ã€ŠThe Retirement Life of a Runaway Desperadoã€‹


 Prologue

    The dark-haired man sat in the interrogation chair, looking down at his fingers as if a wonderful show was being performed on them.

    He was wearing a well-fitted, expensive gray coat. His short hair was slightly dishevelled because of the murder, but he had a natural air of elegance and a neurotic temperament that belonged only to the fictional aristocrats in novels. Lynn thought that such an aura, at least, definitely didn¡¯t seem to belong to this kind of remote town.

    Lynn was wearing the uniform of a police officer and sitting opposite the man to confront him.

    He was not yet used to this small town¡¯s sheriff¡¯s uniform, but he had always been very used to confronting suspects. Even though he had been away from the Major Crimes Unit for three years already, having been transferred to a small town where the biggest case was a street robbery, he had not lost any of the vigilance of being a hunter in the big cities.

    ¡°You mean, you just passed by there in the dead of night and found a body hidden in the bushes?¡± He said, ¡°It was torn in half, but you wanted to save him, and that¡¯s when you got the blood¡ªthe blood you tried to wash off, by the way¡ªon you, Mr. Arthur?¡±

    ¡°Yes,¡± the man named Arthur said, in his refined and annoying British accent, his gaze still fixed on his fingers. ¡°I¡¯m a bit of a clean freak.¡±

    Lynn was well aware that the other person¡¯s excuses were a joke from start to finish. He had interrogated people like this when he had still been in the Major Crimes Unit. They spoke just like him in a shameless tone¡ªno matter how preposterous the excuse, their expressions were more and more confident and trustworthy than the last, completely unperturbed. Their lies couldn¡¯t be detected even with a lie detector because they had sociopathic tendencies, and naturally didn¡¯t think that it was a big deal to do antisocial things.

    ¡°Two hours had passed between the time you found the body and the time you called the police,¡± he said.

    ¡°Yeah, that scene was so horrible, officer,¡± the suspect said, dragging out his words in an elegant tone, ¡°Of course, I was very scared. It took me some time to calm down.¡±

    Lynn glared at the other person sternly. His gaze was fierce enough to make the average criminal hide beneath the table, but the other remained unmoved and was still staring at his neatly trimmed fingernails.

    Lynn opened the file and flipped over the photo of the body from it before throwing it in front of Arthur.

    The corpse in that photo didn¡¯t look like it came from the police files; instead, it looked like it belonged to the file of a horror film director. The body didn¡¯t resemble a human at all. It looked like a human who had partially transformed into a rodent. It had a protruding mouth, sharp teeth, and dense body hair; it looked deformed and horrifying.

    The corpse had been torn in two halves by an unknown force, and lay sprawled across the outskirts of the town.

    The biggest case Lynn had dealt with since taking over as the sheriff was a burglary, and the culprit had just been a high school student trying to get his baseball cards that his uncle had confiscated. But such a bloody corpse had immediately knocked him back into his old form as the head of the Major Crimes Unit.

    Cmgbrr ogbw tlw, atf rerqfma uijcmfv ja atf qtbab, ojmf oeii bo vlrlcafgfra. Rb cbgwji mlalhfc kbeiv ulnf remt j ibbx ab j qtbab bo j mbgqrf¡ªj ibbx oliifv klat eaafg jccbsjcmf jcv ybgfvbw.

    Is he a sociopath? Lynn pondered.

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    ¡°Pa¡¯r j qlmaegf bo j mbgqrf, bynlberis,¡± atf rerqfma gfqilfv.

    ¡°Is this a human corpse?¡± Lynn said.

    ¡°Otherwise, what else could it be? You can¡¯t disqualify someone as a human just because they look ugly,¡± Arthur said, ¡°I see that you¡¯ve been asking the same question over and over for two hours, Officer. If you¡¯ve finished asking, will you please excuse me? My daughter is still waiting at home, and as upright people always say, it¡¯s inhumane to leave a six-year-old girl waiting alone in the dark. You must think so too.¡±

    Lynn stared at him. Arthur returned the gaze back with an expressionless face. His pupils were pitch-black, and the bottom of their depths couldn¡¯t be seen.

    Yes, Arthur did have a daughter, Lynn thought. This fact didn¡¯t match the current situation, but it was the truth.

    At that moment, the man revealed a smile. His appearance was cold and calm, as if he knew that this stubborn policeman had no other tricks up his sleeve.

    He stood up, pulled aside his chair, walked past Lynn, opened the door, and left the interrogation room.

    Lynn sat still, his fists clenched tightly, his body taut like a tight bowstring.

    If his current colleagues saw him now, they would be amazed that their mild-mannered sheriff had such a violent expression, like the turbulent sky before a hurricane. But if it was seen by his former colleagues in the Major Crimes Unit, they would know what it meant and sympathize with the prey he had set his sights on.

    Lynn could smell that scent; maybe this was an innate talent, or maybe it had been honed by experience. He could smell the blood in someone¡¯s past, and he also knew that Arthur was hiding something. This person had only been in this town for a month. He was a single father with a little girl¡ªthe dream man of the women of the town¡ªand he had that scent on him.

    He was hiding something, and the stench of blood on him was so thick that Lynn choked on it whenever he took a deep inhale.

    In a normal situation, Lynn, with his deep facial features, looked like a typically handsome man.

    However, after the passing of his wife, he had quickly begun to fall in the direction of slovenliness. His black hair was as messy as a bird¡¯s nest. His last shave seemed to have been three days ago, but it might have been a week ago. Only occasionally could one see the falcon-like sharp eyes under his dejected appearance, but that, too, was only an occasional flash.

    Oak Town was a peaceful place, and for the most part, the town sheriff always had a soft smile and a gracious attitude, as he politely dealt with cases like a cat climbing a tree, a lost garden shovel or a couple¡¯s quarrel.

    He had been transferred from the Major Crimes Unit of a big city three years ago due to his health but he didn¡¯t look arrogant and out of place at all, as if he had been born in a small, quiet town rather than a big city with a high murder rate.

    The people of the town had almost forgotten where he came from, like a corpse on a battlefield which had been covered in fresh snow, showing a pure and clean aftermath.

    The women in Oak Town even thought that he was a good match. He was slightly neurotic from working too hard after his wife¡¯s death, so he had been sent to this small town with his clever and introverted little daughter. He also had a slovenly appearance, which gave people the urge to step into his life, take good care of this handsome and devoted man and become the woman in his life. How satisfying that would be.

    However, Sheriff Lynn remained single even after three years, raising his young daughter day by day and handling all kinds of boring cases in the town.

    Lynn was not too old. He had been a young and promising type in the police station back then, but his excessively fragile feelings had made him quickly fall from the police circle. As he stayed in Oak Town, living the same life day after day, he thought, maybe this was what he was going to do for the rest of his life.

    There was nothing wrong with living a quiet and serene life.

    That was, until the man called Arthur moved in.

    Arthur had used to be a first-class medical practitioner, specializing in neurology. Like most people in this town, he was well-educated and had quite the social status. He also had a lot of money in the bank, and wanted to find a decently safe place to live in seclusion.

    These days, except for being occasionally invited to do some difficult surgeries, he hardly ever went out¡ªhe had earned enough money in the first half of his life anyway¡ªand spent most of his time in town, looking after his darling daughter.

    Lynn had seen the child. She was as refined and calm as her father. It was said that her IQ was 173. But Arthur was not ready to send her to receive elite education, thinking that it would be better for her to spend an ordinary childhood in a small town.

    Lynn and Arthur were not familiar with each other. To be precise, no one in the town was familiar with Arthur. There was a natural air of detachment around him. While he was polite to everyone, no one could get too close to him.

    As a police officer, Lynn innately despised this type of person.

    There was always a smell of darkness and secrets on Arthur, which had made him feel disturbed from the first time they had met. Like a cheetah smelling the blood in the distance, it almost made his hunting impulse, which had been suppressed for a long time, reawaken.

    And a month after that person moved here, this bizarre murder happened.

    After the incident, Lynn worked overtime into the night, which was a rare occasion. It was his first time working overtime since he had moved to Oak Town. Under most circumstances, no one cared whether he was late or left early. Even at work, he just sat in his chair and stared into the distance blankly.

    The sudden appearance of this corpse seemed unreal for a small town that was as tranquil as an advertisement model.

    The next morning, Lynn got up early and was brushing his teeth when a call came in from the police station, which was a very, very rare occurrence. Lynn spat the foam out of his mouth and picked it up. It was Donald who was calling.

    Donald was a young man, just a year into his career, and he still handled cases like a schoolboy. The way he was speaking right now also resembled a student presenting a paper to a particularly picky tutor, lacking both confidence and an idea of what he was doing.

    ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± Lynn asked.

    ¡°Um,¡± said the man on the other end of the phone, ¡°the body¡­ is missing.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Lynn yelled.

    Even though he was on the other end of the phone, the young man was clearly still very terrified. He said tremblingly, ¡°That, that body, in the forensic office, it disappeared this morning.¡±

    ¡°But how could it just disappear? It¡¯s a corpse! Inside the police station!¡± Lynn shouted.

    ¡°I, I don¡¯t know, I opened the door this morning and it was just gone,¡± Donald said, ¡°Oh, by the way, the autopsy photos and DNA evidence are missing too.¡±

    Lynn cursed harshly, and the boy on the other end panicked and made up an excuse that Jessie was calling him and hung up the phone.

    Lynn stood there with a toothbrush in hand, and he didn¡¯t even hear Chrissie, his daughter, saying goodbye to him as she went to catch the school bus.

    The case had not been reported to the superiors yet, nor had the deceased¡¯s identity been found. He thought, without the photos and the body, he had no evidence of its existence, except for a few agents who had seen the body.

    Someone wanted to destroy everything related to the case and make the case disappear. The strange appearance of the corpse appeared in his mind. Now that the evidence was gone, who would want to believe that such a thing existed?

    He hastily spat the foam out of his mouth and hurried towards the station, grabbing the transcript he had brought home with him yesterday along the way.

    It was probably the only piece of information left on the case. Only words were left, telling him that the body had initially been found by an old man walking his dog, and it wasn¡¯t until an hour later that the police had received a belated call from Arthur. Lynn had a feeling that Arthur had called the police only because he knew that his bloodied appearance had been caught on CCTV for a split second.

    As he drove, Lynn thought bitterly that he would catch the bastard by the tail and drag him out of the darkness.

 CH 1

    It was a year later before Lynn had another long conversation with Arthur.

    Lynn hadn¡¯t found any traces. If he had found any evidence, it could have led him to something. But even now, the case remained unsettled. There was no corpse, no photos, no DNA evidence. They had just vanished into thin air, adding to Oak Town¡¯s list of unsolved cases.

    In just one year, most people had forgotten its existence. There were some people who treated it as an outlandish tale and went on with their normal lives.

    But that strange body had indeed existed, and now and then it would pop up in Lynn¡¯s mind in a strange way, making him tense.

    After that incident, he and Arthur met a couple more times. Except for the first two interrogations, during which nothing had been found and Lynn had been arrogantly humiliated, they had crossed paths regularly, as people living in a small town were expected to do.

    He ran into Arthur at the mayor¡¯s charity banquet, occasionally bumped into him in the supermarket, or sometimes saw him coming from the opposite street, et cetera. The other man always maintained a polite attitude, and Lynn would also return the same politeness. They both maintained a social distance that was hostile but you couldn¡¯t nitpick anything about it.

    That guy seemed to be quite sincere in living in the small town for a long time. As for Lynn, every time he saw Arthur, his nerves would immediately become tense, just like how they used to when he had still been in the Major Crimes Unit.

    When Lynn came home, Chrissie was in the living room, fiddling with a cardboard building she had made in craft class. It looked like a house with a garden. The craft had not been completed yet, but from the prototype, it could be seen that it was very neat, detailed, and methodical.

    Lynn couldn¡¯t believe that his daughter was so dexterous with her hands.

    Sensing him coming back, Chrissie looked up and smiled at him. Then she jumped down the chair and ran over. Lynn gave her a hug.

    Even now, she didn¡¯t talk much. After her mother had died, she had suffered from aphasia for a time and used to spend the entire day only playing with a fluffy monkey Kelly had given to her. It wasn¡¯t until she had come to this town that she had slowly separated from it and started talking.

    Chrissie had blond hair and green eyes. She was a beautiful little girl, but she always looked younger than she actually was. That was probably because she always had a cowering expression and a timid posture.

    Lynn knew that she had not been like this before, and no girl had been more lively than her. But Kelly¡¯s untimely passing had wounded her deeply. She didn¡¯t know how to deal with the sudden cruelty of the world, and she shut herself up to deal with it.

    When Lynn had moved to the small town, he had thought that the pace of life here might be more suitable for her. When he had worked in a large city, he had constantly been preoccupied with endless cases and had no time to care for her.

    The small town was very nice. Everyone knew each other. There were good schools and nursing homes. Life was leisurely and slow. People seemed to not know what crime was.

    Sure enough, in recent years, she had slowly regained her vitality like a flower that had received enough care. Lynn looked at the cardboard house with appreciation. It was simple and childish, but he could see the maker¡¯s earnestness and meticulousness poured onto it.

    ¡°This is really amazing,¡± he walked over and said with admiration, ¡°My little girl can be an architect.¡±

    Chrissie smiled shyly.

    ¡°Most of it was done by Krystyn. We worked in pairs in the craft class. She¡¯s very smart.¡±

    ¡ªAlthough the peaceful life in the small town had been of great help in healing Chrissie, Lynn would not assume that Chrissie¡¯s recovery was entirely due to him. A large part of it was thanks to that child named Krystyn.

    Chrissie was too reserved and didn¡¯t get along closely enough with the other children in the school. About a year ago, she had begun to frequently mention Krystyn, a classmate in her school. Later, no matter what they were doing, the two of them were always sticking together.

    After finally socializing with a friend, the child¡¯s eyes seemed brighter and more passionate. Her trauma was slowly healing, and for him, there was nothing happier than witnessing that.

    Lynn had always wanted to visit the girl¡¯s house to express his gratitude and his desire for further socialization. However, he had never gotten around to it because he hadn¡¯t the slightest idea what to say to her and her family.

    He was good at cracking cases and committing raids, but he had absolutely no idea about what he should say when he was socializing with the parents of his daughter¡¯s friends.

    ¡°Daddy,¡± said Chrissie, ¡°there¡¯s a garden party in school next week.¡±

    ¡°I heard Mrs. Allison mention it once and she said she was looking forward to it. But what exactly is it?¡±

    ¡°Well, something new to pass the time at school, I suppose,¡± Chrissie said, and Lynn knew that she had picked up this kind of way of speaking from her friend Krystyn. Although he had never met her, Lynn could tell from her daughter¡¯s tone that the other girl was extremely witty and sarcastic.

