Chapter 17 17

As the storm moved north, the driver knew his partner was never coming back.This feeling is very strong, just as dignified as the fact, like a pothole left by a heavy rain that can never be mended again.He turned in his chair and looked at the door of the hotel room. He sat like that for a few minutes, then got up, walked over to open the door, and looked out at the parking space, left and right.There was water on top of the asphalt, and the air smelled sharp and fresh. He went out, ten paces in the dark, there was a ditch running, the road drains were rattling, and the trees were pouring rain.Other than that there was no movement, nothing.No one came, and no one would come again, he knew in his heart.Turning around, the sand under his feet was slippery, he walked back, stepped into the room, and gently closed the door.Looking at the bed, looking at the child sleeping in the room.

you drive.he cried.go north, ok? He pushed Alice towards the driver's door, then around the hood.Alice pulled the seat forward, Li Qi pushed the seat back, and the map was spread out on his lap.To his left, the Red House was burning furiously, with bright flames coming from all the windows, and the upper and lower floors were ablaze now, and the maid ran out of the kitchen door, wrapped in her bathrobe.The fire shone on her face, showing no expression at all. well, let's go!He said. Alice put the car in gear and stepped on the accelerator.With the afterburner still locked in four-wheel drive mode, all four tires turned simultaneously, spraying gravel, and the car began to move.She rounded Walker's Lincoln and turned right at the gate without stopping, stomping on the accelerator.Li Qi turned his head and saw the first flames emerging from under the eaves. He vomited out first, and after a short pause, spread to the side, looking for a way out.Steam rose from the damp roof tiles, mixed with thick smoke.Rusti, Bobby and the maid watched the thick smoke drifting out, completely frozen.Li Qi looked away, no longer looked back, and looked ahead.Then he started flipping through the map on his lap until he found the one that showed all of Pecos County on a large scale.Li Qi reached out to turn on the indoor light.

Faster.He said.I have a bad feeling. Four hours had passed, but he continued to wait.He felt very hesitant, why not?He is not a beast, he will definitely do what should be done, of course, but he will never enjoy it. He walked over, opened the door again, and hung the do not disturb sign on the doorknob outside.He closed the door and locked it from the inside.He was very pleased with the hotel's lock, which had a large lever inside and a solid click when the door was opened, smooth and lubricated, without a matching catch on the outside.That's better, and it's a useful tool for uninterrupted security.He put on the chain and went into the house.

Alice moved forward at full speed with the greatest courage. The jeep was not very suitable for ordinary roads. The body was very shaken and swayed violently from side to side.This problem is not small, but Li Qi ignored it, and just raised the map so that the map can be illuminated.He stared at the map hard, compared the scale, separated his four fingers from his thumb, used them as a small compass, and drew a circle. Have you ever been around here?he asks. Alice nodded at the steering wheel.A little bit, I've been to the McDonald's Observatory and it's not bad. He looked at the map. The McDonald Observatory was southwest of Pecos, on top of Mt. Davis.

eighty miles.He said.Too far. What is too far? As far as their day's journey is concerned, I think they should be within half an hour's drive at most, twenty-five miles, thirty at most. Why? Because he wants to be closer to Walker, he may plan to kidnap Carmen if necessary, or bring Ellie to her to convince Carmen that he is playing for real.So I think, they must be hiding around here. And close to sightseeing spots? That's right.He said.This is the key. Is this possible?she asked.Looking for a goal in your mind? I used to be like this. How many times have you succeeded?What percentage?

Li Qi ignored this question and looked down at the map, while Alice grabbed the steering wheel and continued to drive.Look down to see the speedometer.oh my god.she said softly. Li Qi didn't look up.What's wrong? Out of gas, just to the lowest indicator, the warning light came on. He was quiet for a moment.keep going.He said.no problem. Alice continued to step on the accelerator deeply.Why?Do you think the gas gauge is broken? He raised his head and looked ahead.Just keep going.He said. Will run out of gas.she says. Don't worry.He said. Alice kept going, the car vibrating violently and the headlights jumping.The tires whizzed on the wet asphalt, and she looked down again.

It's bottoming out, Li Qi.she says.Below the minimum. Don't worry.He said it again. Why? You'll find out later. He stared at the windshield as Alice continued at the top speed of the jeep.The engine growled loudly, an old crude straight-six, drinking gasoline at a rate of half a liter a minute. Use two-wheel drive mode.He said.It is more fuel-efficient. Alice pushed the drive lever forward, the sound in front of the car disappeared, the steering wheel was no longer difficult to control, and she continued to drive.Another half mile, then a mile.She looked down at the instrument again.

We are now relying on oil and gas.she says. Don't worry.he said a third time. After another mile, the engine faltered, jerked once, then out of breath for a moment, then ran smoothly again.It should be the oil and gas in the oil pipeline, Li Qi thought, or the sludge pumped from the bottom of the oil tank. Li Qi, I'm really out of gas.Alice said. don’t worry. Why? Go another mile. That's why not to worry.he said suddenly. Headlights sweep the rough shoulder of the tarmac to the right, illuminating a steel-blue Ford Crown Victoria.There are four VHF antennas on the back of the car, no wheel caps.The car was parked on the side of the road, lifeless and empty, facing north.

Let's change that one.He said.The gas tank should be almost full, and they will all be ready. Alice slammed on the brakes and pulled the car behind it.This is theirs?why here? It was Walker who dropped it here. How do you know? Simple, they drove two cars over from Pecos, this one and the Lincoln.They dropped the Lincoln here and drove the Ford over.Walker then escaped from the mesa, parked the van back in the garage at the Red House, drove the Ford back here, traded it back for his Lincoln, and drove it back for us.To make us think he's here for the first time, in case we're still alive looking for the killer.

What about the key? Inside, Walker didn't have time to worry about losing the rental car. Alice hopped out of the car to look, thumbs up.The key was in the car, and Li Qi followed with a map. The door of Guriel's jeep was left open, and the engine continued to idle, burning up the remaining gasoline.The two sat in the Crown Victoria, Reacher pulled back the seat, Alice shrunk forward, started the engine, and within thirty seconds they were back on the road and back to sixty miles an hour. And three quarters of a barrel.she says.And it's much easier to drive. Li Qi nodded, feeling that the body is lower, the speed is faster, and the wind resistance is smaller, which is exactly what a large RV should have.

