“Leaving so early?”
Lu Hui forced his eyes open and looked at Ji Fanyang as he put his jacket on.
“Director Gao called me this morning and told me to come in.” Ji Fanyang informed Lu Hui as he fastened the buttons, “Don’t play guitar on the balcony, don’t go downstairs looking for Miss Yu. Call me if you leave the apartment. The key is on the coffee table. If you lose it, just go beg on the streets.”
“Sure thing, Mr. Policeman.” Lu Hui replied. He rolled up in the blanket, going back to sleep.
Ji Fanyang sighed, then walked out of the bedroom. He picked up the packet of paperwork and car keys, then left.
When it was almost eleven o’clock, Lu Hui leisurely woke up. He rubbed his eyes and sat up. He pulled on his slippers and walked into the washroom to shave, brush his teeth, and waste the bottles of cologne Ji Fanyang had placed on the shelf next to the mirror.
He swept a hand through his disheveled hair. As he did so, he saw the scar on his wrist and became lost in thought. Before, Ji Fanyang had been with him, so he hadn’t shown the scar very often, nor did he examine it very closely.
Now, he observed it carefully, especially the deep cut on his left wrist. He’d attempted suicide before, but he was still alive.
There was also a mark from some bandaging on the scar. Someone had tried to save him.
But Lu Hui did not regard this ‘save him’ with good intentions, based on his intuition.
There was a corpse lying in the Bureau with his fingerprints all over it, and a knife with both his and the deceased’s blood on it.
The first crime scene. Where was the first crime scene?
Lu Hui stared at himself in the mirror: shadowed jaw, dark irises, disheveled hair. The mirror reflected the tiles behind him, drawing his attention.
Before he’d met Ji Fanyang, he had been an unsociable, eccentric person unwilling to set foot in unfamiliar places or linger in small, narrow spaces. In his mind, every tile became covered in blood. The despair from his childhood had become his inescapable, ever-present nightmare.
Wang Yinyin was Yu Feiyang’s mother. Since the person who had taken him definitely knew of his past, they would also know of his claustrophobia. Then…Lu Hui looked into the mirror, forcing himself to overlook the stifling sensation of the cramped room. Then, if they were working against him, the first crime scene ought to be a small room with him and Wang Yinyin inside alongside some surveillance and communication equipment.
Lu Hui dipped his finger into some water to sketch images onto the mirror. The mirror did not just reflect his image but was also like a pitch-black corridor. When he immersed himself into it, the decorative artworks on either side helped prompt his memory.
A sliver opened up in his hidden memories.
“Who are you? Where are we?
“Who are you?”
“Wang Yinyin. And you?”
“Lu Hui.”
Reemerging bits of conversation and flickering images enveloped Lu Hui, appearing intermittently and brokenly.
“My son had a friend with that name.”
“Your son?”
“Yu Feiyang.”
Yu Feiyang. In the long, dark corridor, the first picture brightened.
“Did you pick up the call?”
“Call?”
Lu Hui turned the conversation in his mind to a phone call.
“There’s a display screen on the wall.”
“There’s no switch. I’ve checked.”
Screen? What was a screen doing there? Lu Hui turned it over quietly in his mind, only the ticking of the clock breaking the silence. Suddenly, there was a rustling outside of the living room door.
The slight, suspicious sound roused Lu Hui’s capabilities as a policeman, and he immediately put away his thoughts. He walked cautiously out of the washroom, creeping toward the door.
The rustling faded away. Lu Hui pulled open the door. An envelope was laying on the ground.
He bent at the waist and grabbed the envelope, then shut the door. He sliced open the envelope and took out the letter. On it was a string of numbers.
…
Linhua City Bureau.
Ji Fanyang rushed to the Bureau early in the morning, bustling into Gao Zhengcheng’s office: “Director Gao.”
“Have a seat, Xiao Ji.” Director Gao quickly finished writing and put his pen off to the side, “We’ve found the first crime scene.”
Ji Fanyang felt his heart constrict. He kept his voice neutral as he asked: “Where?”
“The second floor of a villa in Puxi County.” Director Gao said, “Lu Hui’s and the deceased’s blood spattered on the walls.”
Ji Fanyang’s jaw clenched.
Director Gao sipped his tea before continuing: “What strange is that the wall has drill holes and marks where something was hanging.”
“What does it mean?” Ji Fanyang asked.
“The preliminary assessment is that there was a display screen or another electronic device.” Director Gao said, “Even if Lu Hui was coerced into murder, he still bears the risk of being sentenced.”
“With the clues we have now, we have to conclude that Lu Hui acted out of necessity or self-defense.” Ji Fanyang said, “And if Lu Hui acted as an accomplice under duress, there’s a good chance that he would not be sentenced.”
“Or receive a lighter sentence.” Director Gao emphasized, “The drill holes and impression from the display cannot act as direct evidence.”
“We have to continue investigating. There was no way Chief Lu could’ve gone to kill someone on his own.” Ji Fanyang said.
“Wang Yinyin is Yu Feiyang’s mother.” Director Gao said.
Ji Fanyang’s voice raised unconsciously: “It’s already been eighteen years!”
“But it is still the truth. Not everyone understands him as well as you do.” Director Gao said calmingly, “He’s still a suspect.”
“I know.” Ji Fanyang quelled his anger, “I apologize, I was out of line.”
“It’s no problem.” Director Gao waved a hand, “I called you back here to tell you about this. Go back and keep Lu Hui company, don’t let him stir up any more trouble.”
“Alright, I understand.” Ji Fanyang nodded.
As he walked out of the Bureau, Ji Fanyang called Lu Hui. It rang for a bit before returning a busy signal.
…
A call from an unknown number came to Lu Hui’s phone. He looked at the unfamiliar digits and hesitated before picking up: “Hello?”
“Chief Lu.” They were using a voice changer.
Lu Hui said scornfully: “
“We should arrange a meeting.” The other party said, “I have what you need.”
“I don’t remember anything. How would I know that I need something?” Lu Hui asked.
“Then you’d better think on it.” The person said, “I will call you again.”
“When?” Lu Hui asked.
The other person chuckled: “When you need something.”
The call disconnected. Lu Hui held the phone for a while without putting it down.
Lu Hui slipped the note into his case analysis notebook and placed it in the second drawer of the nightstand.
Click.
The door opened and Ji Fanyang walked in: “Who were you talking to on the phone?”
“Spam call. The girl’s voice was nice to listen to, so we chatted for a while.” Lu Hui tossed out some random nonsense, “What did Director Gao have to say?”
“They’ve found the first crime scene.” Ji Fanyang did not linger on the call. Lu Hui had been cooped up recently, after all, so chatting with someone was perfectly normal, “The second floor of a villa in Puxi County.”
“Oh…” Lu Hui nodded, “Was there a display on the wall?”
“…Do you remember something?” Ji Fanyang walked over and sat beside Lu Hui.
Lu Hui plucked a grape off the fruit platter and popped it into his mouth: “A bit. There was a phone, too.”
“A landline?” Ji Fanyang pulled off a bunch of grapes.
Lu Hui nodded: “Mm.” He furrowed his brow, “Sour.”
“They’re still good.” Ji Fanyang tried a grape, “Hm…they are a little sour.”
Lu Hui pushed the fruit platter toward Ji Fanyang: “You eat them.”
“You bought them.” Ji Fanyang glared at him, “You eat them.”
“Objection![1]In English in the raws” Lu Hui mimicked the lawyers on TV.
Footnotes
| ↑1 | In English in the raws |
|---|