    ¡°It¡¯s a garden party, with all sorts of games and prizes,¡± said Chrissie, ¡°The children form groups of two, and by the way, Krystyn and I are in a group.¡±

    Lynn nodded in acknowledgment. She was always in a group with Krystyn.

    ¡°The school hopes that our parents will attend the garden party and participate in the games,¡± Chrissie said, ¡°If you earn the most points at the garden party, you will win. According to Krystyn, the garden party is held to promote communal harmony.¡±

    Lynn was a little astonished by how much that child knew at such a young age. But of course, she was correct in what she had said. This kind of activity was a way for the school to deepen its relationship with the parents, making it easier to manage relationships and communicate with the parents.

    ¡°Can you go, Daddy?¡±

    ¡°Of course, sweetheart.¡± When children need their parents the most, how dare the parents be absent?

    And he was particularly interested in finding out more about Chrissie¡¯s school life. He had relocated to the small town, yet he still showed too little concern for his child. With some guilt, Lynn acknowledged that he had never been particularly adept at conversing with other parents about parenting experiences or engaging in normal neighborhood activities. Even though he hadn¡¯t done anything wrong, he knew in his heart that he was like a square peg in a round hole.

    Coafg jii, tf kjr yfaafg ja vfjilcu klat mglwfr jcv vfjatr, bg kbgxlcu bnfgalwf klatbea gfaegclcu tbwf ja cluta. Dea cbk atja la kjr jii bnfg, tf cffvfv ab obmer wbgf bc ilof lc atf abkc.

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    The school¡¯s garden party was well organized, and people from the whole town had participated.

    As Lynn stood at the door, watching the parents come and go with their children, he thought that this was really a happy and homey atmosphere, like the posters in the children¡¯s clothing store on the theme of children, harmony, and care, all shiny and perfect.

    ¡°Hey, Officer Lynn,¡± a blonde woman greeted, ¡°Are you going to the garden party with Chrissie? Hey, hello, you¡¯re the prettiest little girl I¡¯ve seen today.¡± She bent down to greet Chrissie, who smiled timidly.

    ¡°She¡¯s so cute, I want to swallow her up in one go!¡± she said.

    Lynn smiled at her. Since arriving in Oak Town, he had received several hints from Mrs. Allison that they could have a passionate relationship, making him not know what to do.

    He was undoubtedly single and had sexual needs like any other person, but she was already married. Her husband was the mayor of Oak Town and he was the town sheriff, so it was best not to have any relationships with her.

    ¡°Chrissie, you should say thank you to Mrs. Allison,¡± he said to the little girl.

    ¡°Thank you, Mrs. Allison,¡± the child whispered.

    The two of them had never been able to find any common language.

    The blonde woman across the table smiled at Chrissie, then looked up, surveyed Lynn gently, and said, ¡°Lynn, you really need to look after yourself¡­ But forget it, it can be dangerous if you¡¯re too handsome. I don¡¯t want too many women glancing your way. There are enough of them already.¡±

    ¡°I think you overestimate me, Mrs. Allison¡­¡±

    ¡°Judy,¡± Mrs. Allison said. She had asked Lynn numerous times to simply address her by name, but Lynn always deliberately ignored it.

    ¡°Judy,¡± he said, smiling at her, but the next time they met, he would definitely call her Mrs. Allison again.

    ¡°I really hope Chrissie and my Jack can be grouped together. Although a lot of people will be jealous of me and I should probably avoid some hostility for the sake of the art exhibition next week. For a handsome man like you, everything is worth it,¡± Mrs. Allison continued. The exhibition she was talking about was one she was hosting.

    Lynn was at a loss for words. He felt that he should respond to her flirting, but he was still holding his daughter¡¯s hand and his mind was blank.

    ¡°Is Mr. Allison here too?¡± He could only say this.

    ¡°He¡¯ll be here for ten minutes and then he¡¯ll leave,¡± Mrs. Allison said, ¡°If the school hadn¡¯t asked him to give a speech, to show how much the mayor cares for the children, he wouldn¡¯t have made time to show up at Jack¡¯s school even for a minute this year.¡±

    The subject had obviously upset her so much that she had no desire to do anything interesting. She waved her hand, bidding Lynn farewell, and went to take care of her youngest son.

    ¡°Chrissie?¡± Lynn said.

    ¡°Well, the groups are determined by drawing lots,¡± the little girl said. Her policeman father was obviously immediately able to grasp the point from the seemingly boring chatter. ¡°Krystyn and I did some tampering, neither of us wanted to be grouped with anyone else.¡±

    She looked up at him with pitiful eyes. She was very good at using this trick.

    ¡°Am I holding back your chances of meeting beautiful women, Daddy?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need the chance to meet beautiful women, honey. Who did you hear that from?¡±

    ¡°Everyone says you¡¯re the golden bachelor in town and you¡¯re going to find a new mommy for me someday,¡± Chrissie whispered, ¡°They say that a lot of people like you, and you¡¯ll decide who you want to be with sooner or later.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not looking for a new mother for you¡­¡± Lynn said, ¡°Ah, good morning to you too, Gina. We¡¯re off to draw lots.¡± He smiled at a single mother who greeted him with a look of anticipation and said she hoped they would be drawn into a group.

    ¡°I really hope so, too,¡± Lynn said and watched her leave with a smile on his face. His face was sore from smiling all the way there. Although it was worth everything to accompany his daughter, he was not willing to imagine what might come next.

    Looking up, he noticed that all of the kids at the garden party were mostly accompanied by their mothers. It was simply a paradise for women and children. He felt dizzy and missed his small office room beyond measure.

    Still, he continued to exchange pleasantries with the mother across from him. Her hair was elaborately styled and probably cost hundreds of dollars, her nails were perfectly manicured, and her smile was sweet and dull like it had been manufactured.

    This was his future life. He would get used to these social gatherings, the little flirtations, and being the center of gossip.

    Chrissie was worried that he would find her a new mother. Lynn didn¡¯t think he was ready to date right now, but he knew that perhaps one day he would. Chrissie needed a new mother and a stable family. So, he would try to fall in love with the place¡ªfor God¡¯s sake¡ªand find someone with perfectly styled hair and manicured nails who spoke to him at every dinner about book clubs, new neighbors, or the attractive wife whose husband had cheated on her.

    The noise of the garden party made his head ache faintly, but he bravely endured it and brought Chrissie to the stage to draw lots, while dealing with several dazzling smiles.

    Lynn knew how to live in a small town, but¡­ that didn¡¯t mean that he didn¡¯t feel bored when he had to smile all the time. The life he had once lived was like a cancer that had crept into his bones and would reappear from time to time, calling for something else.

    He resolutely ignored it and took the slip of paper Chrissie gave him. The girl had a mysterious look on her face and Lynn wondered whether he should talk to her sometime about the issue of cheating being bad.

    He had barely opened the paper slip when he heard a surprised squeal from Chrissie, ¡°Krystyn!¡±

    He turned his head and saw that his daughter was hugging another child. It was clear from the physical gestures alone how close the two were. It had only been a day since they had seen each other.

    Lynn felt that her face looked familiar and thought that he must have seen the girl¡¯s picture before. She was a very beautiful black-haired girl, and at first glance, he knew that she would be a great beauty in the future. She was a little taller than Chrissie, and she exuded a serene, refined air.

    ¡°Who did you draw, officer?¡± Mrs. Victor leaned over and asked.

    Lynn unfolded the lottery paper.

    ¡°It¡¯s number 23, I¡¯ll look for them,¡± he said dryly. In reality, he had actually already seen the number 23 on Krystyn¡¯s chest. The two little girls had cheated quite successfully.

    ¡°Such a shame. I thought Anna had a chance to draw with Chrissie. She likes Chrissie very much.¡± The other party smiled.

    ¡°It¡¯s really such a shame,¡± Lynn said. Nodding goodbye to her, he ended the conversation.

    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re Krystyn,¡± he said, greeting his daughter¡¯s friend.

    ¡°Hello, Officer Lynn,¡± said the little black-haired girl, her tone polite.

    Lynn smiled at her. He had never been good at getting along with children. When Kelly had been there, everything had been okay. When she had died, he had tried to be an understanding father but had always failed. Now, looking at someone else¡¯s little girl, he simply didn¡¯t know what to say next after saying hello.

    He was counting on Krystyn¡¯s mother to take charge of interacting with the children later on, while he stood by and watched. He just really, really hoped that the other party wouldn¡¯t invite him to dinner at her house, to a party, or to a picnic together, and recommend book clubs and tennis clubs. He simply lacked the energy to deal with that right now.

    ¡°Where¡¯s your mother, Krystyn?¡± He asked.

    Krystyn opened her eyes wide. ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± she said.

    ¡°Know what?¡± Lynn said.

    Krystyn turned her head and shouted, ¡°Dad.¡±

    Lynn raised his head, and there stood Mr. Arthur, holding two ice creams in his hands, obviously speechless at what he was seeing.

    He was wearing a fitting gray long-sleeved shirt and black pants. He was tall and slender, and he still had that look of detachment and indifference. It was no different from what he had seen in the interrogation room.

    Krystyn ran over to take the ice creams from his hand, handed one to Chrissie, and then said to Arthur, ¡°Chrissie and I are in a group, Dad.¡±

    ¡°When we get back home, we¡¯ll discuss how you and Chrissie got into a group, dear young lady,¡± Arthur said coldly.

    Lynn suddenly realized why he thought the way Krystyn spoke had sounded a little familiar. Her way of speaking was not exactly the same but was quite similar to that man¡ªthat elegant suspect.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t mentioned a word about your new friend and your new friend¡¯s father, Krystyn,¡± Arthur said.

    ¡°Because I want to make friends, Dad, and don¡¯t want to hear your unwarranted scolding.¡± For a child her age, she had quite an extensive vocabulary.

    Chrissie asked in a low voice next to her, ¡°Can I have ice cream, Daddy?¡±

    ¡°Of course, my dear, of course.¡±

    He stared at Arthur, the man on whom he had smelt such great danger. The other man also looked at him coldly.

    Eventually, Arthur stepped forward, held out his hand, and greeted him, saying, ¡°Hello, Officer Lynn, I didn¡¯t expect we¡¯d be in the same group.¡±

    Lynn shook his hand and said, ¡°Yeah, I didn¡¯t expect that either.¡±

    ¡°Oh my God, you two are a team?!¡± Mrs. Allison exclaimed from beside him. The two men turned their heads to look at her and she stood there with the look of someone who had seen the world¡¯s saddest tragedy unfold.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m, I¡¯m just so shocked¡­¡± she said.

    ¡°Believe me,¡± Lynn said seriously, ¡°So am I.¡±

    The two little girls chattered endlessly, ignoring the two dads behind them.

    They even had similar names, Lynn thought, one like an echo of the other. When they were together, even though they looked completely different, they were like twins; they fit together incredibly well.

    He tried to listen to what they were saying, only to learn that they seemed determined to win the championship, which surprised him a little because he had never seen Chrissie talk so much or be so passionate about winning.

    And the two fathers followed them with gloomy expressions, greeting countless school staff or housewives along the way. Seeing that they were a group, many people showed odd expressions, but Lynn felt that no one would feel more weird about it than he and Arthur.

    He had wondered many times about what the scene would be like the next time he and Arthur met, but most of his imaginings had been about interrogation rooms, murder cases, and other such situations. He had never considered a lively garden party where they would both be busy looking after their children and making sure that they didn¡¯t get diarrhea from eating too much ice cream.

    The garden party fitted its slogan well, with games for parents and children to play together and a scoring system aimed specifically for groups, not encouraging solo playing at all.

    In front of them, Chrissie was talking about the father of another child¡ªwhom they both hated¡ªwho had come, and he was a master of the games. Krystyn said, ¡°We¡¯re going to be champs, of course. We¡¯re not as skilled at making chocolate pies as their lovely mothers, but we¡¯re definitely number one in shooting, hooping, and fishing for goldfish.¡±

    ¡°My chocolate pie isn¡¯t too bad,¡± said Arthur.

    Lynn glanced at him and wondered if he had a sense of humor, or if he really knew how to make chocolate pie at home.

    Krystyn looked back at him and said, ¡°You don¡¯t have to feel down. Those kids¡¯ mothers have nothing else to do with their time other than to make chocolate pies, so it¡¯s normal for you to lose a bit.¡±

    He really knew how to make chocolate pie at home!

    ¡°They also know how to bake apple pies and lemon cookies,¡± Chrissie said.

    ¡°My apple pie is also good,¡± Arthur said.

    ¡°I can fry eggs,¡± Lynn said.

    ¡°Ohhh, you definitely lose at cooking, Daddy,¡± said Chrissie.

    ¡°Just get used to it. My dad had never cooked before. In the past, he couldn¡¯t even tell salt from sugar,¡± Krystyn said.

    ¡°Whose father doesn¡¯t? Once he cooked boiled eggs, the eggs were undercooked, but he managed to bring in the fire brigade,¡± Chrissie said.

    ¡°Hey, let¡¯s not expose each other¡¯s secrets, shall we?¡± Lynn said.

    After he finished speaking, he glanced at Arthur next to him. The man was lowering his head and chuckling softly. He looked like a perfect stay-at-home dad.

    When he laughed like that, Lynn thought, there was really no sign of danger or darkness on him at all.

    The first game they played was duck hunting, a retro-style game where they shot floating tin ducks with a gun. Although they were made to look rusty, the ducks were equipped with a sensory device, which was not retro at all. The game was very immersive, with the prey divided into three different sizes, the small one being only the size of a toothpick. Maybe it had participated in the shooting game because it owed someone a favor.

    The children looked very serious as if they were facing a major sporting event with the fate of the world at stake.

    In this game, the children first played a simpler version, and then the parents played a more difficult one. Their scores were then added together to calculate the total score.

    Lynn observed from the back. The children scored a rare high score. Chrissie¡¯s shooting skills were average, but Krystyn helped her sweep up all the ducks she could help.

    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s our highest score so far!¡± The high school student in charge of the booth said with a bright smile, ¡°No matter how you play in the end, you can definitely get a prize, here, take it!¡±

    She took a pair of bears from the back and handed them to the two girls. Chrissie clutched it tightly in her arms and Lynn thought to himself that he hadn¡¯t seen his daughter smiling, with dimples like a flower and dazzling like the sun, in a really long time.

    Krystyn handed her father the gun and said solemnly, ¡°Please, don¡¯t slack off a bit.¡±

    Arthur stared at her for a while. Lynn observed the scene curiously, feeling that the father and daughter had obviously reached some agreement by communicating through their minds. Arthur nodded, and the little girl showed a delighted expression.

