Chapter 5 — Don't Open The Door At 2 A.M

The young man next to him said: "I came home ten minutes ago, but I didn't see it." I took out my phone and opened the camera. In the picture, at ten forty-one, a person wearing a cap comes out of the emergency exit. The other person was wearing a loose gray coat, his face was covered by a mask, and he was carrying a black bag. She walked up to my door, didn't ring the bell, just hung her bag on the doorknob. Before leaving, she raised her head to look at the camera. That look was very short. But I recognized those eyes. There is a small mole at the end of Duong Ly's left eye, normally makeup would cover it, but today it doesn't. Police Officer Tran finished looking, his face darkened. "This is no longer a normal dispute." Manager Luong also ran over, and when he saw the bag, his lips turned white. "We immediately sealed the emergency exit camera." I looked at him. "Your emergency exit camera is probably not maintained, right?" He was confused and speechless. Police Officer Tran said: "From now on, all videos at entrances and exits must be kept, and no one can delete them." Manager Luong nodded continuously. I went home to get my coat. Officer Tran asked: "Are you still here tonight?" I looked at the string of drops of blood in front of the door. "No stay." I resigned from the company and booked a hotel nearby. Before leaving, I took all the new keys from the bedroom drawer, keeping only one set on me. As the elevator descended, I saw my face through the shiny metal door. His eyes were gray-blue, his lips no longer had any blood. But I'm not afraid anymore. The time when fear is heaviest is when you don't know what the other person wants to do. Now she is gradually pushing herself out under the light. The hotel room is on the twelfth floor. I closed the curtains, chained the door, and projected the camera image onto a backup phone. At 11:30 pm, Duong Ly sent me a text message. "Do you like the bag?" I stared at those five words, answering a question mark. She quickly sent a voice message. "Stop pretending, don't you know how to save evidence?" She was laughing. The laughter stuck close to the receiver, thin and sharp. "Ninh Ninh, do you think you've won if you change the lock? There are still things that belong to me in that house, you didn't take them back, I'll just remind you." I typed. "What did you forget?" She replied. "Once I get it, you'll know." I took a screenshot of the chat and sent it to police officer Tran. Officer Tran answered me. "Don't provoke her, keep in touch, we're looking for someone." I put down the phone and went to wash my face. The water flowed from his forehead down to his chin and it was cold. The me in the mirror looks very strange. When I returned to the bed, the camera image on my backup phone flashed. One fifty-eight in the morning. The hallway light turns on. Duong Ly appeared in front of my house. This time she didn't wear a hat or a mask. She was wearing a beige dress on the day she checked out, holding a blue silicone key case in her hand. She bowed her head and inserted the key into the lock. First time, didn't go in. Second time, still not in. She raised her head, her expression slowly turning from firm to stiff. The third time, she used force to push in, the sound of metal scratching even through the camera was close to my ear. I pressed record screen and called police Tran. On the screen, Duong Ly suddenly stopped and slowly turned his head to look at the camera. She curled her mouth and said a word wordlessly. I read and understand. She said, you're home.07I held the phone, my fingertip placed on the screen record button, without blinking for a long time. Duong Ly stood in front of my door, shaking the blue key case in her hand. She brought her face close to the lens, the corner of her lips pulled up. "You're home." She didn't make a sound, but those four words seemed to stick in my ear and then slip away.

straight in. Police officer Tran's phone was connected. I lowered my voice and said, "She's in front of my door now, using that spare key to open the lock." Police officer Tran immediately heard the sound of a chair being pulled. "Are you at home?" "I'm at the hotel." "Don't go back, don't come into close contact with her, send the pictures directly to me." I shared the camera. On the screen, Duong Ly bowed his head again and pushed the key into the lock. The key wouldn't go in, so she used some force to turn it. The metal scraped against the new lock core, emitting a thin and sharp sound. Her shoulders were tense. The beige dress stuck to her legs, with a dark stain under the hem. I suddenly remembered the black bag on the door handle. Stomach rolled up. Police Officer Tran said: "We have announced the arrival of a nearby patrol car, so you continue to record." I said yes. After the third failed lock attempt, Duong Ly suddenly raised his head. She stared at the cat's eye position, then looked at the dark spot under the door. "Ninh Ninh." She finally spoke. The voice transmitted through the camera was a bit distorted, but still carried the familiar drawl. "You're inside, right?" I didn't answer right away. The hotel room is very quiet, the air-conditioned wind blows the curtains, the edges of the curtains shake slightly. Duong Ly raised his hand and knocked on the door. "Don't pretend to be dead."