Chapter 2 Chapter two

The following Tuesday morning, Sam Bowden was in his office looking over a report on the new Essex Trust Bank with Johnny Couric, a young lawyer who had been in the firm less than a year.Charlie Hooper called to say that someone was nearby, and asked if it would be convenient for him to come and talk for a few minutes. Sam quickly finished the report with Johnny, and sent him back to his cubicle to make a summary.He called Alice, the lady in charge of reception, and asked her to invite him in as soon as Mr. Hooper arrived. A few minutes later, Charlie walked into his office and closed the door behind him.Charlie is in his early thirties, has a good sense of humor but is ugly, he is energetic and ambitious, but he pretends to be lazy.

He sat down, reached for a cigarette, and said, "The black paneling on the walls, the whispered conversations, the files that go back to the Code of Hammurabi, more than seventeen hundred years B.C., plus the The smell of wealth and the soft rustle of counting bills, a hard working clown like me should walk in on tiptoe. I keep forgetting how you suave guys make this business look almost respectable and respectable of." "You'll be smothered in this line, Charlie, and I spend most of my time sharpening pencils." Charlie sighed. "I'm out there living a hustle and bustle, attending city council, zoning, and planning committee meetings. Samuel, I'm really sweating. By the way, why don't you stop Went to Jill Brady's 'Courthouse' for a drink or two?"

"There have been no cases going to court lately, which means we're working more efficiently." "I know, I know. Well, I've started looking up about that old buddy of yours. He's living in a tenement at 211 Jack Street, near the corner of Market Street. He was May 15 Moved in on the 1st, and the rent was paid in advance until the end of June. It's only the 11th, and he obviously plans to stay for a while. Our police officers in blue uniforms often go there to check the residential registration. He drives a gray Chevrolet sedan. About eight years old, with a West Virginia license plate. They picked him up yesterday afternoon in a bar on Market Street, and Captain Mark Dutton said he wasn't making a fuss, he was very Gentle and patient."

"Did they let him go?" "Either have let him go, or are going to let him go. They checked with the state of Kansas, and he was released last September. They want him to explain where he got the money, and where his car is. Where did he come from. And then they went back and checked them all out. He was born in a little mountain town near Charleston, West Virginia, and he went back there after he got out of prison. His brother had been I work in Charleston, and the house in my hometown is still there. After Marx came back, they sold the house and divided the money. He got about 3,000 U.S. dollars and put it in a belt that can hold bills and carried it with him. Both Charleston and Washington have confirmed his story. His car's license and plates are fine. They searched his car and house, no firearms, no contraband, so they let him go. "

"Did he explain why he came here?" "Under Dutton's handling, he had to make it clear that your name wasn't mentioned. Cardi said he liked the sights of the town. Dutton told me he was very calm and said it very much like returning home. thing." "Did you let Dutton figure out the situation beforehand?" "I don't know, I think he should know. Dutton doesn't like this kind of people here as much as you do. So they'll keep an eye on him. If he spits, he'll be fined fifty oceans; if his Get a fine for driving a mile over the speed limit and sue him for DUI whenever you see him coming out of a bar. He'll know what's up and he'll get out of here and go somewhere They will all go."

"Charlie, thanks for the help, really. But I don't think he'll be intimidated." Hu Bo put out the cigarette butt: "Are you too nervous?" "Maybe. Maybe I wasn't worried enough at lunch on Friday. I think he's a mentally ill maniac." "If that's the case, Dutton didn't notice. What do you think he wants?" "I don't know. I just think he's trying to do something as bad as he can to hurt me. If you have a wife, three kids, and you live in the country, you're just a little more nervous." He told Charlie about people who had parked their cars on the side of the road and sat on stone walls.Caro remembered that it was a gray car, which made it even more likely that it was Cady.

"Maybe he just wanted to scare you well." Sam gave a forced smile. "Well, he's done a pretty good job, then." "Perhaps you can try something else, Sam. Do you know anyone from Top Detective Agency?" "Of course we do. We've hired their people." "It's a national organization. Some areas are weak, but we have a few very capable people here. I'm thinking of one in particular. His name is Sylvester. Team background, I suppose. He's been a cop too, rough as a horse, cruel as a snake. It'll cost you a lot of money to get him to work, but it's worth the money. You know Their manager?"

