"Then the man in the hotel room is called Brad Strum?" I asked. "Then who would he be?"
Unless I tell Garrison what Brinkley told me, I can no longer make things more obvious, but that means I have to admit that I have met Brinkley.
It's Cindy's turn to look through the photos. "My God is him."
Obviously, Garrison and I didn't seem interested enough.
"He," Cindy said. She poked the photo several times. "The pastor I told you about."
Garrison snatched the second slightly better photo of fake Brad from me, as if I didn't deserve to touch it again. He gave it to Cindy. "Have you ever seen this man dressed up as a priest?"
"A few days ago. He tried to get me to leave the church with him."
"He is a pastor," I said cheerfully. "She recognized him, so you can pick him up, right?" If the fake Brad hadn't sneaked around nearby, I would feel better. At this rate, Garrison will have to look at this guy's face before he can connect to FBRD.
"Are you sure?" he asked Cindy.
"Yes," we said together.
"I interviewed all the priests and priests on the list last week. I did not meet him." He collected these photos.
"Maybe he is from a different church," Cindy stood up and said, because Garrison had gone. "They did it."
He put all Dong XīZàng under his arm, and then hurriedly walked to the door. "I see what I can find"
"Wait." I touched his arm, hoping to stop him. This method worked, but obviously, he didn't like being touched. I let him go, "I'm sorry. But it seems that Eve's file is fake. You won't really punish me for it? How would I know?"
"Don't be sneaky," he said. "Or you will encounter something worse than an angry mother."
Bottom of the form
"But I'm trying to get out of trouble. I swear I didn't do anything
Garrison was very close. At the last moment, he turned his head and whispered directly to me. "If you are so concerned about proving your innocence, I will observe what you say at breakfast."
It took me a while to deal with this matter.
What did I say at breakfast? everything.
I told Ryan everything.
I either remove the phone from my ears or risk losing my ear drums.
"You get out of me." Now," Gloria yelled, and Gloria never yelled.
"what why?"
I took another bite of the sandwich. I've been standing in the kitchen, trying to figure out what I can do-if something happens-if Jǐngcha really recorded my confession on a tape. Call a lawyer, maybe? Have you arranged for Winston
"Someone is coming," Gloria said. "You need to leave the house."
"I want to finish my sandwich. Can you?"
"Go, go, go!" Gloria barked like an instructor. "You only have a few minutes."
"Is this a long trip? Do I need to pack it?"
"Forget your clothes. You can't let them catch you. You have other places to go."
My skin is shaking. "You found her."
"But if you don't leave the house, it doesn't make any sense!" Gloria kept screaming.
I dropped the sandwich and took the key.
After this last Jǐng report, she disconnected the telephone line. Where did I meet him? She must mean the path behind my house. I heard the Jǐng flute in the distance, and I was shit myself. Those Jǐng flutes may not have anything to do with me. Everything I know may be a fire, but it is enough to let me put down the key and run to the back door.
When I saw a pile of wrinkles on Winston's food plate, I almost got out of the kitchen door. Dinner is still two hours away, but he is very patient with food. The jǐng flute became louder and louder. I knew I should run away, but I couldn't leave him.
"Gloria is going to kill me," I said, pushing his chubby ass up. I ran out through the back door, crossed the yard, and rushed to the path at full speed.
It’s not easy for a forty-pound pug to run on my chest. Winston didn't like it either, all his breathlessness told me this way. I apologized to him countless times and explained that I cannot rely on FBRD or the local Jǐng Cha to feed him. They will use him as evidence that I know.
For better or worse, we must unite together.
Before I saw Gloria's car, I walked farther than Ellie and I. My legs and lungs were on fire, and my biceps threatened to spit out, but we succeeded.
I had to balance Winston with a swaying arm, I opened the back door and put him in the car. I fell into the front seat out of breath. "God, I need more exercise. Lifting weights, anything will do."
"I knew you would bring that damn thing," she said, turning the car upside down and driving away before I closed the door.