I'm sitting on Al.Eugene's seat.He said. She glanced at him, and Li Qi smiled. drive faster.He said.No one will stop you, this car looks like a patrol car. She sped up to a hundred-two, then a hundred-thirteen.Li Qi found the interior light, turned it on, and continued to look at the map. OK, where are we now?He said. McDonald's Observatory.she says.Where you thought it was impossible. He nodded.Too far. He turned the map sideways so that it was in the light, and looked hard: Concentrate, Li Qi, figure it out if possible. What's in Balmosie National Scenic Area?he asks. This point was still southwest of Pecos, but only thirty miles away. The distance is just right. It's a desert oasis.she says.It's like a big lake, very clear, you can swim and dive. But it's the wrong kind. Probably not.He said. He looked to the northeast, within thirty miles. Monahan Dunes? Four thousand acres of dunes that look like the Sahara. that's all?Will someone go to see it? very impressive. He fell silent and looked at the map again. What about Fort Sturton?he asks. It's a small town.she says.About the same as Pecos. At this time, she glanced at Li Qi.But Old Fort Sternton should be well worth seeing. Li Qi looked at the map, and the old Fort Sternton was marked as a historical site, in the northeast of the town, closer to Pecos.He measured the distance, about forty-five miles. possible. What on earth is there to see there?he asks. cultural heritage.she says.An old military fort where the Buffalo Regiment was stationed, the Confederates took it down, but the Buffalo Regiment rebuilt it in 1867, as it should be. Li Qi took another look. The ruins are located in the southeast of Pecos, and they can be reached by taking the 185th County Road. This road looks good. It is probably an express road and a standard road.Li Qi closed his eyes, Alice continued to drive, the Victoria Crown drove very quietly, and sat warm and comfortable, which made Li Qi want to sleep very much, and he felt very tired.Spray from the tires beat against the wheel arches. I think Old Fort Sternton should be.He said. do you think they are there Li Qi was silent again, and advanced another full mile. not there.He said.But around here, you think about it from their point of view. no way.she says.I am not like them. Then pretend, he said, what are they? I have no idea. Professional, quiet and unobtrusive, like a chameleon.They are naturally good at camouflage and are good at not being noticed.Put yourself in their shoes, who are they?I thought they were salesmen when I saw them, Rusty.Guriel thought they were social workers, Al.Eugene clearly sees them as FBI agents.So think in their shoes, become them.Your strength is that your point of view is very normal, very ordinary.You're white and you look like you're middle class and you're driving this Crown Victoria which looks like a very normal family car without these fake radio antennas.The FBI disguise helps too, but basically you don't look like a threat, so Al.Eugene felt it was safe to stop, but at the same time you had a certain authority that made him have to stop, had to want to stop.So you are very ordinary, but you are respected, almost fake, with a businesslike appearance. good. But now you have a baby, so what do you become now? What? Become an ordinary, ordinary, respected, middle-class family like a fake. But there are three of them. He was quiet for a moment and closed his eyes.One of the men is an uncle.He said.You are a middle-class family traveling in your own car on vacation.It's not the kind of noisy family that wants to play Disneyland, without shorts and brightly colored T-shirts.Quiet, maybe a little warm, a little obnoxious, or a little serious.Maybe it looks like the family of a high school principal, or an accountant, and obviously from out of town, so traveling.where to goAsk yourself the question they must ask themselves, where to blend in?Where is the safest place around here?Where would a warm-hearted, serious middle-class family go with their six-and-a-half-year-old daughter?For a daughter, where is the appropriate, enlightening, and educational place?Even if she is actually too young, she doesn't care at all?Even if people laugh behind your back about how politically correct you are, working so hard that it sucks? Old Fort Stetton.Alice said. Yes, you want to show your child the glorious history of the African American soldier, even if she grows up dating a black man and you get a heart attack.And you drive a Ford, not a BMW, not a Cadillac.You are a very down-to-earth person, which means not very rich at all, and you are careful about spending and don't want to spend too much on certain things, motels and cars are the same.You drove down from the north, and your place of residence is relatively far away, but it is still within a reasonable range, not in the wilderness, but the outermost part of the Fort Sternton tourist area.The price is not bad.He opened his eyes.That's where you'll live, Alice.He said. Yeah? He nodded.There's a bunch of serious, hard-working, not-rich middle-class families on vacation, featured in boring AAA magazines, and it's a place where one feels at home.There are a lot of people just like you, making you totally unobtrusive, and