Chapter 12 Chapter Eleven Absolute/Turnabout

The heavy rain on the night of the eighth day continued the momentum of the day, and the intensity seems to be increasing now.Big raindrops thumped on the roof and car body. The bright headlights of the "Opel" car slid out a graceful arc in the dark, but they failed to stay in people's eyes for too long.There is no doubt that the speed of the car is too fast on such a rainy night. Waller and Vincent's first destination was the garage where William worked.Waller got out of the car alone, and Vincent stayed inside. Because of getting angry these days, Vincent developed a mouth sore on his lower gum.According to the method Waller said, he stuffed a vitamin C on the window, and an unimaginable soreness traveled along the nerves to the brain.unimaginable?Yes, Vincent had a feeling that what awaited them would be unparalleled fear.He tried his best to dispel this terrible thought, and ordered a "camel".

Vincent looked at his watch from time to time, and after about a quarter of an hour, he vaguely watched a figure running back and forth in the parking lot.He couldn't see who the man was, which made him nervous, and his hands reached his waist.The man stopped here for a while, and then immediately ran over there.Vincent tried to call out "Seth?", but there was no answer, and he had already pulled the thing out. When the man got closer to the car, Vincent finally saw clearly that it was Seth. He put the knife back and let out a long breath. Seth opened the car door, and by the lights in the car, Vincent saw that he was completely drenched in the rain.Seth started the car again without drying his wet hair, his hair clung to his head.

"William's car wasn't anywhere, and the duty manager at the company said he left the company just before seven-thirty. He wasn't watching him drive away, but when he was dropping off a client around eight o'clock, William's car was gone. Not in the parking lot." Waller spoke so quickly that he didn't catch a breath. Vincent handed him a cigarette, "How long has it been since you smoked?" "About 24 hours." Seth plugged the cigarette lighter back in. "One more thing, the manager said that William took a call before he left." "How does he know?"

"It was from his office. He also said that before that, at about seven o'clock sharp, the same call had been made to the office, but when he got William, the other party hung up. I will write down the number. Came down, but it was of no use." "It's the same as the one I called Ke Luna last time?" "Yes, a public phone! William called back the first number on the number, but no one answered." "Is it the same number both times?" "Yes, the manager didn't know the specific content of their conversation, but he sat aside and heard William swearing."

"Didn't he say whose phone it was?" "No, at least that's what the manager told me, and he used the word annoyed to describe William's reaction at the time. Then he left work without saying anything, and given his usual good behavior, the manager didn't say anything." "But something happened to him." "Yeah..." Seth didn't finish his sentence, a large truck coming in the opposite direction flashed its bright lights, and they were quite close.Seth turned the steering wheel to the right hastily, the truck whizzed past them, the Opel made a half turn, the brakes kicked in, and they stopped on the side of the road.

"I know it will be exciting to be with you, but this time it's a bit too much." Vincent wiped his sweat, "How long have you not closed your eyes." "From yesterday morning to now." "Then," Vincent pushed open the right door and turned to the front, "I'll drive." The car was back in the right direction again, with Seth guiding the way. Twenty minutes later, the car drove into the block where Jane's apartment was located.Here, along with William's Company and Central Hospital, form an equilateral triangle. Seth and Vincent got out of the car. They had no shelter from the rain and could only look for William's car in the pouring rain.

At the far end of the parking lot, they found it.Vincent looked in through the car window without anti-riot film, and saw nothing unusual. The two returned to the front of the apartment building again, and a black car just drove in.They ignored it and continued walking into the building. "Wait for me." A voice sounded behind them, it was Al Grant. "Why are you here?" Seth asked. Al only ran a few steps in the rain, and his body was also full of wet marks from the raindrops. "I called the hospital, but you were not there. I was very worried. The Phil couple who stayed behind in the hospital told me that William was missing. I thought I might meet you here."

"Why don't you call our mobile phone?" Vincent asked suspiciously. "I called Seth, but his phone was off, and I don't know your number." When the three came to the roof, Seth took out his mobile phone and found that it had automatically shut down because it was out of power, and he hadn't thought about changing the battery for the past few days. "So, what reminds you that you still have the responsibility to do something for your friend's wife?" Vincent didn't like this red curly-haired Al, and he was also dissatisfied because this guy avoided yesterday's duty arrangement, "You don't have time Is it time?"