"Anderson, I know." "Call him and see if he can send you Silves." "I think I'll go find him." "Do you have Cady's address?" "I wrote it down, 211 Jack Street, near the corner of Market Street." "right." Silves arrived at the office at half past four.He sat quietly, listening to Sam explain what had happened.He had a square head and gray face, and his age was hard to tell, but it seemed that he could be from thirty-five to fifty years old.His stomach sticks out from the belt, his hands are big and white, his hair is colorless, and his eyes are like two pieces of slate tiles with holes drilled in them.He made no unnecessary movements, just sat still and listened like a grave, making Sam feel a little too worried.

"Did Mr. Anderson tell you my price?" Sylvester asked in a slightly dazed voice. "Yes, he did. I promise to send him a check right away." "How long do you want to stare at Cady?" "I don't know, I'd like to have ... a bystander's opinion as to whether he was planning to harm me or my family." "We don't know how to read minds." Sam felt himself blushing. "I know that. I'm not a hysterical woman, Sylvester. I just thought if you kept an eye on him, you might be able to get some idea of ​​what's going on in his mind. I'd like to know if he's been over to my house."

"What if he goes?" "Let him go as far as you think it's safe, and if we can gather enough evidence to prove his intentions, it will go a long way towards convicting him." "How do you want me to report to you?" "An oral report will do. Sylvester, can you start now?" Sieves shrugged.This is the first time he has acted since his appearance. "I've already started." On Tuesday evening, just before Sam left the office, the rain stopped.When he weaved through the traffic and turned into Route 18, the setting sun came out again.The five miles of Highway 18 and the lakeside abutment pass through a district of summer houses, more and more built every year.The road then turns southwest to the village of Harper, about eight miles away, passing vast farmland and large new housing estates.

