一件掛著西部流蘇的襯衫。髮型還是往上梳起的少女樣，染了一頭明亮的橘色，但下面是張消瘦的臉。她整個人看起來就像個二十歲的少女，卻因為得了罕見疾病所以提早老化，不過也可能是因為過度驚嚇，或是警長叫她坐下，對她說了些相當棘手的消息。她看來心事重重、有點困惑，不過還是充滿活力、深具威嚴而面露果敢。這女人就像她所擁有的德州土地，寬廣、有力，但目前狀況不佳，大部分的風光日子都已過去了。 警長來做什麼？卡門又問了一次。 有狀況。那女人說道。從她的語調聽來應該不是好事。李奇看到卡門的眼神中重新燃起一絲希望，這時房間裡安靜了下來，女人轉頭看向他這邊。 他叫李奇。Carmen said.來應徵工作。 Where did it come from? 女人的聲音像鞭子一樣。我是這裡當家的。她的聲音如此說道。 我在路上遇到的。卡門答道。他以前照顧過馬匹，可以打些馬蹄鐵。 卡門編故事時李奇的視線看向窗外。他這輩子離馬匹最近的時刻是從馬的面前走過。以前某些較老舊的基地還會養些禮儀用的馬匹，所以大致上他知道馬蹄鐵匠的工作就是做馬的鞋子，而這種鐵鞋則是用來釘在馬腳上，或是蹄上。蹄？他知道要用木炭盆，要有風箱，要大量規律地敲打，再來個鐵砧跟水槽。可是他不曾真正摸過馬蹄鐵，他只偶爾看過人們釘在門上驅邪用。李奇曉得有些風俗是釘在上面，有些是釘在下面，都是希望趨吉避邪，可是他的知識也僅止於此。 我們待會再來談他的事。the woman said.我有其他事要先講。 這時她想起該有的禮貌，隔著桌子揮揮手說：我是羅斯緹．Gurriel. 跟那個球員（註：Rusty Greer，德州遊騎兵隊的外野手。）一樣？Li Qi asked. 我出生時他還不知道在哪裡。the woman said.然後她指著巴比：你已經見過我兒子羅伯．古瑞爾，歡迎你到紅屋農場來，李奇先生。或許我們可以找個工作給你，如果你有意願、有誠意的話。 警長來做什麼？卡門第三次問。 羅斯緹．古瑞爾轉過頭直視著她：史路普的律師失蹤了。she says. What? 他本來要去聯邦監獄看史路普，卻沒出現，州警說他們發現他的車棄置在路邊，在亞柏林南方。車子是空的，離市區還有幾英里遠，鑰匙插在裡面，情況看來不妙。 Al.尤金？ 不然妳覺得史路普有幾個律師？ 她的語調暗示著：妳這白癡。整個房間完全靜了下來，卡門臉色蒼白，雙手摀著嘴，手指僵硬伸直，遮住了嘴唇。 會不會是車子拋錨？she says. 警察試過。羅斯緹說。車子沒問題。 那他去了哪裡？ 失蹤了，我剛跟妳講過。 他們有去找他嗎？ 當然有，可是找不到。 卡門深吸一口氣，然後再吸一次。這樣對事情會有影響嗎？she asked. 妳的意思是說史路普會回家嗎？ 卡門微弱地點點頭，好像她極端害怕聽到答案。 這個妳不用擔心。羅斯緹說，臉上露出微笑。史路普星期一就會回來，就跟先前講的一樣，艾爾失蹤不會改變任何現況，警長講得很清楚，交易已經完成了。 卡門的回應隔了很久才出現。她閉上眼，雙手放在嘴唇上，然後強迫自己把手放下，努力讓嘴唇拉出微笑的線條。 那，還好。she says. 沒錯，還好。她婆婆說。 卡門再次微弱地點頭。李奇想，她大概快昏倒了。 妳想他出了什麼事？she asked. How would I know?可能出了什麼麻煩吧！I think. 可是誰會找艾爾的麻煩？ 羅斯緹的笑容變成了譏諷。這個嘛，妳猜猜。she says. 卡門睜大了眼睛。What's the meaning? 意思就是誰會想找自己律師的麻煩？ I have no idea. But I know.羅斯緹說。有人送了輛老賓士車給他們開，可卻還是被送進監獄，他就是在背後搞鬼的人。 那這個人是誰？ It's possible for anyone.Al.尤金什麼客戶都接，一點標準都沒有。他已經沒什麼人格，甚至可說完全沒人格了，至少我知道的是這樣。他有三分之一的客戶都不是好東西。 卡門的臉還是很蒼白。不是好東西？ 妳知道我在說什麼。 妳是說墨西哥人？為什麼不直接講出來？ 羅斯緹依然微笑著。Is there any difference?she says.某個墨西哥人被判入獄，他不會乖乖站起來接受判決，跟我們不一樣。他會怪他的律師沒把事情辦好，然後煽動兄弟朋友。當然，他一定帶了一大票這種人到美國來，統統都是非法移民，一堆墨西哥裔幫派分子，這樣妳應該就了解事情會怎樣了吧？就跟墨西哥那裡一模一樣，妳尤其應該知道那會是什麼場面。 為什麼尤其是我？我連墨西哥都沒去過。 沒人回答她的問題。李奇看著她，她全身顫抖，滿身驕傲，卻孤伶伶地一個人，就像敵營中的戰俘。