Al didn't seem to care about his provocative tone, "It's my editor. I told him about the incident today. Of course, I didn't name names or tell the exact time. He had dinner with me and mentioned the incident later. What happened. It reminds me and it makes me uneasy." Vincent was tempted to say "You just want to write this as a new story and use it to make money", but Seth had already entered the corridor by then, and he swallowed the words back. Although it is very close to Lois' apartment, they have adopted a completely different management style.Those who live here only need a minimum of identification, and don't have to worry about the possible embarrassment of bringing those out of place home at any time.Although it is a city with the world's best universities, poor people and hooligans still fill it.People who are not yet displaced often choose to have a small shelter here, and the modest cost of living in such an apartment makes it a top choice for the poor.Jane and William had quarreled about this, and Jane needed a decent place to live, but of course, as the wedding day approached and the couple had chosen a place for their future life, the dull quarrel ended.For that comfortable home and a decent wedding diamond ring, William spent every penny he had saved since he was 15 years old, and of course, loans were essential.Seth knew that William had never complained about this, he loved Jane more than anything else, but this time, Jane was admitted to the hospital, the wedding was postponed infinitely, and the groom did not know whether he was alive or dead.A sense of sadness hit Seth.

They followed the dilapidated staircase, and the three of them climbed up in the dim, unpleasant light. Al was still babbling, "...I talked to my girlfriend for half an hour, and then the editor came..." Vincent didn't have the heart to pay attention to this eye-catching bastard. He looked at the graffiti and dirty, vulgar language that could be seen everywhere in the corridor. Comfortable. Vincent, who was walking at the back, glanced back, as if he doubted whether there would be anyone following behind him. He only saw the impenetrable rain curtain formed under the eaves.Worry seems unnecessary, but it can't be completely dispelled.With just such a small turning movement, a small clod of soil fell from the steps under his feet and rolled all the way to the bottom of the building.Al in the middle was also taken aback by the movement and closed his mouth.Seth didn't seem to hear anything, and he came to Jane's room first.He had expected to see a picture of a Panamanian sword spider, or some other spider, but his impression was wrong, there was nothing on the door, and the door was tightly closed.

