Chapter 20 Tuesday, May 31

"I heard a pentagram earring was found on the beach this morning." O'Shaughnessy glanced back and saw Chief Loudon just behind her, looking unhappy. "Probably from Memorial Day weekend." O'Shaughnessy went into the mailroom, grabbed a letter, and said as she walked to her office, "Here's a letter from someone on the 24-hour hotline service, and as much as I don't want to, I have to. Admittedly, this letter made me uneasy." "What did the letter say?" "The beginning of the letter read: On the beach path that everyone used to pass, someone wrote the word 'whore' in the middle of the road, and wrote the four letters AC and TY around the word. Maybe it is some spirit A way for the patient to express himself in words." "Anything else next to the words?"

"There are also a pair of kid goats painted on the beach, and a seagull with one leg." "The letter looks a little odd." "Not just this one, but all of them are queer." "Have there been many incoming calls recently?" "Much. Everyone who's been paying attention has probably called here. It started at five o'clock in the morning and ended an hour ago. They say it's the heretics in town." "Infidels don't do it on the beach. They've barely been out in the years I've been in charge," said Chief Loudon. "We had a report that there was a group of witches holding a meeting in an old village on Marshland Avenue. I drove there and looked, and there were dark curtains on all the windows, and there were three A couple, spiked hair, black nails, black lipstick, black all over the body, you know their style." After she and Loudon entered her office, she continued , "But they just eat chocolate beans in the house. I think after they wash off the black paint on their bodies, they will be no different from normal people."

Loudon smiled. O'Shaughnessy sat down in a chair behind her desk, and Loudon leaned against the edge of her desk. "My assistant said you called me, didn't you?" Loudon asked. "Yes, I need your help." Louden raised his eyebrows. "Who do you think I should go to in the Department of Public Works?" "About what case?" "A kidnapping case." Loudon nodded thoughtfully, "Is it about Jeremy Smiley?" O'Shaughnessy shook her head and said, "About a truck, exactly, a truck I'm looking up." She told Anne Carino about the paint marks on her watch and the catalog in her hand Loudon.

Loudon said at once, "You go to Ben Johnson." "I've seen him. He was there the other day when Carino punched Jeremy in the eye." "He's like the glue that holds everything together. He's not as smooth as the politicians, but he's served four terms as an administrator. I've known him since I first joined the police force." Louden got down from the table, picked up a pencil and twirled it in his hand, "Carino's lawyer has formally filed a complaint with us. The mayor attaches great importance to this matter, and he wants us to give a written explanation."

O'Shaughnessy turned to him and asked, "Explain what?" "Jeremy, he's suing us for freeing the murderer. He's threatening the city with a lawsuit." "We acted according to the law, why did he sue us?" "Suing us for malfeasance. Officer Dillon claims he had two witnesses who saw Jeremy on the beach the night of Yolande's accident. Have you found Jeremy's alibi?" O'Shaughnessy shook his head and said, "Jeremy said he did take a walk on the beach that night." "walk?" "Yes, a walk," O'Shaughnessy repeated softly.

Louden said with a sigh, "Did you tell Clark this?" She nodded, "He said that the words of Dillon's two witnesses are not critical to the case, but Jeremy still can't get rid of the suspicion." "Then have you mentioned to him the matter of applying for a neurologist to examine Smiley?" "Appointment, June 4, Saturday, one o'clock in the afternoon. They need a week to make an appointment with the academy. Director, you are right. Whoever wants to restrain those two girls and get them off the board It must take a lot of strength and means of transportation to take them away from there, and the murderer who can hide them for such a long time without being discovered must be a criminal with a high IQ. So it is definitely not the mentally retarded person we saw Jeremy."

Loudon shrugged and said, "Tell Clark these thoughts. Find a way to find those two witnesses that Dillon mentioned, and check their background. If he and Carlino are always messing around behind you, you will get nothing." Can't do it anymore." O'Shaughnessy nodded. Louden continued, "Kelly, no matter what others tell you, including me, you should not easily rule out the suspicion of Jeremy Smiley until the day when the truth comes out. Otherwise, what if If God finds out that he is the murderer, we will fall very badly, very badly." O'Shaughnessy nodded again. She knew very well that the "we" in Director Loudon's mouth actually meant "you".

