Chapter 19 Chapter Nineteen

Mr. Sandow was scheduled to arrive on Thursday evening and stay until after lunch on Friday. On Thursday morning, Beetui said that she was going to Xishi Town to buy some special dishes, so that Mr. Sandu could be invited, and asked Bolai what would be his plan for that day? Beatrice was very happy. "We can also stop on the way," she said, "let Mrs. Gerard see you, and you'll see one less person at church on Sunday." So they stopped at that "radio station," Mrs. Ge tried her best to ask questions, trying to dig up some news.They laughed about it all the way as they left "radio station" and headed for the sea.

Soon, they walked to a building and saw a striking sign: Do not honk in the hospital area Bo took a look at the hospital building.He felt that such a building was too beautiful to be a hospital. "Yeah, it doesn't look as scary as ordinary hospitals. It's a pity that the small shop opposite spoils the picture." Bitui grumbled at the small shop opposite the hospital: some are just a small pavilion.Some small coffee shops, an engraving shop, a bicycle shop, a shop selling wreaths and crosses, a flower shop opposite this shop, a fruit and vegetable shop, and another shop whose windows are only half painted , There are still some pictorials on the window.

They went down the slope and drove towards the town. After passing these small shops, they came to the more prosperous area of ​​Xishi Town. The area is clean and tidy, and reflects the sea water, shining brightly. While parking the car, Beicui said to Bo: "You won't like to follow me to those seafood shops, go ahead and have fun by yourself. Let's meet at Angel Restaurant at 12:45 and have lunch together. Bar." He walked a few steps, and Beicui stopped him again. "I forgot to ask if you needed any money. I can lend you some first—" "Oh, no, no, thank you. I still have a little more. Mr. Sandow from that law firm called Shi He lent me a little."

He first went to the harbour, to see where he told people he left eight years ago.There are many ships moored in the port, which is a busy and exciting scene.He leaned against the warm stone wall, lost in thought.On the day Bert disappeared, Lodin was here to draw his sketches. Bert jumped off the cliff and fell to his death. He straightened up and continued to look for the location of "Western Times".It took him a while to find it, because although everyone reads The Western Times, not many people know where the paper was born.In fact, the newspaper office is not far from the port, in a stone house beside a gravel road.

The entrance of the newspaper office is very low, and Bolai had to lower his head to walk in.Then he heard the porter's voice: "Who are you looking for?" Bolai told the concierge that he wanted to find Mr. Mai. The concierge said that Mr. Mai had gone out. "I suppose you know where to find him?" "The fourth table from the left in the Blue Bird Cafe." "You've made it very clear." "Anyway, he always takes that seat." The Bluebird Cafe is just around the corner in front of the port.Mr. Mai was indeed sitting at the fourth table on the left upstairs.This is a window seat.Mr. Mai sat there with a half-drunk cup of coffee in front of him.When he saw Bo coming, he greeted him quickly and courteously, as if seeing an old friend, and pulled out a chair for him to sit down.

"I don't think I can be of much help to you this time," Bolai said to Mr. Mai. "I'm afraid the only way I can get myself into the headlines is by packing myself in a suitcase." "A suitcase?" "And it was cut into several pieces. This incident is a bit strange." He opened the "Carlain Daily" that day. Three days after the case was discovered, the case of the box corpse is still occupying the front pages.The case is further complicated by the latest discovery that the two legs in the box belonged to two different people. "The scariest thing about a murder," Mr. Mai said thoughtfully, "is not that this case happened, but that it happened to the people you are familiar with around you.

Hi Miss! Please get my friend a cup of coffee! It would be easier to say that Bill next door went to the army and died in the field, but it would be easier to say that someone killed Jones on the way home from get off work. It's appalling. Because that sort of thing doesn't usually happen to people you know. " "It would be even more terrifying if the man who killed Jones was someone you knew." "Yes." Mr. Mai replied, adding a spoonful of sugar to his coffee. "I've seen it. It happens in the family, that's it. It's always like that. No one wants to believe it. No one thought the David they knew would do it. That's the horrible thing about murder." place - one's own people kill one's own people."

He took out his cigarette case and handed it to him. "Do you like this new role of master of the Reichetts? Are you glad you're back?" "You have no idea how happy I am." "After so many comfortable days in Arizona or Texas or somewhere... you really like it here?" Just can't believe it." "Why? Don't you like this place?" Mr. Mai looked down at the group of English people walking downstairs, and spat, "They are too content with their situation." "You mean, they're too content with what they have? What's wrong with that?"

