Chapter 24 Chapter Twenty Two

listen.I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep, I kept thinking.You know what it's like when you're lying in the dark with a lot of thoughts on your mind?Anyway, that's how it is.The man was after me, but I was after him too.I have to find him before he finds me, do you agree?I'm sitting at Ben's table in my shirt, dunking a brioche in my coffee.Outside, the grass was frosted, and the kitchen smelled of fresh bread and hyacinths. Maybe.He said. So what does he know about me?He knows my name, my face, probably where I lived a few weeks ago, where I stayed until yesterday, the location of my company, or the previous company.OK, so what do I know about him?I stopped for some coffee.Know nothing.

Know nothing? There is no concept, a blank.But there is one thing in my favor that he doesn't know that I know he's looking for me.He thought he could sneak up behind me, but we were like kids at one of those games, running around tree trunks, chasing each other and running from each other.But he thought I didn't know he was coming to me.Hope you can understand what I'm saying. Abby One more thing, once I knew what to do, I wasn't just tracking him, or was going to track him.I'm also tracking myself I mean, the me I can't remember.It's like playing one, two, three wooden figures.

Wait a moment Perhaps it is not appropriate to describe it with one, two or three wooden figures.But the one I can't remember I must have tried to find out about Zou as well.I will do that, won't I?If I'm doing it now, I'm doing it then.Don't you think it's possible?That's all I was thinking about just now. What time did you wake up? Around five o'clock, I think.I have been thinking about it, I need an ironclad evidence that I can hand over to Cross, and then they will investigate and protect me, and everything will be safe.So if I retrace my steps, that is, retrace Zou's steps, I may fall into the situation I fell into last time.

If you remember what happened to you, it doesn't sound like a great idea. The problem, of course, is that I can't retrace my steps because I can't remember. Would you like another cup of coffee? OK, please.And I can't trace the slush claws left by Zou.However, in any case, there was only a very short time between her disappearance and my being taken captive.I'm at least sure of that because I've heard from Peter that she was there on Wednesday morning and I disappeared on Thursday night. Abby, Ben took my hands and held them in his.Don't be restless Am I being too loud?

It's only ten past seven, and we went to bed very late yesterday.I'm currently out of spirits. I keep thinking I have to track down that cat. sorry? Zou is planning to adopt a kitten, her neighbor downstairs told me.She has already bought all the necessary supplies, and I think she may be looking for a kitten.If I can find out where she's going to get the kittens Well, anyway, I'm out of ideas, I have to find a place to start. So you're going to track down a cat now? I would go to pet stores and post offices to inquire, and many people would post small advertisements there, and veterinary clinics, there are usually small advertisements there, right?There's probably no point in doing this, but I'd love to hear from you if you have any clever tricks.

Ben stared at me for a long, long time.I imagine him thinking: Is it worth it?I do have self-awareness about my situation: I may blah blah, but at least I know I'm blah blah. So be it, he said.I got the company to pick up some letters.I will give some instructions to the staff, and they can come back around ten o'clock, and then we will check together. real? I don't like the idea of ​​you running around alone. You don't have to, you know.You can be free from responsibility for me or for anything. We discussed this last night.remember? thank you, i said.Grateful. So, what are you going to do when I go out?

I'm going to call Cross again, though he's obviously not going to take my call. No, you still have to fight. I know. I will call Zou's parents from the office.Didn't hear back from them last night.We should have visited them before I contacted the police. That's right.Hey, really. I know. Class leaves the house by eight o'clock.I took a scalding hot shower and made a cup of coffee.Then I called Cross, but they told me he wouldn't be back in the office until the afternoon.I almost cried out of impatience When you feel like every second counts, half a day is so long.

I have an hour or two to use before I get back from work.I clean the kitchen first and then change the sheets.His house is much more mature and stable than the one I lived in before.It dawned on me that Terry and I lived a bit like students, that our lives seemed to be all about getting by, where and how we lived.We just went about our day-to-day life, but it was a mess, and it ended violently.Ben's life is organized and well thought out.He does what he wants to do, and lives in an elegant house, each room painted in a different hue and filled with carefully chosen accessories.When I opened the closet, he had only two suits, but they looked expensive; his shirt was neatly hung on a hanger, and there were three pairs of shoes underneath.Things don't happen to him for no reason, I think.What he chose to do, he chose me, and he missed me when I was missing.I trembled with joy.