it's only thirty or thirty-five minutes from Pecos if you drive fast. Alice shrugged and nodded.good theory.she says.Good logic, the question is do they follow the same logic? hope so.Li Qi said.Because we don't have time for a big search, in fact I think time is running out, and I have a bad feeling right now that Ellie is already in danger. Alice said nothing. Maybe someone else has to call back on time.He said.Maybe this third guy has started to panic. So it's a big gamble. He didn't speak. Simple math.she says.A radius of forty-five miles draws a circle with an area of ​​more than six thousand square miles, and you want to pick out a pinhead point in such a large area? Roll the dice!Li Qi. I think they're smart and play it safe.He said.Their priority is pretty obvious, they have the exact same map as us, so I think that's how they're going to go about it. But are you sure? He shrugged.Never sure.He said.But if I were, I'd do it, and that's the trick, Alice, to think in the same way as they do, and never be wrong. forever? He shrugged.Occasionally. The sleeping crossroads appeared in front of me, lifeless.Schools, gas stations, restaurants.Pecos straight ahead, Old Fort Sturton to the right. sure?she asked. He didn't speak. sure?she asked again. Li Qi looked in front of the windshield. What is your decision?she says. He didn't speak, and Alice slammed on the brakes, and the car slid a yard on the slippery road, coming to a complete stop at the vanishing stop line.how? Roll the damn dice, Leek. change!He said. He decides to take a shower first, a reasonable delay.He had plenty of time, anyway, the door was locked and the child was fast asleep.He took off his clothes, folded them neatly, and put them on a chair.Then go into the bathroom, pull up the shower curtain, and turn on the faucet. Unwrapping a new bar of soap, he loves motel soap, the crunchy wrapper, and the smell when he opens it.The aroma is intense, fresh and intense.He smelled the shampoo, which was in a small plastic bottle.He looked at the sign, it smelled like strawberries, and it said Conditioning Shampoo.He leaned over to put the soap on the china tray and the shampoo on the edge of the tub, pushing the lid away with his arm and stepping into the stream. The road to the northeast of Echo County is very narrow and winding, walking along the side of the mountain, in the same direction as the Kyanaso Canyon.Now this big Ford seems a little less than ideal, too big, the chassis is too soft, a bit clumsy.The water flows across the asphalt road from left to right, washing mud and sand onto the road, forming fan shapes one by one.Alice could barely maintain a speed of forty miles per hour. She didn't speak, and concentrated on driving the heavy caravan, going around one bend after another. Her bronze skin was pale, as if she was cold. how are youhe asks. And you?she asked back. why not? You just killed two people, then saw another dead, and another house burned down. He turned his head to the side, folks. Like the water under the bridge, he said, it's not worth lingering on. What kind of answer is this? Why not? Doesn't this kind of thing bother you? Sorry I didn't get a chance to question them. that's all? He was quiet for a moment.Tell me about the house you rent.He said. What does this have to do with it? I'm guessing it's a short-term residence, tenants come and go, it's not well maintained.It was probably messy when you first moved in. so? Am I right? She nodded at the steering wheel.It took me a week to clear it. Grease all over the stove and sticky floors? That's right. Bugs in the closet? She nodded again. Cockroaches in the kitchen? a lot.she says.And it's big. Did you kill them all? certainly. In what way? pesticides. How do you feel? She looks aside.You compare those people to cockroaches? Li Qi shook his head: Actually not, I prefer cockroaches, they are purely small packets of DNA running around, doing their duty.What Walker and his brothers are doing is not what they should be doing. They have a choice, they have the opportunity to be righteous, and they choose not to.Now you choose to trouble me again, this is the last straw, and you deserve it.So I definitely won't be able to fall asleep because of this, and I won't even think about it again.If you do, I think you are wrong. Alice walked another winding mile in silence. You're a tough guy, Li Qi.she says. This time it was his turn to be quiet.I feel like I'm a practical person.He said.And overall it's decent. Some ordinary people should disagree. he nodded.There will be many who disagree. He stood under the warm water and drenched himself, then washed his hair first.He poured the shampoo in a full circle and began to rub his scalp with his fingers.Then he rinsed his hands, soaped his face, then his neck, behind his ears.He closed his eyes, let the water wash his body, and used more shampoo on his chest, because there were more hairs.Then rub the armpits, back and thighs.Then he washed his hands and forearms very carefully, as if he were a surgeon preparing for an operation. How far is it?Alice asked. Li Qi looked at the map and calculated.twenty-five miles.He said.After crossing Interstate 10, head north on County 285 toward Pecos. But