Chapter 20 Chapter Nineteen

It was almost 11 o'clock, and it was too late to visit, but today was a very sad day, and Moreau needed to find some comfort, so she continued to drive. The straight and wide roads around the high-rise apartments in Kasimik were designed for the automobile age, but people here cannot afford a car and can only travel by bus.Wide streets serve little purpose other than to bring down toddlers or unimpeded racetracks for car thieves, so planners have slowed down traffic on the pavement, setting up many Deceleration zone.Morrow was doing 10 mph and still felt bumpy. Passing the local police station, another solid fortress of brown brick, she slowed to a stop at the foot of a low, steep hill, where there were 20 parking spaces, and she parked her car in it.The apartments here look dilapidated and gloomy, as if foreboding, and three tall buildings stand side by side overlooking the city.The stairwell glass columns of each building are different lighting colors, the middle one is blue, the sides are orange and purple, and the outer walls are light and soft mustard, pea green and brown. Intertwined incongruously with the vibrant colored lights on the glass columns.

She hopped out of the car, thinking about her actions: Not only was she interviewing witnesses alone, but she was blatantly parking her private car in front of these apartments.She looked around. There were CCTV cameras mounted on lampposts at every corner. From where she stood she could see more than a dozen of them, all of which appeared to be operational. If anything happened tonight, the bosses would know that she had been here alone in a private car.But she still didn't turn around and go back to the car, but walked to the building in the middle, checked the notes, looked for the apartment number, and pressed the buzzer on the door.She peered in through the door. The hall was white tiled and as clean as an operating room.Impressive slogans were plastered on the walls, instructing residents not to keep dogs in apartments, litter elevators and graffiti everywhere.Here they don't seem to need much instruction, as even those catchphrases are clean.

A little girl's voice came from the intercom, "Hello?" "Hi, is this Kay Murray's house?" The girl turned her head and shouted inside: "Mom, I'm looking for you!" Hearing Kai's voice approaching, Moreau smiled. "...Next time, ask who it is before yelling at me." But the girl stomped and ran away. Kai cleared his throat and said, "Hello?" "Kay? It's me." A short pause. "Alex?" "yes." "Oh, come up..." The door buzzed, and Morrow pushed it open, walked across the hall, and pressed the elevator button. The elevator door slid open, and the elevator was lit with warm orange lights. The floor was clean, and none of the plastic buttons showed signs of being burnt by a lighter. , only a little smell of disinfectant.It was a non-threatening environment, but Moreau felt a shudder in her stomach as the elevator doors closed in front of her and began to ascend.

The elevator door opened again, and what greeted the eyes was the cold strip lighting, a takeaway food packaging bag hung on a doorknob, exuding the lingering smell of curry, and the ground was a vibrant pink and sky blue rhombus A sidewalk made of squares, all the doors are sky blue, with mottled glass panels, some with lights inside, some of them are dark.Moreau walked to Apartment 8. Murray’s door was very old, with pink lace trim inside the glass panels, which was a good sign: it meant she had lived here a long time, and she could afford the rent.A broken, patched door is a classic sign of a troubled home.

Moreau knocked on the door, stepped back, and waited.Behind her, the elevator doors beeped, and she turned to watch the orange light fade into a narrow slit before disappearing. Without warning, the front door swung open, and a tall, thin boy stood there, looking at her. "Hello!" Morrow forced a smile and said, "Is this Kay Murray's home?" He looked at her polished shoes and grinned, "God, you really are a policeman," he leaned forward, took her arm, and led her gently into the narrow hall, closing the door, "Mom said she met an old classmate who is now a police officer. Are you really the same age as her? You look younger."

"Oh, I'm bloated like this because I'm pregnant," she said.Still, she was happy. The foyer was filled with empty cardboard boxes of detergent, washing powder, chips, biscuits, empty trays of washing-up liquid bottles and shampoo.These things were piled up in a mess, stacked four or five layers against the wall.For a moment, Morrow naturally thought about crimes like shoplifting, truck hijacking, and stealing from her employer, but she quickly stopped thinking: she was here to see Kay, not business. To her right were the open doors to the living room and kitchen, with three more doors ahead, each decorated in a different way by its occupant: one was a dull black, one was painted pink , with a few glittering butterflies haphazardly attached to it, and a third door split down the middle, half in classic Celtics green and half in classic Raiders blue.Celtics fans reclaimed some of the frontier land with a felt-tip pen, but Raiders fans obscured that patch of green invasion with a damp cloth.

