"Yeah, I came to see my friend."
"The boy? How is he?"
"His life's not at risk, but he's still in a coma. What are you doing here?"
"I'm going to go ask the girl what happened. She's here, too, on the fifth floor. Want to come?"
After thinking about it, Fang Mu nodded and followed him up.
Deng Linyue's police protection was much tighter than Liu Jianjun's. Four cops in SWAT gear were standing guard outside her door. The room itself was very spacious and outfitted with every amenity, and she was the only occupant. It looked like an upscale two-bedroom apartment.
Also inside Fang Mu and Tai Wei found a dignified, very well-kept woman arguing with two policemen.
"Wait a few days and we'll see," she was telling them. "How can you expect Linyue to answer any questions in the condition she's in?"
The two policemen appeared to be in an awkward situation. "We understand your daughter's condition very well," said one with distinct politeness. "But she is the only person to have been in close contact with the killer. The sooner she can provide us with any helpful clues, the sooner we can crack this case."
"Well, that will just have to wait!" said the woman decisively. "My daughter must be fully rested." Then seeing Tai Wei enter the room, she snapped, "Who are you?"
The two policemen looked back and nodded. "Captain Tai."
"You're their commanding officer? Perfect," she said. "Then I'll ask you; when can those doorkeepers outside leave? Or do you take us for criminals as well?"
"For now they're going to have to stay put," said Tai Wei, looking around the empty room. "Where's your daughter?"
Deng Linyue's mother didn't answer him. Instead, a dark look covered her face. "Well then, is my husband going to have to give your department director a call?"
Tai Wei met her eyes for a moment. "I can't give you all the specifics," he said coldly, "but it is very likely that the killer is still after your daughter." He paused. "So then, how about it? Still want us to leave?"
All the color immediately drained from the woman's face. After several seconds she managed to squeeze out a few words. "In…in that case, perhaps things should continue like this for now."
A toilet was flushed in the bathroom, and then two nurses emerged and helped Deng Linyue into the room.
Her face was deathly pale and her hair was tied up in a bun. She wore a cast on her shoulder and her arm hung in a sling in front of her chest. Seeing Fang Mu, she smiled weakly and said, "It's you." Then nodding toward the woman, she continued. "This is my mom. Mom, it was these two who rescued me."
Deng Linyue's mother looked a little embarrassed. As if to make up for her disrespectful behavior from before, she forced a smile and waved for them to each have a seat.
The two nurses helped Deng Linyue to lie down and then placed the blanket over her. They raised the bed so she could talk comfortably with her visitors.
Curled up under the snow-white covers, she smiled at Fang Mu. "Thank you for coming to visit me."
"I came to visit Liu Jianjun." As soon as the words left his mouth, Fang Mu realized they were a bit rude, so he quickly added: "And you as well."
For a moment, she looked a little embarrassed, but she quickly regained her composure. "Oh, how is he?"
"He finished surgery, and the doctors have said he's no longer in danger."
Deng Linyue's mother snorted disdainfully.
Opening his briefcase, Tai Wei took out a notebook and pen. "Ms. Deng, would you be able to tell me a little about what happened last night?"
At once Deng Linyue's face grew even paler. Her breathing sped up with anxiety and her eyes filled with tears. Obviously, she was not yet able to get past what had happened to her.
Seeing her daughter's reaction, Deng Linyue's mother quickly spoke up. "I told you not to ask her. Can't you be considerate of the victims? Come back in a few days and we'll see." She rose to her feet, her expression telling them to head for the door.
Having no other choice, Tai Wei placed his pen and pad back in his briefcase. "All right then, make sure to rest up," he said to Den Linyue. He turned to her mother as he stood up. "We'll be back in a few days."
Fang Mu was about to follow him to the door when Deng Linyue called him back.
"Fang Mu," she said, doing her best to sit upright, "what room is Liu Jianjun in? I want to go see him."
Her mother cut off the idea at once. "I won't allow it! How can you go see him in the state you're in?"
Tai Wei gave the mother a dark look, and then turned and strode out of the room.
Helpless, Fang Mu gave Deng Linyue a little wave and then quickly followed Tai Wei out. As soon as they left, they could hear Deng Linyue and her mother arguing quietly.
"Christ!" said Tai Wei, lighting a cigarette. Ignoring the "No Smoking" sign in the hallway, he took several deep drags and then said, "That woman is too goddamn difficult!"
Not knowing whether he was talking about Deng Linyue or her mother, Fang Mu vaguely tried to calm him down, saying "Well, she is in a delicate situation."
"The whole thing's a mess," continued Tai Wei. "The father's some senior cadre, and so far he hasn't been willing to cooperate with us in the least." He tossed his cigarette away. "These are our two witnesses. One's in a coma, the other won't talk. How the hell are we supposed to continue the investigation?"
He waved to a nearby policeman: "You! Go ask the doctors when the boy is going to wake up."
The policeman immediately nodded and then sprinted downstairs.
For a few moments Tai Wei just stood there, hands on his hips, nearly panting with rage. Suddenly he said: "So what do you think is going to happen next?"
Fang Mu was caught off-guard. "What? What do you mean happen next?"
"What's the killer's next move going to be?" asked Tai Wei impatiently. "Will he look for another opportunity to finish off the girl? Or if he chooses someone else for the sixth murder, who's he going to copy this time?"
"How should I know?" replied Fang Mu angrily.
But Tai Wei had a point. What was the killer going to do next?
This time the killer had failed to complete his crime, and had also not left any clues behind at the scene. It brought up many questions: How were they supposed to prevent the next murder? What kind of victim was he going to choose? Deng Linyue or someone else instead? Everything was unknown.
It was as if an empty white space had suddenly appeared on the test paper in the middle of an exam. What were the next questions going to be? No one knew.
"Oh, it's you?"
"Yeah. Were you on the phone? I don't want to disturb you."
"It's no problem. I just finished."
"You asked me to come by. Is something up?"
There was a laugh. "It's nothing important. You just haven't been here in a while. I want to see how you were doing."
"Oh, I'm doing fine. Your complexion is looking a little off. Are you sick?"
"Oh, it's nothing. Just a little cold."
"You have a temperature?"
"No. Really, it's nothing."
"Should I go with you to the doctor?"
"No, no, no. Now back to my question. How are you?"
"I'm good."
"Still scared of roll call?"
"I don't think I am. I really have to thank you. I feel like I'm just about over it completely."
"Really? Are you certain about that?"
A few days later Liu Jianjun finally began to speak. Haltingly, he did his best to tell the police what happened that night. According to him, he had planned to tell Deng Linyue he loved her in the gymnasium after the game. He had borrowed the key from the stadium caretaker at lunch the day before, and had also asked him all about operating the broadcast booth's spotlight and microphone. Then during the game, he told Deng Linyue to wait for him on the basketball court after everyone had left. Everything went as planned, but just as he reached the most critical part of his romantic display, someone suddenly attacked him from behind and knocked him out. He had no idea about anything after that.