    Lynn looked down and saw his own child looking at him expectantly as well. He said, ¡°Your old man will do his best.¡±

    He glanced at Arthur, and the other person looked at him with his head tilted with a serious expression.

    ¡°Let¡¯s divide the work?¡± Arthur suggested.

    Lynn stretched out his hand and drew a line in the air, right in the middle of the booth, and then said, ¡°You on your side, me on my side.¡±

    ¡°We split the ducks on the line by half,¡± Arthur said.

    Lynn nodded in agreement and then they started duck hunting.

    Later, Lynn thought that the game probably wasn¡¯t made for people to hunt all the ducks. It was a lively family game, and the designers probably didn¡¯t want to run into players like them.

    Not a single one was spared under the two parents¡¯ guns. Even the toothpick-sized head of a duck that came out of the corner as a guest didn¡¯t escape the fate of a headshot. The whole game was like a really clean manslaughter.

    They scored 697 out of 700. The three points lost were because the kids had inadvertently let go of the toothpick-sized ducks earlier.

    When they finished playing, they saw a circle of people gathered behind them to watch the exciting scene.

    Lynn put down the electronic gun, it wasn¡¯t a real gun, but it had something in common with real shooting. He presumed that Arthur was obviously a master at using guns.

    He was certainly good not just in terms of shooting skills, but what made people get little goosebumps was his stance and the expression on his face as he fired. Steady, sharp, and extremely efficient.

    During this period, he glanced at Arthur. The man¡¯s profile was sharp and cold. His eyes were calm, without a trace of excitement and eagerness, like frozen lake water.

    And it was the most enjoyable and harmonious incident of Lynn shooting with someone else. When it stopped, he could still feel the slightly heated joy from the adrenaline rush, even though he would never admit it.

    He had worked with his colleagues before in shooting and killing people, and he knew what it meant to work together in uncanny harmony, but¡­ He decided to put this little episode behind him. It was just a damned duck hunting game.

 CH 2

    Translation checker: GRain

    Editor: Junyans

    Krystyn flashed a smile at Arthur, held out her fist, and looked at him expectantly.

    Her father gave her a look that said ¡®Who the hell did you learn this hooligan habit from?¡¯ before he held out his hand and bumped her fist to celebrate their victory.

    The girl smiled brightly and he smiled back. This was a smile that was very different from the one he typically used to greet people at parties or on the streets. It was light, but undeniably gentle and doting.

    AD

    Krystyn went to fist bump Chrissie to celebrate their victory, and Lynn found it really hard to connect the current Arthur with the man in the interrogation room.

    Seeing Arthur looking sideways in his direction, Lynn held out his fist and said, ¡°Shall we celebrate too?¡±

    Arthur walked away in the other direction after he gave him a look that said, ¡°You¡¯re out of your mind, we¡¯re not friends¡±. It was quite a vivid expression for Arthur, who always had a steady, refined look.

    Well, he still found the other person annoying.

    In the hoop a toy game, they hooped all the presents they could and then returned most of them to the students who had set up the stall. Chrissie kept a brown monkey, and Krystyn took a red toy boomerang, looking interested in learning how to play with it.

    And her father was carefully explaining to her how the boomerang worked, as if he had used it before.

    Maybe he had.

    While fishing for goldfish, they ran into Edith, one of the best caterers in town. Her eyes lit up when she saw Arthur. It was no news in town that Edith had a huge crush on Arthur.

    She enthusiastically praised the two children for being as beautiful as pink daisies in the morning before inviting Arthur to her house for dinner.

    AD

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not sure if I have the time,¡± Arthur said.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t said which day.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been very busy lately.¡±

    Lynn thought: Continue spewing your nonsense. You¡¯ve been doing nothing all day these days. It¡¯s not like I haven¡¯t been keeping tabs on you.

    ¡°We¡¯ll make my best roast veal and apple pie. Krystyn likes that best, doesn¡¯t she?¡± Edith said.

    They conversed harmoniously for a while about how to prepare a specific dish, and Arthur sounded quite knowledgeable. Lynn wondered whether Edith saw him as a kindred spirit, but regardless of whether Arthur was a good cook or not, he knew he wasn¡¯t the type to be kindred spirits with Edith.

    The situation got a little more awkward when the topic of dinner came up again. ¡°We can chat. It¡¯s not easy living in town alone with a child, is it?¡± Edith said.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s easy. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s not a crime-prone area,¡± Arthur replied.

    ¡°I mean, raising kids is very tough.¡±

    Arthur looked at Krystyn and said, ¡°She¡¯s not hard to raise.¡±

    ¡°Erm,¡± Lynn said, ¡°I¡¯m on my own with my daughter in town too, so when can I be invited to this dinner party?¡±

    ¡°Oh, of course, you¡¯re always welcome, Officer,¡± Edith said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll just have to see if I¡¯m available at the last minute in the evening, but I¡¯ll be there if I can,¡± Lynn said, putting a hand on Arthur¡¯s shoulder, ¡°I¡¯ll bring Dr. Arthur along if I¡¯m free.¡±

    It was obvious that Arthur was not accustomed to his shoulders being held. He tensed up and bore with it, managing to smile quite gracefully at the same time.

    Both of their struggles were the same. Lynn felt that the people here were too¡­ enthusiastic. They seemed to think that engaging in a little ¡®socializing¡¯ every now and then was normal, and indeed it was. But like him, this man also had a difficult time adapting.

    They could work and live just like anyone else, but building intimate relationships sounded like a pipe dream. It was the same as decorating a Christmas tree with a gun covered in sequins or sprinkling a knife with sugar and baking it in the oven. People would just want to stay away from the whole situation.

    A while later, a few other locals stopped by to chat about the upcoming art exhibition and the new chain of shops that was opening. The eager attendees were only able to disperse after thirty minutes of the dreaded small talk.

    Lynn put his hand down, and Arthur¡¯s expression was cold.

    ¡°They really have a ton of energy,¡± Lynn said.

    ¡°I hate it here,¡± Arthur said.

    It was clearly not a friendly remark, but Lynn almost laughed out loud.

    Krystyn rolled her eyes and said, ¡°Speak more politely, Dad.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be polite, and your mother would have said the same thing,¡± Arthur said.

    ¡°Not even a female mosquito would dare come near you when she was around you,¡± Krystyn said, ¡°Now, all the women in town think that you¡¯re public property.¡±

    Lynn laughed out loud and Arthur turned his head to glare at him.

    ¡°You know you¡¯re the same, Officer,¡± Krystyn said to Lynn.

    ¡°Yeah, we two are publicly-owned bachelors, so let¡¯s fish for goldfish, while we still have the time to do so,¡± Lynn said, ¡°The prize looks good.¡±

    ¡ªThey scooped up all the fish they could with one scoop, and the kid in charge of the stall looked like he was about to cry, so they had to put them all back. They even bought ice cream to coax him.

    Cgateg vlvc¡¯a kjca ab qijs atf atgff-ifuufv gjmf ujwf ja jii.

    But Krystyn looked at him expectantly, and the dad with an aristocratic aura became torn on whether to do so or not, sighed, and went to get a sack.

    Bgsrasc rwlifv yglutais ogbw yftlcv.

    Ktf akb ilaaif ulgir kbgxfv rb kfii abufatfg atja lo bcf vlvc¡¯a xcbk yfaafg, atfs kbeiv tjnf wlrajxfc atfw obg aklcr. Oscc kjr tjqqs atja tlr vjeutafg tjv wjvf remt j mbwqjalyif oglfcv, jcv ktfc tf rjk atf ibbx bc Cgateg¡¯r ojmf jr tf ibbxfv ja atfw, tf revvfcis gfjilhfv atja tlr rkbgc fcfws kjr bynlberis offilcu atf rjwf.

    He¡¯d come to such a small town as a single father with a child. No matter what kind of person he was, it was certainly not easy for him.

    Later, Lynn often recalled that game, perhaps because he hadn¡¯t expected to have any physical contact with Arthur before. Even if there was, it would have involved things like fighting¡ªbut he couldn¡¯t even imagine fighting with him. This guy didn¡¯t seem to be physically violent at all.

    The only time he was in close proximity to Arthur was in the interrogation room, where he had sat across from the man and tried to squeeze something out of the suspect, while the other man stared at his fingers expressionlessly. They had been at the two ends of the table, which was basically two extreme distances.

    Then the man had raised his eyes and said in an icy and elegant tone, ¡°May I go back, please, Officer?¡±

    But now, they were at a boisterous garden party, surrounded by young housewives, students, and children. Lynn bent down to tie their feet together. Their legs were close together, and the other person had the temperature and strength of a  normal living person.

    Arthur watched his movements suspiciously.

    ¡°You know how to play two-man three-legged race, right?¡± Lynn said.

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen it on TV. But even in my wildest imagination, I had never thought I¡¯d play it myself one day.¡±

    Lynn remembered that torn look on his face when he had watched others play the game. It was a look of real reluctance. But under Kristyn¡¯s expectant gaze, he would have said yes to anything. Lynn himself was a father and knew that look and silent exchange, and it was at that moment he thought that Arthur was actually a pretty good guy.

    ¡°It¡¯s easy, just match the pace,¡± he said, looking at his wristwatch, ¡°We have to walk in unison.¡±

    Arthur held out his hand and synchronized his watch with Lynn¡¯s like a pro.

    They did not fall even once.

    Their arms were close together. Lynn remembered the strength and warmth when he stretched his body, the count and the rhythm of his breaths, and the touch of the fabric of his clothes.

    Despite not moving quickly, they were the first to reach the finish line and were immediately regarded as the parents with the most coordination.

    I like working with him, a voice in Lynn¡¯s mind admitted reluctantly. Arthur¡¯s body possessed excellent coordination and a sense of strict self-control, rather than being disorganized and inattentive.

    It was very pleasant to work with him.

    They won the prize, which was two huge teddy bears. Lynn was holding the white one from Chrissie and Arthur was carrying the pink one from Krystyn. Arthur¡¯s detached but elegant look and the way he reluctantly held the big pink furry bear was hilarious, yet Lynn thought that it was very harmonious at the same time. It was probably because he was a father.

    By lunchtime, they had nearly finished playing all the games at the stalls in the garden party and their total points combined was more than five times the points collected by the team in second place. Lynn suggested they eat something and then continue playing in the afternoon.

    Arthur looked at the chocolate cake on the table, sniffed it suspiciously, and then tossed it aside disdainfully.

    ¡°My dad¡¯s a picky eater,¡± Krystyn said.

    ¡°There¡¯s too much flavoring in it,¡± Arthur said.

    ¡°I think it tastes pretty good,¡± Lynn said, finishing off the entire cake in one bite. The cake tasted how cakes usually taste, but the person next to him looked at him with suspicion.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?!¡± Someone shouted.

    Arthur raised his head and stared at the school building on the opposite side. Lynn turned his head and saw a person on the roof with the sun on her back.

    It was a woman, of indeterminate age, and she was standing over the railing on the top of the building. The sun almost melted her figure, leaving only a small shadow.

    Lynn stood up abruptly.

    The garden party still seemed peaceful and warm, and only a few people had noticed her. Some were saying, ¡°That¡¯s a person¡ª¡± ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°What is she trying to do?¡± ¡°Oh my God!¡±

    Lynn pushed past the server and rushed over, but it seemed as if he was entangled. Everyone was huddled together, having a pleasant and relaxing garden party. He just wanted to be with his child. His character had changed from before, when he could stand in the worst places without hesitation and look directly at the worst possibilities.

    Everything happened in the blink of an eye. He seemed to not have taken even a single step before the figure leaped off the roof of the building.

    He heard a huge ¡®thud¡¯, and although it didn¡¯t seem real in this joyous atmosphere, he knew it was the sound of a flesh and blood body falling and crashing against the hard ground, the sound of a life ending so thoroughly. He could almost feel the ground shake.

    The music of the duck hunting game rang out merrily next to him, with the occasional sound of children hitting their targets and their giggles. Only in this tiny area, fear and silence spread, like a diseased spot on an apple.

    Lynn turned around quickly and turned the wide-eyed Chrissie in the other direction so that she was facing the food on the table rather than prying into what had just happened.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look over there, dear. Something¡¯s wrong and Daddy has to go and deal with it,¡± he said.

    He looked at Arthur¡ªthe other parent sitting just across from him¡ªwhose facial features were as calm as an ice sculpture, and said, ¡°Look after Chrissie for me.¡±

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Lynn ran towards the scene of the accident while calling the police officers at the station.

    As he ran through the crowd, a little voice in his mind said: Are you crazy? Arthur is a dangerous man and you¡¯ve known that since a year ago, yet you¡¯re letting Chrissie stay with him? But he ran anyway, without hesitation. In the depths of his heart, there was a kind of reassurance that there was no danger in letting Chrissie stay with him.

    He pushed his way through the crowd and ran up to the body.

    There was nothing pretty about a body that had committed suicide by jumping off the building. It usually looked very miserable, no matter how nice it had once looked. This woman, or girl, to be precise, used to be very beautiful when she was alive.

    Even though her body had shattered beyond recognition, it was still evident that she was young, perhaps sixteen or seventeen, or a little younger, with long, curly blonde hair and a petite figure. She was wearing a long red dress, jewelry, and delicate make-up; like the flawless image she used to have.

    Lynn knew her. This was Emma, who went to the town high school. She was a student who was good in both character and academics, and had participated in every extra-curricular activity. She had a great personality, too, and had been running the chocolate pudding stall at the garden party.

    He had met her before. She had sold him food with a big smile on her face, and she had not looked the least like she had been thinking about committing suicide.

    Of course, you couldn¡¯t always tell when someone was suicidal. In his career, Lynn had seen so many instances where the superficial appearance of an incident was completely at odds with what was actually happening inside. You could never know the darkness and misery of a person¡¯s heart by just looking at their smile.

    He leaned over to look at the body. Her makeup was very exquisite, and her clothes were too expensive and formal for her age. She looked like she was about to commit suicide. When people committed suicide, they often wanted to maintain their most beautiful appearance. It was a little ironic.

    He touched her head and turned her face around. She wore a bohemian earring in one ear, the kind of exaggerated earring that little girls liked to wear, and it made her look very charming.

    But her other ear was empty, and there was a trace of blood oozing from the ear hole.

    Nearby security guards had run over to keep order, separating the crowd from the body, and after a while, officers from the station would arrive too.

    Lynn stood up and looked at the top of the floor. It was empty, the sun washing everything clean.

    He asked the security guard to maintain order before he ran upstairs.

