Chapter 87: Not Here for Me

He said that Tanya had questioned him personally. At first, her questions were still related to the two recent cases. She asked why he had gone to the haunted old house in the suburbs that day. The police had already asked him that before, so he simply repeated the answer I had given him last time.

Romo had thought Tanya would keep pressing him, saying she did not believe him, but to his surprise she immediately changed the subject. She asked what his relationship with me was. At the time, Romo felt something was off, so he refused to answer on the grounds that it had nothing to do with the case.

At this, Romo slapped the table, nearly upsetting the teapot on it. “Damn it, I have to say, that bitch is sharp as hell. She can twist anything into a lead.”

He said Tanya told him that I had been frequently going to the residential complex where the female star Z lived, and had even been to the film city where Z had been shooting. Because of the doll of spirits, Z was somehow connected to the case, so she had to get a clear answer about the relationship between Romo and me.

A chill settled in my heart. Where I had been going, Chen Fan had definitely not told Tanya, yet she seemed to know everything in detail. I understood then: I had been watched.

Romo looked around and said, “Fang Han, be careful. I get the feeling that bitch may not care about old ties. She might come after you too.”

I gave a cold laugh. “Between her and me, there’s no such thing as ties anymore. The more suspects she catches, the bigger the credit she gets. Why wouldn’t she do it?”

Romo told Tanya that I was his friend. After that, Tanya went on asking, under all sorts of pretexts, why he had come to make his living in the capital and what people he usually kept in contact with. Romo said that at the time he had been a little panicked. The room he was in was stuffy; the windows were closed, and the lights were off. It was dim and oppressive, and Tanya’s pace of questioning was very fast.

That was a standard interrogation technique used by the police in those days. Strictly speaking, an interrogation was for a criminal suspect. What Romo had been taken to the station for was not an interrogation, but a questioning. Yet Tanya had used the methods meant for suspects on Romo instead.

Fortunately, after coming to the capital, Romo had not done anything illegal beyond fighting and causing trouble. Combined with his composure, he had finally weathered the questioning one item at a time.

Romo was held for twenty-four hours, which was already the maximum time the police could keep him without evidence. My guess was that after he was taken back, Tanya immediately took the blame upon herself before her superiors and persuaded them to let her take part in the investigation of Romo; otherwise, he should already have been released.

“This was a warning. The police investigation into you should really begin after today,” I said. “From now on, be more careful.”

After thinking it over, Romo decided to have all his men stay home for the time being. As for his company, he was fairly confident about that. After discussing it, Romo suddenly seemed to remember something. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number. After hanging up, he said to me, “That just came back to me.”

Before, I had asked Romo to have his people in the harbor district investigate whether any of the relevant people from Pine Peak Temple, besides Xuan Yi, had left the district. So much had happened in the past two days that if Romo had not mentioned it, I would almost have forgotten. His instructions were very thorough; the investigation covered not only the Taoist priests at Pine Peak Temple, but also all the lay disciples the temple had taken in over the years.

In the end, Romo’s men found that, apart from Xuan Yi, all the other people connected to Pine Peak Temple had remained in the harbor district and had not left recently. I had thought this might be another murder case like the ghost diner case, one perhaps committed by someone from Pine Peak Temple, but Romo’s findings basically ruled that possibility out.

My mind was filled with the doll of spirits that the little ghost felt was familiar, and the photograph inside it. Romo waved a hand in front of my eyes and asked what I was thinking. I shook my head and told him to go back first. He was not fit to be wandering around outside all the time, and his injuries had not yet healed, so he left directly.

I stayed outside with the little ghost. It was not until evening that Chen Fan finally sent me a reply. He told me to wait outside the appraisal center. He said that after Zhou Sheng’s parents arrived in the capital, they had not yet been questioned by the police and had first gone to see Zhou Sheng’s body.

I brought the little ghost with me and headed at once to the entrance of the appraisal center.

The weather was bitterly cold. I stood beneath a streetlamp, and after much effort, Chen Fan finally managed to spare a moment to see me. He said that Zhou Sheng’s parents had been leaning over the mortuary table, crying so hard it seemed their hearts were being torn apart. The police found it awkward to question them directly. Tanya had originally also been at the appraisal center, waiting to question them, but had now gone back.

She said she wanted Zhou Sheng’s parents to rest for the night and be summoned again the next day.

There were still some police officers inside the appraisal center. It was almost time for the place to close, but no one could persuade them to leave. Chen Fan said he had no way of coming out for too long, lest he lose sight of Zhou Sheng’s parents, so he went back in. Before he left, though, he told me that Zhou Sheng’s father had brought quite a few private investigators from the harbor district.

I was slightly stunned, already guessing what Zhou Sheng’s father had in mind.

Because of the system, because of the mainland authorities’ control over investigative powers and their protection of investigative secrecy, there was almost no such profession as a private investigator there. For historical reasons, many people in the harbor district carried a certain arrogance, believing that inland development was backward. Zhou Sheng’s father probably had the same notion; otherwise, even in his grief, he would not have thought to bring a whole group of private investigators with him.

Zhou Sheng had been an only son. However heartbroken he was, his father must still have been determined to find the true killer.

A faint smile appeared on my face. That gave me a few opportunities.

I waited outside more patiently. The little ghost was wearing very little; that had been her own request. She always said too many layers felt unbearable. Her constitution was excellent, so I did not force her. After waiting out there for a while, the little ghost suddenly began looking around. I immediately grew alert, and sure enough, in a distant corner I saw the figure of Little Brow.

In the depths of winter, Little Brow was wearing a long dress, her hair completely loose. When the wind blew, it flew about in wild tangles. Her posture was somewhat stiff, and late at night, she frightened quite a few passersby. I took the little ghost by the hand and walked over. By the time I reached Little Brow, she had raised her head.

I asked her why she had come looking for me again. Little Brow gave a faint, eerie smile and asked how I knew she had come looking for me.

I was at a loss for words. Just as I was wondering how to answer, Little Brow actually walked straight past me. Under my gaze, she truly did leave. I was slightly taken aback; she did not seem to have been there for me after all. She headed toward a patch of darkness, and I vaguely sensed that there was someone else over there.

I asked the little ghost, “Is there someone over there?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

Little Brow had an obscure and inexplicable connection with Pine Peak Temple. I had originally thought she might be going to meet Xuan Yi, but if that person had been Xuan Yi, the little ghost would probably not have been able to contain herself for long. Zhou Sheng’s parents might come out at any moment, so I did not follow.

After waiting a bit longer, the entrance to the appraisal center grew noisy.

A crowd came out through the main doors of the appraisal center, including police officers and men in suits.

I noticed two people, a man and a woman in their fifties, being supported by others. I was certain they were Zhou Sheng’s parents. Yet I had no chance to get close, because there were too many people. After they came out, they got straight into a car, and it drove away.

Chen Fan ran over and gave me the address of a hotel, along with the room number for Zhou Sheng’s parents.

He asked whether I wanted him to go with me. I shook my head and told him to hide from the police the fact that I was going to meet Zhou Sheng’s parents. Chen Fan scratched his head. “Brother Han, that won’t be easy to hide. Tomorrow, once Tanya asks, everything will be exposed.”

“I naturally have my way.” With that, I left with the little ghost.

By the time we reached the hotel, it was already after nine at night. The little ghost and I slipped into the hotel, took the elevator, and when we reached the corridor outside the room number Chen Fan had given me, I saw many men in suits standing outside. They looked like bodyguards. The setup was not all that different from that of female star Z.

I walked straight up to the room door in full confidence, and they stopped me.