"Too much contentment doesn't make progress." "It's different for humans," Bolai added. Mr. Mai grinned. "I agree." Turning to look at the view of the pier again: "I often think that these people have been against Scotland for more than four hundred years, and I still don't understand why." "The answer, of course, is that they are not against the Scots." "No? Tell you, my country—" "England has been busy guarding their coast for the past thousand years, and Scotland is already part of Spain in their eyes."

This was obviously a new perspective for Mr. Mai, and he decided to change the subject. "You didn't come to the Bluebird to find me, did you?" "I came to see you. I went to your office and they told me you would be here. I was looking for something and thought you could help me." "Could it be to advertise." Mr. Mai said. "No. I want to see my obituary." "Yeah, who wouldn't want to see it? Of course I'd love to help!" "I guess the Xishi Times keeps the old newspaper." "Of course, of course. It's been kept since June 18, 1827—or was it June 28? Can't remember. You want to see the archives. Of course, it's a pleasure to read your own obituaries. "

"So you've seen it too?" "Of course. I read it before I went to see you at the Asybes' house on Tuesday." So they walked down the dark stairs of the "Western Times" together, and Mr. Mai found the old newspaper he wanted without any effort, without even dusting it off. "You take your time here." Mr. Mai opened the newspaper with the lamp without a lampshade and said, "If I can help you with anything, just say so." Mr. Mai went upstairs by feeling the stone stairs.Bolai heard the sound of Mr. Mai's leather shoes going away, and realized that he was alone in this huge basement now. "Western Times" is published twice a week.Wednesday and Saturday.Since Bert disappeared on Saturday, the news was published in Wednesday's papers. In addition to reporting the news of Bert's death, he also made some special reports and expressed condolences to the bereaved family.Regarding Bert's method of suicide, apart from saying that he fell from a cliff, there are not many reports. The fifth page is a full-page police report: Saturday afternoon is free time for the children of the Asyubie family. They are all used to doing something they like, and they don't come back until dinner time.Bert's late return didn't arouse the family's doubts at first, but it was only considered as a delay because of his recent hobby - bird watching. Bert still didn't come home until it was dark, and only then did his family members anxiously contact the whole village by phone to find him.After everyone couldn't find it, they organized a search and rescue team to search everywhere.Some people rode horses, some people walked, but there was no result at all. Early the next morning, someone saw the little boy's coat on the cliff. When police asked how the search-and-rescue team had found the jacket, he said it was lying about fifty yards from the edge of the cliff.It was the place where the Tanbi area began to descend. This coat was pressed down by a stone, and the morning dew soaked the coat. There was nothing in the pocket except a note.Search and rescue teams immediately called the police, and a thorough search began.No body to be found on the beach! The previous night's tide may have washed the body away.In fact, the bodies of those who committed suicide by jumping off the cliff in the past were rarely found.Their searches are nothing more than routine. The last to see Bert Ashbel was Abel the Shepherd.He also saw Bert that afternoon, between the Tambi area and the cliff. Q: What is he doing? A: He is lying prone on the grass. Q: What to do? A: Wait for a skylark. Q: Which skylark? Answer: The English skylark. Q: You mean he's bird watching? Does he look normal? Yes, said Abel.As far as he could judge, Bert looked about as usual.He has never been very talkative. "You mean he's always been quiet?" Yes, a quiet, lovable kid. They talked about birds for a while, and then they parted.Abel rushed to Xishi Town along the path on the side of the cliff, and he also took half a day off that day.He didn't come back until midnight, and didn't hear of Bert's disappearance until Sunday morning. Asked if there were many people going the route he took, Abel said no. It takes only one-tenth of the time to walk from the village to Xishi Town by bus.Few people would walk to Xishi Town like him. Bicui told the police that the sudden death of Bert's parents naturally had a great impact on him, but he seemed to be able to accept it and gradually recovered from the pain.She couldn't think of any reason why he should take her life.As for why the kids weren't together that afternoon, it was because everyone had different interests, so it wasn't unusual for Bert to be alone. Q: Wasn't his twin brother with him too? A: No.Bert was fascinated by birds at the time, while Simon was into mechanical things. Q: You've seen the note he left in his pocket.Do you recognize that it was indeed written by your nephew Bert? Answer: Yes.Burt had a peculiar handwriting in capital letters, and he was the only one I knew who wrote with a fountain pen. Bitui explained to the investigators the characteristics of that fountain pen. Bert's pen had a black barrel with a yellow spiral in the middle.The pen has disappeared.He always has it with him at all times, it's one of his favorite things. Q: Can you think of any reasons for his sudden