Chapter 15 15

Li Qi was thinking about things by himself on the way south, and he didn't say a word for the first hour and a half.It was getting dark quickly, and he kept turning on the interior lights of the Volkswagen, looking at the map taken out of the glove box.The focus is on a large-scale topographic map showing the southern part of Echo County, with the county boundary being a perfectly straight line running east-west.The closest to the Rio Grande was fifty miles away, and there was no reasonable explanation. I don't understand why she even lied about the diamond ring.He said. Alice shrugged, she was trying to squeeze the maximum performance out of this little car.

She lied about everything. The ring thing is different.He said. How could it be different? Another level of lying, like apples and oranges. I don't understand. The ring is the only thing I can't figure out. only? Everything else worked, but the ring couldn't figure it out. She drove on south for another mile as the poles came and went, each flashing for a moment in the light of the headlights. Do you already know the ins and outs of things?she says. Have you ever done computer-aided design?he asks. No.she says. I do not have either. so? Do you know its contents? She shrugged again.Probably only vague concepts.

They can draw a whole house, a car, or anything directly on the screen, and they can also color it, decorate it, and watch it.If it's a house, you can even walk in, or go around, let the house rotate, look at the front, look at the back.If it's a car, see how it looks during the day and how it looks at night.It can be moved up and down, rotated, and inspected from every angle.You can also take the car to crash to test the crash safety.Everything is just like the real thing, except it's not real, I think it's probably virtual or something. so?She said it again. I can see the whole thing in my head, like a computer design.Inside, outside, above, below, every angle.Only the ring, this ring screwed everything up.

Would you like to make it clear? no need.He said.Unless I can figure it out. Will Ellie be okay? Hope so, that's why we will do it again. Do you think her grandma will help us? He shrugged.I doubt it. So why would this trip help Ellie? He didn't speak, just opened the glove box and put the map back.He took out his pistol, ejected the magazine, and checked the number of bullets inside.Never fired, still ten rounds full of ammunition.He put the magazine back in, loaded the first round, then cocked the hammer and engaged the safety.He moved slightly in front of the chair and put the gun in his pocket.

You think we're going to use that thing?she asked. sooner or later.He said.Do you still have bullets in your purse?She shook her head.I never thought I'd actually use it. He didn't speak. How are you?she asked. feel good.He said.Probably like the feeling you had when you won that lawsuit last time, but before he refused to pay. She nodded at the steering wheel.It was a really good feeling. That's your housekeeping skill, right? I think it should be. This is my housekeeping skill.He said.My specialty, the thrill of the chase.I am an investigator, Alice, have been and always will be.I'm a hunter, and when Walker gave me that badge, my head started working again.

You already know the ins and outs of things, right?she asked again. Just the diamond ring. tell me. He didn't speak. tell me.she said it again. Have you ever ridden a horse? No.she says.I'm a city kid, and the biggest open space I've ever seen is the central divider of Park Avenue. I rode with Carmen not long ago, for the first time in my life. so? The horse is so high that it feels like the person is in mid-air. so?she said it again. Have you ever ridden a bicycle? In New York City? Skates? A little bit, when the weather is nice. Have you ever fallen? Once, it was miserable.

He nodded.Tell me about the meal you cooked for me. Any questions? Made it yourself, right? certainly. Are materials weighed? Certainly. So you have a scale in your kitchen? certainly.she says. The scales of justice.He said. Li Qi, what are you talking about? He glanced to the left, and the red fence receded quickly, out of the light of the headlights. arrive.He said.I will talk to you later. The car slowed down, turned into the gate, and wobbled into the yard. The front of the car faces the parking garage.He said.Leave the headlights on, I want to see that old wagon. good.she says.

She coasted slowly for a yard or two, turning the steering wheel so that the beams of her headlights illuminated the right side of the garage.The light illuminates half a new van, half a new Jeep, and a whole old van parked in between. Follow me closely.He said. The two got out of the car, and the night air suddenly became hot and humid.Unlike before, the sky is cloudy tonight, and restless insects are flying around.The yard was quiet and there was no sound.They walked forward together to get a better look at the abandoned van.It was a Chevrolet, about twenty years old, but recognizably a predecessor to the new truck next door.It had fat fenders, dull paint, and a bumper bar on the rear deck.The car must have had over a million miles on it, hadn't been started in maybe a decade, the suspension had collapsed, the tires were flat, and the rubber had completely rotted from the endless heat.

