As they all gathered together to talk, the policeman named Gerd Schilling stood in the doorway with a bored look on his face. Luo Binhan walked up to him with his hands in his pockets and said hello to him.
"I heard that you are looking for me." Luo Binhan said, "I don't speak German, can we speak English?"
"No problem." The other person replied in English.
This straightforward answer surprised Luo Binhan. It's not like he hasn't encountered that kind of person before. Some clerks will pretend not to understand what he means when he speaks English, but their eyes will always fall on the things he says; when asking for directions in English, a well-dressed old man She stared at him blankly, but after he walked away, he was mumbling curse words. It happened that he still understood this part.
It was obvious that he would inevitably encounter this kind of person again tonight. Even though the other party spoke a few words in English when he first appeared, that didn't stop him from using the local accent and slang that the locals were proud of. Luo Binhan had almost no feeling about this kind of thing, because it was no different from what he had thought before. Believing that one language or bloodline was superior to another and worthy of a better life was just one of many survival principles. An example of. But he was a little worried that Yu Xiaorong would have an attack, because she was not the kind of character who could tolerate others talking nonsense in front of her every day. She simply couldn't bear a self-righteous bullshit.
"Let's go talk in the yard." Luo Binhan said, turning around and glancing into the room, pretending not to understand Yu Qingshu's eyes and Yu Xiaorong's gestures, "I'm sorry that it's not convenient to stay in the living room to talk. In fact, I just felt that the house It's a bit stuffy in here, so I want to go outside for a refreshing break. Would you like a drink? Tea? Coffee? I can help you get one from the kitchen."
There was a false enthusiasm in his voice, the kind of hospitable host tone that is deliberately exaggerated on the stage. And Gerd Schilling smiled at him, baring his teeth with almost as much effort as he did. The soaked policeman followed him into the yard and wiped the bloody stain on his face again, which turned out to be a weird pattern like some kind of tribal tattoo. He also noticed Luo Binhan staring at him.
"I just came from the bar," he said. "A couple of drunk bastards were getting into a fight. Damn it, one of them threw a beer on me."
"It's quite a scene, isn't it?"
Gerd Schilling tilted his head sideways, as if to say, don't worry about this unfortunate thing. Luo Binhan looked at the street outside the yard to see if any drunks who were causing trouble had been arrested, but he did not see a police car. He had heard that there was a bar in Regenberg, but he had never actually been there, and it probably wasn't too close to here. Perhaps Gerd Schilling parked a little further away on purpose so that the drunkard's nonsense wouldn't delay his work.
"You should find a doctor to deal with it first." Luo Binhan said, "I will stay at home tomorrow. There is nothing else to do anyway."
"No need," said Gerd Schilling casually. Luo Binhan wasn't sure whether the other party's tough-guy demeanor was just pretentious. He did feel as if he was on stage, playing the role of a dull, timid and ignorant wealthy foreigner.
"I think there's nothing wrong with my passport and visa," he said.
Gerd Schilling smiled. "I don't care about that."
"Then what do you care about?"
"Murder, robbery, violence." Gerd Schilling said slowly. "I was sent here when it came to the criminal level. Of course, we are a small place here and there are not so many corpses and murderers. Most of the time I deal with it. They are all boring shit, like a drunk idiot who beats his wife's face until she gets home, or slaps a kid... Sometimes I meet one or two who go too far, and you must be there too Read about it on the news.”
He might have been hinting at a domestic murder, but what suddenly flashed before Luo Binhan's eyes was the face of Lenny Colin that appeared in the newspaper before he was imprisoned. He was not in the country when Corrine was tried, so he heard about the proceedings only after the fact. It was not an easy process, and the prosecutors tried their best to convince the judge that Collaine's mental problems were not enough to completely exempt him from criminal responsibility.
"It's scary." Luo Binhan said. He didn't try to appear worried or compassionate. That's too low-level, or it's too difficult to act realistically and touchingly. Any police officer with some experience won't fall for this trick. He and Gerd Schilling looked at each other, smiling mockingly, waiting to see what the other's next move would be. Finally, Gerd Schilling's face changed, and he suddenly adopted the tone of a middle school boy discussing a prank on a teacher he didn't like.
"Hey," he said, almost flippantly, "you knew someone died in the woods last Saturday, right?"
Luo Binhan shook his head noncommittally.
"I'm sure you've heard of it," said Gerd Schilling. "Everyone will know if something goes wrong in our little place. A murder will keep them talking about the fall from now on... Speaking of which , do you plan to stay here until autumn?"
"I'm leaving this weekend."