房間裡沒人說話，只有那部老舊的冷氣機在某處砰然發出卡嗒聲響。 李奇先生，你有什麼看法？羅斯緹．古瑞爾問道。 聽起來跟工作面試完全無關。雖然李奇很想耍耍嘴皮子，轉移大家的注意力，不過如果頭十分鐘就跟他們莫名其妙吵起來，以致被轟了出去，這對事情一點幫助都沒有。 太太，我只是來找工作。He said. 但我還是希望聽聽你的意見。 就像工作面試，人格特質考驗，很顯然她希望幫她清理馬糞的人也要合她的胃口。 李奇先生以前也是警察。Carmen said.陸軍裡面的。 羅斯緹點點頭。那你的看法呢？前陸軍警察。 李奇聳聳肩。可能事情沒有想像中複雜，也許他精神崩潰，所以就這麼消失了。 聽起來不太可能，現在我知道為什麼他們不要你了。 很久很久都沒人說話。 這麼說吧，如果真的有人惹麻煩，應該是白人做的。Li Qi said. 這種說法在這裡可吃不開，小子。 辦案講究的不是吃不吃得開，而是釐清是非。德州的人口有四分之三是白人，所以我認為有四分之三的機率是白人涉案，前提是對所有人一視同仁。 很大的前提。 就我的經驗來說不是這樣。 羅斯緹的視線離開桌面，回到卡門身上。 有妳這位新朋友支持，她說，想必妳一定同意這種說法。 卡門吸了口氣。我從來沒說過我比別人好，她說，所以我不知道為什麼我應該同意我比別人差。 房間裡沒有人說話。 我想時間會證明一切。羅斯緹說。總有人將來會承認自己錯了。 她特別加重尾音，拉長的音調慢慢淡入寂靜之中。 好了，史路普的女兒呢？她故意讓聲音充滿愉悅，好像剛才的對話不曾發生過。妳把她從學校載回來了是嗎？ 卡門吞了口口水，轉頭看著她。我想她應該在穀倉，她一看到警察就開始擔心，以為她的小馬被偷了。 How can it be?誰會想偷她的笨馬？ 她年紀還小。Carmen said. 好了，女傭已經準備好弄晚餐給她了，帶她去廚房吧！過去時順便帶李奇先生去宿舍。 卡門點點頭，就像個接到新指示的僕人。李奇跟著她離開後廳，回到大廳，然後走到外面。熱氣再度包圍上來，兩人在門廊的陰影中停下腳步。 愛莉在廚房裡吃飯？Li Qi asked. Carmen nodded.羅斯緹痛恨她。she says. Why?她不是她孫女嗎？ 卡門把頭轉開。她的血統遭到了玷汙。she says.別叫我解釋，根本沒道理可講，反正她就是不喜歡她。 既然這樣，他們為什麼不讓妳把小孩帶走？ 因為史路普希望她住這裡，愛莉成了他對付我的武器、折磨我的工具，而他的媽媽負責動手。 她也叫妳在廚房吃飯？ 沒有，她要我跟她一起吃。she says.因為她知道我寧可不要。 李奇一時間沒有說話，腳步停在陰影邊緣。 妳該離開的。He said.要是妳付諸行動，我們現在已經在拉斯維加斯了。 有那麼一下子，我又重新燃起希望。she says.她講到艾爾．尤金的時候，我還以為事情可以緩一緩的。 He nodded.我也是，要是這樣的話，事情會好辦一點。 她點點頭，眼裡滿是淚水。I know.she says.是我期望太高了。 妳還是該考慮離開這裡。 她用手背擦擦眼淚，搖搖頭。我不會逃走。she says.我不要逃亡。 Li Qi didn't speak. 剛才你應該附和她的，她說，就是那些墨西哥人的論調。我會知道你只是裝裝樣子，我需要她把你留下來。 can't do it. 你冒了很大的險。 她帶頭走下階梯、走進陽光裡，穿過院子。停車庫後面是馬廄，跟其他建築一樣也是紅色的，大小跟航空母艦停機坪相仿，屋頂上開了些天窗。一扇大大的門，開了一呎的門縫，裡面傳來濃烈的臭味。 我對鄉下的事物實在不太了解。He said. 你會慢慢習慣的。she says. 馬廄後面有四個畜欄，四周也用紅色籬笆圍了起來，其中兩個長滿了矮小的草叢，另外兩個則鋪了一呎高的沙漠沙。有許多條紋長杆架在汽油圓桶上，架出一條跳躍路線。畜欄後方是另一棟也是長條形的紅色建築，但是不高，小小的窗戶幾乎緊貼著屋簷。 宿舍。she says. 她在原地站著不動好一陣子，腦子裡想著事情，然後在大太陽下全身發顫。等她回過神來，卻是一副公事公辦的口吻。 門在另一邊。she says.你會有兩個同伴，一個是約書亞、一個是比利，兩個都別相信，他們這輩子都待在這裡，已經變成古瑞爾家的人了。女傭一小時後會送餐點給你，在愛莉用餐之後、我們用餐之前。 good.He said. 巴比早晚會來找你。要小心他，李奇，這個人跟蛇一樣狡猾。 good.He said it again. goodbye.she says. 妳沒問題吧？ 她點了一下頭，轉身走開，李奇目送她的背影，直到她消失在馬廄後方，然後他往前轉個彎找到進宿舍的大門。