Luo Qun utilized her personal connections to look through the investigation files. However, nothing she found was useful. Some of the information had already been reported to the police. The only useful piece of information was the portrait provided by Li Du. Luo Qun stared blankly at the portrait like a delicious dish. She was enjoying her drink with her vision locked on it.
Shortly after, she finished a bottle of wine.
She stared at the portrait and asked, “Is he the killer? Is he really the killer who’s supposed to go to hell?”
Li Du replied, “I’m ninety-nine percent certain. Even if he’s not the one who killed your family, he’s definitely related to this case.”
Luo Qun nodded slowly. “Alright, I’m going to get him then. Let’s hope that he’s not dead. He can’t be dead!”
Li Du waited for her to calm down and asked, “Luo Qun, will the police throw away the case files and evidence?”
Luo Qun said, “They wouldn’t. However, if the case is closed or unsolved for a long period of time, then the archive center will discard the files and evidence to make room for other cases.”
Everything made sense to Li Du after hearing that.
The Arizona Police Department had given up on the tragic case of Luo Qun’s family. They spent over a decade on the case, but not even a single trace of evidence was found. To them, this case seemed impossible to solve.
That, or, the police had treated the Chinese family murder case as a major crime case.
There were many movies that portrayed American policemen as dedicated, courageous and competent. In reality, those were just made up stories. There were just as many incompetent policemen as good ones, with many cases left unsolved.
Moreover, in America, they prioritized whichever cases that involved family members the media paid more attention to.
Luo Qun did not further question him regarding the details and the source of the portrait. Li Du promised her that the portrait had been obtained through a complicated connection of his. He had assured her that the portrait was definitely related to the case.
She trusted Li Du because he had often helped her and had never let her down.
Luo Qun skipped her dinner and took the portrait back to the police station. She had to run an analysis on this person using facial recognition to get more information.
Li Du was left speechless while watching her receding figure as she left in a hurry.
He wanted to tell Luo Qun that he was going to leave Flagstaff and wouldn’t be able to live with her anymore.
However, that was not the best time to break the news. Li Du went back and packed his stuff. He did not have many personal belongings in the room. All he had was some books, newspapers, and his bedding.
Luo Qun worked through the night. Li Du wanted to wait for her return before telling her that he was going to leave Flagstaff. However, she went back to work on the next day.
Li Du could only breathe out a deep sigh. Luo Qun is really a tough lady. Although she is made of flesh and blood, she has a heart of stone!
Anyway, he still had to inform her. In the morning, as he was about to leave Pine Tree Tops, he gave Luo Qun a call. “Hey, did you rest yesterday?”
“I’m not tired, I don’t need to rest. Is there anything you need? I’m dealing with something urgent now. If there’s nothing important, we can talk later.”
Li Du said, “It’s nothing, but I can cut it short. I will be moving to Phoenix soon. I might not be able to continue renting your house.”
The conversation became silent.
Li Du asked cautiously, “Hey, are you alright?”
Luo Qun ignored the question and asked in reply, “Is there anything else that you didn’t tell me?”
Li Du felt strange about the question and said, “No, I’ve told you all that I should. What else did I not tell you? Don’t you trust me?”
“I do. I do trust you,” Luo Qun said. “It’s just bizarre—the place that you’re moving to and the timing. I’ll be going to Phoenix too.”
“Ah?”
Luo Qun continued, “The portrait that you gave me—I ran a background check on him. His name is Jonas Malone, a gang member in Phoenix. I need more information about him. That’s why I am going to Phoenix.”
Li Du got what she meant and said with a bitter smile, “What a coincidence! But I need you to know that he is not the reason I’m going to Phoenix. I’m going for business purposes.”
Luo Qun said, “I know. I need to go now. I’m applying for the transfer. I’ll see you in Phoenix.” She was exceptionally vigorous. She hung up as soon as she said goodbye.
Li Du looked at his phone and shrugged. “Let’s go,” he said to his four little ones. “We are leaving this place.”
As he walked out of the room with all his baggage, Ah Ow realized that it was time to leave. She was so excited that she howled loudly.
Luo Qun had always loved scaring her, especially when she was young. Luo Qun had also always waved different kinds of weapons in front of her. She had surely never recovered from the trauma of those experiences.
Ah Ow understood that Li Du was moving away and that she would never see Luo Qun again. This made her extremely excited.
Li Du knew why she was excited but he just kept quiet. He wanted to see Ah Ow’s reaction when they met again in Phoenix.
It was easy for him to move since he didn’t have anything in Flagstaff. No property and no family. However, it was more inconvenient for the rest of the group.
Both Hans’s and Sophie’s family lived in Flagstaff. It was easier for Hans to handle. He owned no property since he was a wanderer.
On the other hand, Sophie had a job and her family in Flagstaff. She had taken a break from her work since she went to Australia but she had intended to return now that they were back.
Li Du tidied up the campsite while he waited for Sophie to discuss the matter.
Two days later, Sophie still had not come over. So, Li Du decided to drive over to Sophie’s.
He gave her a call to find out where she was. Sophie gave him the worst possible answer: “I’m at the hospital. Give me a minute. I’m leaving right after this.”
Li Du knew that this would not bode well. Sophie actually did go to work!
He arrived at the hospital and waited at the entrance. After a moment, Sophie came out of the building.
Sophie was filled with joy as she saw him with a bouquet of flowers. She asked, “Hey there, gentleman. Who are you waiting for?”
Li Du handed her the flowers. “I’m waiting for a lovely angel, and I’ve found her now.”
Sophie accepted the flowers happily. “So, what’s the matter?”
Li Du laughed, “Nothing. I just haven’t bought you flowers for some time now.”
Sophie mimicked him as she snapped her fingers. She teased, “Is that so? Since when did you buy me flowers before? This is the first time, my dear. That is why I know something’s up.”
Since Sophie saw through this, Li Du told her the truth straight away. “I forgot to tell you that I won’t be staying in Flagstaff anymore. I’ll be going to Phoenix.”
As he finished his sentence, the atmosphere became tense.