    It was an old building. Most of the buildings in the town were old but looked brand-new after undergoing numerous renovations.

    When he got to work, he gave it his full attention, without the slightest distraction.

    He hadn¡¯t been able to be like this for a long time. Before, when he had handed Chrissie over to his wife to take care of, he had been able to give his full attention to his work, as was only natural. But after her death in a car accident, he had never been able to relax for a moment.

    Keeping his little girl safe was the most important thing in the world, the voice in his head said. She had lost her mother, he was the only family she had left, and he must ensure that nothing bad ever happened to her again.

    But now, as he got to work, he didn¡¯t think for a moment, as he had done before, that she might bruise herself or run into a gangster or something¡ªhe knew how dangerous the world was, so he could never rest easy.

    Instead, he felt that he had put her in an extremely safe place and that Arthur would take care of her. He had the kind of power to keep the people he wanted to protect extremely safe.

    He stopped dwelling on it. With his hidden darkness and secrets, Arthur was once thought of by Lynn to be a highly dangerous person. He couldn¡¯t change his attitude towards the other person just because of a small garden party and some games of hunting ducks and catching goldfish.

    He ran all the way to the top floor. It was empty, as if it had just been washed with water, leaving no traces behind.

    He stood for a moment at the spot where Emma had jumped and looked around.

    Did someone pull her earring off? Or did she take it off herself? Most likely, she had done it herself in a rough manner. But her hairstyle was not very disheveled, and her ear holes had not been torn.

    He walked around the fence. Next to a railing, a small rhinestone shone was shining on the cement ground. He recognized that as the small gem inlaid in her earring. It seemed that the earring had hit the railing and a rhinestone had come off.

    She had thrown the earring away before she had died, but why? He craned his neck and saw some sparse trees below and nothing else.

    He rushed down the building and walked toward the forest.

    He hadn¡¯t been this busy in quite a while.

    He found the other earring, whose gems had been torn off, in the woods and when he picked up a ruby in the grass, he held it up to the sunlight. As an earring worn by a high school student at a garden party, it was too obscure and garish.

    It was a busy afternoon after that. He only had enough time to call Arthur¡ªhe had gotten his number from the station¡¯s registration information¡ªand tell him that he would try to make it to the school dance in the evening.

    The children sounded fine and seemed to be having a good time. Neither the murder nor his absence had affected their fun the slightest. Arthur would look after them and would not let anything bad happen to them, Lynn thought to himself. Although part of him still denounced the absurdity of it.

    The case was not difficult to investigate. The victim herself had left clues.

    Maybe she had just been showing her resolution and anger, but if she hadn¡¯t dropped the earrings, no one would have noticed the gaudy jewelry on a high school student, and if one of them hadn¡¯t been lost, the standard treatment of it in the town would have been to put it in an evidence bag and wait for the family to take it straight home.

    It would not have been discovered that it was worth millions.

    And this was the message she had wanted to leave behind.

    Donald asked whether it was gemstone smuggling. Obviously, it was not. This earring was not cheap for sure, especially for a high school student, but it was only a drop in the bucket for the rich in this town. Lynn quickly found out where it had been sold on the Internet. This thing had not been designed by a jeweler but had been custom-made for Emma. Finding shops that offered this kind of service was not too difficult.

    Naturally, the store said that the client¡¯s information had to be kept confidential, but he was willing to cooperate if he got a search warrant.

    And Lynn didn¡¯t even need to wait for the search warrant. If you checked Emma¡¯s part-time job history, you would find that there was only one family she had had contact with that had enough money¡ªshe had been working part-time as a nanny for Mr. Caviezel¡¯s child.

    Mrs. Caviezel had schizophrenia. Although she was generally quiet, she couldn¡¯t take care of a three-year-old child. Mr. Caviezel was the CEO of a large group. Although he was a family man, he also had to fly around the world from time to time. Finding a trustworthy girl to take care of his family as a nanny was totally understandable.

    The anonymous purchaser was clearly connected to the Caviezel family.

    When things were investigated to this stage, the truth was easily revealed. It was the case of an extramarital love affair that had led to a murder. The girl had threatened to tell the truth, a respectable man hadn¡¯t wanted the story to come out, and the girl had thrown her earrings in anger. There had been no room for negotiating on the matter. One of them had had a murderous intention.

    It was a typical small-town murder case and was sure to be a hot topic for quite a while.

    After investigating for the entire afternoon, the truth came to life. This was an extremely fast speed of solving cases for a small town, but it was no problem for Lynn, who¡¯d used to specialize in vicious cases.

    Arthur hadn¡¯t called once throughout that time, and Lynn hadn¡¯t needed to worry from time to time about his kid getting bruised, getting lost, being disobedient, or had to answer whether she was allergic to something. It was as if nothing would happen when Arthur was there.

    By the end of the evening, although he hadn¡¯t actually found Mr. Caviezel to talk to and arrest him¡ªhe kept refusing to open the door and the police hadn¡¯t got a search warrant yet¡ªhe still found a little time to attend the dinner party the school had hosted.

    The party required formal dress to attend. When Lynn went back home to find a formal dress, he found that it had been buried beneath a mountain of dirty laundry since he had forgotten to take it to the laundromat. When he took it out, it was wrinkled and crumpled like a fresh pickle.

    But since he didn¡¯t have another suit, he had to bite the bullet and put it on. He felt like he looked awful all the way and just hoped Chrissie wouldn¡¯t feel too humiliated.

    He had just entered the venue when he saw Arthur, holding a drink and talking to someone, looking infinitely impatient. He smiled.

    But when he saw Arthur like that, it suddenly occurred to him that in fact, in this case, he should have handed Chrissie over to a teacher he knew well, and asked her to look after her for him as he had done in the past. Instead, he had handed her over in her entirety to Arthur, who was also a single father who wasn¡¯t very good at his own job and had to take care of two children for a day.

    Arthur turned to face him, and there was no smile on his face.

    Lynn ran over to him and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I can handle it.¡±

    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have just left her like that¡­¡± Lynn trailed off.

    ¡°Maybe you can say hello to the murderer and ask him to not kill at the primary school students¡¯ garden party. It¡¯s too immoral, and harmful to their physical and mental health.¡±

    ¡°How did you know it was murder?¡± Lynn asked.

    ¡°Ohh, that¡¯s fast. Did you find the murderer?¡±

    ¡°Almost¡­ How do you know I found the murderer?¡±

    ¡°Otherwise you¡¯d think I was the killer,¡± Arthur said, ¡°I¡¯m the number one suspect in your eyes.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re suspicious enough to not even let female high school students off the hook.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, demons don¡¯t spare even a flower or a plant, they¡¯re evil by nature,¡± Arthur said, ¡°But this party, I¡¯m afraid, is what hell is like.¡±

    As he said that, he smiled politely at the host of the party.

    Lynn shared the same opinion as him about the party, but he kept this thought to himself.

    ¡°I thought you were quite used to social occasions,¡± Lynn said.

    ¡°I hate social occasions,¡± Arthur said.

    But he stood there anyway, smiling at the person across the table, probably just like how he had hated the two-man three-legged game but played it anyway. He understood that feeling: we don¡¯t always get to live in the environment we are most accustomed to and like the most.

    ¡°Daddy!¡± came a yell from behind. Lynn turned his head and Chrissie threw herself at him.

    Lynn spun her around in his arms. Children didn¡¯t care if their father was dressed badly compared to others. They merely desired their father¡¯s presence.

    ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t coming,¡± she said.

    ¡°Of course not. I promised you, honey.¡±

    ¡°You used to say you were going to work and would be back in a bit, but you never came back.¡±

    Lynn didn¡¯t know what to say for a moment. He talked a lot unknowingly to appease Chrissie. Although he didn¡¯t know what he was talking about, the child seemed to understand. She patted his arm comfortingly and ran off to play with Krystyn.

    Lynn turned to look at Arthur and pulled out a smile. The latter made a toasting gesture to him.

    I like to stay with him very much, Lynn thought reluctantly.

    He knew what it was like to socialize with his neighbors and to meet people he got on better with, but never something such as Arthur¡¯s case.

    He had experienced the feeling of apologetically handing over his child to others or being forced to spend a whole day with a parent who was a completely different type of person than him at the school garden party before. He had even worn a wrinkled suit and chatted with a fairly nice person at a dinner party before, but that was not the same feeling.

    Communicating with Arthur, that process was orderly and straightforward. It was¡­ as if you were borrowing bullets from a fellow soldier during a raid. It felt real and simple, without any of those subtle interpersonal nuances that made his head spin.

    He warned himself that this good impression had to stop in moderation. Even though Arthur had performed well today, he was still a dangerous man. He was accustomed to gore, hid too many secrets, and had a sociopathic streak in his behavior, and most sociopaths were charming.

    He asked Arthur, ¡°You still haven¡¯t answered me, how did you know that it was murder?¡±

    ¡°Miss Karina just said that Emma had an appointment to get her nails done tomorrow. Now that she had found a very good shop, she didn¡¯t like how her nails had looked,¡± Arthur said. Miss Karina was the guest he had just been talking to. In a small town, all the people chatted with each other.

    Arthur added, ¡°I think before Miss Emma decides to go to hell, she must also hope to see her beautiful nails along the way. She will not jump off the building rashly unless it was a murder.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, that makes sense,¡± Lynn said.

    ¡°Thanks for the compliment,¡± Arthur said, even making a small bow.

    Lynn laughed.

    He really shouldn¡¯t have thought that the other person was a pretty great guy.

    He had seen many criminals with a high IQ, some of whom were very charming, but he knew how to avoid their charm. He was focused more on observing the dark, broken parts of their souls rather than their superficial goodness.

    Could it be that he had been in the town for too long and had lacked vigilance to that extent?

 CH 3

    Lynn spent most of the party in Arthur¡¯s company.

    They barely exchanged any words. Lynn thought the total number of sentences they had spoken during the party was probably about twenty or so.

    It was just that the exchange seemed capable of creating a little air of intimacy, thus making it easier to face the party together than when they were alone.

    Halfway through the party, Lynn informed Arthur that he had to go to the bathroom. The other man said that he didn¡¯t need to report to him; he wouldn¡¯t tag along with him like their daughters.

    Lynn laughed as he left. He called the station, asking whether the arrest warrant for the case had been approved¡ªthe judge was obviously on good terms with Caviezel, really considering Caviezel¡¯s reputation and various fundings he had made¡ªand if everything went well, maybe the case would be closed tonight.

    Donald said excitedly that this was the first time ever in the town a murder case had been resolved so quickly.

    The first floor was too crowded as everyone was gathered there. Lynn decided to go to the bathroom on the second floor, which was quiet and deserted.

    On the phone, his subordinate said that the arrest warrant had been approved. The judge had realized that Caviezel might not be the good guy in the neighborhood he had thought he had been at all. When they had arrived at Caviezel¡¯s home, he was not there. He had abandoned his son and wife at home. Lynn told Donald to start a town-wide manhunt immediately.

    God knew what a criminal who had suddenly lost everything would do.

    He ended the call and tucked his phone away in his pocket, thinking that he might have to stay up all night tonight.

    The floor was quiet, and he could faintly hear the noise coming from downstairs. It was just one floor, but it felt like these noises were coming from another world.

    The bathroom was empty. It was usually full of people, but at this moment, it was silent.

    He turned on the tap and splashed cold water on his face when he heard a ¡®click¡¯ from behind him.

    He turned around sharply and put his hand on the gun.

    Caviezel was standing there.

    He was neatly dressed in expensive formal wear for the evening¡¯s party as if he didn¡¯t know what was going on. He was less than forty years old, well-maintained, handsome, and had the easy arrogance of a successful man who liked to be in charge of social situations.

    He looked no different from his usual self, but there was something odd about his posture. Lynn slowly pulled the gun from its holster, feeling sweat seeping out of his palms. This may not be necessary, it¡¯s just a desperate rich man, he reasoned. But his deeper instinct screamed danger and warned him to be prepared for the worst to happen.

    ¡°Mr. Caviezel?¡± he said.

    ¡°Hi, Officer,¡± Caviezel said, standing in the doorway, completely blocking the way out, ¡°I wasn¡¯t supposed to come to dinner today. You know, I don¡¯t have any children in school. But Mrs. Allison insisted that I come because I¡¯m an important figure in the town.¡±

    He looked up at Lynn with a smile. Lynn raised his gun and pointed it at the other party. The man¡¯s smile revealed a mouth full of sharp shark-like teeth that would make people¡¯s blood run cold.

    ¡°I actually had a child before, but he died in an accident. If he were still alive, he would be in high school now,¡± the man went on.

    Lynn¡¯s scalp was tingling. He had seen such teeth in a case a year ago. The case had mysteriously disappeared, but he remembered that on that human-looking face, there was something dark and abnormal, as if the DNA of some monster had been mixed in, turning him into some sort of hybrid monster.

    ¡°I never wanted to have children too early, because that will affect my career, you know,¡± Caviezel continued, taking a step forward, seemingly eager to brag about his accomplishments, ¡°Now I¡¯ve become an important person in the town. I¡¯m involved in half of the public welfare projects here. I participated in the construction of this building as well, and the school is going to name a small auditorium after me next year.¡±

    ¡°Back off, Mr. Caviezel!¡± Lynn said, ¡°or I¡¯ll shoot!¡±

    His heart was beating out of his chest, but he knew that his hand was still very steady, enough to hit the other person¡¯s heart in one shot.

    ¡°I just slept with a high school student, what¡¯s the big deal?¡± The changes on his face became more pronounced, and a crack opened from the corner of his mouth which resembled a hideous grin, and there were more sharp teeth inside. ¡°She¡¯s just a little whore you can find anywhere on the street. When she grows up, like all women like her, she will marry someone and squeeze him dry with cosmetics and endless clothes.¡±

    He became taller, his body bulging out of his suit. It seemed like he didn¡¯t want to burst through the suit, so he looked a little hunched over.

    There seemed to be something terrifying inside of him that wanted to take advantage of the fire of rage burning within him to rush out, Lynn thought.

    ¡°It¡¯s like that dead child of mine,¡± Caviezel continued, ¡°It¡¯s just a child, it¡¯s not like I can¡¯t have more, but Emily keeps thinking about it. I know she hates me and thinks it¡¯s my fault. She¡¯s a fucking crazy woman.¡±

    ¡°I like Emma very much. She¡¯s a smart little girl. She likes men like me, you know, successful ones. But she¡¯s a stupid bitch at heart, just like Emily!¡±

    His fingers became longer and more pointed. They weren¡¯t human hands anymore, but deformed claws.

    Lynn had retreated to the corner of the wall. There was a window behind him, which was barred with metal to prevent small children from doing something dangerous.