He drove into the village, skirted both sides of the village's central square, and turned right at the next traffic light onto Milton Road Knoll, arriving at his home on the outskirts of the village.They searched for a long time, finally found this farmhouse in 1950, and hesitated for a long time because of the price.In order to modernize the equipment inside, they estimated the price several times.But both he and Kai Luo knew that they were deep in it, and they had fallen in love with this old house.The house sits on ten acres of farm land with lots of elms, oaks and a row of poplars.Looking out from all the front windows, you can see a gently rolling hill in the distance. Architects and builders do a great job of building houses.The brick main house was painted white and set back from the main road outside.The long driveway is on the right as you face the house and leads to what used to be a barn and is still called a barn.Although the main function there is to park the Ford station wagon and Caro's handsome, distinguished and very practical British Morris Motors MG.The barns were also brick and painted white.Upstairs, the place where the straw used to be piled is now used by the children; Marilyn, who always barks when she is nervous, can climb the ladder, but she can only draw her tail, turn her eyes and let her be hugged go down. Turning into his driveway, Sam found himself wishing for some neighbors for the first time.Although they could see the roof of Turner's house and some farms on the hillside in the distance, that was all.There are many houses along the road, but they are far apart from each other.There are so many houses that sometimes it seems that all the high school students come to Bowden's area on weekends and holidays.But none of the houses were very close. He drove the car into the barn.Marilyn jumped over, running and screaming for attention.Sam counted the number of bicycles as he reached to pat it, only to find that there should have been three, but only Butch was home.The thought of Nancy and Jamie still out on the road unnerved him.He has always been worried about his children's traffic safety, but this time he has another reason for worrying.But he didn't know how to limit their range of motion. Caro went to the back yard and met him on the way to the barn, and she kissed him and said, "Have you heard from Charlie?" "Yes. I wanted to call you, but I don't think it's that urgent. I can wait a little longer." "Good news?" "Very well, it's a long story." He glared at her. "I think there's something wrong with you being so dressed up, wife, and I hope I haven't forgotten about a party." "Oh, this look? It's for morale. I've been worried, so I decided to put on some make-up, remember? I usually dress up, and all the good marriage articles tell the wife to put on Dress up and wait for your husband to come home." "But you don't have to dress up like that." They entered the house through the kitchen door.He poured a large glass of wine and took it upstairs to drink while he showered and changed.When he came out of the shower, Caro came in and sat on the edge of her bed, listening to his account of his conversation with Charlie and his hiring of Sylvester. "I'm hoping he'll do something so they can get him. Anyway, I'm glad I got Silves. Does he seem... capable?" "I don't know. He's not the enthusiastic type. Charlie seems to think he's the top pick." "Charlie knows these things, doesn't he?" "Charlie knows all about these things. Don't be so nervous, baby, they're on the move." "Isn't this kind of thing expensive?" "It's not too expensive." He lied to her. "One day I'm going to throw away your blue shirt," she said. He buttoned his shirt, grinned at her and said, "If you lose the shirt, I'll leave too." "It's ugly!" "I know. Where are the children?" "Butch's in his room, and he and Andy are designing an airplane, they say. Jimmy's at the Turner's, and they're keeping him there for dinner. Nancy's supposed to be back from the village soon." "Who is she with?" "She rode there with Sandella." He went to the chest of drawers, took another sip of wine, and put down the glass.He looked at Kai Luo, and she smiled. "I guess we can't help it, my dear. The early pioneers were so scared. They were always worried about the Indians and all kinds of animals. It's like that now, like hiding in the woods by the stream. an animal." He kissed her forehead and comforted her, saying, "It will be over soon." "Better like this. I feel very hungry at noon today, but suddenly I can't swallow. I just want to go to school and see our children. But I didn't go, I just frantically dig weeds in the yard, It didn't stop until the school bus dropped them off at the gate." From the bedroom window he could see the driveway, and he saw Nancy riding her bicycle toward the barn, waving back and yelling something to someone behind them they couldn't see, probably Sandella. .Nancy was wearing blue denim shorts and a red blouse. "Nancy's back," he said, "on time." "She's—in her own words—very mad at Peake now. It seems like there's a new beauty in school with almost light blonde hair, so Peake's an ass now." "Fuck?" "It's a new term for me too, it's like old-fashioned and ass put together. She was very impatient with the explanation and said 'Ouch, old-mom!'." "I'm okay with that. Peake Foster's a bitch, no doubt, he's a transition I wish Nancy would get over. He's too much for a fifteen-year-old boy." Big, too muscular. Every time I try to talk to him, he just stares at me with a flushed face and makes the most horrible hollow laugh I've ever heard." "He just doesn't know how to get along with you." "It's nothing to do with me, two-syllables make him dizzy, he's a kid from the standard TV era, and it's all about those damn schools and those damn teaching theories. Before you talk about those old Before I reply in a smug and self-satisfied manner, let me tell you that I will never participate in the parent meeting to make any reforms." They went downstairs.Nancy was sitting at a long table in the kitchen talking on the phone.She made an extremely annoying expression to them, covered the microphone with her hand, gritted her teeth and said, "I'm going to study tonight." "Then hang up," Sam said. From the back stairs came the sound of a malnourished horse tumbling down the stairs.Butch and his best friend Andy stormed through the kitchen, out the screen door, down the steps, and headed for the barn.The hinges on the screen door sighed. "'Hello, Daddy,'" said Sam, "Hello, son. Hello, Andy. 