"You guy have been asking this question again and again for more than ten times already!" Quinn, who was wearing his skull t-shirt and was seated on a chair in a police interrogation room, impatiently roared. "Am I not speaking in English?! Or maybe every one of your cop ears has some problems?!"
Across the metal table, the middle-aged policeman"s face was looking rather ugly; nevertheless, he restrained his anger and, once again, pushed a sketched portrait to the man, "Are you positive there aren"t any discrepancies?"
"Come on! I didn"t even see his face for more than half an hour, and that was nearly two days ago! All yellow faces pretty much look the same! I"ve tried my best to remember, what more do you guys want?!" Quinn furiously banged on the tabletop.
A young police officer who was leaning half his body on the table"s edge suddenly bent down and seized him by the collar, ferociously glaring at him. "Don"t be so arrogant, boy. We"re still waiting for you to explain the contents in this notebook…what were you going to do, you amateur copy-cat? Intending on becoming "The Nightmare II"?"
Quinn"s eyes flashed with panic. His voice faltered, but he still stubbornly retorted, "If just thinking or imagining is a crime, then all Americans should be going to jail—I mean, who doesn"t want to run away with the country"s treasury in their pockets, to steal some money?"
The young police officer grunted indifferently then abruptly shoved him, making him fall back in his seat.
They incessantly questioned this cowardly, big black male who kept trying to act tough1. Quinn was nearly driven crazy from being interrogated for the eleventh time on the details of that Asian youth"s every word and action.
Two men dressed in dark suits stood outside of the interrogation room, surveying the situation through the one-way mirror and conversing with each other at the same time.
"The simulated portrait he gave of the suspect is more or less similar to the ones the worker at the gas station and the proprietress at the inn gave in their statements. In addition to that, we also have another girl named Jessica who"s currently in a coma at the hospital from overdosing on drugs."
"And yet again, it"s another sketched portrait of him with a different appearance. How many sketches are there in our drawer, Rob? Every time he commits a crime, the witnesses keep giving varying descriptions and reports of him; just how can he change his facial features and overall appearance?"
Rob slowly blinked his narrow green eyes. All of a sudden, he intentionally lowered his voice and mysteriously said, "I heard that Chinese people have this ancient martial arts where they can change their appearance and gender. An old man can even change into a little girl in a short period of time…what was it called? Oh, "The Art of Face Changing"2…"
His partner ruthlessly glowered at him with his pair of deep blue eyes, "Did you become a brainwashed idiot from watching all those monstrous and outlandish3 kung fu films? Actually believing in those ridiculous myths! We also learned how to put make-up on and disguise ourselves, but no matter how a person disguises themselves, from altering height, hairstyle and clothing to changing temperament and movement, the only feasible way they can deceive someone is in a poorly lit area and if the other party was unfamiliar with them. Just how is it possible for it to be exactly like plastic surgery, to even change the basic shape and position of the facial features?"
"Well then, Leo Lawrence, I"ve once again confirmed that your brain is downright cut off from any sense of humor, it"s definitely hardwired into serious mode." Rob snickered; he was obviously trying to lighten up the solemn mood with his jokes. "I forgot that your grandmother is also Chinese. So, what"s up; what have you found on this quarter compatriot of yours4?
"He"s left-handed." Leo handed him a photo of a transparent evidence bag that contained a little piece of sketch paper. The charcoal sketches doodled on the paper were so vivid that they seemed like they would come to life. "Just found some new evidence, and we"re suspecting it"s Sha Qing"s own writing. We"ve already examined the handwriting; all that"s left to be done is to fax it to the BAU5 so they could check it over and give some more information on our suspect—his behavior, state of mind, alternative motives, anything else they can add to his profile."
Rob took the photo and meticulously studied the disemboweled wolf on the sketch paper. Its guts spilled from the incision across its abdomen, and the wolf hung upside down from the branches of a tree. He whistled in approval, then remarked, "It"s a pretty good drawing. He"s sure got skill…Does he plan on adding new tags to his profile this time? If that"s the case, we have to thank the unfortunate Mr. Nightmare. He made some great contributions by giving us some more clues to work with; makes it easier to arrest our suspect—I"ll probably go back over to the morgue and tell them to sew his belly better, maybe straighten it up a bit."
Leo was struck speechless by his new and completely unreliable partner; he couldn"t help but reminisce about his old retired partner, Kenneth—although he was always too kind and lenient, and he couldn"t ever live without coffee, he was still much better than this flippant, loud-mouthed youngster beside him.