    ¡°Everything would have been fine if those cowardly idiots who only know how to ruin things had kept their mouths shut. And you! You just had to go and persistently investigate the matter to the end!¡± Caviezel screamed, surprisingly still retaining the voice of a successful career man.

    But at that moment, its clothes were finally torn by the abnormal growth, and it pounced towards him.

    Lynn raised his hand and pulled the trigger.

    That thing was as fast as lightning, but all the bullets he shot still hit it. Back then, he had been a famous sharpshooter in the police station.

    The bullet only affected its direction of movement. It fell to one side, but its claws still swept Lynn¡¯s forehead. The latter fell to the ground in a mess. The next second, he shot at the window without hesitation.

    ¡ªThat thing climbed to the ceiling and then hung on the window grille. It was huge, with thin limbs like a giant spider. It had a human face, yet its mouth was filled with sharp teeth.

    Lynn was aware that every bullet had struck the target, yet that thing showed no signs of injury!

    He had no way to deal with such a thing. What the hell was this? He had just been attending a school dinner after a garden party!

    The thing was like a hunting spider and it moved so fast that it was almost invisible to the naked eyes. Lynn stubbornly fired again. He fired three shots in a row, one of which hit it. It successfully dodged the remaining bullets thanks to its speed, leaving a series of holes in the wall. Lynn seized this opportunity and sprinted towards the door.

    He grasped the door handle and turned it to open the door a crack, but the next second, a huge force grabbed the back of his collar and violently threw him away, and he slammed into the mirror on the wall.

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    Ktja atlcu kjr islcu bc atf mflilcu, uluuilcu.

    ¡°You¡¯re¡­¡± Lynn said, ¡°What the hell are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Caviezel,¡± said the monster, ¡°I¡¯m very pissed off. You¡¯re pissing me off, Officer.¡±

    It lunged forward and Lynn fired a shot at it, but the bullet had no effect on it.

    The huge sharp teeth came into view in a flash.

    ¡°Hey, hey!¡± A voice said.

    Something came flying over and crashed onto the monster right on its teeth. It took a step back and didn¡¯t immediately tear Lynn in half. Then Lynn saw that it was the principal¡¯s lifetime achievement award that had been thrown over. He scrambled back a little, still sitting on the floor.

    Arthur stood at the door. Even in such a scene, he was still as elegant and calm as before.

    ¡°Hi, Mr. Arthur,¡± the creature said, easing the tone of its voice.

    Lynn moved in the direction of the door and Arthur said calmly, ¡°Good evening, Mr. Caviezel. I just saw you come in through the back door. So I followed you over to see what was going on.¡±

    ¡°There was a sentry on the front door,¡± Caviezel said, ¡°and I think that¡¯s very disrespectful to a man of status.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, I was in a bit of a rush just now. I may have hurt your tooth,¡± Arthur said as if he were exchanging pleasantries with the philanthropist Mr. Caviezel at a party, but the things he was talking about were inconceivable.

    ¡°I know that this was an one-off error, Doctor. You are a cultured person,¡± the monster said, leaning over maliciously.

    Meanwhile, Lynn had retreated to the door. His legs were weak, but he still tried to stand up straight. He grabbed Arthur¡¯s arm and said, ¡°We¡¯ve got to get the hell out of this damned place.¡±

    ¡°It will go downstairs,¡± Arthur said, ¡°There is only school security here, and all the police are out searching for Caviezel.¡±

    Lynn heard the soft music downstairs and felt his scalp go numb.

    ¡°We have to go up,¡± Arthur said.

    They both exchanged glances, as if they had worked together a million times, and saw the same thing in each other¡¯s eyes.

    It was as if the same countdown timer appeared in their heads, three, two, one, go! Then without a second of hesitation, they rushed out. Arthur slammed the door shut, and the two turned around and ran upstairs.

    It took the monster a moment to break the door down and catch up.

    The building was dark and silent. Looking at the desolation above, it was hard to imagine that there was a dinner party being held downstairs.

    The two of them dashed across the empty floors. A few minutes ago, they had been attending a joyous party, but now they seemed to be running through a different world.

    Arthur ignored the elevator and rushed into the narrow stairway, with Lynn close behind him. The monster closely pursued them.

    They rushed to the top floor, and Arthur pulled the door open. His clothes rippled and his hair fluttered in the night wind. Under the sky sparkling with stars, the empty top floor appeared almost a little desolate and lonely.

    ¡°What do we do now?¡± Lynn asked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have a gun in your hand?¡± Arthur said.

    ¡°The gun didn¡¯t work. I tried hitting it but the thing didn¡¯t react at all!¡±

    ¡°How can it not react?!¡±

    A voice said from behind, ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re running upstairs, but I do know that I don¡¯t want to let you jump down and be done with it.¡±

    They turned their heads, and the spider-like thing crawled in, ripping the lock off the door. It still had Caviezel¡¯s voice, and even had half a suit hanging off of it.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to die very, very tragically, all torn apart, giving the beautiful ladies downstairs nightmares to think about,¡± said the creature, ¡°and of course, your little girls won¡¯t survive tonight. Poor things, they¡¯re so young. But you have offended the wrong person, so you have to pay the price.¡±

    ¡°It has nothing to do with them!¡± Lynn said.

    ¡°It¡¯s only natural for a family to share responsibilities,¡± Caviezel said.

    ¡°Better stop acting like you know any aphorisms,¡± Arthur said, ¡°You¡¯re an idiot, and you can¡¯t hide it.¡±

    Both Lynn and the creature turned their heads to look at him. He stood on the top floor without any cover, sounding like he was merely expressing the obvious.

    ¡°Idiot?¡± Caviezel raised his voice. ¡°There are indeed idiots here now, and I guess they¡¯re the ones who are going to die soon!¡±

    ¡°I know what you did, Mr. Caviezel, and nothing we can do will change the fact that you¡¯re a fool. And it¡¯s hanging over you like a billboard now,¡± Arthur said.

    Lynn really wanted to shut him up, but he didn¡¯t say anything.

    Arthur stood there alone with the darkness of the night as a backdrop. At that moment, Lynn once again saw that indifference, the expression in those eyes almost emotionless, oozing with the cruelty of a predator.

    ¡°And in the world you came into, there is a saying,¡± Arthur said, ¡°that ¡®Fools are not qualified to live¡®.¡±

    That tone was sufficient to stomp on anyone¡¯s ego, even if that were a spider¡¯s.

    The monster stared at him for a moment, then slowly approached him.

    ¡°You¡¯ll see who doesn¡¯t deserve to live tonight,¡± Arthur said softly. Another mouth split open from the monster¡¯s face, containing layers and layers of sharp teeth.

    Compared to the monstrous creature, Arthur was somewhat flimsy, but he stood straight and motionless. Lynn thought that Arthur was more intimidated by zealous housewives than by this monster.

    Lynn briefly noticed some sticky, transparent fluid oozing out where Caviezel had walked. It was not blood, but he knew that he had wounded it. Caviezel still hadn¡¯t noticed it yet. He had obtained that power, but had not figured out clearly yet just how powerful it was. Lynn suddenly thought that Arthur was right, the creature was really stupid.

    He raised his hand and pulled the trigger.

    All the remaining bullets hit Caviezel, and the monster gave a cry, finally feeling the pain. It suddenly turned and rushed over. Lynn had already emptied all the bullets. He moved back but was unable to evade the approaching attack. The monster¡¯s forelimbs swept heavily past his head, as fast as lightning.

    He felt a wave of dizziness, followed by excruciating pain as blood poured down his face.

    Stepping on a puddle of his blood, the monster charged, raising its forelimbs high, trying to smash Lynn to pieces.

    But its movement suddenly stopped, as if overwhelmed by some powerful force. He saw its limbs trembling like it was enduring great pain, shaking like a withered leaf in the chilly breeze.

    Then he caught a glimpse of Arthur slowly emerging from the darkness behind the monster. The other man glanced at the monster from the corner of his eye, his bearing was as if he was tasting wine; appraising to see what was the level and intensity of its pain, what kind of dread it experienced, as well as what kind of terrible final onslaught of death it had.

    Lynn saw the man was soaked in blood, and this was his last conscious thought before he passed out.

    When Lynn woke up, a day had passed.

    He was lying in the bed of the best hospital in town, his head wrapped in bandages. The sun streamed into the room that was filled with flowers and fruits, and some fancy little cards saying they wished the town¡¯s best police officer a speedy recovery and inviting him to a bunch of house parties.

    He sat there blankly until the doctor came and told him that he had been hit in the head while arresting the criminal Caviezel and had a serious concussion, so he needed to stay in the hospital for observation.

    The doctor told him that Mr. Caviezel had attempted to attack him in the bathroom after breaking into the school, but he had ended up killing himself. Mr. Arthur had called the police and said that by the time he had arrived, the attack was over, and he hadn¡¯t seen anything happen.

    The doctor explained to him how Mr. Caviezel had been left with several bullet holes in him but had driven away anyway. His car had hit a fuel tank of the gas station just outside of town¡ªmostly because he had been so badly injured¡ªand exploded, leaving little left.

    Then the doctor also advised him not to worry about Chrissie. She was staying at her best friend Krystyn¡¯s house. The little girl was worried sick, but it was not visiting hours, so she would probably be here later.

    The doctor checked his pupils, and asked him questions like, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°What year is it?¡± ¡°How many fingers did I stick out?¡± and then finally asked, ¡°Do you still remember what happened that night?¡±

    Lynn opened his lower lip, and Mr. Caviezel¡¯s sharp teeth appeared in his mind. Remembering the monster climbing up the ceiling or chasing him down the corridor, he felt his throat go dry and reached for his glass of water.

    ¡°Do you still remember what happened, Mr. Lynn?¡± The doctor asked again.

    ¡°I have a question. What did Arthur say about that night?¡±

    ¡°As I said, Lynn, when he arrived, he found you passed out on the floor. He immediately called the doctor,¡± the other party said.

    ¡°He said so?¡± Lynn said.

    ¡°Is there any problem?¡± The doctor asked.

    ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t remember much about what happened that night. I only remember the dance or something. I don¡¯t even remember going to the bathroom.¡±

    The doctor flashed him a smile, the kind of reassuring and encouraging smile one usually gave to sick people. ¡°Short-term memory loss is common in cases of brain injury, so don¡¯t worry. At least we¡¯ve taken care of that awful Mr. Caviezel, haven¡¯t we?¡± After he finished speaking, he bade Lynn goodbye, and went to check on other patients.

    You have no idea about the degree of Mr. Caviezel¡¯s ¡°awfulness¡±, Lynn thought.

    Sitting inside the bright and clean room, Lynn kept on pondering. He felt that the events of that day seemed like a crazy, dark dream in contrast.

    Was it all a dream? Then he remembered Arthur who stood on the top floor, looking sideways at the monster. What doctor who wanted to live a peaceful life in the town with his daughter?! What nice family man?! Fuck him!

    Wait a minute, did the doctor say Chrissie lived at Krystyn¡¯s? That¡¯s Arthur¡¯s house!

    Lynn tried to jump off the bed, but his head felt a strong dizziness and he fell to his knees in a messy heap. He tried to hold on to the edge of the bed to prevent himself from falling down completely.

    ¡°Daddy!¡± A voice called out and Lynn looked up. Chrissie jumped on him and wrapped her arms around him.

    Lynn subconsciously held her tightly in his arms. His little girl, the only treasure he had in his life, was very safe. Nothing had happened to her.

    In this fucking sick world, he really wanted to hold her like this and never let go.

    ¡°God, oh God, Chrissie, you¡¯re alright,¡± he said.

    When the little girl had rushed in, she was obviously enthusiastic and smelled of vanilla cake. But when she got to her Daddy¡¯s arms, the floodgate of tears seemed to open and she burst into tears. Lynn scrambled to comfort her.

    ¡°You¡¯re hurt, Officer, you shouldn¡¯t be getting out of bed,¡± a voice said.

    Lynn looked up and there stood Arthur, dressed in a dark coat, appearing plain but dapper, holding a basket of cookies with a red ribbon that didn¡¯t match his aristocratic look at all.

    Krystyn stood next to Arthur and gave Lynn a joyful hug.

    Everywhere he went, Arthur acted as though he were in his own home. After scanning the table that was packed to the brim, he placed the basket on another person¡¯s gift and said, ¡°Miss Doris gave it to me. I think you might need it.¡±

    You¡¯re just dealing with waste, Lynn thought.

    He glared daggers at Arthur, and the other man, looking oblivious under his glare, checked the food, finally took an apple, sat down in a chair beside him, and took a shameless bite.

    ¡°Dad, we¡¯re here to visit, not eat fruit,¡± Krystyn said.

    ¡°It¡¯s just an apple, it¡¯s not like he can eat all of it,¡± Arthur said.

    Krystyn turned her head to look at Lynn and said seriously, ¡°My dad can be very unreliable sometimes, I¡¯m very sorry.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, let him eat it if he wants to,¡± Lynn said.

    He soothed Chrissie for a while, promising her that he would never get hurt again, and that he would never leave her alone. He swore to her mother¡¯s spirit in heaven.

    Arthur finished nibbling on the apple, threw the core in the trash, and said to Krystyn, ¡°Can we leave now?¡±

    ¡°No, we¡¯re going with Chrissie,¡± Krystyn said.

    ¡°You can¡¯t go!¡± Lynn said fiercely to Arthur.

    ¡°But I only ate an apple from you,¡± Arthur said.

    ¡°Miss Kean!¡± The young nurse rushed in after hearing Lynn¡¯s call and asked, ¡°What can I do for you, Officer Lynn?¡± then she said with a red face, ¡°Dr. Arthur.¡±

    ¡°Could you please take Krystyn and Chrissie to the children¡¯s resting lounge for a while? I have something I want to talk to Mr. Arthur about in private,¡± Lynn said.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing I want to say to you,¡± Arthur said, and Krystyn gave him a fierce stare.

    ¡°Sure, no problem,¡± Miss Kean said, ushering the two kids out.

    ¡°You have to cooperate, Dad,¡± Krystyn said sternly to her father before she left.

    The ward fell silent for a while after the two kids left. The room was full of flowers, fruits and balloons, making the topic Lynn wanted to talk about seem bizarre and far-fetched.

    Arthur looked at him warily. ¡°I don¡¯t think we have anything in particular to talk about, Officer.¡±

    ¡°You want to pretend you don¡¯t know anything?¡± Lynn said, ¡°Well, then I¡¯ll say it. I want to talk about the night of the garden party.¡±

    ¡°I was interrogated extensively about that day by your subordinates,¡± Arthur said, starting to stare at his fingers, ¡°I heard that you had a severe concussion and don¡¯t remember that night at all. If you really want to know what happened, you can look it up in the police files. You really don¡¯t need me to re-tell it again.¡±

    He sounded as if nothing had happened.

