Chapter 12 Chapter Twelve

Dr. Gui's office is on the sixth floor.Both doors in the illuminated walkway have frosted glass.In gold letters it read: "George Gui, Dentist".There is another line at the bottom left: "Appointment required". I pushed open the door and entered the small room.There is a wicker bench, a small table, two straight chairs, and a basket full of old illustrated newspapers in a small room like a dovecot.There was a mirror on one side of the wall, and beside it was a door that was ajar. As I entered, there was a beep somewhere in the inner office.A man's voice said, "Come in."

I walked through the open door into a small passage.In the room at the bottom of the passage was a woman reclined in a fallen dental chair, her mouth gaping open. Dr. Gui, tall and thin, was bending over to examine her mouth with a dental mirror. He looked at me a little impatiently, and I asked, "You asked me to come in?" He stood up straight and said in an angry tone: "My nurse quit. Last night I left without even ten minutes' notice. Today I have to maintain it by myself. It's a mess. Who are you? What are you going to do? ?” I said, "My surname is Lai. I want to register and see one tooth. If possible, I would also like to have the whole tooth checked. I..."

He said, "Sit outside, please. I'll see you in five minutes. My patient is almost done." I went back to the reception room, sat down and waited. Three minutes later, the lady who was on the dental chair just now came out.Look at her slender, about thirty years old, wearing an engagement ring on her left hand, the diamonds on it sparkle.She smiled politely as a greeting, and walked out the door. I could hear Dr. Gui washing his hands inside. From where I sat, I could see a dark figure on the door leading to the passage.A man stood outside the door, perhaps trying to muster up the courage to come in, or standing listening to what was going on inside.

Doctor Gui stood at the door, wearing short-sleeved overalls.There was still the smell of spiced disinfectant on my hands. He said, "Okay, young man. Let's see what you need?" The door leading to the aisle opened, and the beep sounded again. Dr. Gui looked up at the person who came in, and frowned. Standing at the entrance is Cai Kaier. Doctor Gui said, "Hello." "Hello." Cai Kaier said.Suddenly found me sitting there, and said in surprise: "Ah! It's Lai Tangnuo! Good morning, Mr. Lai?" "Not good." I said. Cai Keer came over and we shook hands.

Dr. Gui stood aside, waiting for me to enter his studio, watching Cai Kaier carefully. Cai said, "Be dexterous with him, Dr. Gui. You have a top-notch private detective as a patient, which shows that your business is good." Doctor Gui stood stiffly on the spot. Cai Kaier continued to say to Dr. Gui: "I have something to tell you when you are free." Dr. Gui's face was as white as paper, without expression at all, and he said to him, "Sit here and wait, I'll be free in a while." Turning to me again: "What's your name?" "Ray Tangnuo."

"your address?" I give him my business card. "Craigs," I said, "we're a private detective agency." "Oh, yes. Why did you come to see me?" "For my teeth." "What happened to the teeth?" "I want you to look at them." "Come and sit inside." I sit down in the dental chair.Dr. Gui put a white cloth around my chest.Take a mirror in my mouth to see all the teeth, and take a long metal probe to poke between teeth and teeth. "How long has it been since you checked with a dentist?" "I rarely take care of the dentist at all."

"I think so too. How long ago was the last time you saw the dentist?" "Looks like it was at least two years ago." "It should be checked every six months. Are there any teeth that are particularly bad?" "I have a toothache." "Which one hurts the most?" "The one on the right. "How long has it been in pain?" "It's a faint, throbbing pain that lasted all night." Dr. Gui fiddled with the probe for a while and said, "Yes, the nerves are a little sensitive there. Besides, you have two or three teeth that need to be filled. I must take an X-ray of you before I can decide."