"The feeling I have right now is similar to what I felt back when I flew kites as a kid," Rob handed the photo back to Leo and shrugged ruefully, "The kite flew so high in the sky, ahh, it flew far, far away. We ran and chased after it from the ground, but oh, how we chased it in vain. Yeah, we never caught it."
"We"ll get him though! Just like those cunning b.a.s.t.a.r.ds we captured before and brought to justice!" Leo"s face darkened. Those chilling eyes hidden beneath his dark hair suddenly roared with tumultuous waves; an ominous storm brewed within the depths of his ocean blue eyes, silently encroaching, submerging the tranquil seas in chaos.
What Rob dreaded the most in the world was seeing him wear this evil expression on his face. It made him resemble a movie star who was known for acting cool, but it also shrouded his handsome features with the shadows of cruelty and grimness.
It"s no wonder he still hasn"t found a girlfriend yet…his partner bitterly derided. Then again, it"s quite understandable; regardless of how extravagantly wrapped it is, or how attractive its cover may be, no woman would want to marry the epitome of a walking U.S. Const.i.tution6.
Word got around saying that in one of the branch offices in New York, there was a female technician named Eve who once had deep feelings for him. No later, her unrequited love also ended miserably. According to rumors, the reason was because he was in a dubious relationship with a suspect who was supposedly as beautiful as an esteemed creation. Although he flatly denied such allegations and the two people were never together…the problem was the suspect was male! Rob had seen photographs of the blond male that were secretly taken by the rival-in-love, Eve, and she"d even put up posters of him at her house—no questions asked, the degree of that male"s beauty was brutal, especially in her case; he was beyond incomparable.7
Is this guy seriously bent? Rob was still feeling apprehensive after he got in the car. He meaningfully glanced at Leo. His handsome, multiracial partner leaned against the back of his chair, resting with his eyes closed. He had a fair and smooth forehead, tall and sharp nose, charming and enticing lips; in short, he was a chiseled G.o.d, a perfect manifestation of the robust build and vitality common to Westerners coupled with the fine skin and decorum of Orientals. To add, those fluttering, soft lashes which surrounded those profound sapphire eyes emitted a fragile breath of melancholy and ethereal grace, stirring one"s heart…
Well, he truly does exhibit the winning a.s.sets of both men and women alike. Being placed in the middle of a crowded street with this handsome guy at his side would always result in being compared to him…Sadly, they often had to stand together all day because of their jobs.
While Rob"s mind floated elsewhere, still lamenting about his own lacking appearance, the car drove to the underground parking lot of an FBI office building located in Portland, Oregon.
As they entered the office, Leo and Rob overhead several of their colleagues discussing the recent murder. Photos of Sha Qing"s eighth work of art were plastered all over the bulletin board. The blond male"s corpse was appalling to the point his own birth mother most likely wouldn"t be able to recognize him.
"Think that"s cruel?" A glamorous female agent with light golden curls addressed some new recruits. She stared at the photo, her lips set in a straight line, eyes filled with righteous indignation and fury. "I suggest you take a good, long look at the works of The Night Killer then; that"s the original. I personally believe that this is the kind of death he deserves, a death that suits him best. As quoted by the Old Testament, "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth"."
"Thea, be mindful of your words; they"re heading into a dangerous territory." Leo strolled over to the coffee machine in the corner of the room and stood before it, struggling to choose between nauseating latte and the even-more-sickening macchiato; he eventually settled for the former and poured himself a cup to drink. "No matter how good the intentions behind a crime are, it"s still a crime. There"s no doubt that The Night Killer is sc.u.m, but the only one who can execute him by lethal injection8 is the law; n.o.body else has that right."
"Yeah yeah, Leo. I know you hate Sha Qing, in fact, you hate all criminals. However, heinous criminals and law-breaking transgressors are different; I know it sounds bad, but if there were a few more killers like Sha Qing out there, our country just might become a better and much safer place." Thea resolutely contested.
Nearby, a short girl wearing a large pairs of gla.s.ses sheepishly joined the argument: "Well, needless to say, we can"t accomplish what he"s done. At least he"s been doing what the police should"ve been doing, and he"s done so without even receiving half a salary from the government. Moreover, he never slipped up once—can"t we hire him?"