so?Alice said. I think it's the van in the photo, Leech said, the photo in Walker's office.What do you think of him leaning against the fender with Sloop and Eugene? Trucks are all the same to me.she says. Sloop has the same photo. does it matter He shrugged.They are good friends. The two turned to leave, and Alice got back in the car and turned off the headlights.Li Qi led her to the porch steps and came to the gate.He knocked on the door and waited, Bobby.Guriel opened the door and stood there surprised. So you go home.Li Qi said. Bobby scowled as if he had heard.My friend took me out, he said, to deal with the funeral.

Li Qi opened his hand and took out the chrome-plated star badge to show off.Badge thrill, great feeling, not quite as refreshing as the U.S. Army Criminal Investigative Service ID, but it still had an effect on Bobby, keeping him from closing the door. police.Li Qi said.We are looking for your mother. police?you? Heike.Walker just named us acting sheriffs, valid throughout Echo County, where's your mother? Bobby froze for a moment, then leaned forward to look at the night sky and smell the air. A storm is coming.He said.Already on the road, coming from the south. where's your mother, bobby?

Bobby paused again.in.He said. Li Qi led Alice around Bobby, and walked into the red hall with rifles and mirrors. The room temperature was probably one or two degrees lower than outside, and the old air conditioner was desperately turning. Boom.The two walked through the hall, entered the back hall, and saw Rusty.Guriel was sitting at the table, in the same chair as Richie had when he first saw her.Her clothes hadn't changed, skinny jeans, a fringed shirt, and her hair was pulled up and stiffened like a hard hat. We're here on business, Mrs. Gurier.As Li Qi said, he took out the badge in his hand and showed it to her.We need some answers. if not?grown ups.Rossi said.Are you going to arrest me?Li Qi pulled up a chair and sat opposite her, staring at her. I did not break the law.she says. Li Qi shook his head.In fact, everything you do is breaking the law. for example? For example, my grandmother would rather die than let someone take her grandson away.She'd say don't think about it unless you've stepped on her dead body, and that wasn't just a casual word. There was a moment of silence, only the fan kept running. This is also for the good of the child.Rossi said.And I don't have a choice, they have the paperwork. Have you sent your grandson away before? No. So how do you know those documents are real? Rossi shrugged and said nothing. Did you check it? How do I check?Rossi said.And people seem to be okay, full of jargon, above mentioned, hereafter referred to as, Texas state government. They're bogus, said Reacher, for the purpose of kidnapping the child, Mrs. Gurier.They kidnapped your granddaughter to threaten your wife. He looked at her face and suddenly realized that there was guilt and shame, fear and remorse, all of them.Li Qi wasn't sure what it was either. So we need your detailed description.He said.How many people are there? She didn't speak. How many are there, Mrs. Gurier? Two, a man and a woman. white people? That's right. what does it look like Rossi shrugged again.very common.she says.Nothing special, just what you would expect, like a social worker.From the city, drive a big car. hair?Eye?clothing? The hair is beautiful, I think, both are the same.Cheap suits, women wear skirts, the eyes should be blue, and men's ones are tall. What about the car? I don't know anything about cars. It's a big sedan, but it's normal, not a Cadillac. color? Gray or blue, as it should, not black. Do you have offal pies in your kitchen? do what? I should have shoved it down your throat and choked you, those white guys with the nice hair and the blue eyes were the ones who killed Al.Eugene's men, and you gave them your granddaughter. She stared at Li Qi.killed?Al is dead? After the men dragged him out of the car, they killed him within two minutes. She turned pale and wanted to open her mouth.She said that, then stopped and said that again, but the next word Ellie couldn't continue. not yet.Li Qi said.This is my guess, and it is also my hope, and it should be your hope too, because if something happens to Ellie, do you know how I will deal with you? She didn't answer, just kept her mouth shut and shook her head from side to side. I'll come back and break your spine.I'll make you stand and break you like a dead branch. They told her to take a bath, but it was a mess because one of the men watched her do it.He was short with black hair on his head and on his arms.He stood inside the bathroom door and watched her sit in the bathtub and take a bath from beginning to end.Mom told her that you must never be seen without clothes, especially men, but he stood there and looked at