the ruins are on another road, towards Monaghan. Believe me, Alice, they'll stay on the 285 because they want to keep it mobile. She didn't speak. We have to make a plan.Li Qi said. How do you put this guy down?she says.I have absolutely no idea. No, it's how to rescue Carmen later. Your confidence is incredible. There is no need to expect yourself to lose first. There was a curve ahead, Alice slammed on the brakes, the front of the car skidded violently, and then the road straightened for another hundred yards or so, and she accelerated forward gratefully. habeas corpus.she says.We have to go to a federal judge, go into urgent proceedings, and tell him the whole thing. Will it work? Habeas corpus was originally created for this purpose, and it has been valid for eight hundred years, so there is no reason for it to be abnormal this time. good.He said. However, there is one thing. What? We need testimony, so you'll have to keep this one alive, if it's not too difficult. After he took a shower, he continued to shower standing under the warm water, letting the water flow over his body.A new idea pops into his mind. He needs some money.The others will not come back, the killing team is history, he knows it well.Now he's out of work again, which doesn't make him happy.He is not a leader, he is not good at creating a market outside, so team work is suitable for him, but now he is alone again.There is still some money stuffed under the mattress at home, but it is not much. He wants a little more, and he wants it soon. He turns in the shower, throwing his head back, letting the water run over his hair, flattening it against his scalp.So maybe he should take the kid back to Los Angeles and sell her.He has access, knows people who specialize in adoptions, or something that he doesn't want to get into the details of.How old is she?Six and a half years old?white people?It should be worth a lot of money to some people, especially since she has blonde hair.The blue eyes should also add a lot of money, anyway, it is a cute little thing, and it can be sold at a good price to the pipes he knows. But how to get her there?The Crown Victoria was gone, so he could have rented another one, and he rented cars all the time anyway.Call Pecos or Fort Sturton early tomorrow morning and have the car delivered.There are a lot of fake documents, but in this way, the delivery man will see his face, and the child.No, he could hide the kid in the woman's spare room and bring the guy here.But there are still risks. Or he could steal a car, which he hasn't done anyway, a long time ago, when he was young.He could just steal one right here in the parking lot.The shower curtain slowly opened, leaned out, and looked at the watch on the dressing table, it was half past four in the morning.You can start at five o'clock, and when someone comes out and finds that the car is gone, at least two hours have passed, and everyone is a hundred miles away by then.And he has spare plates, the original California plates issued by the rental desk at the Los Angeles airport, and the Texas plates that were removed from Crown Victoria. He went back into the shower and closed the shower curtain again.The decision has been made, if there is a white car, take that one.Cars are the most common vehicle in the southwest, and white is the most common color because of the strong sunlight.He can hide the kids in the trunk, that's no problem, it's best if you have a Toyota Corona, maybe drive it for a few years, it's a very generic car, it's like a Geo Prizm, it's the same as a lot of cheap imports In this way, even the traffic police can hardly recognize it.He can drive the car home directly, or he can sell the car, including the children, to make more money.He nodded to himself, smiled, and raised his hand to rinse again. Ten miles southwest of Fort Staten, the road turns right, then turns back on the ridge, then slides down a long slope, parallel to the Grand Canyon for a while, and then flattens all the way, heading straight for the Interstate 10 interchange.It looks like a spider here on the map, with eight roads coming together in one place.To the northwest is County Road 285, which leads to Pecos, a ninety-degree left turn on the map, and then between the Fort Sturton border and a bridge that re-crosses Corianasso Canyon for about 10 minutes. twenty miles. This is the target area.Li Qi said.Within that twenty mile range, we drove to the bridge to the north, then circled back and headed south to find them from their point of view. Alice nodded silently, accelerating down the ramp, the tires slapping on the rough surface, and the large RV shot straight ahead. Ellie was woken up by the sound of running water in the shower, hitting the tiles on the other side of the wall, which sounded a bit like rain slapping on the roof again.She pulled the sheet up over her head, then pulled it down again, and looked at the window.There was no lightning outside, she opened her ears to listen carefully, there was no thunder, and then she recognized the source of the sound, the sound of water in the shower, in the toilet, louder than what she used at home, but louder than her mother The ones are smaller. The man is taking a shower. She pushed