Leo pressed his fingers against his temple, "Wake up, ladies! I know you girls are part of his fan club, always putting together the different portraits of him, and yes, each and every time, he"s oh-so-very attractive; he can basically form his own team of the top three most beautiful men in Asia"s beauty pageant. But don"t forget, he"s a killer! He"s only doing this out of self-interest, not justice. He isn"t any different from those other degenerate b.a.s.t.a.r.ds who always take pleasure in killing a person. Just watch, when he can"t find any prey to hunt down one day, he won"t be able to control his desire to kill, and before you know it, he"ll start targeting innocent civilians. I"m one hundred percent certain of this; a day like that will come! "Cause that"s exactly what killing is! As long as you decide to embrace it, it will possess your mind. There will always be an invisible hand pushing you, compelling you to move forward; it will force you to walk step-by-step, every single day "til the very end of your life!"
"Okay folks, party time"s over; get back to your stations! Thea, pay attention to your ident.i.ty as an agent and your position as well. Serena, can"t you stop being so naive and foolish for once? Leo, you"re a criminal investigator sent here directly from the FBI headquarters in Washington; I don"t manage you, but on my site, you"ll follow according to my rules." Sherman Kings, the director of the local bureau who was dubbed by many as "Snakehead"9, clapped his hands and came over. His neatly trimmed grey beard bounced as he spoke, resembling the swaying motion of threatened cobra rearing its head in defense then extending its neck to attack.
The moment he noticed him, Rob immediately looked for an excuse to run away, "I"ll go over and see what new discoveries the Identification Division"s made."
Because his own excuse was stolen by Rob, Leo, who missed his chance, was forced to do more work, "I"ll go back to the morgue and double-check to see if there are any missing clues then." He threw the remaining half a cup of coffee into the trash, then turned on his heels.
"Such a pity." Thea pouted her full, red lips at his back, grumbling inaudibly so Snakehead wouldn"t hear, "If he wasn"t so uptight and strict like a textbook, he would definitely be my favorite type—I hate textbooks though."
Leo went to the morgue and examined The Night Killer"s corpse three times, yet each time he didn"t extract any useful DNA from the murderer; he was in the middle of re-examining when the cellphone in his pocket started vibrating.
As soon as he answered the call, his elder sister Molly"s10 perfunctory voice rang in his ear, "My dearest, darling brother, don"t tell me you forgot to pick my boyfriend up from the airport. The plane landed at ten thirty. Mind telling me what time it is now?"
"Of course I didn"t forget. I still have some time before I need to leave for the airport. The time to pick him up—" Leo glanced at his wrist then awkwardly responded, "was fifty minutes ago…"
"He"s not fluent in English and he"s unfamiliar with the place." Molly warned him through her clenched teeth, "If you don"t see him in an hour, I"ll tell mom about that scandal of yours, you know, the one with you and that suspect. And soon, you"ll start getting a whole bunch of calls from her! She"ll be crying and bothering you every day and night, telling you to hurry up and get married!"
Leo immediately started trembling from the thought; his entire back broke into chills. For the second time, he attempted clarifying the matter regarding his s.e.xual orientation, "That stuff"s not true; it was…" But before he could finish, his sister callously interrupted him, "Now, go to the parking lot, take out your car keys, and hop to it this instant!"
Once again, Leo was defeated by his elder sister. He had to bid goodbye to the forensics medical examiners and then drove away from the morgue straight to the Portland International Airport. Along the way, he kept imagining what sort of robust, dim-witted, shameless muscle-head could be worthy of Molly who was known for her violent temper, scathing mouth, killer legs11, and tough-as-nails heart.
As a result, when he saw the Asian youth dozing off on a chair in the lounge while holding cardboard in his arms, he couldn"t help but inhale sharply. Perhaps most easterners seem younger than they really are, but this man in front of him was too young; he could only be considered a "boy". Leo estimated that he was at most twenty two years old—and Molly was thirty two years old!
Well, a love between an older woman and a younger man wasn"t impossible. The only problem was this boy with soft, chestnut-dyed hair, a delicate face and a slender build, was carelessly sleeping without a single care for his surroundings. Not to mention, what was up with "Leo Lawrence, come pick me up." written in Chinese on the cardboard in his arms?
In this crowded foreign airport, he was like an innocent little lamb nesting in his seat, soundlessly sleeping on the travel bag behind him, completely off-guard. If a lecherous, wrinkly, bearded middle-aged white man came over with wicked intentions, he still wouldn"t notice even if said pervert casually touched his face.
Leo frowned in distress, but he had to accept the reality before him—this boy, who was as soft and sweet as creamy mango pudding, so charming and tempting, making just about anyone want to take a bite, was Molly"s new boyfriend.
He marched over, gripped the other person"s shoulder, gave him firm shake, then questioned the boy with dazed brown eyes and slightly parted lips in Chinese, "Li Biqing?"
