Rust's home is in an old low-rise apartment. The exterior wall is weathered by the weather and covered with mottled traces of time, like a sleepy old man.
Dean entered the door and opened the God's perspective.
The room has two bedrooms, one bathroom, a living room and a kitchen. It’s not big, but it’s neat and tidy. The furniture and appliances are old, and the four walls are covered with light yellow plaid wallpaper, which gives it a warm feel.
"The last time I came here was more than half a year ago." Dean sighed inexplicably. It was the second day after he traveled through time, met Rust as a friend, and together they investigated the case of Mona's disappearance.
"I remember clearly that day in the school cafeteria you beat up Bob Lowe and then hid in my house for the night." A trace of joy at the memory appeared on Rust's face, "That's when you started His personality suddenly changed... and he became an omnipotent superman, the hero of Lake Mead, and a master of martial arts."
"It's not as good as you having a good mother. Well, I still have endless memories of Grace's fried pork chops." Dean was slightly envious,
"You've been asking me to be my guest for a long time and you've refused. Now you want to eat..." Rust stopped talking and the smile on his lips disappeared.
"We'll have to wait until she comes back." Dean patted his shoulder and walked to the bedroom on the right.
The warm yellow bed, bedside tables, dressing mirror, and an oversized wardrobe occupy the entire inner wall.
Dean glanced at the family photo in the frame on the bedside table.
Five or six-year-old Rust was surrounded in the center. On the left and right were his father, who was tall and handsome as the sun, and his young and beautiful mother, with a smile like a spring breeze on his lips.
The family is happy and happy.
"Isn't my dad handsome?" Rust said proudly.
"You can become an actor." Dean complimented. He didn't see this photo last time he was a guest.
Rust picked up the photo frame and regretted, "It's a pity that he left early, leaving my mother behind to bear the burden of life alone."
"Well, it's amazing that Grace raised you, a future student of a prestigious university, on her own," Dean comforted in a person's tone, and casually pulled out the drawer of the bedside table.
There were countless skin care lotions, lipsticks, and all kinds of cosmetics. They all seemed to be brand-name products, but unfortunately there were no clues as to what he was looking for.
He went to the closet and opened it, and found a large pile of colorful women's clothes: suits, skirts, shirts, vests, sweaters, windbreakers... everything was hung on top and folded on the bottom, adding up to at least a hundred pieces.
Dean opened the drawer in the center of the wardrobe and found a pile of beautiful rings, necklaces and other accessories.
"Do women have so many cosmetics and jewelry?"
"Grace's working environment requires her to look glamorous every day, otherwise it will be very rude," Rust explained, with sadness on his face.
"Okay, then why has such a beautiful lady like her not considered finding a stepfather for you after being single for so many years?" Dean asked casually,
"She's worried that my stepfather won't treat me well." Rust turned his eyes to the drawer and suddenly thought, "Why are there some things missing? Are there gold earrings, necklaces, and rings?"
"Dean, there was a set of gold jewelry in here!"
"Pure gold?"
"Well, my dad gave it to Grace after the wedding." Rust rummaged through the entire drawer and frowned even more, "There is also a diamond ring missing."
"Did Grace take her out yesterday?" Dean asked,
"It's unlikely. She originally wore one on her hand." Rust shook his head. "The remaining rings belonged to my late father. They were always in the drawer."
"Look again."
The two rummaged through the entire bedroom, then the hall, entrance hall, kitchen, and Rust's bedroom.
Dean's God's perspective is full of firepower, even a fly can't escape.
But after struggling for half an hour, the gold jewelry and diamond ring mentioned by Rust were never found. Instead, a bill was found in a box under Grace's bed.
At the top is Grace Spencer's home phone number and address.
A table below lists the pawned items: gold rings, necklaces, earrings, and a pair of rings, totaling just over ten thousand dollars.
The date is December 10, 1980.
Rust held the bill and sat back on the sofa with dull eyes, staring blankly into the air.
"She actually sold the jewelry." Rust said to himself, looking deeply shocked.
"Are you okay, man?"
"No, the jewelry is the only souvenir left by dad." Rust whispered, "How can I sell it?"
"Think carefully, is the family short of money recently?" Dean asked, "Does Grace need to pawn her jewelry?"
"I can't see it at all," Rust replied in a low voice. "Grace said she would be responsible for my college tuition and buy me a car when I get the admission letter."
Then she might be holding on.
Dean looked around and changed the question, "Did you buy this apartment?"
Rust was stunned for a moment, unable to follow his companion's thoughts, and then shook his head.
"We don't have that much money, so we can only rent a house."
"The rent for a location close to the center is at least a few hundred dollars per month, right?"
"Um."
"What is Grace's monthly income from working in a hotel?"
"More than a thousand dollars a month."
Very ordinary income.
Dean calculated a little and found that after deducting living expenses and rent, there was not much left from this income.
But in his memory, the Rust family lived quite well, with food, clothing and housing, including the Ford, which was not bad. Rust had also generously helped him pay for a trip to Santa Monica Beach.
No matter how you look at it, this is not the kind of family that lives in poverty.
Rust seemed to see the doubt in his eyes,
"My father received a pension after his death. With this money, Grace took me to live in Las Vegas and spent the first few difficult years. She took me to see a well-known psychiatrist. I spent a lot of money and finally cured my mental illness.”
