Chapter 5 I Don't Want to Leave Her Alone

I gasped. Things were getting tricky.

I had never thought that William would come to pick me up because the barbecue stall where we had agreed to have a midnight snack was between my home and his, so logically, he didn't have to pick me up.

Just as I was thinking, William continued, "Open the door. Be quick."

"I was in the shower, so I didn't hear the doorbell ring. Why don't you go downstairs and wait for me in your car so you don't get mosquito bites?" I said.

"Didn't you take a shower the first time you went out? Why did you take a shower again?"

"Because Mojo likes to rub itself against me."

"Well, how much longer do you need?"

"I'll get everything done as soon as possible."

I hung up the phone and did a quick mental calculation.

It was about a 15-minute walk from there to my apartment, and I had to avoid William. But given his caring nature, he would've parked right in front of my building.

I walked quickly to avoid the cameras. Fortunately, I saw a taxi on my way back. I immediately flagged it down.

The driver drove absent-mindedly. When he was waiting for the red light to change, he would watch the postmatch commentary and the replay of some highlights of a football match with his phone.

The woman in the video said to the male commentator with a smile, "You were so excited. When the score was 1–2 and the winner was decided, you shouted so loud that your voice cracked."

"I didn't expect them to score another goal," the male commentator said.

I was not in the mood to listen to their commentary and said impatiently to the driver, "Can you focus on driving?"

He laughed and said, "Wait a minute. Let me finish this video. Look, No. 7 had his pants pulled down when he played, exposing his red underpants. I'm laughing my ass off. He lost the game and made a fool of himself. I'm sure he won't be able to fall asleep tonight!"

I ignored him and went on thinking about what to do next.

I went back to my apartment complex and checked the time. Eight minutes had passed since William called me.

I didn't choose to get out of the car at the entrance because I had already seen William's car parked under my building, blocking my way.

I got out of the car in advance and sneakily walked across the green belt to the back of my building. My balcony was on the third floor over there.

The situation was critical. I tried not to be too loud. "Mojo! Mojo!"

At that moment, William and I were only separated by a building, and I just hoped he couldn't hear me.

Suddenly, a head popped out of the balcony railing. Mojo cocked its head at me, panting with its tongue out.

I said to Mojo, "Let's go buy ice cream!"

"Woof!"

Mojo suddenly gave a cry of joy and ran away quickly.

Although Mojo could understand some instructions, it could only understand one at a time.

"Sitting down", "opening the door", and "running an errand" were simple instructions. With dogs' intelligence, they couldn't take many instructions at a time, so I didn't tell Mojo to open the door.

I wished Mojo knew it had to open the door to get ice cream.

Just as I was thinking, William's voice suddenly sounded. "Mojo! Where are you going?"

Mojo ran as fast as it could toward the entrance. William ran after Mojo, and Ava ran after William, shouting anxiously, "Catch up with Mojo! It's off-leash. Don't let it get lost!"

I breathed a sigh of relief. Thank God Mojo was a dog who knew to open the door before going out.

When they left, I tried to avoid being caught on their dashcam and raced upstairs, taking off all my clothes and hiding them under the washing machine on the balcony. After all, I had a dog at home, and dogs liked to rummage around the room. Only the gap under the washing machine was too small for a dog to get in.

I couldn't keep the clothes at home. I had to find an opportunity to throw them outside.

After changing my clothes, I checked carefully to see if there was anything suspicious about me. When I was sure there wasn't, I quickly put shampoo on my head and shower gel all over my boy, then took a cold shower.

When I got downstairs, I saw William and Ava standing by their car, feeding Mojo ice cream.

Mojo must be hot. It licked the ice cream and wagged its tail happily.

"I was wondering why the door opened. It turns out that Mojo ran out," I said, pretending to be surprised.

Ava smiled, stroked Mojo's head, and said, "Mojo wanted some ice cream, so it ran to a store and waited there. Fortunately, William and I caught up with it."

I said coldly, "Mojo, have I given you permission to buy ice cream? Why did you open the door?"

Mojo could tell something was wrong with my tone, so it stopped licking the ice cream. It lay aggrieved on the ground and dared not wag its tail.

"Forget it. Mojo is not that intelligent," William said.