'Hello, Mr. Bowden.' What are you two doing?" Well, we're going to the barn, Dad. 'Fine, go ahead, boys.' Nancy listened intently to the voice on the other end of the phone as she kicked the sandal off her right foot and then tried, somewhat absent-mindedly, with her toes to open the hosel of the cabinet door under the counter.Caro opened the oven door built into the wall and was looking at the contents with a suspicious and unfriendly expression.Caro is a good cook, but emotional.She would talk over the ingredients for the cakes and the pots and pans.If something wasn't cooked, it wasn't her fault, it was an act of deliberate treachery—the damn beetroot was boiling dry; that stupid chicken just wouldn't relax its muscles. Sam filled the goblet with some wine and carried it over to the trestle table (a table on legs with replaceable panels).He opened the evening paper, but before he began to read it, he looked around the kitchen.Kai Luo has a lot of leading opinions on the design of the kitchen, and there are many stainless steel things in it.The kitchen is huge.An island-like section in the middle houses the sink and stove and separates the work area from the eating area.The cupboards and storage cupboards were of dark pine.There was also a large window, from which one could see the wooded hill behind the barn.A set of copper pots, in order, hung from a pine-paneled wall; beside a trestle table, there was a small fireplace of boulders.Sam didn't like it at first, he didn't feel comfortable in the room. "Too much like an army warehouse," he said, "too many weird brass things." But now he likes it very much, it has become the most frequently used room in the whole house, and the one with white wood and blue Elegant dining room with colorful wallpaper, before long it became reserved for entertainers.That trestle table sits comfortably for five. After Nancy hung up and put her sandals back on, Sam said, "I hear you have a competitor, Nancy." "What? Oh, that! Mom told you so. She's a real stinky little thing, always putting on a show, with the saddest (lovely) snarky (little) mouth and a pair of pretty cool (beautiful) )'s big rotten (blue) eyes. We all suspected she was trying to dress up as Alice in Wonderland. The boys were all glued to her side. It looked horrible and disgusting. Poor old Peck, he didn't Good at talking, so I can only walk around her and show his muscles. I can't be bothered." "That's an interesting female statement." "That's what everyone says," she said pityingly. "I should go to school, really." "What's up tomorrow, baby?" Caro asked. "Test history." "Need help?" Sam asked. "Maybe help me review the time later, I hate memorizing those boring and old-fashioned years." He looked at the door she ran out of, at such a precious and dangerous age, half child, half woman.When she is fully grown as a woman, she will be very cute.And that raises other special problems. Just as he was finishing the evening paper, saving the pogo strip for the last, he heard Caro dialing the phone. "Hello, Liz? I'm Caro. Is our second child really good with you...Really? Great. Your Mike is like a little angel when he visits us. I think they all act like this... can I have a word with him? Please, thank you, Liz...Jimmy? Baby, I don't want you and Mike just playing around and not doing your homework, hear you ...Okay, baby. Keep your elbows on the table, eat without making noise, and be back by nine-thirty. Good-bye, baby." She hung up and gave Sam a guilty look. "I know it's silly, but I'm starting to worry, and it's so convenient to make a phone call." "I'm glad you made the call." "If I keep going like this, we're all going to go crazy." "I think it's a good idea to keep an eye on them all the time." "Go get Butch in, please. Will you take Andy home, honey?" After watching Butch go to bed at nine o'clock, Sam walked down the corridor to his daughter's room, where there was a stack of fresh records next to her turntable, played softly.Nancy sat at her desk with her books and notebooks open.She was wearing a pink terry gown and her hair was a little messy.She glanced at him with an exhausted expression on her face. "Ready to brush up on the historical era?" "Probably, I'm afraid I'll forget most of them. Here's the list, Dad." "You even write numbers in reverse?" "That's what makes the difference." "That's true. Don't schools teach writing anymore?" "They said, just recognize it." He went to the bed, moved the indispensable kangaroo aside, and sat down.The stuffed toy, named Sally, was a birthday present when she turned one, and she's taken it to bed with her ever since, wherever she is.She won't bite the kangaroo's ears now, and there isn't much room left to bite. "Are we going to review the book with this gentleman with sinus problems singing in the background?" Nancy leaned back and turned off the switch on the record player. "I'm ready. Let's go." He questioned her according to the ages listed on the list.She was wrong by five.Twenty minutes later, no matter how he reversed the order, she could get it right.She's a bright kid and very competitive.She has her own ideas, she is logical and orderly, and she is less likely to be unconstrained.Bucky seems to be more like Nancy; Jamie can only dream, he is a slower learner and full of imagination. He stood up and returned the list to her, hesitated for a moment, then sat down again. "Parent talk time," he said. "I think I have a clear conscience. I mean, in this moment," she replied. "I'm just saying it, baby. It's about strangers." "My God, it's been said a million times. Mom said it too: don't hitchhike; don't go into the woods by yourself; never stop a car on the road; To move, to run as fast as the wind." "It's a little different this time, Nancy. It's a certain person this time, and I wasn't sure whether it would be better not to tell you, but I thought it would be a little silly. This is a person who hates me." "Hate you? Dad!" He felt a little annoyed and said: "You are a gentle, cute, and not very decent dad, you may still be