her.And she didn't have pajamas to wear after washing, she didn't bring anything, she didn't bring anything out. No need to wear pajamas.said the man.Not too hot. He stood by the door, looking at her.Ellie dried herself off with a small white towel.She wanted to pee, but she didn't want him to watch her do it.Ellie had to be very close to him to squeeze out of the bathroom, and then the other two watched her go to bed, the other man and the woman.They're scary, they're all scary.Ellie climbed into bed and pulled the covers over her head, trying desperately not to cry. What now?Alice asked. Back to Pecos.Li Qi said.I'm going to keep moving, I've got a lot going on tonight, but drive slowly, okay?I need time to think about things. She drove the car out the gate and turned north into the darkness, turning the fan on full blast to blow the night heat away. What do you want?Alice asked. Wondering where Ellie is. Why do you think it was the same people who killed Eugene? Deployment issues.He said.I don't think anyone would hire an assassination team first and then another kidnapping team.It is not possible to do this in a place where birds do not lay eggs, so I think there is only one group of people, either a killing team and a kidnapping job, or a kidnapping team and a job killing.It should be the former, because those people killed Eugene very professionally. If the killing was a part-time job, then I can't imagine what they are really good at. Didn't they just shoot him, so what's the problem? No, this is not for everyone.They had to stop him first, convince him to get into the car, and keep him quiet for the ride.It's a very clever skill, Alice, and far more difficult than you think.Then they punched him through the eyes, which also meant something. What's the point? He shrugged.The eye is a small target, and in that situation it must have been a quick shot.You raise your gun, fire, one, two.There is no reason to choose such a small target, but this is a very confident performance, not showing off, more like showing your skills and accuracy, a bit like narcissism, and I enjoy this feeling. The car fell silent, only the sound of the engine running and the friction of the tires. And now they're catching kids.Alice said. It makes them very upset because it's a part-time job.In the past, they were only used to having their own people and their own standard procedures. Bringing a living child made them worry about affecting their mobility and exposure. It looked like a family, a man, a woman, and a child. No, I think there should be more than two of them. Why? Because if I were me, I'd find three.In the army, we were all in teams of three, basically one was the driver, one was the gunner, and the other was the guard. Have you ever shot someone?As a gendarme? He shrugged.sometimes.You also know that certain situations are not suitable for court. She was quiet for a long time, and Li Qi could see that she was struggling to stay away from him, but finally decided to stay where she was. Then why don't you help Carmen?she asked.If you have done it before? She asked me the same question and my answer was, I don't know either. She was quiet again, and the car went another mile. Why did they kidnap Ellie?she says.I mean, keep abducting her?They've already forced Carmen to confess, so what's the use of her? You are a lawyer.He said.You are responsible for figuring out the answer.When will the dust settle?No chance of a comeback at all? There is always a chance, and a confession can be undone at any time.But practically speaking, if she pleads uncontested to the grand jury indictment, that should count as some kind of closure! How long does it take for this to happen? Most likely tomorrow.The grand jury is basically a standing unit, and it takes about ten to fifteen minutes. I thought justice was slow to come in Texas. Only when you plead not guilty. After another silence, many miles this time.They crossed the intersection of schools, gas stations and restaurants, and the scene disappeared behind the beam of headlights in an instant. From beginning to end, it took only three seconds.The sky ahead is still clear and stars can be seen, but the clouds in the south behind the car have begun to accumulate rapidly. So maybe tomorrow they'll let her go?Alice said. Probably not, they'd be worried that Ellie would identify them.She was a clever child who sat still, observing and thinking. So what should we do? Figure out where she is. He opened the glove box, took out the map again, found the large-scale map of Pecos County, spread it on his lap, and turned his hand up to turn on the interior lights. How to find it?Alice asked.I mean, where do I start? I have experience.Li Qi said.I've hunted down deserters and AWOLs for years, and by first training myself to think the same way as they do, I'd basically