Loudon added, "Leave Dillon to me." O'Shaughnessy arrived at the office building of the Department of Public Works just after four o'clock, and when he arrived he went straight to Ben Johnson's office.The office is very small, Johnson barely closed the door of the office after moving a chair into the meeting room.There was a picture of Miss Fabruary hanging behind the door, wearing nothing but a ski hat. "A very beautiful star indeed," O'Shaughnessy said without words. Johnson smiled awkwardly and sat down in the chair behind his desk. "Mr. Johnson, first of all, I want you to know that we are arranging a psychiatric examination for Mr. Smiley. Of course, we will adopt the principle of voluntariness and ask Mr. Smiley for his consent first, but I very much hope that he can accept this." A test to rule him out as a criminal suspect."

"Then you won't sue him, will you?" She shook her head and said, "The victim's ring was found in his storage jar, so for now he is our witness, that's all. Personally, I don't believe he was the murderer either, but what I said It doesn’t count. The court only believes the evidence.” "Did he tell you where the ring was found?" She nodded and said, "He said he found it while picking up trash under the boardwalk. He also said you allowed him to keep whatever he picked up. But as far as I know, it doesn't seem like government policy?"

"It's true that it was not strictly in accordance with the government's policy." Johnson continued, leaning back in his chair, "but if you understand Smiley's work situation, you will understand why I treat him differently. " "Then please tell me." "Every time Smiley is assigned a mission, no matter what it is, he gets a letter of complaint. He has absolutely no ability to judge right from wrong. He can't even distinguish between what I say and what I say. For example Well, if I ask him to pick up all the rubbish on the beach, he will definitely pick up on the beach and never come back home. When he first came to me, I told him that all the private people picked up Belongings have to be turned in and I end up with bags of plastic rings and watches. The beach seems to have a lot more junk jewelry than anywhere else. I can't teach him to recognize what is valuable and what is not. Anything he picks up is valuable to him. So, frankly, if I pay attention to him every day, I can't do anything else. Even if he leaves a decent watch every now and then , so what does it matter? He's the hardest worker I've ever had, and he doesn't expect anything in return."