"What a shame. The woods in autumn are a wonderful sight. I think it's even more beautiful when the harvest is full of fruits than in the summer. Besides, you have such a lovely family here."
When he said this, Gerd Schilling gestured to the house behind him with his hands, as if he wanted to use a bracket to frame the entire number fifteen. Luo Binhan felt a muscle on his cheek twitch for no reason, and he quickly returned to his bored expression.
"It's business matters," he said in a nonchalant tone, "I won't wait for my business to be delayed for several months."
"Ah," Gerd Schilling drawled, "a man who has business to do is really a guy who is born to enjoy happiness."
Luo Binhan glanced at him secretly, trying to gauge how much ridicule there was in this sentence, but the other person suddenly raised his hands and looked at him with a smile on his face: "Don't mind me saying this, I'm serious. Man, it's not easy being a working-class person these days. People like us have to run around, deal with vomit-covered drunkards, and knock on other people's doors at such a late hour... But I'm okay with that. Well, when someone is killed, people will ask who is going to take care of this? Then we have to act, and we have to do it as quickly as possible. People don’t care that I have a few noisy kids at home to deal with. ——Is there anything more important than catching bad guys? The woman at home said this, but the look she gave me was totally different."
"I understand." Luo Binhan said, "About the dead man in the woods..."
"Isn't it a good life to have money?" Gerd Schilling continued to raise his hands, and his eyes swept between the flowerbeds and fountains lit by night lights, "What a lovely yard, what a lovely family. Your My mother is really a woman who is not easy to mess with. She almost kicked me out. And your sister must be a picky and self-righteous girl. But then again, your mother is a decent person and has a decent job. She must also be I'll have a decent son. There's no reason to do bad things, is there? I mean, I've never encountered anything like that in the movies, where rich people put on masks because their lives were too boring, and picked up They use guns to rob banks, or tie passers-by into their villas to do something. I don’t believe in this, because they have many safe methods. Why do they have to use guns to fight against us? They just sell stocks and start companies. I make a lot of money. But of course, this is just me complaining. I know, I know, businessmen have difficulties as businessmen, and being a boss is not easy either! You are responsible for the livelihood of a group of people!"
He jokingly punched Luo Binhan in the chest with his fist, as if he was offering an olive branch. Although doubts were brewing in his mind, Luo Binhan still said nothing.
"That's a real compliment," said Gerd Schilling. "It's absolutely true. You see, I don't actually believe you did it. I don't think you had anything to do with it at all. Just like me As I said before, I am not a person who hates the rich."
Luo Binhan almost couldn't help but reveal a troublesome smile. He looked at the other person in confusion, feeling as if he was a person who accidentally got lost while returning to his hometown to visit relatives. Before that, he had read so many fictional stories about the police and heard many real stories about the police. Although not all of them were from this country, he always felt that he knew more about this profession than ordinary people. He almost believed he could identify the various tricks the police used on suspects, from the most rigid to the most flexible. But maybe he takes life too lightly. He never thought he would hear such a conversation when he was first interviewed by the police. What kind of trap is this? Or is the other party really a rare and strange policeman?
"Um..." He chose his words, "Thank you very much?"
"It's just a routine thing," said Gerd Schilling. "My God, you have no idea how tedious it is to detect murders. It's not like sitting in a soft chair while you're playing silly computer games. Shake the mouse, click on this footprint, touch that tire, we are really going to search every corner of the forest, shine the flashlight into those damn bushes and muddy ponds. We are going to interrogate everyone who has any contact, even if you know Ninety-nine percent of the testimony this person tells you is bragging. Things like hearing horrific gunshots and screams, and suspicious strangers wearing turbans are all nonsense and drunken talk. If you tell everyone If you take every imaginary bullshit you say seriously, the relationship will never be settled. But then again, when your boss asks about the progress, you can't just do nothing, right? Your notebook There has to be something in the report. That's what it is - but you seem like a reliable witness and you won't tell me that you saw some suspiciously dressed Eastern Europeans passing through your garden. You won't tell me anything like that. Yes, right?"
"There is indeed no such thing." Luo Binhan replied. But in his mind, he thought of Yu Xiaorong rolling her eyes at him. She would not agree to call Luo Binhan a reliable witness. This may be an old trick, but it usually takes two people to pull it off. Thinking of this, he looked around, as if he was trying to find a tree in the yard that would help him sing.
"What's the matter?" Ged Schilling asked lazily, "You remembered a stranger who broke into your yard last week."