find them all. So simple? Sometimes it is.He said. The interior of a fast-moving car is quiet. But they could be anywhere.Alice said.I mean, there are countless places to hide, abandoned farms, dilapidated ruins. No, I think they should live in a motel.Li Qi said. Why? Because appearance is very important to them, this is one of the skills.They tricked Al.Eugene also tricked Rusty.Gurriel, although Rusti didn't bother to pay special attention, they must have running water, a shower, a wardrobe, and an outlet to use the hair dryer and razor. There are hundreds of motels here.she says.Maybe there are thousands of them. He nodded.And they keep changing places, and I'm almost sure that's it.Change one room every day, basic safety measures. So how are we going to find the right one tonight? He grabbed the map and held it up to the light. Look in your head, think from their point of view.Thinking that if it was how we would do it, it should be the way they would use it. This is a big gamble. Maybe, maybe not. So are we going to start now? No, we have to go back to your office now. Why? Because I don't want a direct conflict, firstly, the other party is no small matter, and secondly, it is inconvenient for children to exchange fire. So what are we going to do? To divide and then control, first draw out two of them, maybe there is a chance to catch the tongue. Tongue?what is that? Talking enemy prisoners. How to do it? Lay down the bait.They already know that we know of their existence, so they will send themselves to the door and want to do damage control. They already know we know, how come? Someone just talked to them. Li Qi didn't answer, just looked down at the map, staring at the faint red lines, the marks representing roads spread across thousands of miles of open land.He closed his eyes and tried to imagine what they really looked like. Alice parked the car in the parking lot behind the office, and she had the keys to the back door with her.Surrounded by shadows, Li Qi maintained a high level of vigilance all the way, but they still walked in safely.The old office was deserted, dusty, quiet, but very hot.The air conditioner had already been turned off when he got off work, and Li Qi stood quietly, listening to some kind of silence.People in ambush will emit a characteristic tremor, which is a primitive feeling, which is accepted and interpreted deep in the brain, but there is no such thing here. Call Walker and give him an update.He said.Say we are here. Li Qi asked her to sit in the other person's position, with her back to him, so that he could look forward and Alice looked behind at the same time.He put the gun in his lap, with the safety on, and dialed Abrams' number for Sergeant Rodriguez.Officer Rodriguez was still on duty, and sounded rather unhappy. We checked with the Bar Association, and he said there was no Chester P. A．Arthur the man. I'm from Vermont.Li Qi said.Come here to provide free services to the underprivileged. Tell the truth. The other party fell silent. I want to make a deal.Li Qi said.Trade names for dialogue. With whom? Maybe with you, how long have you been on patrol? seventeen years. So what do you know about Border Patrol? Should be enough. Are you ready to give me straight answers?Right, wrong, no hesitation? what is the problem? Remember the Border Patrol investigation from twelve years ago? maybe! Was that investigation Bleach? Rodriguez paused for a long time, then he answered, with just one word. I will call you back.Li Qi said. He hung up the phone, turned to Alice behind him and said: Have you found Walker?he asks. Already told him.she says.He wants us to wait for him here, and he will come over after dealing with the Bureau of Investigation. Li Qi shook his head.Can't wait here, it's too obvious we have to keep moving.Go find him so you can get back on the road. She paused.Are we in danger now? There's nothing you can't handle.Li Qi said. She didn't answer. Are you afraid?he asked. kind of.she says.In fact, very scared. You can't be afraid.He said.I need your help. Why is the ring lie different? Because the others are just rumors, but I personally confirmed that the ring is not fake, this is a direct discovery, not just hearsay, I feel different. I don't understand why this is important. The point is that I have a pretty crazy theory in my mind right now, but the ring lie is crippling that theory. Why do you trust her so much? Because she has no money on her. What is your theory? Remember Balzac's famous quote?And Marcuse? Alice nodded. I have another one.Li Qi said.Benjamin.A quote once written by Franklin. what do you?A walking encyclopedia? I just remember what I read, and I remember Bobby.Gurriel said about the armadillo. She looked at him: You must be crazy.she says. He nodded: It's just a theory, it needs to be proven, but it should