    Lynn stared at him and said, ¡°Actually, Arthur, I just don¡¯t have a way to explain to the doctor what I saw that time, but I do remember what I saw that night¡­¡±

    He stopped and the man sitting across from him smiled, not a gentle, friendly smile, but the kind of icy smile he had seen in the interrogation room.

    Everything went back to that night when this suspect was dangerous and firmly refused to talk .

    Still looking at his fingers, he said softly, ¡°Obviously, the fact that you got a concussion and didn¡¯t see anything will make everyone do better. For example, I know why you don¡¯t want to tell the doctor what you saw; it must have been some very crazy stuff. Talking about it could cost you your job and a lawsuit, right?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean by that,¡± Lynn said coldly.

    ¡°I used some means to find out about the reason why you were transferred here,¡± Arthur said, ¡°You weren¡¯t devolved because you wanted a change of work environment, but because the psychiatrist thought you were crazy. You had severe auditory and visual hallucinations, and you almost shot and killed an innocent man. The police station thought you were slightly ill and sent you to work in a harmless town like this. I don¡¯t know what would happen if they knew you still had those severe hallucinations.¡±

    ¡°I know you really, really want to hide something, Arthur. You keep a distance from everyone for that reason,¡± Lynn said, ¡°I don¡¯t think I was hallucinating the other night. There¡¯s nothing wrong with my brain. It is you who has the problem.¡±

    ¡°If you really believe you saw monsters, why don¡¯t you tell your doctor about it,¡± Arthur said.

    Lynn stared at him, and Arthur looked back blankly.

    ¡°Arthur, what the hell are you trying to hide?¡±

    ¡°All the people are going to treat you like a lunatic,¡± Arthur said.

    ¡°I¡¯m a lunatic. I was sent down to Oak Town for being a lunatic, remember? A madman believes in what he sees! So I ask you, what the fuck are you, what is that thing, and why did he have a car accident outside the town?!¡±

    ¡°Excuse me, did something happen?¡± A nurse probed, obviously hearing the argument over here.

    ¡°Nothing, we had a discussion about some trivial stuff,¡± Arthur said, standing up, ¡°I was just about to leave.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going home tonight,¡± Lynn said, ¡°Chrissie is coming back with me, and you and your daughter stay away from her!

    Arthur stood there, looked at him for a few seconds, and then nodded his head.

    ¡°Okay, I promise,¡± he said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to be friends with you either.¡±

    He turned to leave and Lynn felt a wave of vertigo; the yelling he had just done was obviously not good for his health.

    ¡°You can¡¯t leave the hospital today, Mr. Lynn!¡± said the nurse.

    ¡°Tell me what to watch out for and I¡¯ll be careful,¡± Lynn said, ¡°I lose sleep when I¡¯m not sleeping at home, and I guess insomnia is worse for my head, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    After glaring at him, the nurse finally said she would talk to the doctor to see what could be done. Lynn sat on the bed, thinking about how to convince the doctor to let him leave. He had played such tricks several times before when he had been in the Major Crimes Unit, because he had really been a workaholic at that time.

    But now, he had to go home and take care of Chrissie. He had to talk to her about keeping her distance from that father and daughter duo.

    Arthur was very dangerous. Although he had saved him¡ªand things would have probably been much harder for him if Arthur hadn¡¯t thrown that trophy or walked away from the problem on the roof¡ªthat didn¡¯t change the facts.

    He was harboring terrible secrets. Maybe he was someone who was willing to help, but Lynn knew people like him. Once they thought you were endangering what they were trying to protect, they would immediately turn back into a desperado and cut you down without any mercy.

    He pinched the middle of his eyebrows. He couldn¡¯t tell the doctor what he had seen that night. Like Arthur said, he had a medical history. After Kelly had died, he¡¯d worked like crazy for a while and then for some reason, he¡¯d started to exhibit severe neurotic symptoms.

    At first, his hands had started shaking uncontrollably. In severe cases, he couldn¡¯t even lift a glass, let alone reload the gun. If this was a minor problem, what was worse was that he had started having a series of hallucinations, first just auditory hallucinations followed by visual hallucinations. The ghosts and screams in his hallucinations that were enough to drive people crazy had almost made him shoot someone to death.

    At that time he hadn¡¯t known how to protect himself and how to judge situations, but at present everything was already on the right track. Chrissie liked it here, she was finally slowly recovering her liveliness, and he would make sure everything was on track and nothing unexpected happened.

    He slowly lay back in bed while pressing the center of his eyebrows. He couldn¡¯t get the spider-like monster of that night out of his head, as well as the cold lifeless eyes of the black-haired man out of his mind. He pushed them to the back of his mind. When the doctor came in, he showed a bright smile and said, ¡°Hey, Doctor, I¡¯m really sorry, but I¡¯m afraid I really, really need to leave the hospital¡­¡±

    He smiled placidly, as if the whole world was at peace, much like the brilliant blue sky outside the window.

 CH 4

    Warning: This chapter contains graphic content and may be upsetting to some readers.

    Sometimes you really didn¡¯t know the ¡°true face¡± that was hidden under the seemingly harmless appearance of human beings.

    Lynn returned to work on the aftermath of Caviezel¡¯s case as soon as he was discharged from the hospital. They discovered some prescription medicines in Caviezel¡¯s home, and the doctor determined that the drugs were the most likely cause of Mrs. Caviezel¡¯s schizophrenia.

    She had helped him start a company and had owned half of its stock. Later, because of the schizophrenia, she had been unable to do anything. Then all the property had, of course, been transferred over to her husband. Those drugs had been mixed into her medication for her mental problems, and as she had taken it day by day, her condition had worsened.

    Prior to her medication, the drugs might have been put in her coffee cup, her cold medicine, or a candlelight dinner.

    There were bruises on Caviezel Jr.¡¯s body that doctors attributed to his father¡¯s inability to control his emotions. Lynn recalled their first child¡¯s death, which had occurred about the same time as Mrs. Caviezel¡¯s schizophrenia. He had only been six years old when he had fallen down from a building and died, leaving the couple devastated.

    Lynn wondered if that had been a normal death. If Caviezel had not died, would his second son have survived to adulthood?

    Caviezel¡¯s profile showed that he had countless titles. He was an ardent philanthropist and had served as the honorary chairman of several associations. Many public facilities had been named after him. But now, everyone was undoubtedly scrambling to change the names.

    When he had been alive, he had had a hand in all the important decisions of the town, because he had been considered an honorable man, dedicated to public good, and should have been a decisive part of the future of the community. Even at the school dinner party that day, there had been many people praising his generosity and kindness.

    Why would the world permit such a person, who looked very credible and yet had such a warped and perverted core, to exist?

    Caviezel had said that Emma was like his wife. Lynn wondered if she had known about the drugs and the beatings, but there was another possibility¡ªthat horrific mutation.

    It was almost as if a dark power had been alive inside him and had spread throughout his body, causing his limbs to mutate¡­

    He massaged the space in between his eyebrows. Whenever he thought of this kind of thing, the pain on his head that had finally begun to subside began to resurface.

    He had already discussed with Chrissie about her making friends, and the whole process had been a complete failure. He was not good at communicating with children. In the past, even a discussion about cutting back on eating ice cream could turn into a family war, let alone this kind of thing.

    And who could persuade a child to leave her best friend, possibly her only friend, while still maintaining peace?

    It was impossible. Chrissie had screamed at him; he didn¡¯t know she could scream like that. Then she cried so hard that the next day, her eyes were swollen like walnuts.

    He wondered if Arthur had discussed the same issue with his daughter, and if he would have fared a little better than he had. At the very least, he wouldn¡¯t have been standing there miserably, begging her not to cry.

    Now, a week later, Chrissie was no longer talking about it. She had obediently agreed to his requests, but he knew full well that there was still a tone of Krystyn in her speech. It was almost like seeing a diluted image of Arthur at home, and it was driving him crazy. There was also Krystyn¡¯s handwriting on her homework and craft class work.

    His phone rang, and he picked it up.

    A detached, courteous voice spoke, ¡°Officer Lynn?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Arthur,¡± Lynn said frostily.

    ¡°Your daughter is here.¡±

    ¡°What? I had left her in the care of Mrs. Gedell¡ª¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s here. She¡¯s in the tree house in the backyard with my daughter, and she won¡¯t come down. Krystyn threw a puzzle block at me, so maybe you would be willing to come and take her home.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be right there.¡± He was thinking about saying ¡°Thanks for letting me know,¡± when the phone simply hung up on the other end.

    What an annoying guy.

    Arrogant, secretive, dangerous, self-righteous, unreasonable¡­ He was putting on his coat and piling up adjectives in his head when Donald came running in and said, ¡°There¡¯s been a car accident on Seventh Street. Mrs. Carlyle¡¯s car ran into a foreign car¡ª¡±

    ¡°Is it serious?¡± Lynn asked.

    ¡°Ktf mjg kjrc¡¯a rfglberis vjwjufv jcv cb bcf kjr tega, yea sbe xcbk tbk Zgr. Jjgisif lr. Vtf ilxfr ab wjxf fnfgsatlcu ylu. Ojra alwf rtf ibra j ujgvfc rtbnfi, rtf rja lc atf rajalbc obg j kffx. Snfc cbk, ktfcfnfg rtf rffr wf bearlvf, rtf jrxr lo atf rtbnfi tjr yffc vlrmbnfgfv, mijlwlcu atja atf qbilmf vfqjgawfca lr rb ecyfilfnjyis lcmbwqfafca¡­¡±

    So it was three hours later, half an hour after the time he was supposed to be off work, when Lynn, donned in his coat, arrived at Arthur¡¯s house.

    He rang the doorbell of Arthur¡¯s house. The semi-retired doctor lived in a single-family home with a garden, a well-kept lawn, a wide backyard, and a large swimming pool behind the house.

    Arthur opened the door. He was wearing a rather homely white shirt and dark pants. The two little girls had apparently peacefully come down from the tree house and were now noisily making handmade crafts on the table in the living room.

    They had built a medieval castle, with a hillside and moat and all that. They had obviously done some research and done a good job.

    Arthur looked at Lynn with a gelid expression on his face. The police officer was dressed in a wrinkled coat and pants that looked unwashed and like it had been trampled for a month on top of that. He was wearing it like it was both a pajama jacket and a bulletproof vest.

    ¡°Officer Lynn, you obviously have confidence in my reputation. It¡¯s been three hours and twenty minutes since I called you.¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s only been three hours and ten minutes. There was a car accident on Seventh Street and I had to deal with it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m really shocked that you feel so comfortable leaving your child here. Aren¡¯t you worried that an ogre will come and drag her away from my yard?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Lynn said, walking past him into the house.

    The living room of Arthur¡¯s house was not quite what he had envisioned, but it was homey and comfortable, with soft tones that were perfect for children.

    When Chrissie saw Lynn, she quickly lowered her head and pursed her lips, while Krystyn took a wary step closer to the blonde girl with a protective expression on her face.

    ¡°I invited her to play, and she was just too embarrassed to say no,¡± Krystyn said, ¡°This has nothing to do with her. But I have to say, you shouldn¡¯t interfere with your child¡¯s friendship, Officer. She¡¯s the one making friends, not you.¡±

    ¡°Chrissie, I¡¯m sorry, but you can¡¯t¡­¡± Lynn said.

    ¡°That¡¯s what you want to say?¡± Arthur said from behind.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I let them both stay here so that you could see what was going on, not so that you could come and say ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡¯ to her,¡± Arthur said, ¡°Kids need to be taught, Officer. If I¡¯d known you were coming to apologize, I wouldn¡¯t have let you in.¡±

    ¡°Then you tell me what needs to be done!¡±

    ¡°Say something other than ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡¯?¡±

    Opposite them, two children stood side by side, one with a tough expression and the other with tears in her eyes. For both of them, this was the biggest problem in the world. Especially since the two of them were still standing on the same side against their fathers.

    Lynn looked at Arthur, who looked back.

    The tension of hostility between the two fathers was palpable, revealing a faint smell of gunpowder. In contrast, the little darling girls on the opposite side couldn¡¯t be torn apart as if they were stuck together by all-purpose glue.

    Lynn disliked Arthur because this person was overly adamant about hiding something. Lynn, a policeman, hated this situation because he knew that great danger lay behind those concealments.

    These people might ordinarily project the image of a good citizen in the community, but once someone touched their secret, they would immediately turn back into desperadoes, protecting their dark past at all costs. These secrets could never be allowed to see the light of day, which was why people like them changed their names.

    He would never let Chrissie near this family under any circumstances.

    And he was well aware that Arthur absolutely and sincerely hated him and wanted him to stay away from his beloved family as well. He hated anyone who had found out, or might find out, about his secret, and he would go to any length¡ªas had been proven in the hospital room¡ªto keep others away from his family and his secret.

    He said with a cold expression, ¡°Chrissie, come back with me now, I want to have a talk with you.¡±

    He turned his head and looked sternly at Arthur, who looked at him with a wintry expression. ¡°I appreciate you informing me, Mr. Arthur. I¡¯ll deal with this problem. I hope that you can talk to your daughter as well.¡±

    ¡°I will.¡±

    And with that, Lynn left Arthur¡¯s house with a cold expression on his face and his crying little girl in his arms.

    A month later, Arthur sent Chrissie back to Lynn¡¯s house with a frosty expression. She had sneaked away from Mrs. Gedell house and gone to Krystyn¡¯s. Mrs. Gedell couldn¡¯t discipline them at all.

    Additionally, Mrs Gedell didn¡¯t want to discipline at all; she didn¡¯t understand Arthur¡¯s dislike of the two girls playing together. She, personally, would really like to see her children running to the handsome policeman¡¯s house every day so that she could deepen her relationship with him.

    The two fathers completed the handover ceremony with a chilly expression. This was already the seventh time. Several times, Lynn had found them in Chrissie¡¯s room doing homework or playing games, and had called Arthur to pick up Krystyn.

    Several times, they both disappeared. The two fathers asked each other in panic, and finally found them in the school activity room, on the roof, or the neighborhood park.

    No matter how many times they talked, neither of them were willing to change.

    Chrissie used to be a child known for her obedience, but now it was clear that she had a clear opinion and didn¡¯t agree with Lynn at all.

    Chrissie went to her room, leaving the two fathers glaring coldly at each other at the door.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve run out of ideas,¡± Lynn said.

