Chapter 12: Caught in the Net

2022-05-20

If people are like precision instruments, then feelings are the core that keeps us ticking. Humans made spaceships to reach for the stars, but we still can’t quite figure out what those closest to us are thinking.

Lin Shu killed for his grandmother back then. Honestly, even if Lin Shu hadn’t said a word to her, I bet she would have known anyway.

“So, Lin Shu wouldn’t just run off and leave his grandmother behind.” I spoke firmly to Mary. “Which means he’s still in Longze City. Once things quiet down, he’ll come back to see her.”

Mary kept tapping away at her laptop, not even looking up as she replied, “That old lady said Lin Shu hasn’t come home in three years.”

“Exactly why I think she’s lying.” I leaned in by Mary’s computer, noticing she was still scouring the internet for any trace of Lin Shu.

She closed her laptop at my words, then said, “But what if Lin Shu really doesn’t come back?”

“If he doesn’t, fine. I’ll put a sign around my neck and parade around the streets as my punishment.” I tapped the table. “But if he does turn up, how about this: you put in a few good words for me with Team Leader Shao and help me go full-time.”

“You really want to go full-time that badly?” Mary looked at me, completely serious.

I nodded. “Yeah. Honestly, I don’t know what else I’d do.”

“By the way, where’s Team Leader Shao and Gu Chen?” I glanced around, but they were nowhere to be seen.

Mary answered, “Team Leader Shao went to check out some leads, and Gu Chen is still staking out by the old lady’s garbage bin.”

“It’s been a day and a half!” Her words took me by surprise. “He’s still keeping watch over there? No one’s swapped shifts with him?”

Mary shrugged, looking just as helpless. “We stay in touch by text. Gu Chen says if people keep switching shifts, it’s easy to get noticed and blow our cover. So unless he’s really at his limit, he won’t switch out. Actually, Team Leader Shao once told me a story about Gu Chen.”

“What story?” I asked.

“When they first got selected, everyone had to practice standing at attention. The instructor got delayed, and by the time he came back, it was already night. Everyone else had gone to rest—except Gu Chen, who was still standing at attention, just as instructed.” Mary shook her head with a wry smile. “You people, honestly. One’s paranoid, the other’s obsessed…”

Staying by a garbage bin isn’t just for vagrants.

Five straight days went by without a single shadow. Gu Chen’s stash of crackers and bottled water, hidden in the trash, was finally gone. He asked to be relieved.

When Gu Chen came back he looked like he’d lost weight, and he reeked of garbage. He ran a hand through his hair, pulling out some wilted cabbage, and told us, “In all five days I kept watch, there wasn’t even a stray dog, let alone a person. The only exception—the old woman, who came by every day to throw out her trash. This garbage pit’s been abandoned otherwise.”

“Wait, so in five days, only that old lady threw out any garbage?” I asked.

Gu Chen nodded. “That’s right. I can guarantee no one else came by.”

I stepped closer to stand beside Gu Chen. My sudden move threw him off, and Mary pinched her nose. “Wu Meng, what are you doing?”

I plucked something off Gu Chen’s clothes—a bone. To be exact, a pork rib.

“What does she throw out every day?” I asked.

Gu Chen glanced at me, then at the rib in my hand, shaking his head. “No idea. I was just keeping an eye on visitors, never bothered to check the trash itself.”

“Let’s go.” I swept my hand dramatically. “I’ll show you where to find Lin Shu.”

“You know where he is?” Gu Chen and Mary blurted out in unison.

Li Cunzhuang, that homeless guy, once told me something interesting. Over years on the streets, he’s eaten some top-notch scraps. The dumpsters in upscale neighborhoods are treasure troves—he’s had shark fin, abalone, you name it.

You’d be surprised what a person’s trash can tell you.

When we reached the old woman’s cabin again, I skipped going inside and headed straight for the garbage pit behind her place. There wasn’t much trash. Under a filthy rag I saw someone’s foot sticking out. I smiled to myself, walked over, and stepped right on it. A familiar voice yelped, “Ow.”

“Come on, you’re supposed to be one of Team Leader Shao’s people. That disguise is way too sloppy,” I said.

Xiao Liu crawled out from under the fabric, staring at us in a daze before finally saying, “Oh, it’s you guys. I just got here a few minutes ago, hadn’t even finished setting up. It’s not easy, you know? Besides, what else could I do, crawl inside the trash itself?”