be possible. How to do it? Just wait and see who comes to us. She didn't speak. Let's go find Walker!He said. They walked through the heat towards the courthouse.It's windy again, blowing from the south, feeling damp and menacing.Walker was alone in his office, looking tired, with a pile of phone books and note papers on his desk. Finally started.He said.Guaranteed to be the largest scale you have ever seen, the FBI and state police, roadblocks everywhere, helicopters in the sky, and a total of 150 police officers on the ground.But a storm is coming, and it might not be so good. Li Qi thinks they should hide in the motel.Alice said. Walker nodded gravely.If so, they will find people, and with this level of search action, they will definitely follow through. Do you still need our help?Li Qi asked. Walker shook his head.We should leave the rest to the professionals, now I'm going home and getting a few hours of sleep.Li Qi looked around the office, the door, the floor, the windows, the desk, and the filing cabinet. I think so do we.He said.We'll stay where Alice lives, and call us if you need anything or if you have news, okay? Walker nodded.I can.He said.ensure. We're going to play the FBI all over again.the woman said.Because that's the easiest way. all?asked the driver.What about the kid? The woman pauses, she has to go herself, because she is the shooter.If the manpower had to be split two to one, she wanted the tall man to be with her, not the driver. You are in charge, kid.she says. There was a moment of silence. The tipping point of giving up?the driver asked. It's standard operating procedure, and whenever the team has to separate, the woman sets a break point for abandonment.It means that when the time is over, if the team can't regroup, then pat their ass and leave, and disband separately. Four hours, okay?the woman said.Get things done. She stared at him for an extra second, raising her brow to make sure he understood the hint.Then she crouched down and unzipped the large suitcase. let's start!she says. Their every move has nothing to do with solving Al.It was exactly the same in Eugene, the only difference being that it was much faster because the Crown Victoria was parked in a motel garage instead of tucked away in a back lane in the middle of nowhere.The garage was dimly lit, mostly empty and no one was around, but it still didn't feel safe.They took the rim caps off and dropped them in the trunk, hooked up comms antennas to the rear windows and the trunk lid, and wore a blue jacket over the shirt, zipped up, full of spare magazines.They took out commemorative baseball caps and put them on their heads, checked the stock of bullets in the 9cm pistol, pulled the trigger, closed the safety, and stuffed them into their pockets.The tall man got into the driver's seat and the woman stopped outside the motel door. four hours.She said it again.Get things done. The driver nodded, closed the door, and turned to look at the child sleeping on the bed.Getting things done means leaving no evidence, especially living witnesses. Li Qi took out Heckler & Koch, a map of Texas, and a FedEx package from Fox's glove box, and walked into Alice's house.He went straight across the living room to the kitchen area, which was quiet, cool, and dry.The central air conditioner was turned on very strongly, for a moment Li Qi wondered how much she would have to pay for her electricity bill? Where are the scales?he asks. Alice brushed past him, knelt down to open a cupboard, and with both hands lifted a kitchen scale and set it on the counter.This thing is not small, very new, but it looks like an old style, like an antique design.The scale had a vertical white scale the size of a china plate, like the speedometer on an old RV.The engraved surface is covered with a huge plastic transparent cover, chrome-plated plate base, behind the plastic cover there is a red pointer, surrounded by large numbers, and there is also the manufacturer's name and printed warning: not for commercial use. Are you sure?he asks. Alice shrugged. I think so!she says.There was nothing wrong with baking the treats. There is a chrome bowl above the dial, which rests on the bracket.Li Qi pressed down with his hand, turned the pointer to one pound, and then returned to the original position.He ejected the magazine from the pistol and put the empty gun in the bowl.There was a light metallic sound of the pistol, and the pointer ticked to two pounds and six ounces.Not a particularly light weapon.He thought to himself, it should be about the same.I think the weight listed in the catalog is about 43 ounces, including empty magazines. He reassembled the gun, opened the cupboard, and found a pile of food.He produced an unopened packet of granulated sugar, cheap yellow, with five pounds marked on the side. What are you doing?Alice