Demon in Disguise

Tears

After a month Qiang finally got the chance to speak to Mr. Wang alone. The police had asked for him to stay at a family friends house until after they cleaned out the murder scene.

"Qiang?" Mr. Wang looks at her with wide eyes.

She gives him a closed-lip smile, "Hello Mr. Wang."

He invites her in and she takes off her shoes, wiping the snow off before closing the door behind her. "I brought you some of my brownies... and some food." She didn't know what to say now that she had the chance to be with her old friend. "I'm sorry I couldn't talk to you sooner." She sets the food down on the dining table and sits on the couch. He doesn't say anything except sit across from her. He looked older now, even older than his sixty years of age.

She didn't want to ask him how he had been, of course he hasn't been well these past few weeks. "Have you eaten well these past few days?" She asks.

He gives her an unconvincing smile avoiding the question, "Don't you worry about me child."

"You've gotten thin." She walks to the kitchen and gets out two plates, putting a small amount of food on it. He must have not been eating a lot, giving him a large amount at once would not settle correctly in his stomach. She hands him a plate, smiling kindly. "Here you go Mr. Wang, you haven't been eating lately have you? Eat up."

Mr. Wang stares at the plate in her hand, his eyes water and tears drop down his old face. He sobs, covering his face with his hands.

She takes the plate on his lap and sets it down onto the coffee table so that it wouldn't fall. She didn't say a word, no words were needed in this situation. Qiang sat beside him, silently comforting her old friend whom had taken the role of her grandfather during the time they had known each other.

She didn't know what to say to make him feel better, if there was anything to say. She knew better than to give him false hope, she didn't want to tell him that the police would find the killer of BiYu, what if they didn't?

"I couldn't protect her." Mr. Wang says softly, his voice trembling as he spoke. His eyes still dripped with tears but he was no longer sobbing uncontrollably. "I had a bad feeling that morning, I woke up with the feeling but I thought I was just going crazy with old age. Perhaps I am."

"You're not crazy Mr. Wang, I think you're very kind and very wise. One shouldn't think such things of themselves." Qiang grabs the tissue box underneath the coffee table and hands it to her friend. She was starting to tear up herself, seeing her strong and wise old friend so broken down and broken hearted.

"Thank you Qiang, I don't know what I would do without you." They sat in silence, the food getting cold as they just sat there and reflected. Thinking about everything and once in a while, nothing.

"The night before... BiYu was murdered, she and I were arguing." Mr. Wang starts, Qiang raises her eyebrows in surprise but keeps silent, waiting for him to continue. "She told me she was expecting a child." His old wrinkled hands shake and his eyes begin to water. "I asked her 'Who did it? Who is the father?'"

Qiang covers her mouth with her hand. She didn't know that BiYu had a lover, much less that she was with child.

"She said that she loved him and they were going to get married. I asked her again who the young man was, his name... His name made my blood run cold. His father brought me living hell, he gave everybody hell. Tainting those he met with his cruelty. I told her to abort the child, I didn't want her to be the mother of the child who had that-that evil man's blood running through its' veins." He clenched his hands on his lap, "She got angry and yelled 'I love him and he loves me, you just don't understand.' Hell he loved her, where was he when she was killed? I bet it was all under his work, he didn't want to be a father, he just wanted to play around." Mr. Wang hits the coffee table and Qiang jumps in surprise.

Mr. Wang looks at her, his eyes soften and he gives her an apologetic look, "I'm sorry Qiang, I frightened you."

"You just surprised me is all Mr. Wang, don't worry about it." She gives him a nervous smile, she wanted to ask more about the young man whom BiYu fell in love with but seeing as Mr. Wang was too upset, she stopped herself.

"Let's uh, have some of that food now." Mr. Wang points at their food that had gone cold. "I'm sorry Qiang, you took your time to cook it for me and I haven't eaten a single bite yet."

"Oh, no it's fine Mr. Wang, I just thought you would be hungry. I'll go heat them up."

They ate their food in silence, making small talk here and there. The sun had already set by the time they were done. It had also gotten cold, the temperature dropping with the sun.

"The sun has already set." Qiang gasps, looking out the window. "I should get going."

He gets up to close the blinds as she puts on her shoes, "Qiang, I think you should stay here for the night."