The bathroom door opened, and Kay came out, wet hair was messy on his face, and an old purple towel was draped over his shoulders, the corners were frayed, and there were spots of stains left by a few drops of old hair dye.She looked at the boy angrily and kicked the empty box, "How many times have I told you to take these things down, but you always walk past them and ignore them." She forced a smile at Moreau, "I friend of mine has a Costco card." "You're lucky," Moreau said. "Yeah, it feels great," she said, picking up an empty potato chip box, placing it on top of the others, and kicking them against the wall. , I don’t know if I saved money by doing this or just bought more things.” She pointed to the boy who opened the door, “They are just a group of gannets, and I eat whatever I bring back. Evaporated. They're wolfing down a bucket of fishballs."

The boy stuck out his tongue, "It's disgusting." Kai wiped his hair with a towel, "I still have to eat." The boy was dark-skinned and handsome, with blue eyes and two eyebrows that grew together, making him look heroic.Morrow could see a faint shadow of Kay in him, but not much.The boy suddenly asked Moreau very seriously: "I ask you a very serious question: How can I become a policeman?" Kay shook his head at Moreau, "Damn it." Morrow shrugged, not sure if he was serious, "Just apply, call them and ask what to do, but you have to apply several times, so don't get discouraged."

He thought for a while, and seemed to have made up his mind, "I won't be discouraged." Kay looked embarrassed and said, "As if they'd accept you." "Why, why can't I do it?" Kay hissed impatiently, and walked across the hall towards the kitchen, wiping her hair with a towel as she walked, flicking off the lid of the kettle, "You know very well." "Seriously, why can't I?" Kay ignored his question, "Alex, would you like some tea?" Police officers not on duty will accept a cup of tea from the crowd, which will keep them longer, and you never know what will be put in the tea, but Morrow said, "Okay, thank you." As if to prove This is not an official visit.

The other child was still saying: "That's it. I'm going to call and ask for the application form. Mom, will you fill it out for me?" The pink bedroom door opened, and a teenage girl looked out reproachfully.She is chubby and more beautiful than Kay back then.Moreau gave her a gentle smile, "Hello." The girl seemed suddenly shy and closed the door a little, halfway to any threatening environment, but Moreau still felt a shudder in her belly as the elevator doors closed in front of her and began to ascend. The elevator door opened again, and what greeted the eyes was the cold strip lighting, a takeaway food packaging bag hung on a doorknob, exuding the lingering smell of curry, and the ground was a vibrant pink and sky blue rhombus A sidewalk made of squares, all the doors are sky blue, with mottled glass panels, some with lights inside, some of them are dark.Moreau walked to Apartment 8.