O'Shaughnessy looked at him, nodded and said, "That said, you can attest that the jewels found in his storage jar, the ones he claims to have found down the boardwalk, were obtained with your permission. Did he stay?" He tightened his jaw, and then squeezed out a very forced smile, "Lieutenant, my small department is barely supported by relying on the government's fluctuating seven million budget. Half of my people have worked here for two years. For more than ten years, they have relied on this job to support their families. Do you think I will be afraid that the leaders will use policies to suppress me and remove me? If they think there is a more suitable person who can do a better job than me If that’s the case, then I’m wishing for it. I have submitted retirement applications many times, but every time they say that there is no suitable candidate to take over, they have been slow to approve. Now they can go to their own drawers and look through them. See how many times my retirement application has been suppressed by them? If I quit, they can also taste the feeling of working every day for some worthless plastic jewelry." O'Shaughnessy smiled, thinking that Louden was right.No one was going to make a fuss about Smiley's little storage jar. "Mr. Johnson, don't mind me. I don't mean anything else. I'm not here today just because of Jeremy." Johnson looked at her in surprise. "There is evidence that on the night of Anne Carino's accident, an orange truck was present in the parking lot where the accident occurred." Johnson watched her face, trying to figure out what she meant.What the hell was she trying to say when they were talking about Jeremy Smiley a minute ago and now they were talking about the orange truck? "Jeremy can't drive." He said doubtfully. "I know he can't drive." "Then do you now think that someone was working overtime in that parking lot that night? Or do you think that person was me?" His jaw tightened again. "Are you referring to the time when the sanitation moon was digging?" O'Shaughnessy looked him in the face and said, "From what we know, the orange truck at the scene was an old General Motors, probably from the early '90s. We've learned There are several of these cars in your fleet, and I would like to know who in your department has access to those cars." O'Shaughnessy took out the catalog from his pocket, unfolded it in front of him, "Director Loudon said you would help me." Speaking of this, she suddenly realized that she had spoken out: the director sent her here. Johnson picked up the catalog, squinted at it, then put on his reading glasses to read it again. "This list is very precise, can you tell me how you got it?" "Sorry, I can't say at the moment. But I promise, when the time is right, I will be the first to tell you. At present, I just want to find out the reliability of this clue as soon as possible." Johnson examined her cautiously. O'Shaughnessy went on to say, "I'm sorry for what happened to Mr. Smiley on the night of the fire. Mr. Jason Carino was in a bad mood and temper because of the loss of his daughter, and that's why he did what he did. Rude behavior, I believe you can understand him." Johnson was unmoved, and said bluntly, "Do you suspect that one of my drivers may be the murderer?" O'Shaughnessy nodded and said jokingly, "Didn't you say you're a suspect yourself?" "Did I say that?" He asked back with a smile, then let out a burst of hearty laughter, and shook his head, as if expressing his helplessness towards his memory. "Said something to that effect," O'Shaughnessy replied, smiling. By the time O'Shaughnessy returned to the office, Ben Johnson's fax had arrived.Eleven names were listed on the list: two of them were parolees who had been sent to work for him by the judiciary.She passed the names of these people to the National Crime Information Center, asking them to help look up their criminal records.While waiting for a reply, she texted Tim back, saying that she would pick up her daughter from his mother's house in the evening and let him go about his business.Then called Clark again and said she wanted to go for a drive in the beach. At first, nothing could be seen from these names.Then a man named Earle Oberlin Sykes, who had been jailed for murder in the Midwest, came to her attention.According to the information sent by the FBI's computer information system, he was charged with disrupting traffic and causing an accident, that is to say, he was accused of traffic murder. This is a very common crime, mainly used to punish those who drive on rampage , The person who caused the fatal accident.He was paroled for a long period of time, but he also had a DUI record during his parole.Beyond that, Sykes had no record of other violent crimes, so O'Shaughnessy set his profile aside. Several of the remaining truck drivers had received traffic citations: one had received a DUI ticket, and another fled the scene after hitting someone with his car.Then she saw the name of Sandy Lyon, who had a lot of criminal information, and the printer took a full three minutes to type. Lyon was arrested and imprisoned for rape and violence and was later released on parole.He lived on the Rio Grande, less than twelve miles from the coast.White, male, 34 years old, born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, was sentenced to four