the quilt down to her waist, got up and sat, the lights in the room were not turned on, but the curtains were not drawn, and there was yellow light coming in from outside, it was wet outside, and there were water droplets on the windows and reflections. There was no one in the room. Of course no one, idiot, she said to herself, the man is in the bathroom. She pushed the sheet down to her ankles, and her clothes were neatly laid out on the table by the window.She climbed out of bed, walked over gently, reached out to pick up the panties, put them in, pulled the T-shirt over her head, and put her arms through the sleeves.Then she picked up the shorts, checked the front and back, put them on, pulled them over the dress, sat cross-legged on the floor, and buttoned up the shoes. The water in the bathroom was still flushing. She stood up and crept quietly through the bathroom door, and since she was worried about the sound of her shoes, she made her way along the carpet as best she could, away from the sackcloth.She stood still and listened carefully. The water in the bathroom was still flushing. She crawled down the small hall, past the wardrobe to the door.It was dark in here, and she stood still.She looked at the door, and there was a handle on the door, and there was a rod, something like a chain.She tried to think that the handle was the handle, and the bar was supposed to be the lock, but she didn't know what that chain was for.There was a small groove in the door, with a larger hole in one side, and she imagined the door opening, a little bit, and then the chain would hold. The water in the bathroom was still flushing. She'll have to take the chain off first, it should slide, maybe that's what the groove is for.She studied it, was very tall, stood on tiptoe, but still couldn't reach it.She tiptoed hard again, and the pads of her fingers could touch it, and she could already slide.She slid the chain all the way sideways, letting the end slide into the hole, but it wouldn't come out. The water in the bathroom was still flushing. With the other hand flat against the door, she tiptoed until she was almost standing on the tips of her toes, stretching until her back ached, and then used her fingers to zip the chain.But can't get out, hooked inside.She regained her posture and listened carefully. The water in the bathroom was still flushing. She stood on tiptoe again and kicked up hard until her feet started to hurt, and finally she reached up with both hands at the same time, and the end of the chain was a small circle, and she shook the end to come out a little.She lowered her toes, pushed up again on tiptoe, and pulled outward at the same time.When it came out, the chain fell off, and after shaking, it hit the door frame, and the sound sounded loud.She held her breath and listened carefully. The water in the bathroom was still flushing. She regained her standing position, moved the pole, put her thumb on one side, her index finger on the other side, turned down, and did not move at all.She tried to turn the other way and move a little bit, tight.She closed her mouth so as not to breathe too loudly, and moved more with both hands, feeling as if two pieces of metal were rubbing against each other.With all her strength, her hands ached, she turned a little more, then popped open. There was a loud click. She stood still and listened, but the water was still running in the bathroom. As soon as she pulled the handle, it opened easily.Ellie looked at the door, it was very tall and heavy, and there was something on the door that would automatically close the door, made of metal.She's seen it before, it makes a lot of noise, there's one in the cafeteria across from the school. The sound of water stopped. She stood still, not daring to move, feeling very panicked.The door would make a sound so he would hear it and he would run out and come after me.She turned around and faced the room. The Interstate 10 Interchange was a huge concrete structure, like a healed scar on the surface, about the size of a stadium, with the dim orange streetlights of Fort Stetton behind it illuminating the thin clouds.There was no power outage in Fort Stetton, and the quality of the power line was good. Alice kept pressing the accelerator, and the car circled the interchange, screaming continuously in three-quarters of the circle, and then rushed northwest to 285th County Road .She was going over ninety miles as she crossed the city line, and the sign appeared: Pecos forty-eight miles.Li Qi leaned forward, quickly turned his head left and right, while scanning the road shoulders on both sides.Low buildings pass by, some motels. There is a possibility that something is completely wrong here.Alice said. The answer will be revealed soon.he answered. He turned off the water, opened the shower curtain, and stepped out of the tub.He wrapped one towel around his waist and dried his face with the other, looking at himself in the dim mirror and running his fingers through his hair.He put the watch on his wrist, threw two towels on the bathroom floor, and took two new ones from the rack, one wrapped around his waist and the other slung over his shoulder, like the ancient Romans. He stepped out of the bathroom, and