The cinema was just outside the mall, and Dean and Jonathan arrived at the entrance of the cinema within a few steps.
The place is filled with posters and character statues of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" characters, including Harrison Ford in a rugged Mulholland Drive motorcycle jacket, fedora hat and leather whip.
It was summer vacation, and many students were coming in and out, taking photos with posters and statues, and the atmosphere was extremely lively.
The two of them walked through the crowd and found the manager of the theater, a middle-aged man with a potbelly and a bit of bald head, and stated their intention.
"There is only one movie theater in town. Basically all the students from Hawkins are our regular customers, including Peter. He comes here almost once every half month." The fat man returned Peter's photo and accepted Dean's five-dollar bill. “Consulting fees,” recalled,
"Most students watch movies in groups, but Peter is often alone, and occasionally takes Jonathan with you. He also has a strong taste in movies, so I am deeply impressed by him."
“So can you tell us about the Monica Magic Show that rents your venue?”
"That was almost half a month ago. Monica set up a tent in the square next to the movie theater and presented elaborate magic shows to the people of Hawkins for two consecutive nights, each lasting almost three hours. I remember clearly, Peter came to see a magic show before he was hospitalized.”
Dean looked at the investigation progress, which jumped from 12% to 13%.
"Monica is beautiful, gentle, kind, and passionate. She is simply the perfect dream girl. The men in the town of Hawkins are crazy about this magic beauty. If it weren't for the fact that the tickets are too expensive and no one under the age of 18 is allowed to enter, the teenagers with overflowing hormones will It will overwhelm that tent." The fat manager said with praise, "But it's expensive, and those wonderful magic tricks are totally worth the price."
"The two magic tricks that impressed me the most were the three-person magic trick and the blindfold extreme magic trick. Monica needed the audience to be volunteers."
"Trebles of the human body?" Jonathan interrupted curiously,
"Have you never seen it?" The fat manager cut the air three times with his palm horizontally. "Put a person in a wooden box and cut it into three halves with a huge blade. The person is still alive and well, speaks fluently, has a clear mind, and is still alive." Ability to joke with humor.”
"GOD!" Jonathan opened his mouth in envy, "I should sneak in and take a look without telling Joyce!"
"Why do you need volunteers? Doesn't Monica have an assistant?" Dean interrupted and asked,
"There are no assistants, except for the theater staff who help set up the venue. This petite beauty is responsible for most of the rest of the magic show. She does everything very quickly."
Dean nodded,
The fat manager continued excitedly, "The blindfolded extreme magic trick is more dangerous. Monica blindfolded the selected audience member, and then directed him to throw darts at the apple above the head of another volunteer. I swear, as long as the hands shake, If the shot misses even an inch, the volunteer will be shot into the sky."
"This must have been colluded in advance." Jonathan looked unconvinced. "The audience who threw darts blindfolded 100% received a lot of professional training in advance."
"It's not magic if it's so easy to see through." The fat manager shook his head, "The people throwing darts are all from the town. I just met Monica for the first time that night, how could she collude in advance?"
"That's really amazing." Jonathan praised.
Dean wondered whether this Monica was a person with super powers, but it was just a rough inference and the progress did not change.
“Who is the volunteer with the apple on his head?”
"You guessed it, it's Peter. Everyone enthusiastically signed up to throw throwing knives, but only Peter is willing to stand in the center of the stage as a target, and only he is willing to lie down in the magic box and let the blade cut through his waist."
The fat manager paused and said with some surprise,
"In my impression, Peter has always been a weird, introverted, and low-key child, but that night he showed extraordinary courage and stood on the much-anticipated magic stage."
"Time and time again, three people threw throwing knives at him, and then he lay down in the magic cabinet and was cut back and forth by sharp blades more than a dozen times." The fat manager was so shocked that he patted his plump chest and almost lost the button. It was stretched out, "I was so scared that I almost peed my pants when I watched it in the audience."
Jonathan's face turned pale when he heard this, and he couldn't believe it.
"Peter is not the pushy type."
"Who knows, but apart from being a little nervous at first, Peter was mostly calm beyond his years. But he was still too young."
The fat manager pursed his lips and said,
"Experiencing a fatal magic trick once is enough to brag about for a lifetime. If you are joking with your own life again, you are a fool. After all, no matter how wonderful the performance is, the magician will not give him a dollar."
…
Dean listened to the fat man talking about various magic projects. They were all common projects in later generations and nothing worthy of attention. Then he asked,
"Has Monica mentioned the next show location?"
"No..." the fat manager said, looking at the customers entering the cinema outside the gate, "I talked to her, she drove a big truck alone and wandered around the world without a fixed destination. She would stop and stay for a few times when she met a place she liked. Hell, hold a magic show to save some travel and living expenses. Her lifestyle is a bit like a gypsy, always on the road and never stopping, but she doesn’t have those bad habits of stealing things.”
"Anyway, it depends on luck if you want to see her again."
Gypsy?
This life is quite free and comfortable.
Dean asked again, "She didn't leave any contact information or identity information?"
The manager smiled mysteriously after hearing this.
"Young man, are you also fascinated by our beautiful magician? But do you know that young people who ask me for her contact information can line up from the entrance of our cinema to the police station? My old friend can't even dream about it. I couldn’t help calling out Monica’s name, and then a tooth was knocked out by the tigress at home.”
The manager gloated and shook his head.
"All men are crazy about her. But unfortunately, Monica is a white rose that is visible and intangible, leaving no private information except a name."
"Isn't this against the rules?" Jonathan asked in confusion, "She is performing in our town and does not need to register at the police station or government hall?"
"Child, this is the real society, not the law books. How can there be so many rules in a small place like ours? A beautiful woman has no social harm, not to mention she gave a wonderful performance. The villagers have feasted their eyes and paid the rent for the venue, so how can I embarrass her?"
When Dean heard this, he looked at the progress bar that stopped moving when it reached 15%, and was a little puzzled.
If Peter's coma is related to the magician Monica, the progress has been too little.
But it was a clue after all. He continued to ask,
"So we don't have any way to contact Monica?"
"That's the theory, but you can try your luck in the surrounding towns. Maybe she will stay in those places."
"Okay," Dean noticed the impatience on the manager's face and handed out another "Lincoln" bribe. "Last question, did anyone in the tent have any physical or verbal conflict with Peter that day?"
"How is it possible?" The manager accepted the money with a smile, "Everyone applauded Peter's bravery."
…
Dean left the cinema with Jonathan,
"Man, are you really going to find Monica in another town?" Jonathan said hesitantly. "I don't think she or the audience of the magic show has anything to do with Peter's illness."
"This matter is not urgent. Didn't you say that Peter often hangs out in the mall? Let's go and ask."
(End of chapter)
