1、Chapter 128 ...
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When Anton and Rene came back from LA, the wind was soughing and chilling, signifying that New York had been in fall.
There was news of campaign everywhere along their way from the
airport to home.
The common-seen ‘pet’ of the Democratic Harmonic Party –
a freshwater crab with an air of charming naivety – showed
frequently on the street bills, advertisement columns and flags
fluttering in the wind at the squares.
Cross the street, the wind blew off a man’s newspaper in his
hand.
He chased it with the wind.
A piece of newspaper was blown at the feet of a man around the
street corner. He bowed his head, caught a sight of the picture in
the newspaper then got stiff. A moment later he bent to pick it up.
On the left page, there were two big pictures abreast. One was of
a famous star singer and the other the well-known candidate for
presidency. There was a third picture diagonally on the top of them
which is a bit smaller. Against the midnight black background in that picture, the star singer wearing sunglasses stooped to get on the car.
The picture was taken from a very long distance. The head of the star
singer in it was marked up with red pen. Beside it was the banner
headline: ‘Sex, Petrol? President Candidate Buttering his Bread on Both Sides’
Under this volume of news, there was a small cartoon, in which
Roderick stood there, on his right arm sitting fluffy-hair Minna
sketched out with several lines, his left hand holding a pencil tipping
a sloping rotating earth; not very far from his left arm was an oil
drum with a graph indicating the rise of oil price pulling a glum face.
Rene looked at the pictures, lost in a trance for a moment, he then
handed that newspaper to the short man wearing glasses standing opposite
to him.
Holding the newspaper in his hand, that man got on an oncoming
cab in a hurry, timelessly to say thanks.
‘Cab,’ Anton rushed out of the restaurant behind Rene with his
credit card in hand, watching a cab passed on. He had to wave for
another one. He walked to Rene and asked, ‘Are you OK?’
‘Yeah, I am fine.’
‘After Roderick gave the speech at Washington the day before
yesterday which alleviated the bad influence of the oil gate scandal,
the candidate was accused again of his relationship with the famous
star singer Minna. It was circulated that they even had ….’
‘Excuse me, can you please turn the radio to music?’ said Rene
sitting on the rear chair of the cab who interrupted the news
broadcasted from the radio.
In the chilling automn wind, the Cab sped to the depth of
the street of New York.
The Twin Plaza, its outer wall made of glassed steel shined in
the autumn sun and the whole building remained the same mighty.
On the twenty-first floor, Anton who came out of the lift met
Rene. They walked together along the corridor.
‘Roger’s gonna back. He’s asked us to have a get-together
in the bar. Are you coming?’ Anton asked quickly in his haste.
‘Roger…..where’s he been?’ Rene asked after a short break.
‘Roger’s been exchanged to Detroit Police Department,’ Anton
said, ‘during the time you were suspended.’
Rene curled his lips, Anton’s words putting him in mind that
Owen had told it to him.
‘He got a new girlfriend and wants to introduce her to us’,
Anton said.
‘…new girlfriend,’ Rene casted his mind back, ‘What happens to Wendy?’
He asked all of a sudden.
He remembered Roger had had a girlfriend named Wendy. That time
they three together with a kid experienced hiding from bullets in a
running car, Roger had been busy in calling her.
Anton shot a glance at Rene, ‘They’ve already broken up.’
‘Do you still remember the dancer at Broadway that had pestered
Roger? Afterwards he went for Wendy and they’re together,’ Anton
said.
Rene raised his eyebrows. He had recalled that dancer and his
passion. Roger had been teased about it. No one would ever image
that things had gone with this result.
‘Because of it Roger insisted on the assignment to Detroit’,
Anton shot another glance at Rene.
At that time, Rene was busy in dealing with Alex and his
suspension, so he missed this kind of personal affairs.
‘Oh…,’ Rene sighed in his mind, ‘then what time and where?’
he turned the conversation back to the get-together in the evening.
‘Nine. Well, a place you’ve been … Shadow of Light.’
Rene was stupefied.
'Anyway, they had pure Blues there. Roger’s bringing her new
girlfriend for it. Are you coming?’
'…Let me think it over.’
They headed for different directions around the corner.
‘Hey! Roger!’
‘Roger’s back!’
‘Hi, buddy!’ James and Roger gave high-five to each other.
It was almost the time off work. Most of the officers
of DSD (Department of Special Duty) were out of office on duty,
except James, Matthew and another old officer. In the corner besides
door, Rene sat at the desk of Owen checking the materials of this
month and signing the papers at lightning speed.
Heavy steps were approaching, then the door was pulled open
loudly – it was Roger.
‘I came to our territory directly from the airport!’ Roger said
in laughter. He was in a casual suit.
‘Did you?’
‘Roger, you must’ve sunned yourself a lot, having lived there
quite comfortably?’ Somebody tried to tease him.
‘Not bad! Not bad!’ Roger was busy say hello to others in
the room. He turned his head, saw Rene, and smiled at him, too, saying,
‘Actually, I’m somewhat not used to the assignment!’He then turned
back facing James and others.
‘What were you doing there, so comfortable?’
‘Comfortable?!’ Roger laughs, ‘anyway, I’ll have the possibility
to see in my own eyes the most notorious godfather in the American
history being captured, ha-ha!’ He roared loud laughter.
‘Who?’
‘Stirling?’ Some of them got exited at once, ‘Fuck – you really
went there at time!’
‘Anyway, the net’s been casted. It is absolutely this time …’
‘Roger!’ the conversation was interrupted by a hasty shout from
beside the door, Anton came back to the office, ‘don’t talk about it anymore!’ He stared at Roger strictly, trying to stop him.
Roger was dumbfouned, felt a bit surprised, but when he saw that
was Anton, he changed the topic happily, ‘Anton! What Reno has said?
You’re gonna receive the citation this year, aren’t you!’
‘It hasn’t been passed officially,’ Anton answered but his mind
was still on what he heard when he’s coming in. By instinct he looked
at Rene and met Rene’s eyes in the air.
'I’ve to run!’ Rene stood up. He looked at the others in the room,
patted Owen on his shoulder, nodded to Anton, and left.
‘After I called you, on the way back home I was thinking of you
and Susan. She’s almost in labor, isn’t she? As a matter of act,
you should’ve give her some accompany, big chance for you two to be
together again!’
Rene heard what Roger said to Anton while the door of the DSD office
closed behind him.
作者有话说
第1章 Chapter 128