"You opened the door without my permission. What if a thief breaks into my apartment because of you?" I hit Mojo on the head and added coldly, "Stupid dog!"

Mojo whined, looking aggrieved and confused.

Ava petted Mojo at once and said, "Don't blame Mojo. It knew it was wrong. Remember to lock the door and teach it again later. Look at it. It's too upset to eat. Mojo, you can't make mistakes even if you want something badly."

I said coldly to Mojo, "Go home!"

I took Mojo home by the collar and couldn't help but stroke its head and said, "Good boy."

Mojo was not vengeful. It immediately wagged its tail happily and panted at me with its tongue out.

I locked Mojo in my apartment, then went downstairs and got into William's car.

William started the car and said in confusion, "Why did Mojo run outside without a leash the last two times I visited you? It's usually obedient."

I tried to play it cool. "That means you two have spoiled it. It won't listen to me when you're here."

"No, we haven't. You've been staying home all these days without taking it out for a walk. It was thrilled to find us here," Ava said.

I looked at William out of the corner of my eye. "That should be the case. After all, dogs, unlike cats, don't like to stay at home," said William.

I leaned back in my chair with relief and asked, "Why did you come to pick me up?"

"I took her to buy a cake nearby to make her feel better. Only a dessert shop in the neighborhood is still open at this time of night."

"I see. Let's go."

William was driving, while Ava was playing a cheerful song and singing along.

Every time I saw Ava, I felt like my wife was still alive.

They were twins, but they had very different personalities.

My wife was gentle and elegant. She talked softly, had few hobbies, and didn't like to dress up. On days off, she liked to read a book or take part in some public welfare activities. She was only like a child when she was with me.

Ava was different. She was careless, fashion-conscious, and as fun as an elf. Instead of reading, she liked to take us to watch action movies, horror movies, and comedies.

William's phone rang, and the Bluetooth stopped the music. Ava said aggrievedly, "The chorus is coming up."

William glanced at the screen and said, "It's my captain's call."

Ava felt even more upset. "Are you going to work overtime again?"

"I'm not sure."

William answered the phone, and immediately a man's voice was heard inside the car. "William, are you sleeping?"

"What's wrong?"

"There was a break-in in Room 802, Building 1, Green Gardens. The victim called the police, and the suspect was hospitalized with serious injuries."

I was shocked. It was the crime I had just committed.

"Wait a minute. You said the suspect was seriously injured and the victim called the police?"

"Yeah. You don't have to come if you have something to do. We've got it under control. We're collecting evidence."

"I'm having dinner with Ava. The previous case was solved. You said I could take the day off tomorrow, so I didn't go to bed early tonight and planned to spend time with her."

"Well, you'd better stay with her, lest she makes a fuss again. She's different from her sister. Her sister's husband used to be a traffic cop, and his colleagues thought she was gentle and charming. Look at Ava. We all think she's boisterous. They're identical twins, but Ava is annoying."

William swallowed hard. "Alexis, I'm driving, and she's sitting next to me."

"Don't come yet! We'll see how the man's doing before we call you in!"

The man on the other end of the line immediately hung up. Ava looked at William with a smile. "Aren't you going to work overtime? Aren't you the ace of your unit? Why don't you go?"

"I'm... I'm not going yet. It depends."

"Well, can I, a loud, annoying woman, keep listening to my music?"

"Don't take it to heart. Alexis didn't mean it."

"I'll get even with him next time!"

I began to recall the case just now.

After climbing through the window, I pocketed the screw and rivet.

I polished that pair of shoes with sharp diamond-shaped rivets especially. When I climbed through the window, I used my elbows as far as I could and deliberately rubbed my clothes against the sill.

I also wiped my fingerprints off the stick and basin. Even when I turned off the faucet in the bathroom, I didn't forget to wipe it with a towel.

I didn't think I left a trail of suspicion.

When we sat down at the barbecue stall, William poured me a drink and suddenly asked me, "Now that we're together for a midnight snack, why don't you tell me more about what exactly you said to Jacob before he went missing?"

Ava was unhappy. "What a bummer! Why are you working here when you don't work overtime on the scene?"

William said seriously, "At present, Anson is still a person of interest in Jacob's disappearance. I hope to prove his innocence."

"I just told him not to do it again and that I hoped he learned his lesson," I said casually.

