Chapter 4 Chapter 4 The Devil Child

Babi vaguely remembered that a long time ago, in the class of Dr. Monrik, he had learned the theory and practice of primitive human witchcraft, but he was not interested in the so-called metaphysics, and thought that there was no need to spend time studying it.The little black cat and the old doctor died at the same time. If you don’t consider the value of the fashionable word "allergies" in medicine, then, does Ai Pulu kill the kitten, does it mean that she is the deliberate murderer who killed Dr. Monrick? Woolen cloth?Babi thinks she is, the murderer. But what should he do?Take the snakeskin tote bag and the dead cat in it to Sam - in exchange for information about the inside of the crate.No, he dropped the idea.Perhaps Dr. Monrik would be interested in such things as witchcraft, and write a technical treatise on its rich connotations.But if Sam was told that in the real city of Clarendon, a beautiful girl with thin eyebrows and painted nails practiced witchcraft and murder in full view, he might just laugh it off. .He had had enough of Sam's indifferent politeness, and besides, he didn't want to involve Ai Pulu--this feeling was a little unclear.

Maybe she didn't kill Feifei, but a little boy he had seen before the plane arrived.Perhaps, Aunt Agatha did exist.Anyway, if she ended up having dinner with him, he'd have a chance to figure it out.So now, he'd better not look for trouble. Having made up his mind, he pulled out the jade coyote brooch on the cat, wiped the blood on the lining of the bag, and put it in his pocket.Close the mouth of the bag again, put it back under the broken straw hat in the trash can, thinking to myself, I don’t know what the garbage workers will think, maybe they are used to it. Babi walked quickly towards the brightly lit terminal hall. In the cold wind, he was shivering again.

The night sky was covered with dark clouds, a piece of black mist. He took out his handkerchief and wiped the cold sweat on his hands vigorously, only to hear a "呱啦", and when he looked down, the handbook had been torn in two. He strode back to the waiting hall, and Ai Pulu just came out of the telephone hall.She was blushing and very excited—probably the first time she had completed a news report for The Bugle.She certainly didn't look like a murderer at all.However, he still has to figure out why she took the little black cat to the airport, stabbed the kitten to stop the doctor's heart, and strangled the kitten to suffocate the doctor.

"Are you ready?" Babi greeted. Her green eyes were bright, and she responded to his greeting with the enthusiasm of a colleague.He raised his chin toward his shabby car in the parking lot, and suggested hopefully, "Well, how about a ride back to town with me?" "No, my car is parked here too. Aunt Agatha went to a very nice party and is back by bus now." "Oh." He pretended to be fine, and tried his best not to think whether Aunt Agatha made it up, "Then... our dinner——" "I called the ground, and she said I can go." Her smile made him happy.

"Great!" he whispered. "Where do you live?" "Garden of Trojan Warriors, Block 2-C." "Wow..." He couldn't help blinking. That luxurious and childish apartment hotel was another enterprise owned by Princeton Tye, for whom Babi had written a boastful report.The rent of the apartment there is the cheapest, more than two hundred a month. Ai Pulu must have done a good job as a trainee reporter, or Aunt Agatha must be a real person and very rich. "But, I will make an appointment to meet you." She didn't seem to notice his embarrassment and surprise, and her slightly hoarse, gentle voice made it impossible for him to consider her details. "where are we going?"

"Nobe Hill?" Barbie asked tentatively, although it was a bit too luxurious for the "Star" reporter class at that time. "I love it there," she said sweetly. He walked with her in the cold and windy night, and walked to the place where she parked together.Her car was a long brown racing car, which Babi guessed to himself, would sell for four thousand dollars on the black market. Not many trainee journalists could afford such a car, maybe it belonged to Aunt Agatha. He opened the car door for her, and Ai Pulu got in the car very gracefully, as gracefully as the little wolf on the brooch that Babi had in his pocket.She took his hand, and the touch of her cold fingers excited Bobby as much as her voice, and he wanted to kiss her, but gave up, fearing it would spoil things.Murderer or not, Ai Pulu will be a fascinating girl.

"Bye, Baby," she said softly. "See you at nine." Babi drove his old pre-war car back to the city.He began to sit down and write reports for the "Star", and he still liked the news business, especially the modern news language, which was concise, objective and self-contained. Dr. Monrique, a famous anthropologist and the founder of the Anthropological Research Foundation, returned to this city after two years of excavation work in the Alashan Gobi. Unfortunately, he died suddenly at the airport that night. He did not have enough time to report to the press. All unearth the truth.