He came back just after ten o'clock.I'm waiting for him, I've put on warm clothes and a notebook in my bag.I also carry a photo of Zou with me, thinking it might help to recall. Zou's parents won't be back until tomorrow, he said.I got in touch again with the guy who was taking care of the dogs for them.They stayed an extra night in Paris.We're supposed to drive to them in the afternoon, not far from here, just on the other side of the M25. What a headache. yes, he said.For a moment he was expressionless.Then he forced a smile and said, "Okay, let's go find the cat."

Are you sure you want to participate?I mean, maybe it's just speculation.This wording is inappropriate. Anyway, I have you by my side.He put his arm around me and we went out to his car.I suddenly remembered that my own car had been moved to some goddamn towing yard again.But I put that thought to the back of my mind, I can deal with these mundane matters later.Friends, family, work, money (always missing), tax bills, parking tickets, overdue books from the library, everything has to be put on hold. We parked on a side street a few hundred yards from Zou's house.We've made plans to walk around the area, stopping at every newsstand that has a small ad on it.The process is boring and frustrating.The veterinary clinics found nothing, no one recognized Zou in the photo, and only a few had small advertisements for pets.

After nearly two hours, I copied three phone numbers.When we got back to the car, Ben made a call on his mobile phone, and checked that two of the small advertisements had only been posted in the past few days, so they had nothing to do with the case.The other post was longer and, when shift called that number, the woman said there was another kitten that couldn't be found but we probably wouldn't want it. She lives in a housing estate around the corner so we stopped by.It was a tabby cat, very small.The woman, who was tall and stocky, said the cat was the smallest cat in the litter and was still weak.She also had to admit that the cat seemed to have a bit of a vision problem.It would stumble, she said, and step in its food.She picked it up, and it sat in her calloused palm, meowing pitifully. I took out Zou's photo from my bag and showed it to her.Have our friends ever come here for cats?I asked. What?She put the tabby back on the ground and looked at the photo.No, not as far as I know.If so I'll remember, I'm pretty sure.What's wrong? Oh, it's a long story, I said, but she didn't ask.Well, we have to go.I hope you can find a home for your kitten. Couldn't find it, she said.Nobody wants a blind cat, I'll have to send it to a cat shelter.Betty will keep it. Cat shelter? Well, it's not actually a shelter either, it sounds like a formal institution.But she is obsessed with cats, and her head is broken.She lived for the cats, and thought only of them.She took in all stray cats, there must have been fifty or so, and they were still breeding.Her house was also small, and it was truly a spectacle.Her neighbors must have been driven mad.If you're looking for a kitten, maybe you should check it out there. where does she liveI took out my notebook and asked. In Levin Street.I don't know the house number, but you can definitely find it.It was a shabby little house with all the upstairs windows boarded up, making it look like an abandoned empty house. Thanks. We go back to the car. Levin Street?Ben asked. We've all come here, so we might as well go and find out. We found the spot on the road map and drove there.It is very comfortable to be in the car, but outside the car is biting cold and cold.Our exhaled breath clumps in the air.Ben took my hand and smiled at me, his fingers warm and strong. The house did seem to have been abandoned for a long time.Overgrown grass, frost-covered rotting sunflowers by the front door, overflowing garbage, a wide crack in the wall, and peeling paint on the deck outside the window.I rang the doorbell but couldn't hear it, so I knocked on the door too. Listen, Ben said.I could hear meowing, hissing, weird scratching through the door.Did I tell you I'm allergic to cats?I would be short of breath and my eyes would turn red. The door was pushed open a crack, the chain still hanging, and the voices grew louder.A face peeps through a crack in the door. hello, i said.Sorry to bother you. Was it sent by the community management committee? no.We just heard there are a lot of cats here so come check it out. Push the door open a little more.Come in then but be careful not to let them get out.hurry up! I didn't know if it was the heavy heating that came at us first, or