"You mean besides this tooth, there are other teeth that are bad?" "Yes, absolutely." "How many teeth are not good?" "Let me see, here's one... here's one with a hole... ah, here's another one." "How much did these cost?" "Is there a difference?" "Of course there is a difference." "It's hard for me to estimate now. I'll deal with the painful one first. I think it may have to be pulled out." "It's less painful now." Dr. Gui took a syringe, filled it with some hot water, squeezed it on my tooth and asked, "Does it hurt?"

"Feeling better." He squeezed some more ice water onto it and asked, "Does it hurt?" "It doesn't hurt too much." "That tooth had better be pulled out." I said: "Doctor, I have too much work. I have to work today. Can you give me some medicine to relieve the pain first, and I will come to you next time when I am free." "Okay, here is aspirin. There are instructions on the box. Take it according to the instructions. Come back at ten o'clock tomorrow morning. I will unplug it for you." I struggled to get up from the chair.

"Maybe I can fill some other teeth when I have time tomorrow. It's quite a lot of work and it will take some time." I heard a beep, and I heard the outside door open and close. Dr. Gui said, "I'm sorry, I think it's another patient. The nurse should be damned. I've asked the agency for an introduction. Maybe I'll have to choose one myself. Excuse me." Dr. Gui walked out to the reception room.I pulled off the scarf and stood up, trying to follow behind him. Dr. Gui said, "That man was waiting. I think he will come back after going out for a walk. You said you knew him?"

