Chapter 7 Chapter VII

Ke Baisha likes to do her morning exercises on the bed.When she woke up in the morning, she stretched out her arms and legs on the bed, trying to stretch every muscle, and raised her head, hands, and legs in a messy movement.When she decides she's had enough, she'll reach for the cigarette that's always there on the bedside table and relax with her first cigarette of the morning. The alarm clock woke her up at ten past eight, and Betha started her morning exercise. A few minutes later, Baisha put the two pillows together and put them behind her back, and half sat on the bed, leaning against the headboard through the thick pillows, with her legs still under the blanket, enjoying the warmth and relaxation.

Outside the window, Los Angeles was wet and cold, covered with thick fog, and the wind blowing in through the half-opened window was like the tide at sea, and a layer of fog was exhaled on the glass. Baisha knew that luckily she installed gas heating instead of relying on the central air-conditioning in the apartment, otherwise the central system might fail, and she would really suffer from arthritis.What's more, the residents refer to each other. After 8:30 every day, the heating is lowered, and it is only shivering without being cold. After a while, it is completely turned off. Baisha straightened her shoulder muscles, stretched herself, kicked off the blanket, and found that it was much colder outside than she had imagined.She closed the window, turned up the gas heater, and slipped back into bed to enjoy herself again.

The ticking of the bell seemed to be an accusation, much louder than usual. Bai Sha sat up, took another cigarette, glared at the clock face and said, "You talkative brat, how could it be 8:45 now, seeing how dark it is outside, it should be 7:45 .You keep screaming, and see if I don't throw you out of the window to suffer from the cold." Betha struck a match and lit her second cigarette. The phone rang, and Baisha reached for the phone, but stopped after thinking about it. "Sound it louder, let it be louder. I won't get up until the weather is warm." The phone rang and stopped for two minutes.Baisha finished her cigarette, tested the temperature of the floor with her bare feet, put her feet into fluffy slippers, opened the door of the apartment, and took in a carton of milk, half a carton of cheese for coffee, and a roll of morning newspaper.She closed the door, took the morning newspaper and went to bed again.

As she read the newspaper, she commented: "Preaching...fake...fuck it...hey, people-pleasers...you think we're all--" She was the last to criticize, because there was a constant buzzing at the door downstairs. The bell rang and interrupted. Bai Sha murmured, "Who is so ignorant?" The ticking clock told her that it was ten past nine. The apartment was already quite warm, and Betha kicked all the covers over to the foot of the bed. The person who rang the bell on the door of the apartment downstairs never stopped.Baisha calmly ignored him.She put on a dressing gown, went into the bathroom, and turned on the shower head.She was just in the middle of her shower when there was a loud knock on the door of the apartment above.

Baisha's mood was greatly affected, she grunted out of the shower, dried her legs and feet, wrapped a large towel around her fat body, stuck her head out of the bathroom door and shouted, "Who is it?" A man's voice said from outside: "Ke Baisha?" Baisha said roughly: "Who else do you think?" "I'm Police Officer Mi Shanlou, let me deliver it." Baisha stood there, blinking at the door angrily, and said, "I'm in the shower, I'll see you at the office, just make an appointment—" She glanced at the alarm clock, "It's a quarter past ten. "

"Sorry, I need to see you now." "Stand outside and wait. I'll at least get some clothes on." She came back to the room and dried herself off with a towel. Officer Mi is monotonous, knocking on the door outside with a speed. Baisha took it easy on purpose, she put on a burqa.Walk slowly to the door and open it. "Even if you represent the law," she growled, "you don't necessarily have the right to disturb others whenever you want, so here you go. Wake me up in the middle of the night." "It's quarter past nine." Mi Shanlou didn't follow Bai Sha's example, walked in and added, "Besides, you said you were taking a bath."