Ava suddenly banged the table and said angrily, "Isn't there word that he drank before he left? He killed my sister, but he didn't learn his lesson! I think he'd better have an accident on his way. He'd better drive off a cliff to his death or drown in the sea! I don't know why you're looking for a scumbag like that. It's best if he's a dead body when you find him!"

Ava's cheeks puffed up with anger. William suddenly reached out and poked Ava in the face. Ava waved her hand and said angrily, "Hmph! Don't you ever do that to me again!"

Ava puffed up her cheeks again. William suddenly turned to me and asked, "Would it be okay to bring Mojo over?"

Ava couldn't help laughing. At that time, the stall owner served a large plate of barbecue food.

Ava suddenly acted mysterious and said, "Dig in. Remember to eat slowly. You may be surprised."

Surprised?

I glanced at the plate and saw that all the skewers pointed to Ava, except one to William. Ava deliberately pushed the plate closer to William.

Obviously, something was wrong with the lemon chicken thigh.

We started eating, but no one took the lemon chicken thigh.

Anxious, Ava couldn't help saying to William, "You always work overtime. Have a lemon chicken thigh. It's good for your health."

William replied with an "oh" and reached for a lemon chicken thigh that was farther away. Ava became anxious again. "Oh, isn't there a lemon chicken thigh right in front of you? Why don't you take it?"

"I feel like it's a trap."

"Eat this one!"

Ava angrily handed the lemon chicken thigh to William. William carefully took two bites and found a ring.

"Oh, I didn't expect you to prepare a ring..." Ava immediately pretended to be shy. "Since you are so sincere, I'll... agree to your proposal!"

Ava took William's hand and added with a smile, "Marry me!"

William put the ring on the table and said calmly, "Firstly, did you know that the ring would burn my mouth?"

"I... I thought you would blow on your food before you ate it!"

"Secondly, why would someone propose with a ring in a chicken thigh?"

Ava immediately looked aggrieved. "How can you blame me for that? I used to put the ring in cakes, but you refused to eat every time. I thought you didn't like desserts. You like chicken thighs, so I..."

I was amused by them and was in a better mood.

...

William said gently, "I'm not rejecting your proposal. I just want to take it slow. I'm not ready yet."

"I see. You just want my body." Ava pouted. "When you get tired of me, you'll go find another young woman!"

I didn't interrupt them. I knew that Ava often proposed to William in all kinds of ways.

They had been together for eight years.

Ava spoke in a playful tone, but she must be unhappy inside.

If a girl had other options, she wouldn't do something like putting a proposal ring into a chicken thigh.

William gently held Ava's hand and said softly, "My love for you has never changed, but I'm really not ready yet. Just give me some time to think about it. I'll ask you to marry me when I'm ready."

William was talking when his phone rang again.

He picked up the phone and listened, frowning tightly.

Ava was no longer angry when she saw William's expression. She immediately said, "Do you still have to work overtime? Eat some more before you go."

William was still frowning. He ignored Ava and turned to ask me, "Were you in your apartment the whole time since you got back?"

"Yes. What's wrong?"

"Is there any proof?"

I was lost in thought. Ava asked, "Why are you suddenly questioning Anson? Even if it's about Jacob, you shouldn't be questioning him right now."

"Alexis just called and said that the suspect had died in the hospital. And the suspect was Matthew. According to the woman who called the police, Matthew committed a burglary and a strange man broke into her apartment and attacked Matthew. You just had a conflict with Matthew. I want to know where you were," said William.

"You suspect me just because I had a conflict with that scumbag?" I asked. "I think a lot of people had problems with him."

"You know what you're saying doesn't mean anything to the police. I'm just asking if you have an alibi. How do you prove you were at home all the time? If you can't prove it, I want you to come back to Neslison Police with me."

Ava said in surprise, "Are you nuts? Isn't Anson joining us for a late-night snack? And he was in the shower when we went to his home. You called him out for a late-night snack, and now you're taking him to the police department for investigation. What the hell are you doing?"

William said seriously, "I don't mean to investigate him. I'm trying to prove his innocence."

I said to Ava, "It's okay. That's what he should do."

William asked, "Tell me, where the hell were you when we were apart?"

"I had stayed home with Mojo," I answered.

"That's not an alibi. Mojo can't be your witness. Do you have any other alibis?"

