WhenTheCold Pounds on the door

小寒 [18] / [20]

“I would like to check the tenant list!”

Anna was almost yelling at the guard. The old man scratched his ear idly as if he couldn’t hear her.

“The tenant list!”

This time Ed cried out.

“Oh, the list. I don’t have it,”

The guard answered.

“You don’t have it?”

Alexander said. Since he also expected the man to have what they needed, it was very disappointing.

“I don’t have anything like that. This complex will be demolished soon. Everybody is leaving this place one by one.”

"We're looking for a possible suspect in an alleged sexual assault committed on a child. We were wondering if you saw anyone suspicious hanging around here. Perhaps someone young, and wearing a hooded sweatshirt?”

Anna asked once again.

Alexander presented that blurry picture to him, without the expectation that he might be acquainted with it. While the old guard picked up a magnifying glass from his pocket and scrutinized it like a scientist observing a microorganism, a middle aged man appeared from nowhere.

"Father, what are you doing? Who are they?"

Alexander frowned,

"we are police officers investigating an alleged sexual crime."

The man stretched his right hand out for Alexander to shake. Alexander unconsciously grabbed his hand.

"Pye. He is my father, I've been taking care of him for the last 2 months. You know, he doesn't need to work this job, but he refuses to resign. He's really stubborn. We only just succeeded in finally persuading him to quit. So today is his last day. He has to take a rest since he has worked for such a long time. Sorry I was babbling again. It's a bad habit. My father encouraged it haha, he was always pleased when I talked to him. So what do you guys need?”

"We were asking your father whether he may or may not have seen a suspicious man lurking around the area."

Alexander showed the picture to the junior Pye, but he shook his head. Alexander folded the picture up, and placed it in his pocket.

"We were hoping that your father could help us out, but it seems he doesn't recognize the man,"

Alexander sighed.

"Thank you both for your time."

Ed quickly said to the Pyes, as the younger Pye looked like he was about to start babbling again.

It was still morning, and he thought he might go out to roam around a bit. He should have asked Kiara about his schedule at least. He wasn't willing to at the time, but he should call her to ask. But the only answer he got from her was “He was looking for a job, nothing special and I didn’t contact him since, so I have no clue of his whereabouts”.

Kiara also said she had no idea about his acquaintances.