This report begins as a general introduction.Then, he detailed the whole process of the unfortunate incident, adding his own understanding of the doctor and the content of the doctor's archives in the newspaper's reference room.He was very chivalrous, and he didn't mention Ai Pulu Bell or the little black cat that was strangled and thrown in the trash can. Because he was eager to meet Ai Pulu, Babi hurriedly wrote the press release and drove out immediately. So empty house, should buy a bottle of wine or something.Besides, for several months, he never went in to drink at the mint bar when he passed by, nor did he buy alcohol to go home.Ai Pulu might be right for him, who knows.

His apartment was on Brad Street, a two-story building, with a kitchen and bathroom that were not good enough, and it was really shabby.The surrounding environment is also poor, too close to a flour mill, but the landlord is very nice and never cares how much he drinks. He took a quick shower, shaved, whistled happily, and looked for a clean shirt and a suit that fitted him so that he wouldn't be too outrageous in a place like Nobe Hills.Ai Pulu may be exactly what he needs, so don't act hastily.At 8:40, he gently closed the door and was ready to go.As soon as he came out, he heard the phone ring, and Babi rushed into the room, afraid that it was Ai Pulu who called and changed his mind.

"Willie!" A woman's voice, calm but anxious, "I want to talk to you." It wasn't Ai Pulu, Babi heaved a sigh of relief.After a while, he realized that it was Dr. Monrik's wife. Rowena's voice was calm and gentle, not at all depressed as he imagined. "Can you drive over to my place, Willie?" she asked, "Now?" He frowned and looked at his watch. Nobe Hills was forty blocks from Central Avenue, in the outskirts of the city on the other side of the river.Limerick's house was on the university campus, another forty blocks in the other direction.