I recalled the driver holding his phone and said, "I watched a football match."

"What is it?"

"State College Football League."

"Don't look at your phone." William checked it on his phone and then asked, "What impressed you about the match?"

"It was funny when No. 7 was on the fast break," I said. "One of the players on the other team tried to defend, but he accidentally pulled his pants down. I couldn't hold back my laughter when I saw him wearing red underpants."

"What's the score?"

"One to two."

"What else do you remember?"

"Nothing else. The whole match was boring. I watched it with Mojo and didn't pay too much attention to it. If there's anything else I remember, it's when a player scored the winning goal, the male commentator shouted so loud that his voice cracked."

"Well... I won't know until I watch the replay."

Ava said impatiently, "That's enough, isn't it? Anson has said so much. Doesn't that prove he had been home watching TV?"

"If you don't mind, give me your phone. I'm gonna go check the security footage of your apartment complex," William said seriously.

"Oh, whatever."

"Follow me."

"Aren't we going to eat anymore?" Ava asked.

"No, I'll go to Anson's place first, and then to the crime scene. Take the food home and eat it. Remember to go to bed early."

"Oh..."

Disappointed, Ava lowered her head and took out an antiseptic wipe to carefully wipe the ring.

I know her well. She would probably propose to William again with the ring in a few days.

I got into William's car. When he started the car, I asked him, "Is this the tenth time she's asked you to marry her?"

"The seventeenth time. She kept asking me to marry her when you were not around."

I handed my phone to William and asked, "Where's your ring?"

As he drove, he took a small box out of his pocket. "I've always taken it with me. She always forgets things and rummages through our home. If I leave the ring at home, I'm afraid she'll find it sooner or later."

I opened the small box and saw an exquisite diamond ring inside.

Ava had no idea that William had long planned to propose to her.

He had saved his bonuses for a long time for the ring.

I remembered he was shy when he asked my wife and me to help him pick out a ring. Since his girlfriend and my wife were twin sisters, he thought it would be better to ask my wife for help.

He couldn't afford the ring at that time. We offered to lend him money, but he talked to the jeweler seriously, hoping to pay for it in installments. The jeweler turned him down. So he gave the money to the jeweler as a deposit and said he would get the ring when he had saved enough money.

Since then, every time he got a bonus, he would secretly save some money. Finally, he bought the ring.

But he never proposed.

I asked him, "You bought the ring years ago. Why haven't you proposed yet?"

He sighed. "I'm not ready."

"What do you mean?"

"I was going to propose to her some time ago, but then something happened. I never told her about it."

William carefully put away the ring and continued, "I missed her birthday once. Do you remember?"

"I remember you were out of state catching criminals. It really pissed her off at the time. But luckily, she's been very supportive of your work, and she was not really mad at you."

William smiled wryly. "Actually, I wasn't on any mission. Two days before I was supposed to propose, I was asked to go on an emergency mission. It was Unit 1 working on a case, but it led them to a meth lab. Drug dealers are often the most extreme. We didn't know how many of them there were, so we decided to deploy all hands immediately."

The police usually sent as many men as possible to catch criminals.

Usually, when there was a mission, the superiors would arrange several times more men than the criminals in advance.

One was not to allow the criminals a chance to escape, and the other was to avoid casualties, which was what no one wanted.

Brave police officers usually died in emergencies. They met criminals when they were not well prepared. Their death was a matter of great sorrow for the police and society, so the police would deploy as many men as possible to better accomplish tasks.

"What's the result?" I asked.

William said softly, "The enemy might be armed with dangerous weapons. Someone was demanded to break through the door. It was the most dangerous. The SWAT team fought in the van, and we were responsible for sealing off the entrances and exits and covering them. The criminals were holed up in a country cottage, and all eyes were focused on the cottage. However, I noticed something was wrong with an old latrine by the road outside the village."

"What was wrong?"

"I saw someone coming out of there. The old latrine could hold up to two people, but four people came out. I thought something was wrong and asked them about it, but they attacked me with guns. It turned out that they had dug a simple tunnel, so they crawled out of the latrine."

He added with a twisted expression. "We started a gunfight, but we were on a mountain road. No cars could drive up the mountain. We had given the only protection we had to the SWAT team. While the criminals were using the latrine for cover, my unit was out in the open, surrounded by nothing but grass, not even a tree!"