"yes." "Who is he?" I said, "His surname is Cai, and he is Bao Qile's brother-in-law." "His brother-in-law? Isn't that right? Mrs. Bao is my patient... I don't know her..." "The former brother-in-law. The younger brother of the first Mrs. Bao." "Oh, that's right," Gui said. "Interesting guy." I told him. Dr. Gui said: "Tomorrow morning at ten o'clock, I will pull out this tooth for you. Please be on time, because I happen to have a consigned patient who canceled it temporarily. Otherwise, I may not be able to find the time for three weeks. " Cai Kaier was waiting for me by the elevator. "What's the matter with the teeth?" he asked. "much better." "Unplugged?" "No." "You're lucky." "why?" "Doctor Gui may not welcome you wandering around." "Yes, after your skillful introduction. I think Dr. Gui is very upset. He won't mind if I don't show up tomorrow as promised." Cai told me: "Dr. Gui is definitely not a fool. Don't take him for a fool." "Why do you think I take him for a fool?" "Think about it, a private detective suddenly decided to buy a piece of land in the community developed by Bao Qile. He suddenly had a toothache, so he went to Mrs. Bao's dentist to see his teeth. It's too coincidental to say it's all a coincidence." "In terms of coincidence," I told him, "it's even better! An Alpha investment company happens to be in the best location, and you can see everyone who enters and exits Dr. Gui's office from the aisle." "Oh, you even know that?" "yes." He said: "It's very interesting. You can really cover it, it's not a random cover." "I was going to visit Alpha Investment Company after I had my teeth checked. I have some idle money and I want Alpha Investment Company to handle it for me." "Great, great. That covers everything. Let's not talk here. Let's go to my office and discuss investing." He took the lead and led me to a large office at the bottom of the aisle.He opened the door without letting me in first.He said in his mouth: "I must have gone out without turning off the radio again. I like listening to horse scriptures." He hurried in, walked to a rectangular box with a green light on, and turned off a switch on it.Pointing to a sofa, he said, "Please sit down, Lai, I will sit here." I sink myself into the thick leather cushions.He looked around and asked, "Office?" All around the walls are photos of famous horses on the racecourse.These photos are all eight inches by ten inches of non-reflective flat paper, and the photo frames are very particular.There was a large form on the far wall of the office. In front of the window is a large drawing table with a T-square and various colored pens on the table, and various colored plastic strips with words are littered on the ground nearby. "I see you're interested in my studio," Cai said, moving aside the radio he had just turned off. "I was just researching what are you doing here?" "I'm comparing race horses." I go to the drawing table. "Because you never give up research. So I will tell you my secret." "What secret?" I asked. He said, "Pick up the papers. Tell me which horses are in the second race this afternoon." I told him the names of the horses that were going to be raced.He opened a long drawer under the table and selected several long colored plastic strips from the drawer. "You can see how much a person can do if he has too much free time and is not willing to be alone," he said with a self-deprecating laugh. He stacked plastic strips of different colors he picked out.Feed them one at a time into the wall of a strange long box on the table. There are various knobs on the box. Turning the knobs will make the plastic strip move forward, just a little distance at a time.Finally adjust until he thinks he is satisfied. "Now, I want to draw your attention," he said. He turned on a switch, and a strong light appeared at the bottom of the long box, illuminating these plastic strips, so that the horse's name and other written data were clearly displayed on it. At this time, a horizontal light scans from the far side of the box to the near side. Cai Kaier is adjusting the small knob again, each color bar has a different sensitivity to light. There are different gap marks on the two edges of the plastic strip, which probably indicate the weight, jockey, track conditions, weather, distance of the race, and other data. Finally, after Cai Kaier observed several scans and thought he was satisfied.He carefully put the plastic strip away.Shutdown is apparently a machine of its own invention. "The match will be very close. You can see that the scans of the strips of each color are almost on a line. Only one is slightly ahead of the others," he said. I nodded: "What does that mean?" He smiled at the troubled look I put on my face on purpose. "Most people who love horse racing," he said, "it is time-consuming and difficult to choose which horse will win. I have now compiled information on every regular horse. I also You can add and subtract points for different horses according to their likes and dislikes. "For example, when I know a certain horse likes to run on wet dirt roads, I give points plus or minus points completely according to the conditions and weather that it will go out of the racetrack today. In other words, my horse, It is a comprehensive judgment based on the individual information of the horse, the climate information, the conditions of the various racecourses across the country, and so on. "Of course," Cai continued, "Marseille is different from a mathematical equation. No matter what kind of precise calculation, it is impossible to be 100% accurate. There are unknowable factors and luck in it. These are unpredictable. But according to past experience and This set of calculation methods, I think it is quite passable. "Many sports reporters and Majing Express will also make predictions about Marseille. If their conclusions are the same as mine, I will not bet on this one, because there are very few winners. It is meaningless if everyone buys." "You win money on average?" He smiled and said: "It's a big piece of art, and it's also very fun. It's worth the price of admission. For example, the second game this afternoon. According to the scan, 'The Lady' will win, but it's very close, no It's probably even closer to a horse. Now let's see what the professional reports say." Cai