"Not now, Rowena," he stammered, "of course I'd do anything for you without inconvenience, and I'll be there early tomorrow morning, or later this evening. But now, unfortunately, I must go out for a while, without delay—” "Oh!" Rowena cried out in pain.After a long time, there was no more sound from the receiver.After a while, Rowena recovered her calm and gentle voice, and asked, "Go out with that woman named Bell?" "It's with April Bell," he answered. "Willie, who is she?" "Oh!" Babi exhaled.You have to tell her the truth: although she is blind, what happens around her cannot be hidden from her. "Just a fledgling girl reporter," he said. "The evening paper. I never met her. Turk doesn't seem to like her, but I think she's pretty." "You shouldn't!" Rowena disapproved, and then said as if begging, "Willie, don't go, or delay it until you have time. Come to me now, will you?" "I'm so sorry, Rowena." He stammered even more, "But I can't." He felt a little resentful unconsciously, "I know you don't like her, and neither does your dog. But I I thought she was pretty funny." "I know you will," said Rowena softly. "It's true that I don't like her—for very good reasons. And I'd like to tell you those reasons when you have time to listen. So, you now If you want to go, just go." Babi couldn't explain all the reasons why he was interested in Ai Pulu, and he didn't even understand what those reasons meant.And his pity for Rowena made him regret his impatience, and he said shyly, "I'm really sorry, Rowena, I'll hit you there as soon as I get back." "Be careful, Willie!" she exhorted, sounding worried. "You have to be careful with her Ling Wan. Because this woman will hurt you, and it will hurt you very badly!" "Hit me?" He was puzzled, "How come?" "Come tomorrow morning and I'll tell you all about it," "Please explain—" Before she finished speaking, she heard Rowena hang up the receiver.Babi put down the phone and stood there for a long time thinking about what Rowena meant.He couldn't think of any truth to what she said—unless she saw Turk's unfriendliness towards the kitten as a rivalry between the masters. In his memory, Rowena Monrik sometimes showed strange emotions. Generally speaking, she is just about normal, warm and friendly to her friends, very fond of her music, and sometimes even seems to be very happy. However, sometimes, she would not even touch the piano.Doesn't pay any attention to any friends, only seems to care about her big dog, only communicates with dogs, pets those silver jewelry. Babi thought it was a natural consequence of her misfortune in Africa.Now add the sudden death of Dr. Monrik, which caused her even greater fear and shock.He was going to see her in the morning and try to take some of her fears away, and he was going to remember to bring her the jukebox that Sam and Nora Quinn had given her. Now, he was going to meet April Bell. The bar of Nomi Villa is designed in a semicircular shape, the walls are made of glass, the red light is not too strong, and it shoots softly to every corner of the bar from different angles, the green leather seats, the chrome-plated metal handrails, the color contrast is outstanding , edges and corners, sitting for a long time will not feel too comfortable.Such a layout may be carefully arranged, and frequent patrons may drink too much without knowing it. Sitting at a small black table under a red light, Ai Pulu greeted Babi with a wide smile on her bright red lips.Her white fur coat is casually tossed on another chair, and she herself looks very relaxed, although the lighting, color tone and atmosphere around her can be easily emotional, but it doesn't seem to affect her in the slightest.Look at her oval face, it looks so comfortable and content, full of cleverness and spookiness. She was wearing a very bold dark green evening gown with a plunging neckline that set off her green eyes, which often squinted, and Bobby himself was wearing a gray suit that was worn out many years ago.It looked a little out of place now, and he had forgotten that, for occasions like tonight, evening coats or tuxedos should be worn. Ai Pulu didn't seem to care about his clothes, but he only cared about admiring Ai Pulu's brilliance, ignoring whether there might be something hidden under the white wolf fur coat, and even forgot Rowena's warning. "Can I have a daiquiri?" she asked. Barbie ordered two glasses. He sat down, facing Ai Pulu, and looked at her carefully, the fragrance on her body was refreshing.People get drunk before the wine arrives—her fiery red hair, long green eyes, fiery eyes, seductive smile, full of affection, and a beautiful figure full of vitality—all of which made Babi not remember her at all. Sorry about my original plan. Her slightly hoarse and velvety soft noise made Babi not want to forget his doubts about her immediately - of course, he knew very well that he would never give up this doubt until he found out the truth.He was full of contradictions in his heart, exultant hopes and vague fears intertwined, colliding fiercely and competing, making him unable to calm down. On the way to Noble Mountain Villa, he made a deliberate detour to the bridge, thinking about how to ask Ai Pulu a question.Her motivation is the most critical.If she really doesn't know Monrik, there is no contact between them, and there is no reason to want him to die, even if the appearance of the little black cat at the airport is indeed related to the cause of the doctor's death, for example, severe cough caused by cat hair allergies, etc., then, The speculation about whether she was the murderer was his own baseless subjective conjecture. Babi didn't want to think about other possibilities.The red-haired girl in front of her had no malice in her affectionate smile, but hinted at something instead.And this kind of hint is far more than what a lonely single reporter dared to imagine.He couldn't refuse her kindness, he had to do everything possible to make her like him. He didn't think of any other possibility, he wanted to avoid any attempt to pursue her against the doctor.However, there are a lot of questions entangled with him, and the answer to each question seems to be hidden behind her cheerful smile.Who are Dr. Monrik's potential enemies?Who is waiting for the coming