I was taken aback. I could well imagine his despair.

"We didn't run away. While we called for backup, we tried to overpower the criminals. But we had nothing to protect ourselves. Can you believe it? They even had a grenade. Although it was of unknown age, I could never forget the scene. Do you remember Robert from my unit? He just graduated over a year ago at that time. I saw him get half his body blown off, crawling on the ground covered in blood, his intestines falling out. He told me he was in so much pain and asked me to take him to the hospital. He said he didn't want to die."

I bit my lip and felt as if something was squeezing my heart.

William muttered, "I couldn't get him to the hospital. All I could do was swear at the walkie-talkie and call for the fucking backup. When I watched my men fall, don't laugh when I say this, I even wanted to play dead on the ground. But I didn't. I knew what it meant to be a policeman. I told myself to calm down. I was torn, but I still chose to rush at the enemy. My thought was extreme. I thought I found those criminals and was the one who got my men killed, so I could only atone for it by blocking the bullets with my body."

"What happened later?" I asked.

"As I charged toward the enemy, the criminal who was aiming at me was shot in the head. It turned out that the SWAT team arrived. It was ridiculous, wasn't it? We risked our lives but did not kill any of the criminals. All of them were either killed or arrested by the SWAT team."

I shook my head and said, "It was not ridiculous at all. People watch too much TV and always think that policemen are good fighters, but most of them are just flesh and blood. You guys are different than the SWAT team. The difference in your equipment is huge."

William said, "My superiors couldn't tell if I was at fault or not. I discovered the criminals and prevented them from escaping through a secret channel. But more than half of my men were either killed or injured. I really didn't care what my superiors thought of me. Some of my colleagues comforted me and told me not to blame myself too much, but I just couldn't get the faces of the dead out of my head. They died terrible deaths. I didn't go on a mission at Ava's birthday. I hid in a hotel and couldn't help crying. I didn't want to see anyone or talk to anyone."

"Why didn't I hear about that?" I asked. "I always thought you were out of state catching criminals. I did hear from other traffic cops that something happened to Unit 2, but I was glad you weren't there."

William forced a smile. "I asked Alexis to keep it a secret. I told him that since the case was solved, my part of the story shouldn't be detailed to anyone but my superiors, and I asked him not to specify my name. He agreed. I didn't want you to know. I was afraid Ava would freak out."

"You must have a hard time." I sighed.

He said, "We went to visit our colleagues' families after that incident. Seeing how heartbroken they were, I realized just how heavy this job really was. I began to feel scared. Ava looks careless, but she's more sensitive than anyone else. What if I die after she says yes to my proposal? How can I leave her alone?"

"So you never proposed?"

"Yes, I've been ready to die for my country, but I don't know how to face her. When I was on a mission before, I was nervous and rigorous, but I was never afraid. Now I get scared when I'm on a mission because I know Ava is waiting for me at home."

I took a deep breath.

...

I was a man left behind, wasn't I?

I said, "You'll have to talk to her sooner or later. You've been together for eight years, and you've seen how anxious she is. She gets scared easily. The longer you make her wait, the more scared she gets. You always said you weren't ready. When exactly are you going to be ready?"

William said, "In fact, ever since Zara's accident, I've been more afraid of leaving Ava alone. I saw your depression and sorrow. I'll take it slow. Maybe one day I'll figure it out. To tell you the truth, I don't want to work on the front line anymore. Ava always thinks I'm leaving her, but I want to protect her more than anyone else."

"You don't want to work on the front line anymore after all the work you've done?"

"Yeah, I want to work in the office. I've taken a lot of criminals over the years. Sometimes when I look back, I think I've really done a lot. Maybe I'm a loser, but I want to take a break for Ava. I want to spend time with her every day after work."

I said softly, "You're not a loser. You've done enough."

William stopped the car. "Here we are. I'll start by looking into you. If you don't mind, I'd like to stop by your place and take a look."

"Aren't you in a hurry to go to the crime scene?"

"My colleagues are there to control the situation and gather evidence. You are an important friend of mine. I want to prove your innocence first. If I can't find anything suspicious about you, no one else will suspect you."

I immediately became nervous. The clothes I was wearing when I committed the crime were still hidden in my apartment!