Chapter 38 - The Familiar Man (1/2)

When Jackson woke up the next morning and stepped out of his bedroom, he realized the sofa was already empty and his blanket was neatly folded.

”Did she leave without a word,” he wondered with disappointment.

As he walked over to the coffee table, he noticed a little note: ”Remember to come get your coats when you feel better.”

Jackson sighed. That was right! He was supposed to get his coats back last night. But, wasn't he considering keeping his distance from her? Perhaps, he should just abandon the coats and never see her again.

But then he sighed. If he never took them back, there would always be a connection between them.

”I guess I'll see her one last time. I'll just get my coats and go,” he decided.

At that moment, there was a knock on his front door. He peeped through the peephole in his door and saw two policemen, ”Mr. Jackson Wu, this is the police. We would like to invite you to the station for a chat.”

”It's regarding the murder of Marcus Chin.”

...

After a long night, Halia did not wake up until midday.

That day, she had arranged to meet her handler at Chaoyang Park, the biggest green space in Beijing.

Many old people gathered in the park on Sundays to partake in all kinds of activities, including singing and dancing. There were also some old men fishing from the lake in the middle. Halia's handler, Sean, was seated amongst these old people.

Halia walked over and sat down next to him. The man quickly handed her a fishing rod. ”Have you fished before?” he asked.

Halia shook her head.

Sean held up his own fishing rod and patiently showed Halia how to attach some bait and how to cast the line. The fishing line flew into the lake and made a light splash. Halia quickly followed. As they sat there waiting for something to bite, Sean turned to Halia and asked, ”Any progress?”

Halia pulled out the napkin she found from the previous night and showed it to Sean. ”It means Friday in French,” Halia explained. ”I know basic French from high school.”

”Could he be meeting Remy Durand on Friday?” Sean asked.

”I'm thinking that might be the case too. I'll try and figure out where Jackson will be this Friday and that should give us some clues.”

At that moment, an old man approached the two with a trolley of newspapers. ”Would you like a copy of today's news for 1 yuan?” the old man offered.