Baisha kicked the door shut, looked at him sourly and said, "You don't have to show me your ID, and you don't need to bring your ID when you go out in the future, you can stay at home. Everyone knows that you are a policeman with this kind of behavior." You're going to barge in, lady, while you're dressing, with your hat on, smoking a soggy cigar, and coming to stink up the room before I've had breakfast here." Officer Mi Shanlou laughed again. "You really like me, Baisha. Only I know your face is disgusting and kind. Your mouth is fierce, but your heart is made of gold. Every time I think of the case of the blind beggar, I want to come and have a drink with you." liquor."

"What's the use of that?" Baisha sneered, "Have you done anything for me? Sit down and read the newspaper. I'm going to brush my teeth, but I'll do you a favor by getting that stinky broom out of your mouth first." Take it off and throw it out the window, that thing—" Officer Mi struck a big match, lit the butt of the cigar that was about to go out again, lifted the front of the fedora hat with his hand, and put the hat on the back of his head, taking off his hat.He said: "Read the morning paper. You don't have to brush your teeth. What do you know about Mrs. Northford?"

"What does this have to do with you?" Baisha immediately became alert and sober. "I think she is a careless housewife." Shanlou said. "how do you know?" "Absolutely can't be wrong. Leave the body in the cellar, run away from home by yourself, and forget to go back." "what are you talking about?" "The dead in the cellar of Mrs. Bei's house." Baisha is more careful now, like a carp watching a fly that is spitting water on the water. "What did she kill? Her own husband?" "I didn't say she killed anyone. I said she left the body in the basement."

"Oh!" Betha said, "I thought you were saying she killed someone." "No, I haven't said that, at least not yet." "Then it has nothing to do with me." "I've always thought you were the one who enjoyed assisting the police the most." "Why should I assist you police?" "Because you still want to eat this kind of food!" "Of course," Baisha said with her eyes fixed on Officer Mi's face, "I will help the police solve the murder case, but there is no reason for me to be automatically involved in the case—just because there is a careless housekeeper in the case, how many people are there?" A corpse?"