picked up the newspaper, pointed at it with his finger, and said, "This reporter chose 'Sputnik'." He picked up another newspaper and said, "This one also said that 'Sputnik' is promising. So everyone Bullish on 'Sputnik'." "What does it mean?" "This means that the 'lady' is a good gambler. If you win the bet, the stakes will be high. Tang Nuo, what are you doing here to sneak up on Dr. Gui? Do you have anything against him? Or do you not let go every day?" one person?" "Your workplace and his office are on the same floor in the same building. Is it intentional or accidental?" "accidental." "You mean you didn't know he was Mrs. Bao's dentist?" "Of course I know, what does that matter?" "If you want, you just open the door and you can see everyone who goes in and out of his place." "God, if I wanted to know that, I could go to his office and look at his register, and within three weeks I'd know whoever was coming. Don't be a fool. I'll take it here I just want a place where I can work alone without being harassed by others. I think working alone is a kind of enjoyment. Besides, I think I can prove that I am better than others by using this effect.” "Of course, there are times when you lose all the time?" I asked. "Sometimes," he said, "I'd have a fit and go out and drink for a few days. That's my problem. Of course I can't concentrate during that time, and I lose at the horses." "So you will go to Bao Qile." He said, "Tang Nuo, why do you show some unpleasant personality from time to time?" "I have work to do, and I'm working!" "What kind of job is it?" "Now I'm trying to find out who poisoned Mr. and Mrs. Bao?" "The police are looking for it too." "How?" I asked. "The police," Cai said, "are more organized. They are efficient and authoritative. Why don't you leave it to them?" "Sometimes they go in the wrong direction." "Very rarely." "Sometimes I find a bit of data that can help them." "Yes, I believe so." "Who do you think poisoned the two of them?" Cai said: "This has to be a den-rebellion. As far as I know, the anchovy sauce you took is not poisonous. Now if we look at it from a cold-blooded and emotionless point of view, you seem to be eager to Give someone a great opportunity to be able to poison." "That's not the case at all. I just want to make Mrs. Packet interested in..." "Where do you put your interest?" He saw me hesitate and asked. "Maintaining the status quo of family life for a period of time." He thought for a while and said, "I wonder why people are so stupid sometimes." "What's the meaning?" "I personally think that the police will bring the poisoner to justice within three hours." "Want to bet?" He said: "Of course I bet, yes, I dare you... wait a minute... let me take advantage of it, I bet within three hours, the police will find someone who poisoned, and there is enough evidence to Convince everyone. I dare to bet with you." I asked, "Do you have any inside information?" He smiled and said, "You have inside information, don't you?" "No." He said: "I just have confidence in the police. Many of us say that the police are stupid, because we often measure the individual police. If we talk about strength, we must measure it from the whole. In terms of group strength, the police are still powerful." "You can describe it further." "First of all, I want to say that the police are not stupid. Many police officers do not have the scientific knowledge of ordinary college graduates, because their education is different. But we ignore that they are a force of unified command and teamwork. So we say that the police , should refer to the collection of many, many police officers, should refer to the police force." "I know they can do it, too," I said, "and you don't need to advertise it." He said, "That's all right. The police are a lot more capable than people think. The only people who are really stupid are those who try to murder." "Why do you say that?" He said: "Look at the records. Any Friday morning, you open the newspaper. What do you see? There's always a picture of a gangster in a corner of the seventeenth-eighteenth page, electric chair, hanged Or to the gas chambers. Executions often begin at ten past one, and death is pronounced at ten sixteen. "There are a few every Friday. Staggering up the thirteen steps of the gallows, being held hostage by two men into the gas chambers or following the priest to the electric chair. They're all big fools. They all die on Fridays, all in the Friday tastes the ruthlessness of modern civilization. And the executor chose this unlucky Friday to make the man walk his way, let him know that it is Friday, an unlucky day. I don't feel comfortable thinking about it. These stupid people , these bastards." "Who are the fools, the fools?" "The fools, the fools who died on Friday. These are the fools of the murderers, the fools, the fools, the born failures." "Sometimes it's just bad luck," I pointed out. "Yes," he agreed, "sometimes it's bad luck. In fact, every business is the same, life always has its ups and downs. If you drive well, you won't have a car accident. The death in a car accident may be The most careful driver. Life is like this, so is catching murderers. Stupid people die of old age on Fridays. There are still many murders that are still unsolved. "I believe the murderer must be very disappointed today, and he hates Han Jialuo for sabotaging the plan. Besides, I believe he is not a smart murderer. I believe the police already know who he is. "The only difference is that it won't be of much use if the police catch him. Because Mrs. Bao and Mr. Bao are just seriously ill. Mr. Bao is fine. And Mrs. Bao is also recovering." He stood up and said again, "It's a pleasure to have you come in and take a look, Mr. Lai. I'm going to start studying tomorrow's schedule now. One of the shortcomings of my forecasting system is that the data is constantly being updated. You can't miss a single point. I like to hear and see news of murders, and I like to discuss them. But, my meal money depends entirely on my forecasting Marseilles. I believe you will forgive me." "Good luck then," I said, shaking his hand. The door closed behind me and I turned around halfway to see if he was paying attention to me.His door was closed, and he didn't even want to know if I'd gone back to the dentist's office.