The boy could only give a brief, confused nod after being rudely awakened from his sleep. He questioned back, "Keanu Reeves12?"
Leo sighed to himself. Trying his hardest to ignore his usual practice of throwing cold water onto suspects" faces to wake them up, he instead removed the cardboard that was secured in the boy"s arms, "I"m Leo Lawrence, Molly"s younger brother."
"Oh, Leo, h.e.l.lo." Li Biqing mumbled groggily. "I"m so sleepy…still feeling a bit jet-lagged…"
Leo carried his luggage in one hand and led him out of the terminal with his other, then he stuffed him into his car. Li Biqing’s body just touched the seat"s leather cushion before he shifted into a comfortable position and quickly fell back asleep.
A while later, Leo went back to his rented apartment. He had no choice but to carry the sleeping boy to the elevator in order not to wake him, provoking a few ambiguous winks and some deep, suggestive gazes from people on the way. Even the female college student next door, who always approached him whenever she saw him, lowered her head at an extraordinary angle and hastily shut her door with a click.
Although he wasn"t planning on having a relationship with any women any time soon, this kind of att.i.tude he received still made Leo feel wronged and helpless.
After tossing Molly"s boyfriend on the bed, he immediately left the apartment and prepared to go back to work. He probably had to do overtime tonight like usual, so he stayed in the small lounge in the office building and reclined on the sofa to get some shut-eye before getting back to work.
Further investigations of the crime scene were required to ensure additional pieces of evidence weren"t overlooked. After obtaining another written report of the suspect"s psychological profile, the officers in charge of the homicide case decided to hold another meeting.
There were still many ongoing investigations however: the tracking of the suspect"s vehicle, obtaining of a license plate, retrieval of surveillance videos and further witnesses…Leo was so busy that he barely had enough time to eat, and he certainly had no time to take care of that extra person residing in his apartment. To be precise, saying he simply forgot about the man wasn"t accurate at all; more like, if what he brought into the apartment wasn"t a person but a slice of cake instead, that slice of cake would"ve long been growing green with mold.
Five days had already pa.s.sed when he finally remembered Molly"s little boyfriend.
There was nothing inside the apartment"s refrigerator except for beer, and the poor lad didn"t have the keys to go and come back. Even if he did happen to leave the apartment, he didn"t speak the language, and he also didn"t know his way around. If not all, his small, lovely face was just asking to be bullied, and coupled with his childlike aura and innocent disposition… Leo suddenly registered the severity of the situation—if left unattended, this naive and tender glutinous rice cake will walk aimlessly down the streets, and sooner or later, some ravenous, unprincipled gangsters will definitely try to eat him!
At the thought of the consequences ensuing from Molly"s fury, Leo decided to temporarily put aside his work, and he quickly returned to his apartment.
1色厉内荏— Sè lì nèi rěn. Literal: "To show strength while weak inside" (Idiom); Appearing fierce while cowardly at heart; a sheep in wolf"s clothing; etc.
2易容术—"Art of Transformation"; "Art of Appearance Changing". Share if you"ve a better suggestion.
3光怪陆离—monstrous and multicolored; grotesque and variegated; etc
4What he means is since Leo is only a quarter Chinese, the killer, who is full Chinese, is only a quarter "related" to him.
5Behavioural a.n.a.lysis Unit
6Leo is too serious and sticks to the rule too much, so he"s basically a walking rulebook.
7The author had a note here: "The story of this troubled blonde youth and his hacker boyfriend is detailed in [her] other novel, "Spiders"."
8In America, lethal injection is currently the sole method of capital punishment (i.e. execution/death penalty). And if you don"t remember, the Night Killer also "died" by his own poison which he planned to use on Roy.
9蛇头—"Head of snake". Also means "human smuggler".
10茉莉—Mo li or "Molly". The literal Chinese translates into "Jasmine", but based on p.r.o.nunciation, her name is actually Molly.
11"Killer legs" suggests both "s.e.xy legs" and "dangerous legs", which is why I went for it. I a.s.sume she tends to fight and crush "stuff" with her legs…
12I swear…whoever"s watched several American films and still says they don"t know who Keanu Reeves is…SMH. How could you not know of Neo from The Matrix or the MC from John Wick?!
Sorry for the late chapter. Ignore any mistakes please, or just comment below on errors that are unbearable… And just to clear up the confusion, as of Chapter 3 (so starting from Chapter 1 all the way to Chapter 3), some of the MCs have officially been introduced, so don"t ask who the one MC is and all. I repeat, there are MULTIPLE MCs in this novel.