"Only one." "Let her go. There is only one corpse. Why insist on saying that she is a careless housewife? I have seen a record of dozens of corpses before; besides, the time left is not too long. It is very likely that she is just... ..." Shanlou giggled. "You are too, you are not necessarily kidding me." "I was kidding myself. Tell myself." "Then you can continue." "It has been interrupted by you." "Then don't waste any more time, let's talk serious." "Who is out of order?" "you." "What's wrong with me?" "I think so too," Shanlou said happily, "I found out that this is your habit. When something gets serious, or someone wants to pull Yi into it, you will be like a cherry in a cocktail, It's round, slippery, and hard to hold." "You are the one who refuses to talk seriously. Tell me first, who died?" "The deceased is called Leng Sally, a 26-year-old young woman." "How did you die?" "We don't know yet." "A natural death?" "It could also be an accident." "Then what could it be?" "It might not be an accident." "You really explained it very clearly." "That's 'doing it your way.'" "Who is this Leng Sally?" "The maid in that place." "How long has the body been there?" "A day or so." "In the cellar?" "yes." Bai Sha asked very carefully: "How does Mrs. Bei explain this matter?" "Nothing." "You said she didn't answer all the questions?" "We have no way of asking her questions at all. She seems to have run away. That's why you're involved." "What's the meaning?" "Among the people we know so far, you are the only one who was the last to see her." "Who told you that." "A little bird." The phone rang again, and Ke Baisha was very happy that it interrupted this time. "Please wait a moment," she said to Mi Shanlou.Picking up the phone, she said, "Hello." Bei Fude was very emotional, and he said: "Thank God he finally found you. I tried every place. I tried your apartment, you are not there, the phone number given by your secretary—" "Okay!" Baisha said, "If you have anything to do, tell me!" "A very terrible thing has happened." "I know." "No, no, it was all bad luck. They found Sally's body in the basement. She was—" "I know," said Betha, "the police are with me." Bei Fude's voice panicked, "I just want to tell you before they find you. What did you say to them?" "Nothing." "Is it by your side now?" "yes." "You didn't tell them anything?" "yes." "Can you hold it?" "I think it's difficult. It's only temporary. Is your wife home?" "No, she didn't see her all night. My mother-in-law was in a panic, which is why a body was found. She insisted on checking every room in the house herself. She said she started in the cellar. I heard her Going down to the basement, she screamed and passed out. I followed right away, and Sally lay on her back with her arms and legs outstretched—” Mi Shanlou interrupted in a friendly manner and said to Baisha: "Baisha, I didn't tighten the rope that leads you. Don't try to tie a loose rope into a playful knot, but end up pulling yourself too tight. .” "Is this speaking on behalf of the law?" Mr. Bei asked. "Yes," answered Betha briefly.stop there. Northford said: "I told the police that someone had written an anonymous letter to my wife. I told them I couldn't show them because it was in your possession. I didn't tell them specifically why I hired you. I just put Probably the circumstances show that the whole matter is only mentioned in a small way." "very good." "I now think we should show these policemen the first letter, Mrs. Ke, which may have something to do with Sally's death. Maybe only the first letter has something to do with this case. As for the second letter, it was our letter yesterday. The one I opened, I don't think it has anything to do with this case, and I don't want the police to know about it." "why?" "Because I don't want to drag Xu Taolan into it." "why?" "Let me tell you that I don't want Xu Taolan to be dragged in. I don't want her to be passed on. This letter will cause bad consequences." "why?" "Don't you understand? This matter is not simple. There are many angles. The police will embarrass Xu Taolan." "why?" "God, you can't see it! My wife may—we have to protect Taolan no matter what." "why?" "Damn it, can't you say anything else besides why?" "Not at the moment." Bei Gongde studied her reasons. Ke Baisha is ready to accept Mi Shanlou's intervention.She asked, "What happened to Sally? How did she die? Was it an accident? Was she killed, or—" "Probably an accident." "Say." Baisha said.Waiting for Mi Shanlou to stop. "Obviously Sally was peeling potatoes. She went down to the cellar to get some onions, and in her hand was a plate with peeled and unpeeled potatoes. In her right hand she had a long knife for peeling potatoes, and she Falling down the stairs, the long knife stabbed into the chest." Bai Sha felt everything he said."Is there anything that reminds one that this wasn't an accident?" she asked. "It can be said that there is." "what?" "The color of a corpse." "Then what's the difference?" "Police say this is characteristic of carbon monoxide poisoning." "Go on." "From what I've heard, the police believe that the knife may have been inserted into the body immediately after she died, and it doesn't appear to be the knife that caused her death." "understood." "I want you to find a way to clear this up." "In what