"That's not true," Luo Binhan said, "I was just thinking... I don't know much about your work, but I thought you always acted in twos and threes. That's how it is shown on TV! One veteran leads another A newbie, or two old partners. I rarely see police officers acting alone unless-"
"Unless the director just wants them to die." Gerd Schilling said, still with an "I know, I know" expression on his face, "I have also seen that kind of movie, where the police refuse to wait for support. They all have to die. But then again, none of the killers in the movie have a beautiful house like yours. Ours is a simple place with no shady secrets, and like I said, I hold It was a good intention to chat with our innocent and reliable local residents and go through the process. It takes less than two people to do a job like this. So I said to Sebot, 'Hey, why don't you work overtime today? ?Can your wife tolerate you missing your wedding anniversary without nagging?', and then I came on my own."
"It's interesting." Luo Binhan said, but he didn't really listen. He began to feel that this man was too talkative, a bit familiar, and his English was surprisingly good. It was rare for him to meet someone among the old residents of Regenberg who could speak English so fluently and quickly. Gerd Schilling didn't look like the obviously proud German speakers he knew, but somehow he couldn't like him. He thought that this might be because he was not fair enough, because Yu Xiaorong's attitude would definitely affect him.
"Are you married?" the other party asked.
Luo Binhan finally came to his senses. He turned his head and stared at the other person, not trying to hide his surprise. But the other person seemed to think it was as normal as asking a stranger about the weather.
"No."
"why not?"
"I don't think it's time yet - does this have anything to do with your eucalyptus?"
"Who knows for sure." Ged Schilling said easily, "Our investigation was originally like looking for a needle in a haystack. Maybe the murderer had already gone to other areas by now. The person who died was an outsider, maybe just an outsider. He deliberately invited him to come to our place. It is very possible at this time, because unfamiliar faces will not attract so much attention here, anyway, it will not be like a few decades ago. "
Luo Binhan silently considered another question. Gerd Schilling complained to him about his family and about his work. Is that really complaining to a stranger, or is it some kind of technique to try to induce empathy? Maybe he thinks Luo Binhan is like a person with family problems, or a person with an invisible debt crisis?
"It's getting late." Luo Binhan said, "I think we'd better get straight to the point. You'd better go back and treat your wounds as soon as possible."
But at this moment, Gerd Schilling's wound stopped bleeding. There was no pain on his face, and his eyes were full of energy. The light from the front yard reflected in his eyes, as if a sharp point the size of a pinhead shot out from the depths of his skull. Luo Binhan looked at this accidental spectacle with some fascination, imagining a scene in his mind: The policeman's eyes suddenly shot out like searchlights, piercing his shoulders and nailing him to the ground. While he allowed his fantasy to run wild in the weird atmosphere, he let the rational part take over the topic: "I know you will ask me about my whereabouts on the day of my hair loss. I just arrived in Regenberg that day, from the city's airport. Coming..."
The words about last Saturday's trip flowed smoothly from his mouth. He had already thought it through in his head before going out, so he didn't have to worry about wording and pronunciation. He just stared at Gerd Schilling, watching the other person turn his face without interest, half of his face illuminated by the light from the room. That was the light from the bedroom on the second floor. It must be Yu Xiaorong peeking by the bedroom window. He didn't want her to get involved, so he took two steps to the side to make sure that no one in the bedroom could see what was going on below.
"I asked the driver to issue an invoice before I got off the bus." He raised the paper in his hand. "I think he is always there at the airport to take jobs. It is not difficult to find him."
Gerd Schilling was still staring at the night light in the front yard with his bored expression, around which several moths were circling. He had talked so much gossip before, but when Luo Binhan talked about the main topic, he seemed not to be listening at all, as if he was deliberately trying to annoy people.
Luo Binhan was not prepared to take this matter seriously and continued to talk about his whereabouts last Saturday. However, when he mentioned the anonymous package, he paused and did not mention the details of their inspection. He only said that Doppler Cologne brought his dogs passing by. He waited for Gerd Schilling to say "Wait a minute", but the other party didn't ask anything. He kept talking until he turned off the lights and went to bed that night, and not a single sound came out of Gerd Schilling's mouth. In the end, Luo Binhan had nothing to say and could only hand over the handwritten invoice to the other party for a look.
He almost did it, but when he glanced at the light of the bedroom on the second floor, another crazy picture flashed in his mind: Gerd Schilling took the invoice and suddenly tore it into pieces, like He stuffed pieces of paper into his mouth and chewed like a madman. His mind was too late to make any judgment on this wild idea, but he pulled back the wrist he was about to hand out and unfolded the invoice close to his chest so that Gerd Schilling could clearly read the information on it.