Murray’s door was very old, with pink lace trim inside the glass panels, which was a good sign: it meant she had lived here a long time, and she could afford the rent.A broken, patched door is a classic sign of a troubled home. Moreau knocked on the door, stepped back, and waited.Behind her, the elevator doors beeped, and she turned to watch the orange light fade into a narrow slit before disappearing. Without warning, the front door swung open, and a tall, thin boy stood there, looking at her. "Hello!" Morrow forced a smile and said, "Is this Kay Murray's home?" He looked at her polished shoes and grinned, "God, you really are a policeman," he leaned forward, took her arm, and led her gently into the narrow hall, closing the door, "Mom said she met an old classmate who is now a police officer. Are you really the same age as her? You look younger." "Oh, I'm bloated like this because I'm pregnant," she said.Still, she was happy. The foyer was filled with empty cardboard boxes of detergent, washing powder, chips, biscuits, empty trays of washing-up liquid bottles and shampoo.These things were piled up in a mess, stacked four or five layers against the wall.For a moment, Morrow naturally thought about crimes like shoplifting, truck hijacking, and stealing from her employer, but she quickly stopped thinking: she was here to see Kay, not business. To her right were the open doors to the living room and kitchen, with three more doors ahead, each decorated in a different way by its occupant: one was a dull black, one was painted pink , with a few glittering butterflies haphazardly attached to it, and a third door split down the middle, half in classic Celtics green and half in classic Raiders blue.Celtics fans reclaimed some of the frontier land with a felt-tip pen, but Raiders fans obscured that patch of green invasion with a damp cloth. The bathroom door opened, and Kay came out, wet hair was messy on his face, and an old purple towel was draped over his shoulders, the corners were frayed, and there were spots of stains left by a few drops of old hair dye.She looked at the boy angrily and kicked the empty box, "How many times have I told you to take these things down, but you always walk past them and ignore them." She forced a smile at Moreau, "I friend of mine has a Costco card." "You're lucky," Moreau said. "Yeah, it feels great," she said, picking up an empty potato chip box, placing it on top of the others, and kicking them against the wall. , I don’t know if I saved money by doing this or just bought more things.” She pointed to the boy who opened the door, “They are just a group of gannets, and I eat whatever I bring back. Evaporated. They're wolfing down a bucket of fishballs." The boy stuck out his tongue, "It's disgusting." Kai wiped his hair with a towel, "I still have to eat." The boy was dark-skinned and handsome, with blue eyes and two eyebrows that grew together, making him look heroic.Morrow could see a faint shadow of Kay in him, but not much.The boy suddenly asked Moreau very seriously: "I ask you a very serious question: How can I become a policeman?" Kay shook his head at Moreau, "Damn it." Morrow shrugged, not sure if he was serious, "Just apply, call them and ask what to do, but you have to apply several times, so don't get discouraged." He thought for a while, and seemed to have made up his mind, "I won't be discouraged." Kay looked embarrassed and said, "As if they'd accept you." "Why, why can't I do it?" Kay hissed impatiently, and walked across the hall towards the kitchen, wiping her hair with a towel as she walked, flicking off the lid of the kettle, "You know very well." "Seriously, why can't I?" Kay ignored his question, "Alex, would you like some tea?" Police officers not on duty will accept a cup of tea from the crowd, which will keep them longer, and you never know what will be put in the tea, but Morrow said, "Okay, thank you." As if to prove This is not an official visit. The boy was still saying: "That's it. I'm going to call and ask for the application form. Mom, will you fill it out for me?" The pink bedroom door opened, and a teenage girl looked out reproachfully.She is chubby and more beautiful than Kay back then.Moreau gave her a gentle smile, "Hello." The girl seemed suddenly shy and closed the door a little bit, semi-white of what Sarah Errol was, and instead contrasted herself with Kay, looking for cheap affirmations and measurements and trade-offs, she was more than her own old friend Live better. Kay blinked and began to state mechanically: "Sarah is a nice person. She loves her mother, even though Mrs. Errol is a scoundrel, like a naughty child. I like Joy, that's her name, Arrow. Mrs. Joy Alice Errol. Everyone calls her Mrs. Errol." She stretched one leg, moved around, took the cigarettes and lighter from the ironing board, opened the case, and looked at the Rubbing Morrow's stomach, "Do you mind?" "Quick fix." They laughed in unison, because they had had this conversation 100 times.Kay lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, leaned over to the side of the chair, took the dirty glass ashtray, and laid it on his lap. "Does Sarah have a boyfriend?" "Never