way?" "My wife must be under suspicion. I want you to tell the police about the anonymous letter and tell them that my wife's disappearance is purely a family matter; she disappeared to leave me, not because she committed a murder." "I understand." "There is another reason why I don't want the second letter to be drawn out. Taolan is a beautiful woman. If she appears in this matter, the newspapers will think that the public will be interested in this matter. Her photo,... …you know they like to post pictures of beautiful women." "Thighs?" Baisha asked. "Of course. I don't like Taolan being promoted like this." "why?" "That's inappropriate." "why?" "God, my wife is jealous of Sally, and Sally is dead. Why do you want to take another Taolan out for publicity and want to create another victim? Put Taolan out of this matter. Let me tell you, You can't drag her in." Mi Shanlou never forbade them from exchanging views. This is a very unusual phenomenon, and Ke Baisha became alert all of a sudden.She peeked over her shoulder and saw Officer Mi holding the tail of the wet cigar in his mouth at an aggressive angle. He had retreated to the side of the table where she put her purse, and the zipper of the purse on the table was closed. Pulling it away, he is now reading with relish the two anonymous letters that were originally placed in Baisha's leather bag. Baisha said angrily: "You bastard, you...you..." Bei Fude's voice said from the other end of the phone: "What's the matter, Mrs. Ke, I didn't..." Bai Sha hurriedly said to the phone: "I'm not talking about you, I'm talking about that note." Mi Shanlou didn't even raise his head.These two letters fascinated him. "What is Tiaozi doing?" Bai Sha said discouragedly, "It was too late. I didn't pay attention when you were talking to me. Without my consent, Officer Mi opened my purse and read both letters." "Oh, my God!" exclaimed Northford. "From now on, don't tell me how to do things." Baisha said as if blaming others. Without waiting for an answer, she slammed the phone into the saddle, nearly breaking it. Mi Shanlou folded the two letters together, put them in his pocket, and zipped up Ke Baisha's purse.He hadn't seen the memo that Betha had stolen from Northford's office, maybe he had, but he didn't think it was a big deal. "Do you really think you have the right to steal things from common people's rooms, and you can still take them out?" Ke Baisha accused him with a black face. Shanlou said ambiguously: "That's because I know you won't care if I do this, we are old partners." "Not in Ping!" Bai Sha shouted: "You don't think so, I can blow your head open - one, if you have brains in your head, I will lose you! You are arrogant, you wear tiger skin to crush people, and you are self-righteous!" I thought everyone would be afraid of you, you—” "Forget it, Baisha." He said, "It's no use arguing." Ke Baisha gritted her teeth, clenched her hands into fists and stared at him without opening her mouth. Shanlou said: "Why, Baisha? You won't hide it from me anyway. I asked Bei Fude, where is the letter he said, and he said it was in your hand. He said that you put the letter away when he saw it for the last time. In your purse. So I did it myself." "You don't have a mouth, so you can't ask me?" Shanlou bared her teeth and said with a smile: "Bai Sha, I have an idea that Bei Fude didn't tell the whole truth. He was too eager to tell me about a letter. Every time I asked him, he quickly I want to talk about that letter. I have been a policeman for too long. When you see a person like him, he takes the initiative to provide you with information in a hurry because he is afraid that you will ask sensitive questions. So I immediately thought of it. Not more than one letter." "I think you also know that he will call to warn me, so you go to my purse as soon as the phone rings, don't forget, I talk fast, and you will suffer a lot." "Of course you can." Shanlou said indifferently: "But, I know you, Baisha, would not do that. In this society, the fittest survive. If you lie to me, I will lie to you. I'm not going to go to the referee to complain to me from the waist down... Forget it, let's talk about the chick who reached out and hugged him." "How's the chick?" "Who is she?" "I have no idea." Shanlou put her tongue on the roof of her mouth and clicked her tongue, saying in disapproval: "Baisha, you will never treat me like a child!" "How did you think I knew who she was?" "According to your character, you will let Bei Fude not force him to tell you who the chick is?" "There are no chicks at all?" Bai Sha asked. "What's the meaning?" "That's just an anonymous letter." Bai Sha said, "Can you believe an anonymous letter?" "How do you know there is no such person?" "Northford told me." Shanlou sighed, "It's delicious! It looks like we have to let it look like this now." "How is Mrs. Bei's mother?" Bai Sha asked. "Semi-collapsed, mother and younger sister have had enough. The two kept calling the General Administration to see if Mrs. Bei had a car accident. Finally, Mrs. Gu suddenly thought that Bei Fude might have hit her wife on the head with a stick, and hid her again." Somewhere in the house, so she started looking room by room in the house. Said to go from the cellar to the attic. She started from the cellar... It was just before 