"...That's it." Luo Binhan said, "That's all I remember. If you need to find the person who signed the invoice, you can write it down or take a photo."
Gerd Schilling glanced at the unfolded handmade invoice. It was hard to tell whether he saw anything clearly with that casual glance, and a dry smile appeared on his face: "You talked about last week's events in great detail, and you have a really good memory."
"After all, it was my first day home." Luo Binhan said, "The first time in two years, it's hard not to be impressed."
"So what have you been doing these past two years?"
Luo Binhan could have refused to answer, or responded with an explanation. But he feels that the answer has been known to too many people by now. He had answered too many people, so he no longer felt guilty, but said calmly: "Go to Africa for a trip."
"Africa! What? Are you interested in wild animals?"
"Just taking a breather."
Gerd Schilling let out a long sigh. There was something uncomfortable in that tone, as if he thought he knew some secret of Luo Binhan. Luo Binhan estimated that this was another strategy. He couldn't complain about this because he himself had used similar tactics against the red-haired Anthony Marple.
"A journey to cleanse the soul." Ged Schilling said, "What a perfect prescription. In the past, people would go to islands, beaches and woods to relax, but now such places are no longer enough, and people are starting to go to more desolate places. They run to other places and regard this as a solution to the current troubles. We have churches, schools and hospitals here, but some people think that the wild woods and a group of savages who drink blood from raw materials can heal themselves and make them wiser than those of us who are civilized. But It’s really fascinating. I remember that a long time ago, there was a rich second generation who went to Africa. What was his name? He should be an American, engaged in the oil industry, and finally disappeared in Africa. I guess he was eaten by cannibals. Huh, Americans."
He was talking about Americans, but his eyes were looking up and down at Luo Binhan, making it clear that he didn't just look down on Americans. Luo Binhan had no choice but to laugh it off: "I think the person you are talking about disappeared in New Guinea."
"That's an African country."
"That's not it. Guinea is. New Guinea is in Oceania and part of it belongs to India. I have relatives who have been there."
"Going there to find cannibals?"
"I don't know." Luo Binhan said with a dry smile, "I didn't go to Africa to find cannibals anyway. There are really many other things to see there, such as trees, flowers, and grass. Oh, of course, there is also The Lion King. "
"Did you find what you wanted to see?" Gerd Schilling asked unexpectedly.
"I... no, I don't have anything in particular to see. I'm just walking around and looking around."
"I think you should have seen something more special." Gerd Schilling said casually. His eyes glanced sideways again, and there was a pinpoint-sized light in the hole. That look was so strange. Suddenly, Luo Binhan was a little suspicious that this person was playing tricks on him. He couldn't help but think that maybe Jing Huang and Fake's arrangement was not so perfect in terms of procedures, and interested people would find his whereabouts suspicious in the past two years. He shouldn't stay any longer. His instinct made him want to end this long and aimless conversation and immediately return to the room surrounded by music and lights.
"I don't think this has anything to do with what happened last Saturday, right?" he said decisively. "It's really getting late. I have to go back to the house to deal with some things. Good night, Officer Schilling."
He didn't know if he was a police officer or a detective, but decided to let his courtesy end there. With his hands still in his pockets, he walked toward the front door of the house. Gerd Schilling suddenly reached out and grabbed his right arm from behind. Luo Binhan looked back at the hand in astonishment, and then looked up at Ged Schilling. The other party also looked at him expressionlessly, and the fingers holding him were as hard as iron hoops, enough to leave bruises on a person with delicate skin.
Luo Binhan didn't struggle. His first reaction was to look around and find that there were no passers-by around, and the camera in front of Gate No. 15 could not capture their location or record their voices. Both of Gerd Schilling's hands were within sight of him.
"Excuse me," he repeated, pulling his elbow back. The other party still pulled him, his fingers seemed to be embedded in his flesh. This is a dangerous and clear signal. Luo Binhan stopped smiling.
"Please let me go," he said calmly and easily, "I have nothing more to offer you about the case you want to investigate. If you still want to find me, go talk to my lawyer. In fact, , what this sentence means is that you have to talk to my mother. I hope you don't have too much hope in her kindness, after all - you just treated my sister with that attitude."
He was going to shake off Gerd Schilling's fingers with all his strength, using just the right amount of force to break free without hurting the other person. But Gerd Schilling is also stronger than he looks. He stared at Luo Binhan, his narrow and cold eyes shining, and his breathing quickened.
"I have a very important question," gasped Gerd Schilling, his voice cracking. "Do you believe in God?"