years in prison for rape in Lorton, Virginia, and was released in August 1999. In 1991, Alderson was sentenced to two years in prison for rape. In 1986, he was sentenced to two years in prison on charges of sodomy.Although he was only seventeen at the time, the court considered him an adult and sentenced him to two years in prison.Based on his previous record, O'Shaughnessy did not hesitate to make him a target of suspicion. McGuire knocked on the door and came in. O'Shaughnessy looked up at him with a puzzled look on his face. "Guess who called you?" O'Shaughnessy took a deep breath, "Who is it?" McGuire smiled and said, "It's Newsay." O'Shaughnessy folded his hands in a gesture of listening. "He asked me to tell you that there were rumors that Billy Weeks was seen with the girl Yolande the night she disappeared." "impossible." "No, it's entirely possible," McGuire said firmly. O'Shaughnessy put one foot on the desk and looked up at the crime scene photos on the wall. "If this rumor is true, we'll be in trouble," she murmured.Everyone here knew Billy Wicks was selling cocaine on the boardwalk.Could all these things have been caused by cocaine?She thought for a long time, and still insisted, "It shouldn't be him, McGuire, he doesn't have the characteristics of a murderer." "That's something I'm thinking about too." "You intend to arrest him?" "Yes, at noon tomorrow, I'd like to bring him back when he's selling drugs on the street. Maybe it would be better for us if his pockets were full of cocaine, and we could use that as an excuse to justify him Catch it back." "Great idea," O'Shaughnessy added, glancing at the computer screen, "McGuire, come over and look at this." McGuire whistled and said, "Where can I find him?" "He drives a truck for the Ministry of Public Works, an orange truck." "Oh, God." O'Shaughnessy nodded and said, "Don't rush to catch him, I want to get some paint samples from his truck to see if the composition is the same as that on Anne's watch." "That's a good idea, let's do as you say." "Okay, let's do it tonight," O'Shaughnessy said. After McGuire was out, she poured a piece of nicotine quit gum into her mouth, picked up the phone, dialed the number for the Department of Public Works, and a woman answered. "Is Mr. Ben Johnson there?" asked O'Shaughnessy. "Please wait." Five minutes later, Johnson's breathless voice came on the phone. "This is Johnson." "Sorry to bother you again, this is Kelly." "I remember you, what can I do for you?" "Can I see that truck that Sandy Lyons drives?" "Please wait a moment, Lieutenant, I have to check the duty list first." After a while, he picked up the phone and continued, "I'm so sorry. My department has so many cars that I can't remember their departure times. I just checked and Lyon works the night shift from midnight to eight in the morning. Click on the hearse to go on patrol." "Hearse?" "A vehicle for collecting animal carcasses." "Oh," she remembered, she had seen that car many times when she was a patrolman in uniform. "His fleet number is 33, you should be able to find it easily. His car is a light garbage truck with a hydraulic lifting ladder on the rear. It is usually parked in the back of the garage." "Is the garage door locked at night?" "Never locked, we put all our valuables in the administrative office. You can enter through the door on the west side of the building, which is the closest to the parking lot." "What will he do with those dead animals after he collects them?" "Take it to the incinerator at the county dump. They wash the truck before they bring it back." "Cleaning?" "Wipe down the cabin with disinfectant. We use bleach." "Is there someone else to take over after Leon gets off work?" "After the budget was adjusted in September, there will be no more. The three drivers are on duty in rotation. As long as one of them asks for leave, the truck will have to be idle." "Who are the other two drivers?" "Danny Ellerby and Earle Sykes, but Ellerby is off work for hernia surgery." "When is Leon off this week?" "Thursday, the day after tomorrow. But you won't be able to get in or out until the evening shift. They come back around ten in the morning, wash the car, and leave the garage around eleven-thirty." "Thank you." O'Shaughnessy hung up the phone, punched the table heavily, and muttered, "Yes, isn't the crematorium the best place to hide corpses?" Clark drove to pick her up at O'Shaughnessy's doorstep.He looked particularly handsome in olive slacks, an oxford shirt, and loafers. O'Shaughnessy usually gets nervous whenever a guy picks her up, like meeting a stranger at a bar.But for some reason, she wasn't nervous at all tonight. She could tell Clark liked how she looked.The tight miniskirt clung to her ass, which was very sexy, but she was still hesitant, thinking about changing clothes before going out. Another fantastic night.The stars are bright and the air is warm.The car drove slowly towards Cape May, and Clark put down the roof of the car, feeling the cool breeze blowing along the way, very comfortable.Neither of them spoke, only the sound of the wind in their ears, but both of them seemed to be intoxicated in this silent silence. They crossed a bridge and entered the brightly lit common jurisdiction. Twenty minutes later they came to the Victorian restaurant in Cape May. Breakfast stand. She