What should I do?Seth thought, William's car was parked downstairs, indicating that he might indeed be home, and he should have knocked first, what if no one answered?This time, I couldn't pick the lock anyway. Vincent and Al stood behind him, and Seth knocked on the door.Time passed very slowly at this time, and they all hoped that William would open the door, smiling and explaining with embarrassment that they forgot to visit the hospital.A minute passed without any reaction in the room, and William did not stand up to prove that he was safe and sound. Vincent's cell phone is left in the hospital, and Seth finds Al's.Should he call the police?What did they find?No, there is nothing here, only suspicion.Seth opened the flip of the phone and looked at it. His partner didn't give him any hints, and the three of them didn't make a sound in front of the door. Al's cell phone was fully charged, and Seth froze for a moment. Seth pressed Detective Paltrow's office phone, crouching down to listen to the room before dialing. Seth crouched down, his right ear close to the door. Maybe it was because he squatted too hard, his right foot was a little weak, and the center of gravity could not be shifted to his left foot in time, Seth fell to the right.If Vincent hadn't pulled it, he would have fallen to the ground.Seth never gets tired because of his lack of personality, but as a human being, he also needs rest. The three people present were all stunned, because, when Seth leaned against him, the door that was originally closed opened with a "squeak".The door stopped at a forty-five degree position... Detective Paltrow was equally shocked when he heard the news of William's disappearance. Half an hour ago, he found out the phone number in the hotel room where the Phil couple was staying, and wanted to ask a few questions that he had missed in the morning: whether Lois had the habit of keeping a diary, whether the diary really belonged to Lois, Questions of this type.But no one in the room answered the phone.The detective was very surprised. Mr. Douglas Fell, who was tired of his reputation, came to Boston this time, and the media didn't know about it. Why did the couple go out on a rainy night again?All Paltrow could think of was Waller, who also called him, but the phone was turned off. Paltrow had a premonition that something might have happened again, and he immediately rushed to the Central Hospital, dragging heavy and fast steps with his wet clothes.The Phils were there, but Waller and Vincent went out to find William... Lois stood in front of Seth, held up the newly bought clothes, and gesticulated on his body. Seth was laughing, somewhat perfunctorily, "How? Do you think this would be appropriate?" "It should fit, he's about the same size as you," Lois unbuttoned Seth's shirt, which was a bit... "Come on, put it on and have a look." Seth couldn't find a reason to refuse, so he walked into the fitting room... "It would be great if... I could eat the Chinese food you cooked!" Lois waved the fork in front of her eyes, making Seth think of a gluttonous angel. "Didn't you eat it?" "Only two times, I like it, I hope I can eat what you cook every day!"... "Did you buy those shoes?" "Yeah, you always wear leather shoes, how old you look like that." "But I'm not used to..." "No, you will feel very comfortable wearing it..." Seth pinched his temple, and these past scenes flooded into his mind regardless of time and order.They were so real, so vivid and alive, that for a brief moment Seth thought Lois was right in front of his eyes. The reality was far from being so beautiful. The three men stood in the narrow porch of the room, and Seth continued to pinch his temple.Vincent put the second vitamin C tablet into his mouth, and used the painful stimulation to divide the fear in his worries, while Al clutched his phone hard until the cold shell became hot, until beads of sweat hung on it. . Jane's house is not big, only two small bedrooms and a small living room and dining room in the middle.Seth put on the gloves he had prepared in advance (in recent days, he always put them in his pocket), and Vincent drew the odd-shaped dagger from his waist (at that time, he did not have a "Speed").Al stayed in the corridor, monitoring the movement outside. Preparations for combat were necessary, for the doors to both bedrooms were closed, and the large frosted glass did not reveal any influence from within. The sound of the rain coming in through the slightly closed window seemed so distant and faint, Vincent thought of the grunts from the throats of the gangsters who used to be together when they were dying.He pressed the back of his hand to the bedroom door to the right and pushed it open.His hands trembled slightly. The lights in the room were not turned on, so he couldn't see clearly.The button on the wall was turned on by Seth, but there was no one inside, and the big bed of Jane and William was close to the wall. Vincent was very happy that there were no abnormal protrusions on the big bed, and there was a set of large cabinets next to the door, forming a gap with the bed.He couldn't see in there at a glance. Vincent put the knife in his left hand behind his back and stepped in.He could now see the entire space between the big cabinet and the bed, which was about one meter wide and four meters long. Inside, near the balcony, there was a large bloodstain. Vincent walked a little further and found that the hem of the bed sheet was also stained with blood.Seth also saw it at this time, he went in, squatted on the ground and looked at it for a while. "How?" Vincent could hear that his voice was different from usual. "Could have been hit by a blunt object, the marks here look like," Seth seemed to remain calm, and then he squatted down to look under the bed, "nothing. I don't know if it's William's blood, One thing is certain though, someone hit someone in the back of the head with a blunt instrument." Seth stood up and walked out. There was another room he hadn't checked. "But, his car is still parked downstairs." Vincent said, his eyes stayed on the big cabinet. There was no blood on the vermilion cabinet door, nor on the handle. Seth pushed open the door of the opposite bedroom, and before he could turn on the light, Vincent's screams appeared behind him. Seth and Al hurried over, and they were both stunned by the scene in front of them. One side of the cabinet was open, and Vincent was pushing something hard, but his arms were shaking.Blood, a lot of blood, was running down his arm, and his knife, which was also stained with blood, a few drops on the carpet. "Damn, this guy is looking at me, William...William is looking at me," Vincent said staccatoly. Face to me, he's looking at me, he's dead...William is dead!" Seth stepped in with a big stride, and inside the cabinet door half-watched was William's standing corpse.His cloudy eyes stared blankly forward.On William's throat, there was a huge opening as if his second mouth was open, and blood was still "gurgling" from here, and his pharyngeal cartilage was also broken, protruding from under the skin, just like the opening. Two support points. Seth quickly swept under the cabinet to find some long red sticky stuff rolling out.It was this, the murderer plugged the gap under the cabinet with this, and it was this that kept the blood from spilling out.So just now Seth judged that there would be no dead bodies hidden in it... Vincent finally couldn't hold it anymore, and William fell down, revealing the back of his head, mixed with blood, part of the brain and the part of the broken scalp, which had been sunken by the smash. Seth's eyes suddenly turned away from William's body, and he looked at Vincent's blood-stained hands.For some reason, he immediately thought of the blood-stained gloves he found in Lois' room.He actually had the idea that William's blood should have been attached to it, even though everyone knew that it was impossible...