resented." "That's not what I meant. Why does he hate you?" "A long time ago, during World War II, I was an eyewitness against him. If it wasn't for me, he probably wouldn't have been convicted and sentenced, and he's been in a military prison ever since. Now they've let him out, and he Come to our part, about a week or two ago, your mother and I believe he was here. Maybe he won't do anything, but we must assume he will." "Why did they put him in prison?" He looked at her for a while, assessing how much she knew. "Rape. The other party is a girl your age." "My God!" "He's a bit shorter than me. About John Turner's build, about John's size, but not so squishy. Bald, very tanned, with very white, cheap-looking dentures. He was poorly dressed and smoked cigars. Do you remember that?" "of course can." "Regardless of the reason, do not allow any man who fits the above description to approach you." "I won't, man, this is exciting, isn't it?" "The same can be said." "Can I tell my classmates?" He hesitated. "I suppose so. I'll tell your brothers about it, too. That man's name is Cuddy, and his full name is Max Cuddy." He stood up again: "Don't study too late, little girl. Sleep well, and you will do better in the exam." "I can't wait to tell all my classmates. Oh!" He grinned at her and tousled her hair. "Hello, amazing. The life of teenage Nancy Ann Bowden has changed dramatically. Danger is creeping up on this skinny girl. Tune in tomorrow for another chapter in the life of this American girl with a brave smile on her face." right--" "Stop talking!" "Do you want to close your door?" "Hello, I almost forgot. I met Jack in the village. He said he had found a place to tow the boat. You know him, so I told him to tow the boat. It’s okay to fix it, right?” "Very well, little girl." When he came downstairs, Jamie was already home.Caro was trying to get him to bed.Sam asked Jimmy to wait. "I just told Nancy about Cady," he said. Caro frowned. "But you think . . . oh, I see. I think it's wise, Sam." "What's the matter?" Jimmy asked. "Listen to me, son. I'm going to tell you something, and I want you to hold on to everything I say." He explained the whole situation to Jimmy.Jamie listened intently.Finally Sam said, "We'll tell Butch about that too, but I'm not sure if telling him makes any difference to him, he lives in his own world of Mars. So I want you to be closer to brother than usual, I know It's going to get in the way of some of your fun, but it's serious, Jimmy, and it's not a TV show. Would you?" "Of course. Why didn't they arrest him?" "He did nothing wrong." "I bet they could arrest him. You know, the cops have guns, the ones they take from dead murderers. As long as they go find the guy and put the killer gun in his pocket, then they can use the gun without a license." Get him for carrying a firearm, put him in jail, right. And then they take that gun to the lab and run it through some instrument, and they'll find out it's a murder gun, so that's Put him in the electric chair and execute him early in the morning." "Oops," Caro said. "James, my boy, we are a very good country in America because this kind of thing can't happen. We don't put innocent people in jail, we don't Putting people in jail for what we think they're going to do. If there's such a thing, you, James Bowden, might find out someday, because someone else lied, He was put in jail." Jamie frowned and thought about it, then nodded. "That Scooter Prescott is about to lock me up." "why?" "Because I can do twenty-eight push-ups now. You see, when I can do fifty push-ups, I'm going to go find him and smash his fat nose." "Does he know about it?" "Of course I do, I told him." "Now you'd better go to bed, baby," Caro said. At the top of the front stairs, Jimmy turned around again and said, "But there's one more problem. Scooter's doing push-ups too, damn it!" After he was gone, Caro said, "How's Nancy's reaction?" "She understands very well." "I think it's wise to tell the truth." "I know. But it makes me feel a little useless. I'm the king of this little tribe, and I'm supposed to scare Kadi, but I don't know how to do it, especially if someone like me This desk physique. He looks like he's got a bunch of unnamed muscles." "Is that Marilyn calling?" He went into the kitchen and opened the door to let the puppy in.Marilyn smiled happily at him wagging her tail, and waddled towards the food bowl.It looked at the empty basin in shock and disbelief, then turned to look at him. "It's not negotiable, miss, you're on a diet, remember?" It desperately licked the water in the basin, staggered to the corner where it slept, turned around three times, let out a sigh, and lay down on its side, Sam squatted down beside it, and poked its stomach lightly with his fingers . "You've got to get back into shape, Marilyn, and you've got to get rid of the fat." It rolled its eyes at him, wagged its red-haired tail twice, then yawned, ending the yawn with a low howl, showing its long ivory teeth. He stood up. "Even a big beast gets annoyed by kittens and tortured by bad squirrels. Marilyn, every day is hard for you four-year-old coward, isn't it?" It moved its tail lazily, then closed its eyes.He wandered back into the living room and yawned.Kai Luo looked at him and yawned too. "Marilyn infected me, and I infected you." "Then I'll go to bed with a yawn." "I'll make sure Nancy's in bed first," he said, "in a minute." He turned off the lights in the house one by one, and when he was about to lock the front door, he opened the door again, walked out into the front yard, and walked slowly towards the road.A rain has washed the air very clean, and there is a smell of June in the air, and summer is coming.The stars in the sky looked very small and tall, as if they had just been polished.He heard the sound of a truck whizzing away from Highway 18, and when it died away, he heard the barking of dogs on a distant farm across the valley.A mosquito whistled in his ear, and he waved it away. The night is dark, the sky is high, the world is so vast, and people are really small, insignificant, and very fragile.His wife and children are all in bed. Cady lives somewhere in the night, breathes in the darkness. He slapped the mosquitoes, walked back across the damp grass, locked the door, and went to bed.