of the "son of darkness"?What if Ai Pulu is a member of some cabal?In the current post-war Cold War stage, various countries, nationalities and hostile philosophical schools are waiting for opportunities to compete for their own living space, and scientists are imagining more causes of human death every day, all of which are Not difficult to accept. What if Monrique and his team had discovered and confirmed the identity of a cabal and its plot as they traveled through Asia on their expedition—and brought the evidence back in that green box?So take extra care not to trigger the dangers they know are inevitable.Therefore, they want to make their warning public on the radio.But Dr. Monrick failed to tell the danger and died suddenly. Ai Pulu killed him - Babi could not completely avoid this speculation, whether by design or coincidence, she took the little black cat to the airport in a snakeskin tote bag, which was her deadly weapon.He really didn't like the potential connection, but that was the way it was. When their daiquiris arrived, Ai Pulu grinned happily, showing her white teeth.She was sitting in front of him so vividly, Babi tried hard to put aside his wild thoughts, he kept telling himself that so far, there is no evidence to prove anything, so he is completely guessing, In a world where murderous weapons range from daggers to cyanide to machine guns, what would-be murderer would rely on air tainted with little black cat fur?What murderer, he convinced himself further, would wrap a red ribbon around a kitten's throat and a brooch through its heart?Unless—Babi shook his head vigorously, raised his glass, smiled awkwardly, and clinked glasses with Ai Pulu.The more he thought about Dr. Monrik's death, the less enjoyable their dinner was.He decided to concentrate on enjoying the good time tonight with the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. What if she was a witch?In other words, she strangled the kitten Feifei to complete the curse on Dr. Monrik's death?In short, he was fed up with his life, spinning news stories for Preston Twee eighty hours a week for a meager salary to scrape by, drinking a fifth of a bottle of strong whiskey a day.As for Ai Pulu, even if she admits that she is a witch, at least she has more sustenance in her life. She wore a grim, challenging smile in her long, wide eyes as they toasted and shared a drink. "Willie... Bobby?" He sat on the other side of the rectangular table, leaned up and waited for her next words. "For...our night!" She was so close to him, "Ai Pulu, I want to know about you, everything about you. All the places you have been to, everything you have done. Your friends, your family, your ideals, your favorite food breakfast." Her red lips parted slightly in a sly smile. "Baby, you should know that a woman's secret is her charm." He couldn't help noticing again her white, hard, straight, perfect teeth, her beautiful teeth, which reminded him of Edgar Allan Poe's wild tale: of a man so haunted by the whimsy that he always wanted to pull himself out. sweetheart teeth.Babi wanted himself to stop such stupid, out-of-date random associations. He picked up the glass, but couldn't help shuddering, the pale daiquiri spilled on his fingers. "Too many secrets can be scary," he said, putting down his glass carefully. "I'm kind of afraid of you." "So what?" She watched him wipe off the wine drops on his fingers, with a smile on his face that seemed to be mocking, "Actually, you are the dangerous person, Babi." Babi lowered his head uncomfortably, and began to drink by himself.Until this evening, he thought he knew women—very well.But Ai Pulu let him down, "You see, Babi, I'm playing tricks." There was still that sneer in her voice, "You make me very happy, trust me. I think you don't either. Wish I'd mess up dinner tonight." "Of course, Ai Pulu, yes." He spoke very quietly, she nodded, and the red light shone with her red hair. "Very well, Babi," she whispered coquettishly, "for you, I shall lift the veil of mystery." She put down her wine glass, leaned over to Babi, stretched her round arms across the small black table, her shoulders and breasts were very close to Babi, he could vaguely smell her natural body, faint, refreshing and dry Fragrance--soap makers' ads don't make much money with her.She lowered her voice, as calm as Babi's. "I'm just a simple farmer's daughter, really," she said. "I was born here, in Clarendon County. My parents had a little stock ranch up the river, just over the railway bridge. By the way, I used to walk for half an hour every morning and take the school bus to school." She moved her lower lip slightly, as if smiling. "Oh, Babi, after hearing this, do you still have the same sense of mystery to me?" Babi nodded, "These are nothing, let's continue." There was a look of hesitation on her fair face. "Willie, please don't do this," she whispered pleadingly. "It's best if I tell you as much as I can tonight. That's all for this evening. This veil is my protective shell without which I can't do anything." , and it won't be attractive anymore. Please don't make me take it off, you might not like me anymore," "Why," he said, in a grinning voice, "I do want you to go on. You see, I'm still afraid of you." Ai Pulu took a sip of the daiquiri, looked at Babi with green eyes, no longer the mocking expression on her face, she frowned slightly.Then, he smiled slowly, very sweetly. "I warn you, it's going to be a little off-putting if I tell you any more." "I'm not afraid," he said as if to assure her, "I want to know everything about you, so I'll like you more." "I hope so." She smiled. "Okay, I'll go on." She quickly made a disgusted face. "My parents have a bad relationship, and that's the root of all trouble, really." Her voice was low and unnatural. "My father—oh, there's no need to go into the unpleasant details. My mother took me to California when I was nine years old. My father took the other kids. A veil to protect yourself." She drank nervously from her glass. "Look, there's no alimony," she said with resentment in her voice. "Mom changed back to her last name. To support me and support the family. She did everything: sell drinks, work as a salesman, stenographer, film actress." As a substitute, she finally managed to