the light spilled out with him, casting a yellow stripe across the room.He stopped suddenly and looked at the empty bed. Within three minutes, they had already passed three motels, and Li Qi felt that all three were wrong.It's pure guesswork and feeling right now, excluding everything but murmurs in the subconscious.Over-analysis will destroy this feeling, he can list a bunch of possible and impossible reasons for any one, he may analyze to the point of paralyzing himself, so now he only concentrates on listening to the faint whispers in the depths of his brain.And the voice said: Not this one, no, no. He involuntarily took a step towards the edge of the bed, as if seeing her from a different angle would make her reappear on the bed.But the facts have not changed, only the messy sheets are left, half pushed down and half pushed aside.The pillow was at an angle, a head-shaped depression.He turned his head to look at the window, which was tightly closed and locked, and then he ran to the door, with small and anxious steps, flashing furniture along the way.The chain was undone, and the lock was pulled back. What? He gently pulled the doorknob down and opened the door. A Do Not Disturb sign lay on the concrete floor, a foot away from the door. She ran out. He fastened the door so it wouldn't shut itself, and ran out barefoot, wrapped only in towels, one around his waist and one over his shoulders.He ran ten steps toward the parking lot and stopped.He was panting, shocked, terrified, and overstretched.The temperature began to rise again, and the air was filled with a stinky vegetable smell, as well as the smell of damp soil and flowers and plants.The leaves kept dripping, and he turned 360 degrees.Where did she go?Where?Children of this age will just run around, running as hard as they can, probably towards the road.He took a step forward, then turned to face the door.You have to get dressed first, and you can't chase them wrapped in two towels. The low buildings thinned out three or four miles before they touched the bridge, and there was nothing behind them but the desert.Li Qi looked into the distance through the glass, tried hard to think about every road he had seen, and asked himself: Is there any more ahead?Or was it gone before the outer Pecos thirty miles away? turn around.He said. Now? I've seen everything I need to see. Alice stepped on the brakes and spun hard, crossing the entire length of the road from shoulder to shoulder.Flick the tail slightly on the wet tar, straighten and head back south. slower.He said.Now we are them, from their point of view. Ellie lay motionless on the top shelf of the wardrobe.She's good at peek-a-boo, everyone says so.She is also good at climbing, so she likes to hide in high places, such as sheds.Her favorite place is on the straw pile. The closet is uncomfortable and crowded, and there are many dirty bunny dolls, a coat hanger, and a plastic bag with a long word written on it. I don't know how to pronounce it.But she could still lie down and hide, which was a good place, she thought.But it was difficult to climb up, so she first used the small shelf next to it as a staircase to climb up.It's high and dusty up there, and she might sneeze, but she knows it's absolutely not allowed.is it high enoughHe wasn't very tall, Ellie held her breath. Alice kept her speed steady at sixty miles, and the first home on the return trip was on the left side of the road, this one with a low hedge extending a hundred yards to enclose the parking lot.A central office and two one-story wings with six rooms on each side.There are no lights in the office, and a nearby vending machine glows red.There were five cars parked in the parking lot. no.Li Qi said.We don't choose the first one, and we are more likely to choose the second one. The second house was four hundred yards south. possible! This hotel is perpendicular to the road, and the office faces the road, but the room is extended from the office, so the parking lot becomes U-shaped, and it is very hidden.There are trees all around, and the trees are constantly dripping water because of the heavy rain. possible! Alice slowed the car down to crawl speed. drive in.He said. The car drove into the parking lot and walked along the room. There were eight rooms in total, and three cars were parked in the parking lot.The car rounded the end and came back on the other side.Eight more rooms, and three more cars.She parked the car in front of the office. feel?she asked. He shook his head.wrong.He said. Why? The occupancy rate is wrong.Sixteen rooms, six cars, I expect at least eight. Why? They don't want to pick a place with too few people, so the chances of being remembered are too high.To find a place that is two-thirds full, if you count sixteen rooms, you need ten to eleven cars.They will live in two rooms, but they don't have a car now, so there will be eight or nine cars left.This ratio is enough, two-thirds minus two, approximately. She glanced at him, shrugged, and drove back to the road, continuing south. He ran two steps towards the door, then stopped suddenly.A yellow light on one side of the parking lot cast a dim light on the wet tarmac, allowing him to see his own footprints.A row of strange water