Fog City Detective

Chapter 16: March

Securing his first job filled Liang Xi with immense joy. After leaving the police department, he immediately headed to John's home, eager to share the good news with him and perhaps grab a quick lunch.

As he approached the vicinity, Liang Xi noticed thick smoke not far away. An ambulance rushed by, its siren blaring, but Liang Xi continued driving until he was stopped by a patrol car a few hundred meters away. The road was temporarily closed due to the ongoing emergency. Liang Xi had no time for idle chatter with the police; he got out of his car and ran towards the billowing smoke.

His intuition proved correct; John's house was engulfed in raging flames. A fire truck, already on the scene, futilely sprayed water onto the burning structure. Liang Xi saw Mary, wrapped in a thermal blanket, drenched, sitting in a daze on the side. Medical personnel were examining her. Liang Xi rushed forward, "Mary!"

Mary slowly turned to look at Liang Xi. Anxiously, he asked, "Where's John?"

Mary replied, "Huh?"

Liang Xi slapped Mary's face, "Where's John?"

The doctor intervened, stopping Liang Xi and grabbing his hand, "She's experiencing acute trauma-induced psychological distress and can't answer your questions right now."

Suddenly, Mary snapped back, looking towards the house, and screamed, tearing at her heart, "John, John is still inside!"

"Damn!" Liang Xi sprinted towards the house, unimpeded by the firefighters. One firefighter chased after him, and two others directed water onto both of them. As Liang Xi approached the house, it collapsed with a thunderous roar. Unable to stop, Liang Xi tripped and fell to the ground due to the slippery surface. A firefighter grabbed the back of Liang Xi's collar, dragging him away from the inferno.

Liang Xi stared at the burning house for a long time. Pushing aside the firefighters, he crawled to his feet and ran to Mary, "John isn't inside, right? Right?" It was between 10:00 and 11:30 in the morning, the time when John, who struggled to sleep at night, usually caught up on sleep during the day. Even so, Liang Xi was unwilling to believe that his life mentor was gone. Clinging to a glimmer of hope, he questioned Mary, hoping that John had gone out for some urgent matter.

Faced with Liang Xi's inquiries, Mary didn't respond; she just held onto Liang Xi, crying inconsolably.

...

For the next three days, Liang Xi was both emotionally low and extremely busy. On one hand, he had to take care of Mary, and on the other, he had to communicate with the police. There were numerous miscellaneous tasks that demanded his attention.

Three days later, Officer Kent, in charge of the case, and Liang Xi arranged to meet at the hotel where Mary was temporarily staying.

Kent, forty years old this year, was a highly experienced fire investigator. He had received numerous calls from Liang Xi these past few days, and his superiors were putting immense pressure on him. His team had been fully dedicated to the fire investigation. Today, the investigation had concluded, and he needed to inform the family about their findings and address any questions they might have.

Kent handed a forensic report to Liang Xi, "The forensic team conducted DNA testing through bone marrow, confirming the only casualty on the second floor to be John. They performed the test three times."

Liang Xi nodded, and Mary couldn't help but cry again. She tried to control her emotions and went to the bathroom to wipe away her tears.

Kent then produced a stack of photocopies, scattering them on the table, "Mr. Liang, we believe the fire was deliberately set."

This answer was within Liang Xi's expectations; the fire spread too quickly. Mary had gone to a convenience store 30 meters away to buy baking soda needed for a cake after John fell asleep. The fire erupted just as she arrived at the convenience store, drawing the attention of many people in the vicinity. The fire had started six minutes before Liang Xi arrived, and by the time he got there, the house had already collapsed. Moreover, Liang Xi noticed that the flames engulfed the entire house.

Kent said, "No ignition point was found, but it's highly likely that gasoline was used as an accelerant. After reviewing the fire's progression on the surveillance footage and based on my years of investigative experience, I believe at least three people collaborated to pour a large amount of gasoline, causing this kind of fire in a very short time. Mr. Liang, as a detective yourself, what do you think about someone resorting to arson to kill John?"

Liang Xi was puzzled, "What do you mean?"

Kent played a segment of the surveillance footage, repeatedly replaying over ten seconds and pointing to a position on the screen, "From the on-site investigation and my speculation, the culprit deliberately ignited this location, using an incendiary agent called Lure. The lure was used in wars several decades ago to urgently destroy confidential materials such as paper, radios, and equipment. Can you tell me what's in this location?"

