Chapter 69 Chapter 69
The Meyers lived in an old apartment building without an elevator. The stairwell was narrow and dimly lit. Grace climbed the concrete steps, turning so many times that her head spun, before finally spotting the blue-gray security door.
She glanced at the door number to confirm it was correct, then knocked softly. After a moment, the sound of a wheelchair rolling came from behind the poorly soundproofed door. Mrs. Meyer's voice came from inside. “Who is it?”
"Mrs. Meyer, it's me, Grace," she replied.
Shortly after, the sound of a lock turning reached her ears. The door swung open from the inside. Mrs. Meyer, seated in her wheelchair, looked up at her with a smile. "Come in, Ms. Hill."
Only after speaking did Mrs. Meyer realize her wheelchair was blocking the doorway. Smiling again, she rocked backward to make room. "Please, come in."
"You can just call me Grace." Grace moved to help push the wheelchair, but Mrs. Meyer declined. She explained, "It's actually easier for me to manage on my own."
Grace stopped. Mrs. Meyer led her into the living room, where she sat down and surveyed the cramped house. Ignoring Grace's protests, Mrs. Meyer poured her a glass of water.
Grace looked at Mrs. Meyer, hesitated, and asked, "Is it convenient for you to live alone? I used to have a housekeeper. I don't need one right now, but she was very efficient and trustworthy. If you'd like, I could recommend her.”
"Thank you, but it's not necessary," Mrs. Meyer said with a smile as she waved her hand. Pointing to the cane leaning against the table, she added gently, "It's not that I can't walk at all; the wheelchair is simply more convenient. Besides, Wendy comes home every night. I'm just not used to having strangers in the house. Maybe in a couple of years—I'll bother you then."
With that, she turned her wheelchair toward the inner room. A moment later, she returned carrying a thick file folder. Handing it to Grace, she got straight to the point, as if aware of her urgency: "These are the documents I had someone track down. They're not complete, but the most important materials are all here."
Grace opened the folder and pulled out the files to examine them.
It was obvious that these materials had been photocopied and then printed. While the text was clear and legible, the fonts were distorted. She skimmed through them rapidly while Mrs. Meyer continued her introduction. "These aren't just from after his arrest in Seattle. Some were sourced from his hometown of Los Angeles. That overlooked fingerprint was actually left years ago at a police station there."
Grace gave a slight nod. Her reading speed was exceptional, and she quickly identified several other significant points beyond the fingerprint. One was that, six months after Alex's arrest, Woods—the accomplice whose legs she had broken—had suddenly committed suicide in prison. Alex appeared deeply affected, his spirit utterly broken. His once robust physique gradually weakened until one day, months later, he collapsed from excruciating abdominal pain.
Despite being a hardened criminal, the prison authorities sent him to the hospital out of humanitarian concern. He was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis and underwent surgery promptly.
Grace noted the surgery date precisely; it occurred one month before "Benjamin" left the country. A month later, "Benjamin" left for Europe and did not return to Seattle for two years. Grace could almost guess how Alex had escaped from prison.
The deduction itself wasn't difficult; the challenge lay in finding convincing evidence. Furthermore, why would the Norman family go to such lengths to save Alex's life? Alex had been swapped out—but who had been swapped in? Where had the real "Benjamin" gone?
There were too many mysteries, each demanding to be unraveled one by one. She needed to get close to Benjamin, enter his life, and infiltrate the Norman family.
Grace's time was limited; she couldn't linger too long. Instead of taking the files with her, she returned them to Mrs. Meyer. "It's safer for them to stay with you," she said. "I need Benjamin's fingerprints first, though I'm not sure if I can find a reliable source for comparison."
"Leave that to me," Mrs. Meyer replied.
Grace rose to take her leave. On her way out, she encountered Wendy, who was returning from school. Seeing Grace there surprised Wendy. "Ms. Hill?"
"I came to visit Mrs. Meyer," Grace explained with a smile. She paused before adding, "Take good care of your Grandma. If you have any problems, come find me at school. Remember, don't call.”
Wendy nodded in agreement and politely saw Grace to the door before turning to go home. Upon entering the house, Mrs. Meyer had just locked the document folder in the cabinet in the inner room. Wendy heard the familiar jingle of keys and saw the guest teacups set out on the coffee table but noticed no gifts.
It suddenly dawned on her that Grace had lied. Given Grace's nature, she would never visit an elder empty-handed. If she had truly come to see Grandma, she would have brought at least some fruit.
Hearing the commotion, Mrs. Meyer rolled her wheelchair out from the inner room. Seeing her granddaughter, a smile spread across her face. "You’re home! I missed you."
"I missed you, too!" Wendy smiled obediently, setting her backpack aside before carrying the groceries toward the kitchen. "Grandma, how about I make you pasta for dinner tonight?"
Mrs. Meyer nodded. "Sure, I love whatever you cook."
Wendy began preparing the sauce and said, "Grandma, I saw Ms. Hill downstairs earlier."
Mrs. Meyer sat by the kitchen doorway, smiling as she watched her granddaughter bustle about. "Ms. Hill stopped by for a chat. She mentioned having friends in China and asked if you'd be interested in traveling there during your gap year."
Wendy paused in her work, then turned to look at her grandmother with a smile. "We'll see. Besides, I've heard some scary things online about that place."
Mrs. Meyer chuckled and didn't pursue the topic.
Upon leaving the complex, Grace hailed a cab and headed straight to her parents' house.
Her father still refused to speak to her, but her mother was more accommodating. Handing Grace the phone box that the delivery person had just dropped off, she asked, "Have you eaten yet?"
"Yes," Grace lied. Seeing her mother hesitate, Grace knew she was about to ask about Adrian again. Her heart ached. Without entering the living room, Grace turned to leave. "I need to study for my exams tonight. I should head back now.”
Her parents' apartment was very close to hers. She walked there, opening the delivery box along the way. She had just turned off silent mode on her phone when she received a message—from Adrian. It was brief, only three sentences: Where are you? I'm outside your place. Need to grab something.
Though only a day had passed, meeting him again felt like a lifetime had gone by.
He had a key to her place, yet he didn't open the door himself. Instead, he leaned against the hallway wall and waited for her. When she returned, he didn't speak; he only lifted his eyes to observe her quietly. Her nose stung, and she felt an inexplicable urge to cry. Lowering her gaze, she silently unlocked the door. Then, putting on a nonchalant façade, she engaged him in conversation. "What are your plans now?"
With his hands tucked into his pockets, he followed her inside and replied, "I'm planning to quit my job. I'll head to Canada for a while first, then travel around a bit. As for what comes after that... I haven't thought that far ahead yet.”
Adrian's mother had emigrated years ago and settled in Canada, where she remarried. She had invited her son to join her many times. If not for Grace, he might have left the country long ago.
She smiled faintly. "Sounds good."
He smiled back, then suddenly asked, "How can I reach you?"