asked. Scale something.He said. He set the bag upright in the bowl and the pointer turned to exactly five pounds.He put the sugar back in the cupboard for another packet of crushed nuts wrapped in cellophane.The pointer pointed to two pounds.Li Qi looked at the label, it said two pounds on the package. Accurate enough.He said. He folded the map and put it on a bowl, a pound and three ounces.He took it off and put the nuts on again, still two pounds.He put the nuts back in the cupboard, put the express package, one pound and one ounce, plus the map, the pointer became two pounds and four ounces, and then added the loaded pistol, five pounds and three ounces.He can also calculate the weight of the bullet if necessary. OK, let's go!He said.But we have to refuel first, the road is long.Perhaps you should take that dress off, do you have lighter clothing? should have.She walked towards the stairs. Do you have a screwdriver?he called after her. under the sink.she called back. He bent down and found a brightly colored toolbox, which was in the cupboard.Made of plastic, it looks like a lunch box with a handle.Li Qi opened the cover and chose a medium-sized screwdriver with a yellow transparent handle.A minute later, Alice came downstairs, wearing baggy khaki cargo pants and a black sleeveless T-shirt. OK?she asked. Judith and I, he said, have a lot in common. She smiled and said nothing. I think your car should be insured.He said.Because the car may be damaged tonight. She didn't say anything, just locked the door and followed him to Fosse.Alice was in charge of driving, and Li Qi stretched his neck to look around, paying attention to the shadows.She was filling up at a twenty-four-hour gas station on the road to El Paso, the neon sign was shining brightly, and Li Qi finally paid for the gas. All right, back to court.He said.I'm going to take care of something. She didn't say anything, just turned the car around and headed east.Once at the courthouse, they parked their car in the car park at the rear of the building and walked around the building trying to get in through the gate, which was locked. what to do?she asked. It was hot on the sidewalk, probably in the nineties and humid.The wind died away again, and the clouds gathered in the sky. I'm going to kick the door down.He said. There should be sirens. Of course there are sirens, I've seen them. so? So I'm going to let the alarm bells go off. The police will come running. As expected. Do you want us arrested? They won't come right away, we'll probably have three or four minutes. Li Qi took two steps back and rushed forward, kicking the doorknob with the sole of his shoe.The log split and sank half an inch back, but it held up.He kicked again, and the door slammed back, hitting the hallway wall and bouncing back.A blue flashing light high up outside began to flash, and an electronic bell blared loudly, about as loudly as he'd expected. to drive.He said.Don't turn off the fire, wait for me in the alley. He ran up the stairs, two steps at a time.He kicked open the outer office door, less forcefully this time, and sprinted through the secretary's room like a football defender on the run.He steadied himself, kicked Walker's door open, and it swung back, the shutter snapped aside, the rear glass shattered, and the shards fell like winter snowflakes.Li Qi went straight to the filing cabinet, but the lights were off, the office was hot and dark, and he had to get very close to see the label.The cabinets were arranged in an odd way, some dated and some alphabetical, but that didn't bother me.He found a cabinet that started with a B, inserted the tip of a screwdriver into the keyhole, tapped the screwdriver in with the heel of his hand, turned it hard, and the lock was picked.He opened the drawer and flipped through the files with his fingers. Each file has a small label, which is placed inside a plastic sign and neatly arranged diagonally from left to right.These labels all start with B, but they are all recent materials, and the longest one is only four years ago.He took two steps to the side, skipping the next cabinet B to the next cabinet.The air was stuffy and hot, the alarm bell was still ringing loudly, and the blue flashing lights kept shining into the window, which was almost as regular as Li Qi's heartbeat. He picked the lock, opened the drawer, and checked the labels.Still not right, here is something from six or seven years ago.It had been two minutes and thirty seconds since he came in, and besides the alarm bell, there were sirens in the distance.He stepped to the side again, tried the next cabinet B, looked at the date on the label, and moved his fingers backwards, two minutes and fifty seconds.The siren seemed to get louder, the blue lights brighter, the police car was getting closer, and finally he found what he was