Double-sided memory(二)

Broken mirror image

"You need the help of professionals," Ximei pushed a steaming cup of herbal tea in front of Ouli. "Not just the police."

Three days after the incident, Ouli still couldn't fall asleep. Every time I close my eyes, that dark muzzle of the gun emerges before my eyes. She had been wearing the same coat for three consecutive days - the one thick enough to hide her trembling.

"The police said they would retrieve the surveillance footage," Oli stared at the chrysanthemum petals floating in the teacup, "but the camera outside the gym was broken."

Ximei sighed and reached out to hold Ouli's cold fingers. "I have a friend," she said, "a private detective and former Marine." He might be able to help.

Ouli wanted to refuse, but something deeper than reason stopped her. Perhaps it was because of the rare seriousness in Ximei's eyes, or perhaps it was simply because she desperately needed someone to tell her that everything would be fine.

"He..." Is it reliable? Ouli finally asked.

A strange smile appeared at the corner of Ximei's mouth. "Leo is the most complicated person I know," she said. "But when it comes to tracking down someone, no one is better than him."

At ten o 'clock the next morning, Ouli was sitting in the humble reception room of the "Grey Crow Detective Agency". The walls were covered with newspaper clippings and photos, and a city map was densely marked with pins of various colors. The room was filled with the smell of coffee and old paper, along with a slightly bitter aroma that Ouli couldn't recognize.

"Miss Oli?"

A deep male voice came from the inner room. Ouli looked up and saw a tall man standing at the door. He was wearing a simple black shirt and jeans, with his hair cut very short, almost military-style and neat. But the most striking feature was his eyes - a nearly transparent light grey, like glass washed by rain.

"I'm Leo Kraus," the man said, his voice calm to the point of coldness. "Sime told me you're in trouble."

Ouli suddenly felt a burst of absurdity. Why did she come here? Retell the terrifying experience of that night to a stranger? But when she met Leo's gaze, something made her stay - there was no pity in those eyes, only concentrated waiting, as if he had seen too much darkness and would not be frightened by her story.

Someone... "He robbed me at the gym," Oli began to tell, her voice more steady than she had expected. "He has a gun."

Leo listened quietly, his fingers unconsciously playing with a silver coin, which nimbly flipped between his knuckles. When Oli described the man's appearance, she noticed that Leo's eyes had become unusually sharp and the coin had stopped turning.

"Did you say his pupils dilated severely?" Leo suddenly asked.

Ouli nodded. Like... What medicine did you take?

Leo stood up and walked towards the map on the wall. "The Blue Whale Gym is in the west of the city," he said to himself. "The nearest drug deal is three blocks away." His finger drew an invisible line on the map. "After the robbery, he most likely fled in this direction."

Ouli looked at Leo in surprise. In just a few minutes, he had already constructed a perspective she had never imagined - not a fragment of fear in the eyes of a victim, but a professional's calm analysis of the criminal pattern.

"I need to check the surveillance footage of the gym," Leo said, "and the police case number."

Ouli took out a USB flash drive from her bag. I... A copy of the surveillance video was made.

Leo took the USB drive and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. Well-prepared. Very good. This was the first time since they met that he had shown something like an expression, but it vanished in an instant.

For the next half an hour, Oli watched Leo import the video into the computer, zoom in, adjust the contrast and mark the time points. His movements were precise and efficient, without a trace of redundancy. For a moment, Oli could almost imagine him in the army - calm, restrained and lethal.

"Found it," Leo suddenly said, pointing at the screen. "Look at his left hand."

Ouli moved closer to the screen. At the moment the robber turned and fled, the surveillance camera captured his left wrist - there was a blurry tattoo on it.

Yes... A snake? Ouli frowned.

"Part of the snake bone pattern," Leo's voice suddenly tightened. "The logo of the East City Gang." He quickly tapped a few times on the keyboard to bring up a database image. "This tattoo style is very special and should be able to narrow down the area."

Oli looked at Leo in surprise. How could you know all this?

Leo's expression went blank for a moment, as if he had been pulled back to some distant memory. In the past... I have handled similar cases. He said that his voice suddenly became distant.

Just then, the office door was suddenly pushed open. A young man with a flushed face rushed in, waving a piece of paper in his hand.

Leo! You would never believe it - "The young man suddenly noticed Ouli and abruptly stopped speaking.

"Mark, this is my client, Miss Oli," Leo said calmly. "Oli, this is my assistant, Mark Tims."

Mark nodded awkwardly, stuffed the piece of paper into Leo's hand and whispered a few words. Leo's expression turned serious and he turned to Ouli.

"Sorry, there's an emergency that needs to be dealt with. Mark will send you out. I will continue to investigate your case and inform you immediately if there is any news."

Ouli nodded and followed Mark towards the door. Just as she was about to leave, she couldn't help but look back. Leo stood by the window, and the sunlight filtered through the blinds, casting striped shadows on his face, making him look as if he were trapped in some kind of invisible cage. His fingers unconsciously stroked the inner side of his left wrist. Ouli noticed a slender scar there, which glowed pale white in the sunlight.