Chapter 9 Chapter VII

Officer Doakes walks away.I stood there in my snazzy waterproof jacket, thinking about Recker and his red boots slipping from my hands.This is so bad, I can't think of anything worse. I got in the car, started the engine, and drove home through the rain, taking all the joy out of driving in the maroon Taurus that followed me closely.Officer Doakes was definitely not on a whim, and if he was watching me, he was going to keep watching me until he caught me or he couldn't watch me anymore.Of course, I can come up with a few ghost ideas to completely solve the problem, but that violates my principles of life.

I knew for a long time that Officer Doakes was going to stop my hobby sooner or later, and I thought about what I would do if he did.While Doakes was strong and deadly, the Nightcrawler was better than Doakes in this regard, and once he got the steering wheel, he was no match for anyone.Maybe this time I will really break the rules. There are rules, Dexter, Harry had said. All through my teenage years, I had few friends, and I had no intention of being liked.I was like a sheepdog among a herd of dirty, stupid sheep.My sixteenth birthday wasn't a big deal, Harry's wife Doris had just died of cancer, but I, Deborah, baked me a cake and Harry gave me a new fishing rod.After eating the cake, Harry took me to the backyard and motioned for me to sit down too.

"Look, Dexter," he said, "sixteen, almost grown up. Have you got a girlfriend?" "Nothing like that." "When I was sixteen, my father took me to a prostitute, and it took me ten years to recover." A smile appeared on Harry's face, "I won't take you to do such absurd things, that one Fishing rods are more useful to you." "Maybe you want something sharper, but you're not ready yet." Harry and I had a memorable camping experience two years ago when he first talked to me about who I am.We've been preparing since then to get me, in Harry's words, "to get my bearings right."

"I'll be careful," I said, "to mingle with people, to do my job cleanly, to not take risks, eh..." "But that's not enough, Dexter, you have to have rules in everything you do, and you have to have rules. That's what makes you different." Harry shook his head. "More importantly, you have to be sure of this before you do it." People really are heinous. You gotta have solid evidence, you gotta have it, Dexter. It doesn't have to be in court, but you do. "Sometimes you have to let them go, even if the evidence is strong and they deserve it. For example, they might be too... too conspicuous. You can only let it go if it will attract a lot of attention."

Harry always had the answers, as usual.Whenever I'm not sure, I can always hear Harry whispering in my ear.While I have no evidence that Doakes was anything other than grumpy and secretive, tearing up a policeman would surely spark outrage in the city.After Detective La Guerta encountered an accident, if another policeman was killed, the top police officers would definitely attach great importance to it. Even if it is necessary to get rid of Doakes, now is not a good time to do it.I can only hope that other solutions will present themselves - say, a piano smashed on his head.Sadly, I can only hope the lucky stars are on my head right now.But for poor and disappointed Dexter, there are no lucky stars tonight.

I had only to look out the window to see the maroon Taurus parked under a tree.I was so excited and wishful thinking just an hour ago. Dexter, can you come out and play? Oh, no, dear Nightcrawler.