He shut up fast, though, once he caught sight of Gu Chen.

“Lucky I didn’t swap with you,” Gu Chen said. “With that technique, you’d have blown our cover in no time.”

“Remember where the old woman tosses her trash?” I asked.

Gu Chen nodded without hesitation and jumped into the garbage pit, pulling out a few bags. I shook out all the trash like a waterfall, bits and pieces tumbling down, then started sifting through. Finally, I found what I was looking for. Now, I knew for sure where Lin Shu was.

“Call Team Leader Shao. It’s time to make the arrest,” I said.

Everyone looked puzzled. Mary spoke up, “What are you playing at now?”

“I trust my gut. Lin Shu never fought back no matter how badly he was bullied. But the moment his grandmother got hurt, Lin Shu snapped and killed. He’d never leave her behind. If he hadn’t come home, that would’ve meant he’d actually left—but he hasn’t.” I gazed over the trash, speaking slowly. “Now, all I need is proof he never left.” I picked up a chicken bone from the garbage.

“People do change. Besides, think about his line of work,” Xiao Liu chimed in. “He has no family loyalty at all.”

No family loyalty?

The police had already surrounded the old woman’s cabin. The four of us paid her another visit. She was still sitting on the floor, but when she spotted us, she looked up with a smile. “It’s you all again.”

Team Leader Shao sighed and motioned for me to speak.

I looked at the old woman and started slowly, “Grandma, do you know why Lin Shu killed someone ten years ago?”

The question seemed to rattle her. She trembled slightly, and after a while, said, “I don’t know. He changed completely after he turned fifteen. Look at my hand—that’s where he chopped me.”

“You know what I’m talking about,” I said. “You know your grandson better than anyone. You’ve lived together your whole lives. You must know Wang Liqun. If not for Wang Liqun—no, if not for you—your grandson might have been fine.”

“You blame yourself. You hate that you picked up Wang Liqun’s drink bottle that night. If you hadn’t, none of this would have happened.” I walked closer and spoke gently. “It all started with you, didn’t it? That’s why you cut off your own hand—to punish yourself.”

Tears glistened in the old woman’s eyes, but she held them back. “No, my grandson did this to me. After that, he never came home again.”

She clenched her jaw, keeping those tears from falling. Her wrinkled face was stubborn and proud.

“No, you cut it off yourself.” I said softly. “Your grandson is right-handed, but your left hand was cut off. That means, at most, you held him back with your left hand, he swung with his right, and the blade landed on the outside of your wrist, making the outer wound deep and the inner side shallow.”

“But look—your wrist is exactly the opposite. The cut’s deep inside, and there’s even a lump of flesh still sticking out on the outside. Are you telling me your grandson hugged you from behind and chopped off your hand? That doesn’t make sense.”

“I started to doubt you the moment you told your story,” I continued. “When I purposely dropped some coins by your bed, it was to see if anyone was hiding underneath—there wasn’t, but I did spot some spoons and cigarette butts.”

I smiled, keeping at it. “You claimed your grandson hadn’t come home in three years, but that was an obvious lie. I didn’t call you out then, but if all you’ve said is made up, then it’s clear you’re covering for Lin Shu. He was bound to come home for you.”

At last, Mary understood why I’d insisted on keeping someone on watch at the cabin.

“You painted Lin Shu as a heartless criminal, hoping that would actually protect him when he came back. I always thought he’d return, but I missed one thing—by the time we got here, it was already two days after the incident. He might have made it back already.”

“He never came home,” the old woman pleaded, her cloudy eyes watching me desperately. “Really, he didn’t.”

In that moment, I almost wanted to let it all go. Why force an old woman to lose her only light in life—her grandson?

I sighed. “After Gu Chen came back reeking of trash, I remembered something the homeless guy said. Maybe we’d find a clue in your garbage. That chicken bone—that’s the key.”

“A chicken bone?” Xiao Liu said. “How is that any kind of clue?”

“She’s old and missing teeth—there’s no way she could gnaw a chicken bone so clean. Plus, someone who survives by begging wouldn’t have meat at every meal.” Team Leader Shao picked up my train of thought. “You even noticed that little detail?”

I nodded, gently helping the old woman up.

Then I tapped the floor where she sat. It echoed hollow.

“You have a perfectly good bed, but you sit on the floor every day.” My voice rose. “Come on out, Lin Shu. In the end, it’s your grandmother who’ll stand by you.”