walked into the dining room, taking Clark's arm.Clark had already reserved a table by the window, and ordered red wine and two two-pound lobsters, which made O'Shaughnessy very happy. It was a lovely fairytale dinner, and Clarke was a lot of fun and a lot of fun to be around.Clark gave her a taste of happiness again, and O'Shaughnessy felt relieved in his presence. When I got home, I got in the car and it was as sweet as a Chardonnay, but O'Shaughnessy kept thinking about things that she didn't normally think about. "Are you going to take you home directly?" Clark asked her, turning his head to the side. "How about showing me your house?" O'Shaughnessy said with a laugh. "Your house," she repeated.Her hair was blown away by the wind and stuck to her face in a mess.Suddenly she remembered Tim's date again, wondering what they were doing at the moment. The Clarks' house was located on a hill overlooking the sea, and the house was large, no, it should be said to be huge.They walked into a large room with huge marble columns and a red-brown floor covered with a few light-colored rugs with a very oriental flavor, which looked like a pool of still and deep water. A wooden spiral staircase leads to a living room with panoramic views of the sea.There was a dining room for twenty, and a large library overlooking the bay, full of old books and heavy leather chairs. O'Shaughnessy admired the rich, bright paintings and beautifully framed photographs on the walls.In the center of the kitchen is a counter the size of her entire kitchen, and by the wall is a stainless-steel refrigerator big enough to hold a cow. "Go upstairs and have a look." Clark excitedly grabbed her hand and pulled her up the stairs.The bedroom was a small octagonal tower with walls of glass on eight sides. The room was forty feet wide, with a white carpeted floor and air-conditioning ducts ringing the wainscoting.In the middle of the room there was a circular fireplace, perforated all around, to exhaust the smoke from the top. In the two corners of the room are two C-shaped sofas and two beige leather chairs, all covered with thick cushions.On the carpet were four brown and orange pillows the size of a sled.A brass telescope stood on a tripod, looking straight out to sea. Clark picked up the remote and pressed a button, and the fire in the circular fireplace magically rose, music blared from the ceiling, and the air conditioner hissed into action, dissipating the heat in no time. "How about a Chardonnay?" Clark asked. "Excellent." She sat on a rug with her legs curled up against a pillow. Clark opened a closet, took out two crystal wine glasses, filled them, and carried them to where she was sitting.He took off his shoes himself and sat next to her. "Let's indulge ourselves for a while," Clark said softly. "Okay, just indulge once with you." O'Shaughnessy looked around the room and said softly. They lay prone on the floor side by side, facing the sea, watching the navigation lights on the ship rise and fall, talking loudly and laughing.She felt Clark's arms slowly wrapping around her shoulders, but he didn't hint at her eagerly, just wrapped his arms around her gently.Slowly, their hands touched and hugged each other's body tightly, and Clark rolled over on his back and pulled her onto him. This time when they kissed, O'Shaughnessy opened his mouth. At the ground exit of Pittsburgh International Airport, Xueli was sitting on a free airport moped with a single travel bag beside her.Every time the car turned a corner, it made a noisy sound.Shirley got off the car near the hotel information desk.She identified the direction of the noisy voices, and walked slowly towards the luggage claim area.A group of children screaming and playing "Baby Monkey Ball" around her soon dispersed amidst the crowd's murmurs.She hears Elton John's voice faintly in someone's earphones; a couple arguing over who owns the camera; a police radio reports an accident in a makeshift parking lot. Shirley sat on the lawn overlooking the Delaware in a baggy fishing jumper.She heard the rumble of the tugboat on the river, and the splash of spray against the bulkheads.The afterglow of the setting sun sprinkled on her face, very warm.On the shore, someone was playing music, and bursts of laughter came.Happy people, she really wants to have a happy life like them.For her, her life began at the age of five.A janitor found her on the steps outside a Philadelphia hospital, dying.It was early in the morning, it had just rained, and the air was gloomy and cold. Just in May, Philadelphia was unnaturally hot, and the temperature suddenly rose to ninety degrees Fahrenheit.It looks like this weather will last for a few more days.The next week, people couldn't take it anymore.The warning of hot weather made them panic, some flocked to the beach, and some simply went to Maine or Lake Ontario to escape the summer heat.Shirley was lying on the lawn behind the house enjoying the sun.She was wearing a black swimsuit, with her legs crossed on a chair, a water glass and a phone beside her.The Oakley sunglasses on her nose, the trendiest frameless style available, were a gift from Penn.He said it was stolen, but Xueli would not believe his nonsense.Payne walked through the living room, took two cans of beer from the refrigerator, and opened the screen door to the backyard.