"We usually spend a lot of money. Grace likes to buy all kinds of expensive cosmetics and jewelry. The clothes and shoes she bought for me are not cheap."
Dean nodded. Grace worked in a strip hotel, and most of the guests she came into contact with were wealthy people. Naturally, it was difficult to live frugally under the influence.
"Recently..." Rust scratched his hair in distress, thoughtfully, "Since Britney and I went to Tucson, Arizona for a college interview, we have spent a lot of money on transportation, shopping, etc. Expenses.”
As he was talking, Rust thought of Dean's series of questions just now and suddenly realized,
"I should have thought of it earlier. After persisting for so many years, the pension should have been exhausted, and we would not be able to maintain our previous living standards." Deep regret appeared on Rust's face, and he clenched the cup, "If I were killed by Arizona To be admitted to the university, you need to prepare a large amount of tuition, and with Grace’s character, she will definitely help me raise my tuition at any cost!”
"She always hoped that I could get into a well-known university. Only for this reason could she bear to sell those precious jewelry..." Rust's nose was sore and his voice was choked.
Dean sighed with a complicated expression.
The tuition for several years of college can reach tens of thousands of dollars, which is effortless for him.
But for most ordinary families, including Rust, it is a huge sum of money.
Just selling the jewelry may not be enough.
"But I am still lavish, and I have no sympathy for Grace at all!" Rust's voice became louder and louder.
"Don't blame yourself. Grace can raise you alone in a metropolis. She must be a strong woman." Dean leaned against the wall under the wall clock, thinking of the scene when he saw her outside the Gawain Hotel. She refused at that time. Help yourself, "Even if there are difficulties, she won't tell you."
"That's right. She has a very stubborn temper." Rust lowered his head and recalled, "Since we moved to Las Vegas, no matter what difficulties she faced, whether it was finding a job or renting an apartment, she would fight it alone. She would never tell her friends, Colleague. But I was too young to be of much help. Most of the time I only learned a little bit of information after she solved the problem."
"But I'm an adult now. I should have gone out to work a long time ago and help her share the burden!"
His voice became louder and louder, and his eyes turned red.
"But I am still enjoying her dedication and care with peace of mind. I am a selfish ghost and a waste!"
boom!
He punched the coffee table hard. The coffee table shook violently, and the glass filled with water instantly slipped off the edge of the table.
Dean lowered his body and fished it out, magically retrieved the cup and handed it over. He sat next to him and put his arms around his shoulders.
"Listen, man! Don't blame yourself and complain like a teenage girl. It won't help. Focus on the present, our conclusion - Grace sold the gold jewelry and the ring because of financial constraints."
Rust took a deep breath and nodded.
…
"I already have an idea. I've almost seen the house. It's time to go back to the bureau. Let's talk as we walk." Dean walked towards the door.
Rust wiped the corners of his eyes.
"Wait a minute, I'll leave a letter so that Grace can read it if she comes back halfway."
The two left the door and came to the elevator. Dean said,
"Last month, I saw a man pestering Grace outside the Gowan Hotel."
Rust was shocked,
"I went to help Grace out, and when asked about the reason, she only said that the other party was a stalker." Dean opened the door and entered the corridor, "Now it seems that she made an excuse and didn't want to trouble me. .”
"Who's that bastard?"
"You already know that."
Rust was lost for a moment, then suddenly realized,
"Hire those little bastards to beat up my man?"
"Yes, that's the man with the scar face. He first pestered your mother outside the hotel, and then hired someone to beat you. Can you think of the connection?"
"He ordered people to beat me because of Grace? He wanted to use me to threaten Grace!" Rust was not stupid and blurted out instantly, "No wonder Grace was angry and angry when she saw my miserable state that day. Scared, like she knew who was behind it.”
"That's right." Dean pressed the operation button outside the elevator.
Rust said harshly, "But what's the reason for the scar-faced man to do this? Because Grace refused to date him, so he beat me to vent his anger?"
Dean shook his head and walked into the elevator.
"Think about the conclusion you just made. Your family's financial situation is not very good recently. Grace even sold the precious jewelry left behind by her wedding."
Dean paused and inferred from this,
"So there is a high probability that there is a financial dispute between her and the scar-faced man. From January to February, Grace clearly resigned, but she went out early and came back late every day. It was all related to this man."
"You mean Grace borrowed money from him?" Rust guessed what Dean meant.
"I think so, but I can't make a conclusion yet. But if you really can't find Grace, look for this scar-faced man first!"
After speaking, Dean looked at the system. After this analysis, the progress increased from 15% to 25%.
Rust was excited and worried, "I feel very uneasy. What if we guess wrong?"
"My conclusion is only based on inference and deduction. It's normal to be wrong." Dean's expression was calm. He was just looking for a possibility, and changes in the system's progress could remind him how likely it was.
"But we have made two preparations. Even if our methods are ineffective, officers Carl, Holden, and the LVPD are using conventional methods to investigate this disappearance case, and their investigation over there will also be useful."
Rusty felt a little relieved and followed Dean out of the apartment building.
The gloomy sky, with billowing black clouds, pressed down like an abyss.
(End of chapter)