marks appeared on the wet ground, and the heel, toe, and heel arc could be seen.Most of them are toes, because he ran just now, the water marks are very clear and very wet, and it won't disappear after a few strokes. But he could not see the child's footprints. There was only one set of traces, his own, that was certain.She didn't come out unless she could float and fly, which was impossible.A smile appeared on his face. She hides in the room. He finished the remaining eight steps, returned to the room, closed the door gently, put on the chain, and locked it. Come out!he cried softly. There was no sound, but he didn't expect an answer either. I'm coming to catch you.he cried. Start with the window, where a sofa sits in the corner of the room, with enough space behind it to hide a child.But she wasn't there.He knelt down, bent over, looked under the bed, and it wasn't here. Now, kid, he cried, enough is enough! There is a shared cabinet next to the bed with a small door.She's not in there.He straightened up and tugged at the towel, she wasn't in the bathroom, he knew it.So where?Look around the room, the wardrobe, of course.He smiled and strolled past. I'm coming, baby.he cried. He pulled the door open and looked down. There was nothing but a stowed luggage rack.On the right there is a vertical row of shelves with nothing.There was another floor above it, which took up the entire width of the cabinet. He tiptoed up and took a look, but there was nothing.Just dirty bunnies, an old coat hanger, and a plastic shopping bag that says Subrahmeen, Cleveland. He turned around, momentarily bewildered. The third hotel had a spray-painted sign, no neon lights, and a board hanging from a chain on a shelf.The words on it were deliberately written in very beautiful fonts, so beautiful that Li Qi was not sure what was written.Probably something like a canyon, in an ancient spelling, sort of like Spanish, with gold shading added. I love this.He said.Very right. Want to go in?Alice asked. That's right. The entrance was a path through twenty yards of garden, planted trees all dead and scorched by the heat, but still presentable. I love this.He said it again. The shape of the house was the same as the previous one, with offices at the beginning and a U-shaped parking lot surrounding two rows of back-to-back rooms arranged at ninety degrees to the road.Alice completed the circle, ten rooms in a row, a total of twenty rooms, twelve cars randomly parked at the door of the twelve rooms, two Chevrolets, three Hondas, two Toyotas, two Buicks, one An old Saab, an old Audi, a five year old Ford Explorer. Two thirds minus two.Li Qi said. Is it here?Alice asked. He didn't speak, and Alice parked the car next to the office. how? He didn't speak, just opened the door and got out of the car.The heat returned to the surrounding area, and the air was filled with the smell of damp earth.There was a sound of running water in the gutter, no lights in the office, shadows everywhere, and the door was locked.There was a beautiful brass button that served as a night bell. Li Qi pressed the button with his thumb and looked into the window with his head.There are no vending machines here, just a neat counter and a large cabinet of leaflets.He couldn't make out what was written on it, it was too dark.他把拇指一直放在按鈴上，辦公室後面的走道有盞燈亮了起來，有個人走出來。他的手還抓著頭髮，李奇把他回聲郡的代理警徽拿出來，平壓在窗戶上。那人把辦公室的燈打開，走到門邊，開鎖，李奇繞過他走進去。架上的傳單都是附近一百英里內的觀光景點，主要是老斯德頓堡，還有奧德薩市附近的隕石坑，很有教育價值的地點，沒有馬術比賽、槍法表演或房地產廣告。他向愛麗絲招招手，示意她進來。 right here.He said. real? He nodded.我看起來沒錯。 你是警察嗎？辦公室的人問，看著外面的車。 我需要看你的住房紀錄。Li Qi said.今晚的客人。 不可能，絕對不可能。她不在外面，也不在裡面。他重新把房間看過一遍，床舖、家具、衣櫃都沒有，也不在浴室裡，因為他剛從浴室出來。 unless 除非她原本在床底下或衣櫃裡，然後趁他跑出去時躲進浴室。他走過去，打開浴室的門，對鏡子裡的自己微笑。霧氣都已散去，他以誇張的動作把浴簾拉開。 Got it.He said. 她緊緊靠在浴缸角落，站得直挺挺的，身上穿著T恤、短褲跟鞋子。她把右手背塞在嘴裡，眼睛睜得很大，又閃亮又漂亮。 I have changed my mind.He said.我要帶妳一起走。 愛莉沒說話，只是看著他。他伸出手，愛莉往後縮，把手從嘴上拿開。 四小時還沒到。she says. 已經到了。He said.早就超過四小時了。 她再次把手放回嘴裡，他又伸出手，愛莉縮回去。媽媽跟她說過什麼？如果妳很擔心什麼事，就大聲尖叫。她深吸一口氣，試試看，可是沒有聲音，她的喉嚨太乾了。 住房紀錄。Li Qi said again. 辦公室的傢伙有點猶豫，似乎有什麼程序上的問題。李奇看看手錶，從口袋裡抽出Hecklers ＆ Koch ，動作一氣呵成。 Now.He said.我們沒時間瞎搞。 那傢伙眼睛瞪得很大，趕緊低下頭到櫃台下拿出一本皮製大帳冊，倒轉過來，推到他們這邊。李奇跟愛麗絲靠在一起看。 what name?she says. have no idea.He said.看車子就好。 一頁有五欄，日期、姓名、聯絡住址、車輛廠牌、退房時間。總共有二十行，代表二十個房間。十六間有人住，其中七個有箭頭從前一頁拉過來，代表房客續住第二晚或下一晚。九個房間是新住，十一個房間有註記汽車廠牌，另外四個房間分成兩組，每組共用一輛車。 family.晚班的職員說。或者人數比較多。 他們是你辦理住房的嗎？Li Qi asked. The guy shook his head.我只負責晚上。He said.從半夜開始我才會在這裡。 李奇看著帳簿，一動不動，把頭轉開。 What's wrong?Alice said. 不是這裡，錯了，我搞砸了。 Why? 妳看看車子。He said. 他把槍口順著第四欄往下滑，三輛雪佛蘭、三輛本田、兩輛豐田、兩輛別克、一台紳寶、一台奧迪，還有一輛福特。 應該要有兩輛福特。He said.他們的維多利亞皇冠跟停在那裡的探險家。 hateful!she says. 他點點頭，可惡！他的腦筋一片空白，如果這裡不是，他就完全不知道哪裡才是了。李奇把一切都賭在這裡，沒有B計畫。李奇看看紀錄，福特，看看外面的老探險家，安分守己，乖乖不動。然後又回頭看著紀錄。 字跡都一樣。 這些東西是誰寫的？he asks. boss.職員回答。她都用老方法做。 他閉上眼，回想愛麗絲剛才慢慢開過停車場的影像，回想他曾住過的每家古老的汽車旅館。好，他說，客人把名字跟住址告訴她，她負責寫下來，之後或許看看窗外，自己寫下汽車廠牌。有可能客人正在講話，或是忙著把錢掏出來。 有可能，我是負責晚上的，從來沒做過那些。 她對車子實在不太了解，對吧？ 我不知道，怎麼了？ 因為簿子裡記載了三輛雪佛蘭，可是停車場裡只有兩輛。我想他應該是把探險家當成Chevy ，那是比較老的車型，四四方方，或是跟舊款Blazer混淆了。 他用槍口敲敲福持這個字。 這就是維多利亞皇冠。He said.是他們沒錯。 you think so?Alice said. 我知道，我能感覺到。 他們住了兩間房，不在一起，可是在同一邊。五號跟八號。 good.He said it again.我要去看看。 他指著那個晚班職員。你待在這裡，不准出聲。 然後指著愛麗絲。妳打電話給州警，開始處理聯邦法官的事，好嗎？ 你需要鑰匙嗎？晚班的職員問道。 Need not.Li Qi said.我不需要鑰匙。 然後就走向外面溫暖的夜色。 右邊那排房間從一號開始，有條水泥走道經過每個房間門前。李奇速度很快，靜悄悄地沿著步道走，鞋子一路上留下潮濕的腳印。