looking for in the back quarter of the drawer.It was a document two inches thick, strung together with string.He took the whole file out and tucked it under his arm, leaving this drawer open and kicking the rest in.He ran out through the secretary's room, went down the stairs, looked at the street outside from the hall, and after making sure that it was safe, he went around the alley and went straight into Foss. gone.He said. He was a little out of breath and startled himself. where to goAlice asked. go south.He said.Go to the red house. Why?what's there all answers.He said. She drove away quickly, and fifty yards later, there was a red light flashing in the distance, and the Pecos Police Department arrived at the courthouse, but was a minute late.Smiling in the dark, he turned his head just in time to see a large motorhome, turning left two hundred yards ahead, down the road that led to Alice's house.The car, speeding through the glow of yellow streetlights and disappearing, appeared to be a police-spec Crown Victoria, with no decorative steel rims and four VHF antennas mounted on the back.Reacher stared at the car as it disappeared into the darkness, and Foos turned his head as he passed. The sooner the better.he said to Alice. He put the stolen papers on his lap and reached for the interior lights to get a better look. B stands for Border Patrol, and the document summarizes the crimes committed by these people twelve years ago and the corresponding measures taken.It's not very pleasant to read. The border between Mexico and Texas is very long, and more than half of the U.S. territory between this border has roads and villages, so these areas must be closely guarded.Based on the understanding at the time, if illegal immigrants crossed these lines of defense, they could easily and quickly escape to the interior, and the rest of the other defense areas were only fifty or one hundred miles of hot desert, empty and nothing, so these The area is basically ungarrisoned.The standard practice is to simply ignore the border defenses in these areas, and directly send vehicles to sweep the territory during the day or at night, and intercept the stowaways after they have risked their lives for three or four days and fled north.This works very well, because after walking thirty miles in the heat, the stowaways are completely at the mercy of others, usually willing to surrender, and sweeping missions often turn into first aid operations, because many people lack water and food, Began to get sick, dehydrated, collapsed. The reason for lack of water and food is because they were cheated.These illegal immigrants have paid their life savings to the smuggler group in Mexico. They claim that they will accompany them all the way to Paradise, so they will be driven from the village to the border in trucks and small buses. The guide will squat beside them and point to a There is an unguarded land bridge, and there is a sand dune behind. It is promised that more trucks and small buses will be waiting for them behind the sand dune, full of supplies, and ready to go.So these migrants would take a deep breath and rush forward, only to find that there was nothing behind the sand dunes, and because they had too much hope and fear before, they didn't dare to turn back, so they had to walk forward blindly until they were exhausted Do your best. Sometimes there is actually a car waiting, but the driver who drives them will ask them to pay a substantial additional fee.Since they are penniless, they can only hand over one or two valuables.The new driver would laugh and say it wasn't worth the money, but he'd take it anyway, saying he'd have to go up front to see how much he could get in exchange for, and the car would drive away, a blast of hot sand, and never show up again .The migrants would eventually realize they had been duped, and start trekking north, a simple matter of stamina.The weather is the key factor, and if it's a scorching summer, the death rate is high, which is why border patrol officers' random missions often turn out to be acts of mercy. Things changed overnight. For a whole year, in addition to normal arrests and rescues, patrol cars may also kill people mercilessly.Sometimes, usually at night, the rifles fired, the trucks roared, and the raids sprinted until someone was isolated from the group.They would chase the lone fugitive for a mile or two before shooting the target.Then the truck disappeared into the darkness, the engine roaring, the headlights beating, the dust dancing, and the shocking silence once again covering everything. But it won't always be this clean and tidy. Some of the victims were first beaten and then dragged to a certain place to be abused.The body of a young boy was tied to a cactus branch and wrapped in barbed wire, with parts of his skin missing.Some were burned