8 o'clock this morning. What she saw was almost Scared her out. You know at first she thought it was Mrs. North's body. But when she looked closely, it was a total stranger. Northford said it was Sally." "Mrs. Gu doesn't know this maid?" "Obviously not. Mrs. Gu lives in San Francisco. After Mabel used this new maid, she never came down." Bai Sha said: "I don't see how all this has anything to do with me." Shanlou rubbed a larger match with the sole of his shoe, trying to light his half-extinguished cigar again. Baisha said: "I don't think you care, but this bastard cigar—the taste really turns me off." "Unfortunately, it looks like you haven't had your breakfast yet." "Just trying to make a cup of coffee first." "Excellent. Let's make something nice and strong. I'd like a big one, too." Betha ran into the bathroom, got dressed quickly, and came out to make the bed, retracting the Murphy bed against the wall to make the room a little bigger.She walked into the small kitchen and put a big coffee pot on the stove. She said to Shanlou: "I think you won't refuse if I make eggs." "Yes, two." "Where's the toast?" "Oh! Of course, but the bacon needs to be thick and crisp." Baisha didn't say anything, and was busy in front of the gas stove by herself.Mouth closed into a 'one' shape, angrily did not speak. Officer Mi—with a hat on the back of his head, a cigar that had just been re-lit, and blue smoke curling up—stood himself at the door of the small kitchen. "I just have breakfast with you." He said: "After eating, the first thing to do is you accompany me to see Mr. Bei, the three of us should have a good chat." "Why do you have to drag me in?" Bai Sha asked. "I think you can help me." Mi Shanlou said: "In case Bei Fude lies, you can tell him that he can't get away with it. It's better to tell the truth." "Oh! Let me tell him, isn't it?" Baisha teased, holding a pan in her hand, and was about to put it on the stove. The pan was at an angle of 45 degrees and stayed in mid-air. "It's not bad at all," Shanlou said, "You have blind spots in your wisdom, but you are not stupid at all." Seeing the change of color on Baisha's face, Shanlou grinned and said, "I think I'd better call Bei first, and make an appointment, lest he have excuses." He left the small kitchen door.Baisha heard him dialing the phone in another room, heard him whispering, and he came back to stand in the doorway of the small kitchen. "Okay, Betha. He'll be waiting for us in the office. He doesn't want us to go to his house, saying his sister-in-law is overhearing what we're talking about." Baisha didn't respond. Shanlou deliberately yawned loudly, went out and chose the most comfortable chair to sit down.He straightened his legs, opened today's paper, and turned to the sports section. Betha put the plate, cup, knife and fork on her little breakfast table. “Can you tell me some plainclothes strip habits?” she asks Officer Mi. "Which aspect?" "Will they take their hats off at breakfast?" "No, that would lose their social status. They only take off their hats in the bath." "How hard do you cook your eggs?" "Three minutes and fifteen seconds—again, not 'that egg,' but 'those eggs,' mostly. Two or more." Betha knocked a plate so hard on the table that it nearly scratched it. "One difficulty feeding you breakfast," she said, "how do you drink your coffee with that stale cigar in your mouth?" Mi Shanlou didn't answer.He was perusing a report on a boxing match he had attended last night, and he wanted to compare the reporter's report with his own. "Okay," Kebaisha said, "come and eat." Mi Shanlou took off her hat and cigar, combed her hair with the small comb in her pocket, walked to the breakfast table, waited for Baisha to sit down first, and then sat down opposite Baisha herself. "Okay, Baisha, enjoy your coffee, and then it's time for your showdown. You have been given so much time, you should have enough time to make a decision!" Bai Sha poured a cup of coffee, tasted the hot and fragrant taste, she said: "Well, I will tell you everything. I was supposed to follow Mrs. North, but I lost it. She is going to see the person who wrote these letters." I will go to Mr. Bei's office. I will first look for his personal correspondence files, hoping to find some clues that match my imagination." "What is your imaginary clue?" "An expert typist with a portable typewriter at home." "I don't understand." "If you look carefully at a letter typed on a typewriter, you can tell a lot of stories. The weight of the typing is consistent, and the spacing is neat. It can be seen that this is a letter typed by a first-class typist. This type of secretary is well paid and has the best office equipment. .But I used a portable typewriter with an uneven bottom line, so it must have been typed at home... I was lucky enough to find the answer." "Tell me, what's the answer?" Officer Mi said. "Peng Yinmeng, with those light gray eyes, sitting in Mr. Bei's reception room, with a face that looks like an effective female secretary." Officer Mi broke the shell of the boiled egg and slowly peeled the shell with his fingers. "Look," Baisha said, "what do you think?" Obviously she was waiting for some words of appreciation from him for her own reasoning ability. "It's a little too much," Officer Mi said, "but never mind, I can eat it."