    ¡°They¡¯re very opinionated.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t control her at all. She¡¯s like a squirrel. She¡¯s out the window as soon as I stop paying attention!¡±

    ¡°Krystyn doesn¡¯t listen to me.¡± Arthur sighed. ¡°I spoke to her about her making friends, and she said she could sue me if I interfered with her personal life again.¡±

    The two stood in silence for a while. The originally hostile atmosphere was filled with a despairing sense of helplessness for their children.

    Lynn thought that he might never know what Arthur was trying to hide, but at this moment, he was sure they were in the same trench, fighting the same war.

    Lynn¡¯s phone rang and he took it out to look at the number, and Arthur said, ¡°Well, I¡¯ll leave first then¡­¡±

    Arthur hadn¡¯t finished his sentence when his phone also rang.

    Lynn¡¯s call came from the police station of the neighboring town. There had been a series of traffic accidents on the nearby highway. There were too many injured people for the local police to handle. They were asking to dispatch a part of Oak Town¡¯s police.

    Lynn said they would arrive there in half an hour with the necessary equipment while thinking, damn, I have to let Chrissie stay overnight at Mrs. Gedell¡¯s place again.

    As he hung up the call, he noticed that Arthur hadn¡¯t left. He was still standing by the car answering the phone, and Lynn heard him say, ¡°I¡¯ll be right there.¡±

    Then he ended the call and turned to look at Lynn.

    ¡°Serial traffic accidents in Rainfield Town?¡± Lynn asked.

    ¡°The casualties are severe. They need us to send some doctors from Oak Town to help out on the road,¡± Arthur said.

    Lynn knew that Arthur was qualified as a doctor, but he had never seen him in action. It was said that he mainly did research at home. Lynn had also read some of the papers that were allegedly written by him, which were filled with an air of profoundness. Currently, he occasionally took up operations in other regions as a favor for others.

    Lynn had once doubted whether he was a doctor. Now it seemed that he really was. Which fake doctor would dare to go to the scene of a traffic accident and operate on the injured?

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe this accident has mobilized you too,¡± he said.

    Arthur spread his hands, expressing something along the lines of although he did not work very often, there was nothing wrong with helping.

    ¡°It seems that I won¡¯t be able to spend the night with Chrissie at home again.¡±

    ¡°Will you send Chrissie to Mrs. Gedell?¡± Everyone in town trusted Mrs. Gedell¡¯s nursery.

    Lynn nodded. Arthur thought for a moment and said, ¡°I¡¯ll send Krystyn there, too. Although I can find someplace else, Officer Lynn, the car accident is very serious. We don¡¯t know how long it will take before we can leave. It¡¯s safer for them to stay together, otherwise they will run out alone to find each other. I don¡¯t want to take such a risk.¡±

    Lynn looked at him for a while, then laughed. He was one hell of a dangerous guy out-and-out, but there was one thing he had never ever doubted¡ªhis care for his daughter.

    ¡°Me too,¡± he said, ¡°I¡¯m going to go get Chrissie now. You go and pick up Krystyn.¡±

    The scene of the serial traffic accident resembled a miniature hell.

    Countless vehicles were twisted and squeezed into a lump, becoming a deadly, fatal weapon. Blood and limbs were seeping from the corners. Someone was crying, someone was screaming, and there were some small explosions in the beginning. The scene was in pandemonium, and made more chaotic by the lights of ambulances and police cars trying to squeeze in.

    The police and medical staff were busy, with focused expressions that could only be seen when faced with a great disaster. Lynn maintained order at the scene as he directed a crane to pull up a truck to reveal the squashed car underneath.

    The rescue workers immediately rushed over, cut open the door, and pulled out the woman stuck inside.

    She was a bloody mess. Lynn didn¡¯t know how badly she was hurt, but he could see her trying desperately to breathe but failing. In such a situation, a person could die in a heartbeat. Lynn felt suffocated just by looking at the scene.

    Arthur walked over to her, still looking like his usual self, but with a doctor¡¯s badge on his chest. He moved over to listen to her breathing, then said something to the new intern next to him who had been transferred there. The intern frantically rummaged in his bag but couldn¡¯t find what he was looking for. Arthur grabbed his medical bag, pulled something out of it, and pressed it onto the woman¡¯s chest.

    She shuddered for a moment before her breathing began to smoothen. Lynn subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

    Arthur examined her pupils and shoulders. His movements were neat, professional, and efficient. He asked the intern to hold her down somewhere¡ªprobably to stop bleeding¡ªand then quickly spoke about the kind of medical treatment and help the injured person needed.

    Then he left the place and headed for the other victim, while the paramedics carried the woman away. Lynn thought about how she had been extracted out of this nightmare and would begin a difficult recovery period in the hospital.

    Arthur examined another man¡¯s injuries, spoke to him, then ordered the paramedics behind him to get the injured man into the ambulance.

    He still looked expressionless and worked nimbly the entire time, but Lynn noticed that he was the fastest at saving people.

    ¡°Officer Lynn?¡± A voice called.

    He turned his head and saw that his colleague was calling him, asking if he could start cutting up the other car, and he hastily turned around and said he would start immediately.

    It was a long and torturous job.

    They were still working on the site until the edge of the sky turned white, and it looked like they wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep for the rest of the day.

    Some volunteers brought coffee and Lynn took a cup. Thank God for that.

    He turned his head and saw Arthur standing in the opposite direction. He hadn¡¯t seen him for a while, but knew that he had been busy. His always well-fitted clothes were a little wrinkled, and his hair was messy from the wind. He should have looked haggard after staying up all night, and he did look like he had been up all night, but his eyes were bright, just as focused and efficient as always.

    He was on one knee, and Lynn couldn¡¯t see what he was doing, but he was obviously very busy. He picked up a cup of coffee and walked over to him.

    Arthur was examining a young girl who had just been dragged out of a car. Even after the tragedy, her face was still full of youthful luster, but her leg was a mess. It was hard to take a second look at it.

    ¡°This requires amputation,¡± Arthur said.

    The girl grabbed his arm and looked at him. The look in her eyes was even more difficult to face than her injuries.

    Arthur stood there, looking into her eyes, and the silence was excruciating. Then the doctor said slowly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    The girl slowly loosened her hand, and the paramedics carried her to the ambulance. Arthur turned to look at her as it slowly drove away.

    He turned his head and saw Lynn. The police officer handed over the coffee, which he took silently.

    ¡°Is it dreadful?¡± Lynn said.

    Arthur took a sip of coffee and immediately spit it all out.

    ¡°It¡¯s so awful!¡± Arthur exclaimed.

    ¡°Doctor!¡± A voice called from another direction, and another injured person was lifted up. Arthur put the coffee on the roof of a car and turned around to walk away.

    Lynn looked at the paper cup and concluded that the aristocrat was not interested in this kind of drink at all.

    Arthur was halfway down the road when a man sitting on the side of the road, bleeding from the corner of his forehead, grabbed his arm and called out, ¡°Doctor, am I going to die, doctor?¡±

    Lynn thought that Arthur would shake him off because the man¡¯s injury looked like it was skin trauma and he had more serious cases to oversee.

    But, contrary to his expectations, the doctor stopped, moved over, checked his pupils, asked his name and the current date, and told him, ¡°You¡¯re not going to die, you only have a mild concussion.¡±

    He ran to another injured person, and the man on the side of the road pulled another doctor to ask if he was going to die.

    Lynn watched with a strange interest as Arthur went about his business. He finished his cup of coffee, picked up Arthur¡¯s cup on the roof of the car, took a sip, and returned to his post.

 CH 5

    Translation checker: GRain

    Editor: Junyans

    The follow-up work of the traffic accident took a month to resolve, but it was still far from over. There was still a long recovery period, both for those who had lost their loved ones and those who had been seriously injured.

    Lynn¡¯s police duties were back on track, and it was still all incidents of petty theft or small cases like cats unable to climb down from trees.

    As for his private life, his daughter was still playing with another young girl, and from time to time he had to send the child back to her home or greet Arthur at the door when he had had brought Chrissie back.

    AD

    That person appeared repeatedly in his life¡ªsomeone he thought he should be vigilant against and stay as far away from as possible. All his experience as a police officer had taught him this, and his experience was always right.

    When you had such a clear understanding of the whole situation, there should have been no problem in taking action, but it was just that¡­ that was not the case here.

    In October, a big case happened in Oak Town. The whole town was extremely distressed and scared, and every family with children felt anxious.

    The Morton family¡¯s little girl had gone missing.

    The child had just turned nine years old. She had missed the school bus that day because she had stayed until late at her school playing with her friends. The school was very close to her house and her parents were busy, so she went home by herself after school in the afternoon.

    Someone had seen a white Ford, which didn¡¯t look like a car from the town, pull up next to her. The little girl had gotten in and disappeared.

    Lynn received the call when he had already gotten off work and was having dinner. He dropped his plate and hurried over, and he was stuck in the police station for many days after that, with no chance to go back home.

    Nothing was more torturous than this kind of case, and nothing was more difficult than this for a parent to face, especially when it happened to a child. Although this kind of thing actually happened from time to time, it was so awful that it was unexplainable.

    Lynn knew how perverse some people could be in this world, and that no place in the world was safe. Even in such a peaceful town, some terrible people could appear and destroy what you had been trying to protect. And when he received that call and realized that a child was indeed missing, his first reaction was the same as most parents, and that was to worry about his own child, Chrissie.

    He had left in a hurry at dinner, and now Chrissie was home alone¡ªLynn called immediately to confirm whether she was still home¡ªand if little Morton was not found immediately, he wouldn¡¯t be able to return home, and Chrissie would be home alone tonight. Perhaps he might not be able to return home tomorrow and the day after that, too. There was nothing he could do to take care of her.

    The thought of it was unbearable to Lynn, and he wanted to go back immediately and keep his child by his side, not let her leave his sight for even half a step.

    Several times, he couldn¡¯t even listen clearly to his subordinates¡¯ reports, just by thinking that the criminals might still be in town. The crime was obviously committed mainly against seven- and eight-year-old girls. His little girl was alone and unprotected, and someone might hurt her at any moment, causing irreversible harm.

    He knew the horror of the world. He had already seen too much of it.

    He picked up his phone and called Arthur.

    ¡°Arthur¡¯s house, who¡¯s calling?¡± Krystyn said.

    ¡°This is Lynn. Can you put your father on the phone, Krystyn?¡±

    The girl sounded in affirmation, and her voice calling her father came from the phone. After a moment, the phone was picked up, and the calm, indifferent voice came from the other side of the phone. ¡°Officer Lynn?¡±

    At that moment, Lynn felt strangely relieved. He wasn¡¯t sure if this was a kind of degeneration. He had always trusted only himself but now, he felt genuine safety and trust in the voice of a suspected criminal.

    ¡°I suppose you already know about Morton¡¯s child,¡± he said.

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard about it,¡± Arthur said, ¡°Do you think it¡¯s an outsider?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a possibility. Here¡¯s the problem: I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t go home these two days. Chrissie¡¯s by herself. The criminal could still be in town¡­¡±

    He paused for a moment. ¡°Things really aren¡¯t looking good, Arthur. I can¡¯t leave her alone.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll pick her up now,¡± the other person said before hanging up.

    Lynn called Chrissie and informed her that Arthur would be picking her up for staying overnight. The little girl tried to keep calm, but the thought of being with Krystyn obviously made her very delighted. Children had no idea about the pains of being parents at all.

    Later that evening, Arthur called to tell him that he had picked up Chrissie and that the little girl was right in front of him. He assured him, ¡°She¡¯ll be very safe.¡±

    Lynn put down the phone and suddenly realized how scared he had been. There were so many horrifying things in this world.

    But in that moment, he felt that his spirit was once again whole, and he could use all his energy to deal with the case at hand without worrying about a part of himself being torn away again.

    She was at Arthur¡¯s. Neither the school, nor Mrs. Gedell¡¯s house, nor the door of his room with its countless locks could give him such a feeling of security.

    But Arthur¡¯s place could.

    Because he was a very impressive person? Lynn reasoned that maybe it was just because he understood, understood the horror and danger of the world, and the madness of protecting that tiny treasure at all costs.

    For two days after that, Lynn was very busy gathering clues from all parties, thinking with fear that someone would show up at any moment to report the discovery of a child¡¯s body in a quiet corner.

    The police station¡¯s phones were ringing off the hook. Everyone wanted to know if their children were safe. Schools decided to suspend classes for a period of time. All parents were nervously keeping an eye on their children and wouldn¡¯t let them leave their sight.

    Lynn worked several days in a row, and according to police analysis, the child had probably been killed, but people still didn¡¯t want to give up hope.

    Ca bcf qblca, Oscc mbeiv bcis ub tbwf ab riffq obg atgff bg obeg tbegr j vjs. Lf aglfv tlr yfra ab olcv alwf ab rff Jtglrrlf, jcv joafg fztjeralcu vjsr bo kbgx, tf olcjiis wjcjufv ab ogff eq rbwf alwf ab xcbmx bc Cgateg¡¯r vbbg ja cbbc.

    When Arthur opened the door, the first thought in Lynn¡¯s head was: Oh my God, the food smells so good that it¡¯s dizzying.

    Jtglrrlf gertfv bea bo atf gbbw jcv teuufv tlw. Oscc qlmxfv tfg eq. Llr cfwfrlr aegcfv ab bcf rlvf jcv ifa tlw lc. Oscc rjk tlr bkc gfoifmalbc oijrtlcu bc atf uijrr. Llr yijmx tjlg kjr wfrrs, tlr yfjgv raeyyif tjv ugbkc eq, jcv tf ibbxfv ilxf j qtjcabw ktb tjv fnfgsatlcu rdeffhfv bea bo tlw, sfa tlr fsfr kfgf rtjgq fcbeut ab rajy rbwfbcf ja jcs alwf atgbeut jcv atgbeut.

    He walked into the room. Arthur¡¯s family had been about to eat, and the food on the table had just been set, rich and tempting, which made Lynn strongly recall that his last meal had been at noon the previous day.

    Arthur stared at him, and Krystyn stared at Arthur severely.

    The host slowly pulled back his chair and asked, ¡°Since it¡¯s such a coincidental time, would you mind staying for a casual meal, Officer?¡±

    Lynn knew it was bad, but he really didn¡¯t have the courage to refuse. He put Chrissie down, coughed, and said, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll trouble you.¡±

    Arthur frowned, probably not expecting him to actually agree. Before he could say anything else, Krystyn said cheerfully, ¡°You¡¯ll love my dad¡¯s cooking. Today we made beef stew in red wine, and he¡¯s very good at it. You know, he didn¡¯t even know what butter was before, but when he really decided to learn cooking, he learned it very quickly.¡±

    ¡°Oh, then I¡¯m looking forward to it,¡± Lynn said as he sat down in a chair. The food on the table was so tempting that it made his eyes glaze over. He tried to maintain table manners and not reach out to steal anything. Arthur placed the cutlery in front of him with a cold expression, clearly not happy about him staying for the meal.