alive, some were beheaded, and some were mutilated.Three young girls were held captive for more than four months and their autopsies were horrific. None of the surviving family members lodged a complaint because they all shared the fear of dealing with bureaucrats that the illegals shared.But these stories began to circulate among the legal profession and legal support groups. Lawyers and human rights groups sorted out relevant files. Finally, the issue finally received the attention it deserved and a preliminary investigation began.Evidence began to be gathered anonymously, with seventeen verifiable murders established, plus eight presumed cases representing cases where the body had not been recovered or had been buried by the family.Young Roll.Gacia is included in the second figure. There was a map in the file, most of the ambush sites were concentrated in a pear-shaped block, covering about a hundred square miles of land, the markings on the map looked like blotches.The area follows a north-south axis, and the southern bulge falls mostly within Echo County, which means that the victims have walked fifty miles, and by that time they will be very weak and tired, and completely defenseless. Eleven months after Border Patrol top brass conducted a sweeping investigation in August of that first rumor, there was a final attack at the end of that month, and it hasn't happened since.Because there was no new forensic evidence to test, the investigation could not continue. Therefore, although preventive measures were taken later, such as strict control of the number of ammunition and increased radio transmissions, there were still no concrete results.The investigation was carried out thoroughly, and the higher-ups did keep an eye on it, but this retrospective investigation, combined with the fact that it was conducted in secrecy in a paramilitarized world, and the only witnesses who completely denied any approach to the border, doomed Let it go.And so the case faded away, over time, as the murders stopped and the survivors began to build new lives, and the immigrant amnesty took away a lot of the anger.The pace of investigation slowly stopped, and the files were sealed after four years. so?Alice said. Li Qi patted the file with the heel of his palm to align it, closed the file, and threw it in the back seat. I know why she's lying about the ring.He said. Why? Because she wasn't lying, she was telling the truth. She said the fake was only worth thirty dollars. 她以為這是事實，某個佩科斯的珠寶商嘲笑她，告訴她那是個贗品，只值三十塊錢，卡門就信以為真。可是實際上是珠寶商想騙她，想用三十塊錢把戒指買下來，再用六萬塊賣出去，世上最老套的騙術。就跟檔案裡某些移民的遭遇一樣，這就是他們對美國的第一印象。 珠寶商說謊？ He nodded.我早該想出來了，因為事實很明顯。搞不好就是我們找的那傢伙，當時我就覺得他不是什麼優良店家代表。 可是他沒騙我們。 當然沒有，愛麗絲，因為妳是精明能幹的白人律師，而我看起來是個不好惹的白人大塊頭。但她卻是個矮小的墨西哥裔女性，孤身一人，急著想賣，而且心裡很害怕。所以他看到卡門時看到的是隻上門的肥羊，我們就不同了。 Alice was silent for a moment.所以這代表什麼？she asked. 李奇把車內燈關掉，在黑暗中微笑，伸伸懶腰，手掌放在前方置物箱上，伸展著肩膀肌肉。代表我們可以開始了。He said.代表我們已經準備就緒，代表妳應該開快一點，因為此時此刻我們大概領先壞蛋二十分鐘，而我希望這種優勢能保持越久越好。 她再次快速穿越沉睡的十字路口聚落，在四十三分內把剩下的六十英里跑完。李奇認為對一輛黃色四缸進口車來說，這種表現已經相當不錯，更何況方向盤旁邊還掛了個花瓶。她把車子轉進大門，用力踩下煞車，停在門廊的階梯下。門廊上的燈亮著，福斯揚起的灰塵在燈的四周籠罩成一片卡其色煙霧，此時時間已近凌晨兩點。 車子不要熄火。Li Qi said. 李奇帶頭走到門口，用力敲門，但沒有回應。試試門把，沒鎖。為什麼要上鎖？最近的十字路口離這裡也有六十英里遠。李奇把門推開，兩人直接走進紅色大廳。 Hold out your hand.He said. 李奇從牆上的槍架把六把點二二來福槍全都拿下來，放在愛麗絲的手臂上，槍口、槍托交錯以取得平衡。愛麗絲在槍枝的重量下腳步有點不穩。 把槍放到車裡。He said. 上面傳來腳步聲，樓梯咯吱咯吱，巴比．古瑞爾從客廳的門內走出，手還揉著眼睛。他沒穿鞋，穿著內褲，T恤，看著已被搬空的槍架。 你到底在幹什麼？He said. 把其他槍拿出來。Li Qi said.我要代表回聲郡警長，強行徵收你們的槍枝。我還是代理警長，記得嗎？ 已經沒有了。 不對，還有，巴比。像你們這種高傲的紅脖子絕對不可能只滿足於幾支點二二玩具槍，大傢伙在哪裡？ 巴比沉默不語。 別跟我耍把戲，巴比。Li Qi said.現在想這些已經來不及了。 巴比愣了一下，然後聳聳肩。All right!He said. 他赤著腳穿過大廳，推開一道門，通往一間小小的暗室，那原本可能是間書房。他把燈打開，李奇看到牆上有油井的黑白照片。一張書桌、一張椅子，還有另一個槍架上擺了四支30︱30溫徹斯特步槍。七發槓桿式連發槍，漂亮的大傢伙，槍托塗油，二十吋槍管，保養得很好。White.厄普也不過爾爾。 What about bullets?Li Qi asked. 巴比拉開槍架底座的抽屜，拿出一個硬紙盒裝的溫徹斯特彈藥包。 我還有些特別的子彈。他邊說，邊拿出另一個盒子。 What's this? 我自己做的，威力比較大。 Li Qi nodded.全部拿到外面的車上，行嗎？ 他把四把槍從槍架上拿下來，跟著巴比到屋外 身後的座位上。巴比彎進車裡，把子彈放在槍旁。李奇把溫徹斯特步槍直立放在副駕駛座後方，然後轉頭面對巴比。 我要借你的吉普車。He said. 巴比聳聳肩，赤腳站在溫熱的土地上。鑰匙在車上。He said. 你跟你媽現在開始待在屋裡。Li Qi said.要是有任何人出來亂晃，視同不懷善意，懂嗎？ 巴比點點頭，轉過身，走到階梯下，回頭看了一眼，然後進屋。李奇靠向福斯旁邊準備跟愛麗絲說話。 我們現在在幹嘛？she says. 做準備。 The purpose is to? 任何衝著我們來的東西。 為什麼我們需要用到十把來福槍？ 用不了那麼多，我們只需要一把，只是不想把剩下的九把交給敵人而已。 他們會來這裡？ 他們在我們後面十分鐘路程。 What shall we do then? 引他們去沙漠裡。 會有槍戰嗎？ I guess so! is this okay?你自己也說了，他們是很厲害的槍手。 用手槍的時候是，而對付手槍最好的方法就是躲得遠遠的，然後用你所能找到的最大支步槍還擊。 She shook her head.我不能參與這件事，李奇，這樣做不對，而且我連來福槍都沒拿過。 妳不用開槍。He said.可是妳必須當目擊證人，妳必須看清楚到底是誰攻擊我們。這要靠妳完成，而且非常重要。 我要怎麼看？那裡不是烏漆抹黑的？ 這點再想辦法。 而且快下雨了。 這對我們有利。 這樣做不對。she said it again.應該讓警察來處理，或是聯邦調查局，你不能對著別人開槍。 空氣中彌漫著暴風雨的氣味，又起風了，他聞得到氣壓跟伏特數在衝高。 接戰守則，愛麗絲。He said.我會等到他們有明顯敵視舉動後再採取行動，就跟部隊作戰一樣，好嗎？ 我們會沒命的。 妳會躲得遠遠的。 那就是你會沒命。你自己說了，他們很厲害的。 他們厲害的是走到人前，開槍打爆他們的頭，但一旦到了空曠區域，四周一片漆黑，面對步槍的火力會怎麼樣還是未知數。 你實在瘋了。 七分鐘。He said. 她回頭看著從北方來的路，然後搖搖頭，把檔位排入一檔，腳踩離合器。李奇探頭進車子裡，捏捏她的肩膀。 緊跟著我，好嗎？He said. 他跑進車庫，坐上古瑞爾家的吉普車，座椅往後調，發動引擎，打開大燈。倒車到院子裡，回正，繞過車庫，沿著泥土小徑往空曠地開去。他看看後視鏡，福斯緊緊跟在後面；再看看前面，第一滴雨水落在他的擋風玻璃上，大小如同銀幣。