Liang Xi said, "This is a secret chamber at the back of the first floor, approximately 20 square meters, used by John for discreet meetings. Three years ago, John spent tens of thousands of pounds on installing an advanced anti-eavesdropping system in the chamber. In reality, I've never seen him use it. Although it's called a secret chamber, it's more like a library, with embedded bookshelves covering all four walls, filled with books. I once suspected that the chamber was a place for John to escape from Mary."

Kent asked, "Is there anything important inside?"

Liang Xi recalled for a while and said, "Two years ago, Mary went to the hospital to visit a friend, and I received a call from John where I heard no sound. I rushed to John's house, opened the secret chamber with the sound of the phone and found John unconscious inside. After being taken to the hospital, we learned that it was due to John's high blood sugar causing electrolyte imbalance. At that time, I saw a book on the table, a map, and a sextant. The map looked like a treasure map, with pirate symbols and a red X. When I asked John later, he insisted that I was mistaken and there was no map or sextant."

Kent nodded, realizing that the idea of a pirate treasure was absurd, especially in a city like London that wasn't near the sea.

Liang Xi said, "Officer Kent, have you found out about the person?"

Kent asked, "Who?"

Liang Xi said, "In the past few months, John often went out, meeting an old friend every two or three days for meetings that lasted over three hours, sometimes even exceeding ten hours. Mary said the person's name was Matthew, a close friend of John's from his younger years. However, Mary has never met this Matthew."

Thinking about John's seemingly troubled instructions, Liang Xi believed that John sensed danger, enough to keep him from revealing a single word to Liang Xi.

Kent shook his head, "I'm sorry, we haven't found this Matthew. John was a friend of the chief of police, and this case is being taken very seriously at the higher levels. I will provide the information with the police department. Hopefully, we can continue the investigation through the department's resources."

Liang Xi blamed himself, saying, "I should have asked more questions at the time."

Kent reassured, "Mr. Liang, it's not your fault. If I have any new leads, I'll inform you immediately. Now... John doesn't look good."

Liang Xi understood Kent's implication, saying, "I'll get Mary's commission."

Kent nodded, "The forensic identification center is near the police station."

Liang Xi said, "Okay, I'll take care of it this afternoon."

Kent stood up and shook hands with Liang Xi, "Mr. Liang, if you have any leads, please notify me. Don't take any action on your own. In my judgment, the other party is not to be trifled with."

Liang Xi assured, "If I have any leads, I'll let you know."

Kent glanced at the bathroom, "Please take care of Mary."

Liang Xi said, "Thank you for your concern; I can handle it."

"Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

...

When the forensic team examined the body, Liang Xi couldn't recognize it as John anymore, unable to even see it as a person. He glanced at it for a moment but couldn't bear to look anymore, silently pulling up the white sheet.

The funeral was held two days later, and a diverse group attended. There were retired and current high-ranking officials from the London Police Department, fishermen from Northern Ireland, FBI agents from the United States, and a Belgian alcoholic. More than a hundred people came from all walks of life, with Mary barely recognizing a small fraction.

After the funeral, Liang Xi first collected fire insurance, personal accident insurance, and property insurance from the insurance company. As Mary was accustomed to community living, Liang Xi rented a villa farther from their original home for her to settle in. After obtaining Mary's consent, he contacted a construction company to rebuild a house on the original site, replicating the original structure as much as possible.

Two months later, the house was completed, and Liang Xi, relying on his memory and Mary's descriptions, ordered furniture as close as possible to what they had before.

Three months later, Mary moved back into a home that closely resembled their previous one.

With the help of the community church, Mary finally let go of the past, changing some of her life habits and participating in various activities organized by the church. Watching Mary chatting and laughing with other women, Liang Xi knew that nothing and no one could fill the void left by John.

After handling everything, Liang Xi deposited the remaining insurance money into Mary's account. As Mary returned to normal life, Liang Xi's days became increasingly difficult. The £5,000, after covering the funeral expenses and deducting his own expenses for the past three months, was dwindling. The translation job that Liang Xi counted on as a lifeline, paying £80 per hour, didn't even yield a single call.

Three months later, everything seemed to have returned to calm, except for the jingling sound in Liang Xi's pockets, signifying his poverty.