"I can't leave him" I was jailed. "He is my child."
"So, who will take care of him when you go to save the world?" She frowned and asked.
I gave her a pouting lip.
"My dear, you don't want to leave your child in my care," she said. "I disappear for several days every time. I might come out and find that he died of hunger or peeing on my floor."
I bit my lip nervously. "Maybe Ryan will look at him. We are dating now. I think."
Gloria did not respond.
"So, where are we going?"
"Where they won't look," she said.
"If they know what I said during breakfast, they must know that I am not at home. They may be following you."
"Where is your phone?" Gloria asked.
I showed it to her. Her response was to snatch it from me and throw it out of her window. It hit the sidewalk with a bang, disgusting.
"Oh my God," I screamed, sticking my head out the window. "I have a million photos."
"Mobile phones are traceable," she said.
"And my contact lenses."
"You have to give it up."
"Then why did you let me take it to St. Louis?" I asked.
"I forgot," Gloria said.
I must look very cynical. Gloria snorted.
"Contrary to popular belief, I am a human being."
"You are saving me now. This is the most important thing," I said, but I was very angry. "So where is Ellie?"
"I will show it to you," she said.
While driving, when I failed to change my vision or couldn't use electronic devices, I asked Gloria a few questions. She assumes that this emotion is related to emotion, a stress response. So I tried to think about the things that made me sad, but without success, I got angry. Neither works.
When we parked at Lane's comic book store, I didn't finish anything.
I hit the floor of her car. "Jesus Christ, Gloria. This place is no secret. It is attached to my office."
"No one is watching now," she said. "We will only stay here for a while."
We walked into the store, and Ryan knew immediately that something had happened. I kept staring at him until I put a piece of fat into his arms.
"What happened?" He led his two regular customers—the only current customers—out of the door and locked the door. He turned the slogan over and read the closed words.
"Do you know what I said to you at breakfast?" I asked. "My house was tapped, so it's all recorded now. It's like a Jǐng Fang tape."
I let it all calm down.
"I'm basically evading the law," I added, pulling my ponytail. "Like the rest of my life."
"You shouldn't be here."
"It's not my idea." I pointed to Gloria who was shopping. My cheeks are burning hotter. "You might get into trouble for helping me, you know."
He smiled triumphantly. "I have always been dissatisfied with authority. We have this in common."
I blushed so much that my head was about to explode. "About earlier—"
He stopped me. "I understand. We will take it slowly."
"Oh, God," I said. "do you like it**?"
He said: "I need a minute to decide what I like and what I don't like," he said. "I won't refuse"
I opened my mouth and said that depriving me of my life was not the best way for him to remain loyal, but he pointed to Gloria.
"Go talk to her and see what happened," he pushed me with a smile. "I will look at that pug"
"But are we all right?" I asked him.
"We are fine."
I kissed him on the cheek. Then set off to Gloria in the corner at this animation exhibition. She seemed to be particularly interested in the girl with a big sword and pink hair.
"Is this what you want Santa to bring you this year?" I looked at the box. "A Juko doll?"
Gloria jumped up, nervous. I recognized her behavior.
"How much coffee did you drink?"
"Too many," she said. She must be working hard to get the answer, Ellie, I asked her if she wanted it. For Gloria, this means no matter how long it is used, it means no food and sleep. After a few days of silence, I saw her come out of the dark room and drank a gallon of soda from the bottle. The caffeine distracted her enough to cut off her vision. "About Ally--"
She moved the sketchbook under her arm as if it were a burden. I didn't know that she brought it in from the car. I am busy walking around in the park.
She opened the book. "That's it."
The entire page is just a black charcoal smudge. This may be blank.
"I don't understand," I said.
"Darkness," Gloria said concerned. "Allie's future is dark."
My heart is pounding. "She is dead?"
"Not yet."
However, not yet. Gabriel's words came back. She hasn't been hurt yet.
Gloria turned a few pages of pure black. "She is here, right here." (to be continued) (end of this chapter)