decision to kill himself? That afternoon, it seemed to his friend Abel the Shepherd, was quite normal and pleasant. A: All I can say is that he was having a great time that afternoon.But when it's time to go home, he may suddenly think that he is going back to an empty home, without the things that made him happy before, so he is suddenly overwhelmed by the feeling of emptiness, so that he wants to end his life. Run away from that feeling. This is the judgment of the court: under the sudden impulse, his inner balance was lost, so that he did such a thing. This is the end of the report, and the end of Bert's life. Bolai turned to the back page of the newspaper, all the activities reported in the summer had nothing to do with Bert's life or death. Burt already belonged to the past.In the silent basement, Bolai quietly reviewed the whole thing in his mind.The little boy lay on the grass for most of the summer afternoon, waiting for his beloved skylark to appear.At dusk, the little boy walked across the hillside of Tanbi District and headed home. Interest in mechanics.That's what Bitui said.She said Simon's hobby at the time was mechanics.Refers to the interest in the internal combustion engine. Boys in t2T are usually very interested in cars.Simon might have been staying at some dealership then.At that time, Simon's whereabouts may not be very important. When Beau joined Beau at the Angel's for lunch, he was tempted to ask Aunt Beau directly where Simon had been that afternoon.But of course he couldn't just ask, "Where was Simon the afternoon I disappeared?" There is no reason to ask such a question.He had to think of a more tactful way to ask the question.At this time, an old white-haired waiter from the restaurant came and interrupted his train of thought.The waiter knew every child in the Asybe family well.He was almost overjoyed to see Bert back. His hands trembled as he placed the assorted plates in front of them.He said "Mr. Bert" once after each dish was placed.It seems like he likes to be called by his name.When it came time for dessert, the situation reached a climax.This dessert was a fruit tart. After he delivered the two desserts to Beicui and Bolai, he came back soon, put a plate of muffins baked with egg whites on a silver plate, and delivered them to Bolai.Bolai raised his head in surprise, and saw the old waiter looking at him expectantly, with a smile on his lips and tears in his eyes. But at this time Bo Lai was thinking about Simon, and he didn't have time to think about what it meant.Fortunately, Bicui rescued him. "Danny is so careful, remember you like eating this," she said.Bolai also took advantage of the opportunity to thank the old waiter greatly, and the old waiter left happily and comforted, wiping his eyes with a large white napkin along the way. "Thank you," Bolai said to Bitui, "I didn't remember it for a while." "That's great Danny! I think he felt as if his own son had come back. You know, he had three sons who died in battle. His grandson died in the war later .He loved you so much when you were little.I think he must be very happy to see you back.What did you do this morning?" "Go to the newspaper to read my obituary." "That's true of you kid. But it makes sense, I think anyone would do it. Did you see Mr. Mac?" "Yes. He asked me to greet you, Aunt Beatri—" "You are old now, don't call me Aunt Bitui anymore." "Beetch. What is Simon's interest in mechanics?" "As far as I know, Simon has never been interested in mechanics." "But you said he was interested in mechanics." "Did I say that? I can't remember what it was. Under what circumstances did I say it?" "You said it when you were explaining why we weren't together that Saturday afternoon. What was Simon doing when I went bird-watching?" He tried to look like he was trying to remember something he couldn't remember. "Walking around, I guess. Simon's always been wandering around like that. He's never had a habit for more than a fortnight." "So you can't remember what Simon was doing the day I left?" "I was confused then, too. I don't even remember where I was that day. You know, anyway, you know, a man's subconsciously trying to forget something terrible that happened to him. I just remember that night. He was looking for you everywhere on horseback. I don’t know if he was too stimulated, but since you disappeared, his whole person has changed.” Bo Lai didn't know how to answer for a while, so he continued to eat his food.Beatrice continued, "It really makes me sad that you haven't written home for years. Seriously, why don't you write home?" As Lodin told him, no letter This thing is the weakest link in the whole layout. "I don't know either," he said. "Honestly, I don't know either." The resignation in his voice sounded quite appropriate. "Well," said Beatrice, "I don't mean to blame you, but I can't figure it out. I loved you so much when you were young, and we have always been good friends. For so many years, you haven't heard from me, as if you Never recall your days in the mound the same." He found a real feeling from the depths of his own memory: "Thirteen is an age where it is easy to forget the past. If you keep encountering new things and experiences, the past is just like a movie, and there is nothing real about it. feel." "I think I should go away one day," she said softly, "There are so many things I really want to forget." The old waiter Danny brought some more cheese, so their conversation turned elsewhere.