brought a boyfriend home, but I knew she had people out there, and she'd get texts and... well, she'd be looking at her phone and giggling..." Kay recalls quietly, "As a teenager Mom, you're going to look like a psychic. Maybe she doesn't want her boyfriend to see her." "Is her mother difficult?" "Aha, difficult mothers aren't the only ones who keep their kids secret. That's what they are. It's in nature, isn't it?" Kay thought for a moment, then smiled. "But Joey is a difficult person, Crazy and befuddled, full of bad habits, people would hate her even if she didn't hate her." At this point, Kay imitated the voice of the old lady and screamed, "Kay, you look terrible! You really Too fat!" "Does Sarah like mother?" "Sarah is a filial daughter. Even Joey himself is confused. It is not common for Sarah to love her so much. You know, Sarah is an only child." Kai lowered his eyes, lost in memory. "How do you know she loves mother?" Kay laughed, "Whenever she saw or talked about her mother, she always glowed, 'I would give anything for my mother', she said over and over again, God Almighty, I miss Joey." Tears Suddenly welling up from Kay's eyes, she blinked hard to hold back the tears, "It's just—her company, you know?" "You two are close?" "Maybe not," Kai smiled at the ashtray. "It's different to get along with Alzheimer's patients. Their personalities have changed, and their family members don't recognize them. Because of Alzheimer's, her temperament has changed. But I really like her." "Did you see anyone else in that house? Some of Sarah's friends, for instance?" "No." "When was the last time you saw Sarah Errol?" Kay exhaled a puff of smoke and frowned at her, "Well, seriously, Alex, this is really a police question. Shouldn't we wait until the other guy...?" "Ah, yes, yes." "Are you currently working with another family in that location?" "yes." "Everyone there is rich?" "Not as rich as they used to be ... They lost a lot of money - you should ask them, they've all invested their money in stocks." "You work for Lady Tyrine?" Kay shook her head. "Look, this is a police matter." She stared at Morrow. "You shouldn't be here alone." She felt that she was being too harsh, so she said softly, "Tell me, this case Nothing to do with sex?" "Why do you ask that?" "You're asking if she has a boyfriend." "Just for context." Kai nodded to the cigarette in his hand, "Okay, I don't want to think that she will be sexually assaulted, she is a very good girl, a very traditional kind of person." "Tradition?" "Like a real lady," Kay touched her wrist, "always with a handkerchief..." For a moment she wandered absently in her own thoughts, her head tilted, her eyes moist.Mo Luojing waited for her to come to her senses, and began to doubt whether the police's judgment was wrong, but on the other hand, "tradition" may be exactly the problem. Kai looked at Morrow hopefully, "Can't this be an accident?" Moreau didn't answer, she didn't want the other party to hear her attitude. Kay took a sip of tea, and the two fell silent again.In the foyer outside, the front door opened and a boy's voice called, "Hey, it's me!" Kay responded with a "Hey," but the boy did not come into the living room, and Jo and her sister yelled back, and they could hear the bedroom door opening and the children's boisterous noise. Kay lowered her voice and asked eagerly, "What the hell are you here for, Alex? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to see you, but you shouldn't be here alone, we both know that. " Moreau nodded, "Yes." "Yes." Kay flicked his cigarette quickly, tapped lightly on the edge of the ashtray, and said suddenly angrily, "Yes, to be honest, I am a little angry that you came here alone, because if you You found the murderer, and he got away with it because you asked me some questions here, and no one came to confirm it, and then the case couldn't proceed because—” Moreau exclaimed sharply, "How do you know that?" Kay froze, staring at Moreau.She lifted the cigarette and took a drag.Her hands trembling on the armrest, "I am the chairman of the crime reporting committee in this area, and we organized a movement to protest the police across the road," smoke began to seep from her nose and mouth, slowly Rising, lingering on her face, staining her wet hair, "They only send one police officer to the homes that are victims of burglaries so the other people on duty can have dinner." She squints Looking at Morrow, "The burglary rate is so low here that I don't think they ever actually catch a single criminal. A lot of people here don't understand that sending a police officer over means the police don't care. So I launched a A campaign to tell everyone about the rules of corroboration, I sent out a leaflet to everyone in the building, you can go to the station and ask, they all know me." If Kay's allegations are correct, then this is outrageous and not only means that the higher-level officers have given up the possibility of solving a burglary, but also means that lower-level officers are being punished for working alone without assistance. at risk.But Moreau had heard public complaints before, and she recognized that the strange