the smell of cat food and shit.There were cats everywhere, on couches and chairs, curled up next to electric heaters, and nestled in fluffy brown balls on the floor.Some were licking themselves clean, some were purring, and two were hissing at each other, backs arched and tails swished.There is a feed bowl by the kitchen door and three or four litter boxes next to it.Looks like a fake Disney movie.Ban Tiao leaned against the door, his face full of fear. Is it Betty?I asked, trying not to be surprised.A cat wrapped itself around my leg and acted like a baby. Yes.You should know. Betty is an octogenarian.Her face was lined and lined, her neck was slack, and her fingers and wrists were blue.She was wearing a heavy blue loose-fitting dress with several buttons missing and cat fur all over her body.Her brown eyes were sparkling, and she stared at us from her weather-beaten face. We heard that you take in stray cats and sometimes give them to people who want pets.I said. I have to make sure it is for a healthy family first, she said mercilessly.I'm not that easy to talk to, I don't give away casually, I've always been like this. We were thinking that a friend of ours might have been here.As I said, I handed Zou's photo to her. Of course she has. when.I step forward. You've been going around in circles, haven't you?Not for her though, she seems to think it's okay to let the cat come and go as she pleases.Do you know how many cats are killed by cars every year? I don't know, I said.I have no idea.So you won't let her adopt your cat? She didn't seem very keen anyway, Betty said.As soon as I said I doubted her suitability, she turned away. You can't remember when that was? You tell me. work day?weekend? The day the garbage truck came.They were clinking outside when she came. What day of the week is that? It should be Wednesday. So, it's Wednesday, said Ben, still leaning against the front door.Do you know what time it is? I don't know why you're chasing after all. We are not what I said. AM or PM?asked Ben. In the afternoon, she reluctantly answered.They usually come to pick up the litter when I give the cats their afternoon tea.Right, cat?She added this sentence to the group of cats in the room, which also caused a commotion among the group of cats. Thank you, I said.You have been a great help. You said the same thing last time. I put my hand on the doorknob and froze.I've been here before? Of course you have been here.However, he came alone. Betty, can you tell me when was the last time I came here? Don't shout, I'm not hard of hearing, and I'm not stupid.Just the next day, you came that day.You've lost your memory, haven't you? go home?Ben said. go home.I agreed, and my face was hot because of the word.He noticed it and put his hand on my knee, I turned around, and we kissed softly, tasted and ended.Our eyes are open, and I can see my own reflection in his pupils. Go home, he said again.Come home to toast and tea. Toast and tea, making love in a room with no lights on, cuddling with each other for solace as it grew colder and darker outside.For a while, we didn't talk about the heavy things, just like lovers who met for the first time, exploring each other's past.At least, I asked about his past. I told you.He said. Right?You mean, before? Yes. Isn't it weird that I keep storing these things in my head, things that happened to me, things you told me, secrets, gifts that I didn't know about?If I don't know, is it the same as if it never happened, what do you think? I have no idea.I put a finger out to trace the shape of his lips and he smiled in the dark, he said. You have to tell me again.Who is my predecessor? Li Ye, an interior designer. Is she beautiful? I don't know, sort of.She's half Moroccan, which is amazing. Did she ever live here?I asked. No.Uh, not really. How long have you been dating? two years. Two years is a long time.and after? Nearly a year ago, she dumped me for falling in love. Stupid woman, I said.Who can be willing to leave you?I stroked his soft hair.It was still mid-afternoon, and here we were, lying under the quilt as if in a small cave, while it was getting dark outside.Are you hurt? yes, he said.I think so. But are you all right now?right? It's all right now. We need to talk about Zou.I said after a while. I know.I don't think I should be so happy.He rolled over me to turn on the bedside lamp, and we both blinked in the blinding light.So she went to a kitten on Wednesday afternoon, and you went to her on Thursday. Yes. You are repeating your own mistakes. It's been going around in circles like that cat-obsessed old woman said.