    Lynn said dryly, ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Arthur said coldly, ¡°No, I hope you like my cooking,¡± while glaring at Krystyn, and his daughter glared back hard.

    ¡°Uh, it looks very tempting,¡± Lynn said.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I didn¡¯t know you were coming so I didn¡¯t poison it,¡± Arthur said.

    ¡°Manners, Dad!¡± Krystyn said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think Officer Lynn would mind little things like that. He¡¯s open-minded.¡±

    Lynn laughed and said, ¡°I think I¡¯d swallow it all, even if it was poisoned.¡±

    ¡°Then Christmas would have arrived early.¡±

    ¡°Dad!¡±

    Arthur finally finished dividing the food¡ªactually, there was still a good deal left which he hadn¡¯t finished dividing yet¡ªand Lynn started to finish off his plate.

    Arthur gave him a strange look, but said nothing.

    The food tasted extremely good. Lynn had a hard time imagining that someone like Arthur could cook so well. He seemed like the type of person who would never go near the kitchen, but would boss the chef around and complain that the meat wasn¡¯t tender enough and the vegetables weren¡¯t fresh enough.

    Krystyn mentioned a few times that it wasn¡¯t that long ago that Arthur had been a complete idiot about cooking, probably worse than Lynn himself. At least he could reheat pizza in the microwave when he had been six.

    But, in order to help the people around them, some people would learn things they had never expected to touch before and become an expert.

    The meal was so delicious that Lynn really wished that he could lick the plates clean. He couldn¡¯t remember the last time he had eaten something so tasty. It was the kind of food that you would make when you were willing to take care of someone else. It took time and effort, but you were not in a hurry and were willing to spend such effort.

    He ate everything in a few minutes, and wondered, somewhat guiltily, since Arthur had obviously not considered doing his portion, if he had eaten part of Arthur¡¯s share, because the guy hadn¡¯t really eaten much.

    After dinner, Arthur cleared the table, then went to the kitchen to wash the dishes, with the two children helping out, looking happy and warm at home.

    Lynn awkwardly tried to help with some of the work. He went to help Arthur put away the dishes. Arthur washed the dishes in a neat and efficient manner. He stared at his hands, wondering what on earth had changed a man like him so much that he was willing to stay here to wash the dishes?

    He was so absorbed in his thoughts that when Arthur handed him the plate, his hand slipped and the plate fell, and Arthur quickly caught it with his backhand.

    The movement was extremely swift and steady, requiring first-class reflexes. Arthur put the plate away and said to Lynn, ¡°I think it¡¯s time for you to get back to work, Officer.¡±

    Lynn raised his hand in a gesture of surrender. ¡°I also think it would be less out of place for me to go back to work, too.¡±

    Arthur waved his hand, earnestly wishing that he had left sooner, while continuing to wash the dishes.

    Arthur must have wanted him to get as far away from his house as possible, Lynn thought, as any proximity would be unhelpful to hiding his secrets. It was just like how Lynn had always decided to keep a distance from people like Arthur. People who wanted to protect secrets at all costs were always too dangerous.

    But he took one last look at Arthur before he left. The man was quietly washing the dishes, and the two children were running around, laughing brightly. Everything existed simply for the sake of living quietly.

    He knew full well that Arthur was a man of disaster and darkness, but he was really unable to associate this man, this scene, with any image of danger or horror.

    The Morton family¡¯s little girl had still not been found.

    The month after that, no children from Oak Town had gone missing. Apparently the killer had left town, and many parents were relieved. But the missing girl was always like a fishbone stuck in everyone¡¯s throat. This was the kind of thorn that people would never forget in their whole lives.

    The child¡¯s family, however, had been torn apart and completely destroyed.

    But other people¡¯s lives still had to go on. As soon as overtime had subsided, Lynn had gone to Arthur¡¯s house to get Chrissie back, and at his daughter¡¯s order, Arthur reluctantly invited him for a cup of tea.

    The tea had been carefully brewed, but the atmosphere was stiff. Lynn drank everything in the cup in one gulp, and Arthur tried his best not to show a contemptuous expression. He asked, ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡±

    ¡°We think some passing criminal did it,¡± Lynn said, ¡°He left town that night, and now he¡¯s in who knows where in the world.¡±

    ¡°When he was passing by, he accidentally found a little girl to amuse himself with, and then threw her away when he was done with her,¡± Arthur said coldly.

    ¡°Yes,¡± Lynn said. He placed the cup back on the table. The porcelain collided with the table, making a sharp sound.

    Arthur was silent, and the light shone from behind, making the atmosphere heavy.

    ¡°It¡¯s just an arbitrary game to kill time,¡± Arthur said.

    Lynn leaned back heavily on the sofa, pressed the center of his brows, and said, ¡°Sometimes I think about Emma¡¯s case, and now this case, and realize how there¡¯s no safe place in the world. It¡¯s too terrible. No matter where one goes, if there¡¯s no safe place, what can they do?!¡±

    Arthur didn¡¯t say anything for a while, then he picked up the teapot and slowly poured Lynn a cup of tea, saying, ¡°Tea should be drunk slowly.¡±

    After gloomily sitting on the sofa for a while, Lynn sat up straight and picked up the cup of tea. He drank it slowly, and it didn¡¯t taste bad. The beauty of tasting this kind of thing seemed to lie in the more subtle aspects that required some effort, and did not stimulate the senses directly.

    They drank the tea in silence for a while. It was very quiet save for the sound of Arthur pouring tea into the cup. He had brought this habit with him from a different world, and even when he arrived here, he still gave off the impression of being calm and steady.

    Lynn was not good at expressing himself. He always hid some terrible things in his heart. It was the kind of darkness which couldn¡¯t see the light, because it was too bad. And speaking it out loud would leave him screaming hysterically. It was better to keep them to himself. But here and now, he wanted to say something.

    When he opened his mouth, his voice was suppressed and angry. ¡°I can¡¯t find the bastard!¡±

    ¡°He was a passerby, driving a car, and he would have been gone within an hour, nowhere to be found,¡± Arthur said.

    ¡°I did everything in my ability, but I still couldn¡¯t find that bastard!¡± Lynn yelled, ¡°I couldn¡¯t find that kid. Oh God, she¡¯s only nine!¡±

    Arthur slowly poured tea into his empty cup.

    ¡°In this world, sin is not punished, nor is virtue rewarded,¡± Arthur said, ¡°It¡¯s a very dangerous and scary place, and it¡¯s unbelievably bad. I¡¯ve done everything in my ability to keep my daughter safe, but there really isn¡¯t any safe place in the world. Lynn, there is no such place in the world.¡±

    He stared into his cup of tea and whispered, ¡°We don¡¯t have such a place.¡±

    He poured himself some more tea and said, ¡°The kids are upstairs playing and discussing an essay about whales and don¡¯t want to split up just yet. We can finish this pot of tea and wait for them for a while.¡±

    Lynn smiled and drank the tea slowly. It seemed interesting to do such a delicate thing occasionally.

    Almost an hour had passed since they had finished drinking that pot of tea. Lynn found it hard to believe that he would spend so much time alone with Arthur and would even taste tea!

    It even felt surprisingly good.

    He led Chrissie away. When he reached the door, the two girls were still reluctant to say goodbye¡ªit really made people jealous. Chrissie was always overjoyed to be at Arthur¡¯s house, and when it was time to leave, she was as sad as if she was leaving Disneyland¡ªand Lynn shook hands with Arthur solemnly.

    ¡°Thank you for taking care of her,¡± he said.

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡±

    The two fathers looked at each other for a moment. Lynn thought, of course we should both be relieved. Because we could finally leave our previously close lives together and keep our distance. The two men had come from afar to Oak Town and wanted to pursue a life that was absolutely beneficial and harmless.

    On the way back, Lynn told himself that, and he knew in his heart that it was impossible.

    By the way, little Morton was found on the other side of the country two years later. She still remembered her name and home address, but she couldn¡¯t tell what had happened during the time she was missing. The point was, Lynn thought, that it was hard to imagine that she had endured a disaster which was difficult to survive.

    The local police were cautiously trying to trigger some of her memories in the hope of catching the kidnapper. It was said that they already had some clues.

    But that was all in the future.

    The instinct Lynn had against Arthur was accurate. His instincts were always very accurate, no matter whether it was when he had been in the Major Crimes Unit or when he had first seen Arthur: the person had been very elegant at the time, but the darkness inside his bones and the smell of secrets that had lingered on him had stirred Lynn¡¯s police instincts.

    After that, Lynn and Arthur¡¯s lives really became closer and closer.

    On a normal afternoon¡ªthere were a lot of normal afternoons like this¡ªhe went to Arthur¡¯s house to pick up Chrissie and bring her back home. The two children were doing homework in the living room. When she saw Lynn coming over, Chrissie happily greeted him, ¡°Wait for a bit, Daddy. The homework is due on Monday, I¡¯m almost finished.¡±

    ¡ªSometimes Lynn thought that the children might have felt something. Now, when Chrissie was hanging around her good friend, they appeared as if it was natural. Life soundlessly reverted back to the time before he had talked with her.

    Moreover¡­ it had gone one step further.

    Arthur had been boiling water when he saw Lynn come in, and he said, ¡°I¡¯m just making some tea, would you like to sit down and have some?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sure,¡± Lynn said, sitting down on the sofa while Arthur prepared the tea in the kitchen.

    ¡°Get two more biscuits, Dad,¡± Krystyn yelled, then smiling brightly at Lynn, she said, ¡°Uncle Lynn, you¡¯ll love the chocolate biscuits. Dad makes good tea, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s very good,¡± Lynn replied. The girl¡¯s smile was so bright that he couldn¡¯t tell why it made him a little nervous.

    ¡°You should stop by more frequently for tea. I heard from Chrissie that you¡¯re not very good at cooking and things like baking, but my dad is good at it,¡± Krystyn said.

    ¡°That¡¯s really¡­¡± Lynn said, ¡°Thank you so much.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for these formalities. Chrissie is like a sister to me, you¡¯re like a father to me, you¡¯re a part of our family,¡± Krystyn said.

    ¡°What are you waffling about, Krystyn,¡± Arthur said as he brought out the tea.

    ¡°I hope to make Officer Lynn feel at home,¡± Krystyn said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think he needs this, especially in our home,¡± Arthur said, giving Lynn a look, ¡°He needs a new shirt more than anything.¡±

    Lynn glanced at his shirt, which was indeed a little wrinkled. ¡°I like this shirt.¡±

    ¡°I hate it,¡± Arthur said.

    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry, Officer Lynn,¡± Krystyn said, ¡°I wish he¡¯d learned basic manners when he had learned how to cook.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, your father says things in a straightforward and brutal manner. I really like it.¡±

    ¡°Gee, if you like it, then I don¡¯t have anything to say,¡± Krystyn said.

    Lynn thought the conversation was a little odd, but couldn¡¯t quite put his finger on what he found odd. Arthur prepared the snacks, and the two little girls cheered and rushed to eat the afternoon meal. They were as thick as thieves and the two fathers couldn¡¯t get a word in.

    Lynn took a bite of the biscuit and was amazed at how delicious it was.

    ¡°Did you make this? Oh my God, it¡¯s so good. You¡¯re too professional!¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Arthur said suspiciously, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I hate sweets, but Krystyn likes them. Her mother used to make them for her.¡±

    He looked picky and didn¡¯t touch the biscuits.

    Lynn was a little bit in awe of him.

    He remembered occasionally hearing people in the town talk about Arthur¡¯s wife. The information about his past was very vague. He only knew that his wife¡¯s name was Hilda and she had died of a sudden heart attack, after which Arthur had left the city where he had used to live and settled here. Rumors said that he had wanted a change of mood so that he wouldn¡¯t feel sad every time he thought of his wife.

    According to gossip, she had been an elegant, erudite and beautiful woman, but that had probably been said because it was hard to imagine what kind of woman Arthur could be with. Considering that she had passed away untimely, it was not too much to add some more praise.

    Lynn imagined her as a good person, who had probably been pretty good at baking the treats Krystyn liked. According to Krystyn, Hilda and Arthur had had a pretty good relationship¡ªshe said even the female mosquitoes hadn¡¯t dared come near Arthur when she had been around.

    Lynn didn¡¯t know what had happened to her. Was it really a heart attack? He also wondered what kind of past Arthur had. But he knew that now that she was gone, Arthur was actually taking on everything in his life by himself.

    ¡°I know it¡¯s hard for people who don¡¯t like sweets to understand the joy of eating them,¡± he said to Arthur, ¡°But you make the best biscuits I¡¯ve ever eaten.¡±

    Arthur looked at him and gave him a smile. It was a reserved smile, of course, but Lynn could tell that he was absolutely delighted.

    ¡°I spent a lot of effort and checked a lot of books,¡± Arthur said.

    ¡°You¡¯re a genius at making desserts,¡± said Lynn.

    ¡°You can take some with you if you like,¡± Arthur said, ¡°Since I¡¯m making it again tomorrow.¡±

    In this way, when Lynn left, he carried a bag of Arthur¡¯s hand-baked desserts. He and Chrissie ate half of them along the way. This thing was definitely made beyond the professional level.

    No wonder Chrissie liked to hang out at Arthur¡¯s house so much, Lynn thought. She could eat, drink, and have fun all she wanted

    ¡°I think his biscuits are much better than other people¡¯s in town,¡± Lynn said, ¡°Krystyn said Arthur¡¯s chocolate pie wasn¡¯t as good as some of the ¡®sweet mothers¡¯ in town? But this is the best thing I¡¯ve ever had.¡±

    ¡°Oh, Krystyn said that since that time, he¡¯s been working hard at it. He¡¯s not a big fan of losing,¡± Chrissie said. ¡°Well, actually, according to her, Mr. Arthur seems to be very, very bored; he has a shelf full of cookbooks¡­¡±

    Lynn glanced at her and said, ¡°Doesn¡¯t he do some medical research at home?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but he¡¯s still very bored,¡± Chrissie said, ¡°Krystyn said that his old life was too rich, and staying in a small town is the greatest test for someone with his talent, and he did a lot of things to fight those¡­ Daddy, are you really not going back to where you used to work? This is completely different from your previous life.¡±

    ¡°Do you like it here, Chrissie?¡± Lynn asked.

    Chrissie nodded vigorously, her eyes shining.

    ¡°Daddy¡¯s not going anywhere, Chrissie. I think I like this place, too.¡±