Chapter 7

“We’ve checked her out. She’s just an ordinary small-business owner. Her movements over the past month have been normal. She was home on the night it happened. Nothing unusual.”

The answer didn’t satisfy me.

I couldn’t believe Mom had gone to all that trouble to hide a phone just to chat with my aunt.

To find out the truth, I lied to Mom and told her I had to work overtime all day.

In fact, I took the day off and bought a high-speed train ticket to where my aunt lived.

A few hours later, I was standing outside her clothing shop.

The street was old and cluttered, with every kind of shop. Clothes over here, chickens and ducks over there, tofu and fruit farther along.

I pushed open the door and came face to face with my aunt.

It took her a few seconds to recognize me. “Oh, Nannan! What brings you here?”

I sat down and chatted idly with her.

She might not have heard that Dad was dead yet.

Although the case had caused a great stir, it was so disturbing that the police had restricted the news to avoid a panic.

After we’d talked for a while, I finally saw the person I’d been waiting for.

My younger cousin pushed open the door with her schoolbag on her back. She seemed surprised to see me.

Just then, someone outside called my aunt’s name. She stood up. “Nannan, I need to go out for a bit. Keep an eye on the shop for me, and make sure your cousin does her homework.”

I agreed.

As soon as she left, I turned to my cousin. “Do you have a phone?”

She’d just started eighth grade, and we didn’t know each other very well. “No.”

Already in eighth grade and still no phone. Her schoolbag had been washed until it was faded, too. My aunt must be very strict with her.

She seemed a quiet child. I took a hundred-yuan note straight out of my wallet and tucked it into her uniform pocket.

She looked startled. “Nannan…”

I cut her off. “I’m going to ask you a few questions. Just give me the answers, all right? But remember, you mustn’t tell your mom.”

My heart was pounding when I left the clothing shop.

It was just as I’d thought.

It matched. Everything matched.

My aunt happened to return as I was leaving and tried to make me stay for dinner.

I made an excuse and hurried away.

As soon as I got off the train, I went straight to the police station.

The officer who met me knew me. Assuming I’d found another lead, he immediately invited me into a room to sit down.

Half an hour later, the officer opposite me looked increasingly grave, his brow furrowed.

“All right. We’ll deal with this immediately.”

“We recommend that you stop having contact with your mother. It’s too dangerous. Would you like to stay here at the station…”

“No!” I refused outright. “You’ll have to work your way up through my mother to get to them. They must be very well hidden.”

“Besides,” I said tensely, “I happen to be your best way in.”

Back at the hotel, facing Mom again left me with a tangle of emotions. Most of all, I couldn’t believe it.

I couldn’t imagine that the parents I’d lived with all my life could be people like that.

I couldn’t have imagined Dad dying such a horrific, tragic death, either.

Mom looked puzzled when she saw me. “Weren’t you working overtime? Why are you back?”