do something, but it was not easy, she did all this for me, so that I could grow up and learn to protect myself tactfully." "Mama despises most men—I think she has good reason for doing so. She tries to teach me how to protect myself. She makes me—oh, she calls me a little she-wolf," she said sweetly. Teeth glistening, Roshan smiled, "Hey, this is me, Baby, Mom managed to get me through school, and all those years, she managed to pay the insurance on time, and left me a few thousand dollars when she died. When it's all over, if I think about what she told me to do—" She smiled wryly. "That's it, Babe. I'm a ruthless hunter." She jerked the empty glass aside, a little nervously, a little contemptuously. "What do you think of me now?" Faced with Ai Pulu's sharp gaze, Babi squirmed uncomfortably on his seat, but fortunately he was recruited, and he ordered two more daiquiris. Ai Pulu's voice was very low, with a biting sneer—probably self-deprecating. "Have these ugly facts behind the torn veil made you less afraid of me?" Ba Biqiang pretended to smile. "As a ruthless hunter," he tried to appear nonchalant, "your gear is fantastic. I only hope the Star pays you a fair share. I'm afraid of the rest, though." .” He stared at her closely, her perfect body tightened slightly, her long green eyes narrowed alertly, and even her faint scent of body odor carried a hint of warning.At least for him it is.She was really like a hunting animal, huddled behind the black table, alert and waiting.Her smile couldn't take away Babi's feeling. "Oh, what are you afraid of?" Her voice was obviously nervous. Babi also drank the wine in his glass in one gulp, tapped his fingers on the table nervously - he looked at his hand next to Ai Pulu's, which looked so big in comparison, with protruding knuckles and hairy of.He pondered over and over in his heart, not knowing what to do. He not only had good hopes for Ai Pulu, but also had deep doubts about her. No matter what, he made up his mind to ask for clarification. "Ai Pulu—" As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he stopped again, because her bald oval face seemed to be far away suddenly, very strange.The green eyes narrowed warily—like she had heard what he was about to say.Babi had to force himself to go on. "Ai Pulu——I want to ask about what happened at the airport." His body leaned forward, and he didn't know what made him shiver. He suddenly continued in a firm and accusatory tone: "You killed the little black cat, and I found the body. You used this method to cause the death of Dr. Monrik." Babi imagined that she would immediately defend herself and deny his accusation.He was ready to deal with her anger.At the same time, I still hope that there is a child who secretly took Feifei away and killed her.But Ai Pulu covered her face with her hands, rested her elbows on the table, and began to sob, which was unexpected by Babi. Babi bit his lip and stared stupidly at her bright red hair.Her desperation and pain were so real, Babi saw it in his eyes, but his heart felt like a knife was twisted, and he couldn't bear tears at all.All his cruel suspicions were pure whims, and he was a complete fool to speak of Aunt Agatha's kitten. "Ai Pulu, really—" He was at a loss, "I'm not—" Two cups of daiquiri were served for Duan Mi, and a tip of two yuan was charged.Babi calmed down a little, and really wanted to touch the trembling arms of Ai Pulu Bell Bairun. At least he should comfort her, but he had to wait for Zhao Te to leave with an empty wine glass.Now he no longer cares about who she is and what she did, but is eager to find out why and how she did it. "Come on, Ai Pulu, don't do this." He begged in a low voice, "Can't I apologize?" She raised her head and squinted at him with tears in her eyes.Or is it because her eyebrows are drawn too high, making it look like her eyes are always squinting at people?Her eyes were big, deep, and serious, and the makeup on her face was messed up by tears. She nodded slightly, as if she had lost her spirits. "So, you already know." She seemed to be making her final remarks. Babi reached out subconsciously, trying to hold her petite hands, but she retracted and put them on her lap.She looked at him, waiting for his verdict, let the tears leave two lines of marks on her face, and didn't care about it.At this moment, she seemed to have no disguise anymore—or, a new disguise? "I don't know anything." Babi quickly explained that he was really confused. "The whole thing was like a nightmare, too many accidents in too short a time, and I couldn't comprehend what happened. I—" He paused.Swallowing hard, "I don't want to hurt you, really, please believe it. Ai Pulu - please believe me, I like you... like very much.But, well, you know, Dr. Monrik is dead. " Ai Pulu lowered her eyes weakly, took out a handkerchief from the small green leather satchel, wiped away her tears, and quickly powdered her face, sipping her daiquiri thoughtfully, pausing Bi's eyes followed her movements, and her slender fingers pinched the wine glass, and the liquid in the glass kept shaking with her.Finally, she finally raised her head with a solemn expression. "Yes, Willie." Her voice was low and serious, "you found me. I don't have to hide anything from you, or fool you. It's hard to tell the truth, and if you do, you're bound to be disappointed—I'm a devil boy, Babi. " Babi stood up with a "la" in surprise, and just half of his body straightened, he sat back on his seat, weighed the wine glass in his hand, and shook his head vigorously.Looking at her sad and serious face, he took a deep breath, opened his mouth to say something, but immediately closed it again.After a long while, he struggled to say, "What do you mean by that?" "That's what I meant." She said to him calmly, "I didn't tell you just now, why my parents quarreled and had a bad relationship, because I was afraid that you would stop talking to me. Now, let me tell you, in fact, their quarrels and conflicts are all because of me, because I am a devil child.My mother knew it all along, and when my father found out, she always defended me.If it wasn't for my mother's protection, maybe my father would have gotten rid of me.When the trouble got serious, my father drove my mother and me out together. "