feeling in her consciousness was slowly fading.It’s a reflexive familial self-defense, and the old excuses come to mind: They don’t know the pressure we’re under, they don’t understand, they—they—they’re against us—us—us.She had already chosen which side to take. Kay leaned forward, as if seeing Morrow's position, "You'd better find out who killed Sarah." "I will." "Because she's a nice girl." "I will." Moreau was surprised by her promise, and she really didn't know if she would find the murderer. "Mom?" The door opened, and Joe looked in. Behind him was his brother, a different type of boy, a little shorter than Joe, chubby like his sister but not good-looking, with dyed hair. He was dressed in black, had several pierced ears, and was wearing a black T-shirt with white letters on it.He smiled and nodded to Moreau, looking her up and down. "Mom," Joe said, "Frank bought a DVD, can we use the TV?" Frank smiled and said proudly, "Just paid." "What is it?" ""Spirit: Ghost Story"." "It's too late now, and besides, isn't Mary too young to watch this kind of movie?" "She's a little younger." "I heard it was scary." "I'm not a child anymore!" the girl yelled from the lobby. Kay yelled at her too, "Yes, Mary, but you're not 15." She lowered her voice, "Frank, put something else, there must be something else she can watch with you." The conversation between their mother and son was ringing in Morrow's ears, but Morrow wasn't listening. She looked at the boy's feet and felt uncomfortable because he was wearing the same Fila sneakers as at the scene of the crime, black suede. As he drove across the street to the police station, Morrow felt stupid, as if he was betraying Kay. She parked her car behind the police station building, locked it, and walked to the front door of the building. The automatic door swished open, and she walked in. She came to the unattended reception desk and rang the doorbell by the desk.They were watching her from somewhere in the distance, she knew, so she nodded to herself in the mirror on the wall, took out the warrant, and held it up until the door opened and a middle-aged police officer stepped out, checking her certificate. "What can I do for you, Inspector?" "I came here to find someone to find out about the situation. Do you know the high-rise apartment over there?" "yes." "Kay Murray? Joe Murray? Frank? Do you know them?" He raised his eyebrows, checked her authorization card again, and then opened the front grill, "You'd better come in and talk to Detective Xiao." He asked her to wait in the reception room, and he called to find a colleague.She found an interesting phenomenon, even though it was not the time of shift change, he seemed pretty sure Xiao was in this building.Shaw finally showed up, and she saw that he was an old-fashioned policeman: nice and neat haircut, quick in speech and manner, about her age, but not as sensitive and irritable. "The Murrays are vermin, the mother of the family has launched a campaign to viciously discredit the council and widen the gap between us and the apartment dwellers, and it took us months to get them to play by the rules." "Really?" "Yes, it's just a mob." "How about those kids?" "Oh, listen, they helped her distribute leaflets everywhere, and stuffed them in the doors of other people's houses..." At this point, he suddenly stopped talking, as if he had a ghost in his heart, and moved his feet. He raised his head and gave her a suspicious look, wondering if she was investigating the performance of the police station.Moreau didn't want to explain. "There are cameras everywhere - all working?" She saw his eyes averted, because he thought of the footage of the policeman wandering alone in the high-rise apartment in the video replay... "Listen," she said, "if you don't answer my question, I'll take you to London Road right away." "Yes." He replied mechanically. She turned around and opened the door leading to the front desk, "Are you worried about the safety of the Junior Constable?" She saw the spark of shame in his eyes. "Young inexperienced officers, alone in a hostile environment? They need assistance and you're here reading the papers, and even if nothing happens to them, they think it's acceptable and they send the police out, Finally it happened." She was more and more accusing, so she paused, "If I hear anything more about your precinct, I'll be back, I won't let you go! Got it ?" His mouth was tightly shut when she reprimanded her, so she repeated, "I won't let you go!" She walked away, slamming the door behind her, and walked quickly across the front desk to the door. The air outside was frosty, and the weather was about to change. She looked back at the high-rise apartment from the side of the car. About the Murray family, Xiao Ji told her a lot, but what he didn't mention was much more important. He didn't have any specific examples to slander Kai, and the children didn't have any record of bad behavior.Kay hadn't had any quarrels with neighbors or an ex-partner, she didn't drink heavily, and she wasn't prone to any drunken parties.If there was such a thing, he would definitely mention it. Anyway, the Murrays were better than hers.