這邊就只有門，每個都有固定間距，沒有窗戶，窗戶應該在後面。這是標準的汽車旅館房，跟他以前住過的那些都一樣，毫無疑問。標準配置，一道門、一個短短的門廳，衣櫃在一邊，浴室在另一邊，門廳後面是個大房間，兩張床、兩張椅子、一張桌子、一個五斗櫃，窗戶下面有冷氣，牆上掛著粉蠟筆畫。 五號房前面有個請勿打擾的牌子掉在水泥地上，離門一呎遠，李奇跨了過去。如果你綁架了一個小孩，會把她藏在離辦公室最遠的那間，用膝蓋想也知道。他繼續往前走，在八號房前停下腳步，把耳朵貼上門縫，仔細聽。Nothing at all.他繼續靜靜往前走，經過九號、十號，到最底端。繞過U形底部，兩排房間是平行的，面對面，中間間隔三十呎寬的長形花園。裡面種的都是沙漠植物，低矮帶刺的植物從耙鬆的石子跟壓碎的石頭中長出來。有些地方掛著黃色小燈籠，大塊石頭仔細擺放，想營造日式風格。 壓碎的石頭在腳下發出很大的聲音，使他必須放慢速度。李奇經過十號房的窗戶，然後九號。他蹲低，輕輕靠在牆上往前移動，直到八號窗戶的窗臺正下方。空調正大聲運轉，聽不到裡面的聲音。他抬起頭，慢慢地、小心翼翼，往房間裡看。 毫無動靜，房間裡完全沒人，東西都沒動過，搞不好完全沒有人住。房間裡靜悄悄，毫無生氣，打掃過，準備完畢，是汽車旅館房的標準樣子。他感覺一陣恐慌，或許他們到處都訂了房間，有兩、三個類似的地方，再從中選擇。一晚三、四十塊，有何不可？他挺身站了起來，不再去管碎石發出的聲音，跑過第七號跟第六號，來到第五號的窗戶，直接站到窗前往裡看。 李奇看到一個矮小的黝黑男人，包著兩條毛巾，把愛莉從浴室裡拉出來。他的身後灑出一片亮光，單手抓住愛莉兩隻手腕，舉在愛莉頭上。愛莉用力亂踢抵抗，李奇看了大約四分之一秒，便足以把裡面的配置看清楚，他發現一把黑色的九○手槍，掛上消音器，就放在床頭櫃上。他吸了口氣，往外跨一大步，彎下腰，從花園裡撿起一塊比籃球還大的石頭，大概有一百磅左右，直接丟向窗戶。紗窗脫落、玻璃粉碎，李奇的頭跟著衝進去，窗框還卡在他的肩上，就像個勝利花環。 黝黑男子有那麼一瞬間因為驚訝而呆住不動，然後放開愛莉的手，轉身拚命朝床頭櫃爬。李奇把破掉的窗框推開，先馳得點，用右手抓住他的喉嚨，把他推到牆上，巨大的左手跟上擊向腹部，讓他滑了下去，再用力往他頭部踢了一腳，直到他的眼珠往上翻到頭顱裡面。李奇吸氣、吐氣，就像火車一樣，氣喘吁吁。他腳步移動、雙手揮動，努力抵抗想打死他的衝動。 然後他轉頭看著愛莉。 how are youhe asks. 她點點頭，在突來的寂靜中頓了一下。他是壞人。she says.我覺得他想開槍打我。 這次換他頓了一下，努力恢復呼吸。他現在不能這麼做了。He said. 剛才還有打雷跟閃電。 我也聽到了，我在外面，全身都濕了。 She nodded.雨真的下得很大。 how are you他第二次問。 她想了想，然後點點頭，非常沉穩，非常認真，沒有流淚，沒有大聲尖叫。房間變得寂靜無聲，整個動作持續了整整三秒鐘，從開始到結束，好像完全沒發生過任何事。可是花園裡的石頭正躺在地板中央，周圍都是玻璃碎片。李奇把石頭搬起來，拿到破掉的窗戶旁邊，丟出去。石頭在沙礫上重擊一聲，滾了出去。 how are you他第三次問。 愛莉搖搖頭。我想上廁所。she says. He smiled.go!他拿起電話，按下零，是晚班的那傢伙接的。李奇告訴他叫愛麗絲到五號房來，李奇走到門邊，拉開鍊條，把鎖打開、門拉開。一陣微風掃過整個房間，再直通窗戶。外面的空氣很潮濕、溫暖，比裡面的溫度要高。 愛莉從浴室走出來。 how are you他第四次問。 Yes.she says.I am fine. 愛麗絲一分鐘後走了進來，愛莉好奇地看著她。 這位是愛麗絲。Li Qi said.她是來幫妳媽媽的。 我媽媽在哪裡？ 她很快就會來看妳了。Alice said. 然後她轉頭看著地上矮小的黝黑男子，一動不動，緊靠著牆壁，手腳纏在一起。 is he still aliveshe said softly. Li Qi nodded.他只是腦震盪，我想、我希望。 州警有回應了。she said softly.我也打電話回去給我老闆；叫他起床，他正在安排跟法官做辦公室會議，優先處理。可是他說我們需要這個傢伙的自白，毫無保留，這樣才不會拖很久。 Li Qi nodded.no problem. 他彎下腰，把其中一條毛巾繞在矮個男的脖子上，像套索一樣把他拖進浴室。 二十分鐘後，李奇走了出來，看到兩位警察站在房間裡。一個是小隊長，一個是州警官，都是西班牙裔，都十分穩重，整齊地穿著卡其色制服，外面傳來他們車子的怠轉聲。李奇對他們點點頭，走過去，從椅子上拿起犯人的衣服，丟回浴室裡面。 How about it?said the captain. 他已經準備要講了。Li Qi said.他自願做徹底的自白，不過他希望你們了解，他只是司機。 不是槍手？ Li Qi shook his head.不過他什麼都知道。 綁架的事呢？ 他不在場，他只負責事後看管，而且還有很多其他案子，時間長達好幾年。 像這種情形，就算他自白，也得關上一段時間。 他知道，他接受，他很滿意，希望能贖罪。 兩個警察互看一眼，走進浴室。李奇聽到腳步聲，有人移動，還有手銬銬上的聲音。 我得先回去。Alice said.我得先準備文件，要申請人身保護令要辦很多程序。 開維多利亞皇冠去吧！Li Qi said.我跟愛莉在這裡等。 警察把司機從浴室裡帶出來，他已經穿好了衣服，手銬在身後，兩個警察各抓住他一邊手肘。他低下頭，因為疼痛而臉色蒼白，甚至開始喋喋不休。警察直接把他押上車，房間門關了起來。外面有車門關上的沉悶聲響，還有引擎轟隆聲。 你對他做了什麼？愛麗絲輕聲問道。 Li Qi shrugged.我是個很嚴苛的人，就像妳講的。 他叫愛麗絲請那位職員帶著萬能鑰匙過來，接著她走向辦公室。 李奇轉頭看著愛莉。how are youHe said. 你不要一直問我。she replied. Tired? Um.she says. 妳媽媽很快就來了。He said.我們就在這裡等她，不過先換個房間，好嗎？這間的窗戶破了。 她哈哈笑。你打破的，用那塊石頭。 李奇聽到遠方福待發動的聲音，聽到輪胎開上路面。 我們去八號房好了。He said.那裡很乾淨、很舒服，沒人住過，可以當我們的房間。 愛莉牽著他的手，兩人一起走出去，沿著水泥步道走到八號房。李奇走了十幾步，愛莉要走三十幾步，薄薄的潮濕水痕留在身後的地板上。職員拿來一把鑰匙，愛莉直接躺到窗邊的床上。李奇在另一張床上躺下，看著她，直到她睡著。然後他把手臂枕在頭下，開始打盹。 不到兩小時後，新的一天曙光乍現、熱氣回升、空氣流動，鐵皮屋頂喀喀作響，下面的木頭也開始膨脹。不太安穩地稍事休息後，李奇睜開眼，雙腳放到地上。他靜靜走到門口，打開門，來到屋外。東方的地平線在右邊辦公室後面很遠的地方，那裡散發著萬丈光芒。天空中殘存著的些許雲朵，就在李奇看著的時候慢慢散去。今天沒有暴風雨。大家講了一星期，可是都沒來，昨晚那一小時的雨就是暴風雨的全部，完全沒猜中。 他悄悄回到房間繼續躺下。愛莉還在睡，她把被單踢掉，衣服往上跑，腰部露出一塊胖嘟嘟的粉紅色皮膚。她的雙腳彎曲，好像在夢中奔跑，不過雙手往上甩。一位陸軍心理醫師曾經對李奇說，這種姿勢是有安全感的象徵。小孩會這樣睡，他說，表示其內心覺得很有安全感。Safety?她是個了不起的孩子，這點無庸置疑。李奇認識的大部分成人要是遇上這番折磨，恐怕早就崩潰了， 而且還要好幾星期才能恢復，甚至更久。可是她卻不用，或許她太小，還不能完全了解，又或許她是個很勇敢的小孩，到底是哪一種，李奇也不清楚。他沒經驗，於是他再次閉上眼睛。 三十分鐘後，他再次睜開眼睛，因為愛莉站在他旁邊，搖著他的肩膀。 I am hungry.she says. Me too.He said.妳想吃什麼？ 冰淇淋。she says. 早餐吃？ She nodded. good.He said.不過要先吃點蛋，或許再吃點培根。妳是個小孩，營養很重要。 李奇從床邊的抽屜翻出電話簿，找到一家餐廳，離斯德頓堡大概不到一英里遠。他撥電話過去，答應給他們二十塊小費，請他們把早餐送到汽車旅館來。他叫愛莉去浴室洗澡，等她出來時，食物已經送到。炒蛋、煙燻培根、吐司、果醬、可樂給她，咖啡給自己。還有個塑膠大盤子，裝著冰淇淋，淋上巧克力醬。 早餐的效果很好，李奇吃完食物、喝完咖啡後，覺得能量重回體內，對愛莉也有同樣的效果。兩人吃早餐時把門推開，呼吸一下新鮮空氣，然後把椅子拉到水泥步道上，並排坐著等待。 他們等了超過四小時。他躺下來，慢慢消磨時間，就如他所習慣的模式。愛莉等待的方式就像面對嚴肅的任務，拿出一貫的專注認真。等到一半，他又打電話給餐廳，吃了第二頓早餐，跟第一頓菜色完全相同。他們在廁所進進出出，偶爾講些話，辨識一下樹木，聽聽蟲鳴鳥叫，看看天上白雲。不過大部分時間他們都看著右前方，從南方上來的道路方向。地上又是乾枯一片，感覺好像完全沒下過雨。灰塵又回來了，從柏油路上飛起，漂浮在空氣中。這條路沒什麼車，每隔幾分鐘才有一輛經過，偶爾會出現一群，塞在一輛烏龜農用車後面。 十一點過後幾分鐘，李奇站在停車場裡一、兩步，看見維多利亞皇冠從遠方駛來。車子慢慢爬出朦朧的熱氣，偽裝的天線在車後搖搖晃晃，在空氣中揚起一片塵土。 嘿，小朋友。he cried.妳看這是什麼？ 她站在李奇旁邊，用手擋住刺眼的光線。大房車慢了下來，轉彎，開到他們身邊。愛麗絲坐在駕駛座上，卡門在她旁邊，看來臉色蒼白、疲累不堪。不過她笑容燦爛、眼神充滿歡喜。車還沒停下，她就把門打開，下車之後繞過車頭，愛莉跑過去跳進她懷中。兩人在太陽底下摟摟抱抱、尖叫、哭泣、笑聲同時出現。李奇看了一下，往後退，蹲在車旁。他不想介入，像這種時候，他覺得最好讓她們獨處。愛麗絲看出他的想法，搖下窗戶，把手放在李奇肩上。 都搞定了嗎？he asked her. 對我們來說是的。she says.警察還有很多文書工作要處理，畢竟他們面對的是五十幾件謀殺案，分布在七個不同的州，還包括十二年前這裡發生的案子，尤金、史路普跟海克自己。他們要逮捕羅斯緹，因為槍殺海克的關係，不過我想她應該很容易脫罪，以那種情境來看。 有我的事嗎？ 他們問了很多昨晚的事，我說都是我做的。 Why? She smiled.因為我是律師，我稱之為自衛，他們立刻買帳。是我的車、我的槍，毫無疑問，要是你的話就沒那麼好過關。 所以我們都可以自由回家囉？ 尤其是卡門。 他抬起頭，卡門把愛莉抱在大腿上，她的臉藏在愛莉的脖子旁邊，好像她身上的香味是維持生命的必需品。她和她漫無目的地繞著圈子，抬起頭，在太陽下瞇著眼睛，綻放出燦爛的笑容，讓李奇不禁跟著微笑。 她有什麼打算嗎？he asks. 搬到佩科斯去。Alice said.我們會把史路普的事情處理完，大概會有點現金，她說她想搬到像我那樣的地方住，或許打個零工，甚至讀個法學院。 妳有跟她說紅屋的事嗎？ 她笑得很開心，我跟她說大概燒成灰了，她就一直笑、一直笑，我也很替她高興。 現在愛莉牽著她的手繞著停車場，看著她剛剛認識的樹，嘰哩咕嚕講個不停。母女倆看起來幸福無比，愛莉活蹦亂跳，卡門則是安詳穩重、容光煥發，非常美麗。 李奇站起來，靠在車上。想吃午餐嗎？ it's here? 我跟一家餐廳訂了餐，他們會有蔬菜。 鮪魚沙拉我也能吃。 他走到裡面打電話，訂了三份三明治，再次答應給二十塊小費。出來後發現愛莉跟卡門在找他。 我很快就要去上新學校了。Allie said.就跟你以前一樣。 妳一定沒問題的。He said.妳聰明得跟什麼一樣。 然後卡門放開女兒的手，靠近他，有點害羞、有點沉默，一時間不知所措。然後她笑開了，張開雙手繞著他的胸膛，緊緊抱住他。 Thanks.她只說得出這句話。 他也抱著她。很抱歉花了這麼久的時間。 我的線索有幫上忙嗎？ clue?He said. 我留了線索給你。 where? 在自白裡。 李奇沒說話，她放開李奇的擁抱，拉著他的手到愛莉聽不到的地方。 他叫我說我以前是個妓女。 He nodded. 可是我假裝我很緊張，把字給說錯了，我說成上街遊蕩。 他再次點點頭：我記得。 可是正確的說法是上街拉客，對不對？這就是線索，你應該會想到，不是遊蕩，是拉客，懂了嗎？是拉客。意思就是說，是海克．沃克在幕後操縱這一切。 李奇非常沉默。 這點我沒發現。He said. 那你怎麼發現的？ 我想我繞了遠路。 她又開始微笑，拉著他的手走回車旁，愛莉跟愛麗絲一起笑得很開心。 妳們的日子過得去嗎？he asked her. She nodded.可是我覺得很愧疚，死了那麼多人。 He shrug