That night.
Kirk sat quietly in his ordinary and unremarkable old Ford, looking through the car window at the "Panda Express" across the street.
Even though it was late at night, the restaurant was still busy.
There are not many customers dining in the restaurant, but there is still a constant stream of delivery riders and customers who come to pick up their food in person.
The thick glass door kept swinging back and forth, in and out, out and in, and the light inside the room was rippling gently like ripples.
Behind the counter, a young black man in an apron was busy. His sturdy body seemed to be trapped in a seal by the apron, which was a little funny; but the young man's mouth corners were always slightly raised with a faint smile, and he was wholeheartedly devoted to the work in front of him.
Only in the brief intervals when there were no guests, one could see the young man relaxing and breathing heavily, with a hint of barely perceptible fatigue between his brows and a slight absent-mindedness; but when the guests appeared again, all the fatigue was swept away, and he smiled again, expressing his welcome actively and brightly.
That was Wallace-Duke.
It was consistent with the impression Kirk had when they met briefly last time, but it made Kirk's own guesses seem absurd and distorted, making Kirk couldn't help but wonder if a "Fatal ID" plot was playing out in his mind. So, what was the truth?
Quietly, Kirk just stared at Wallace.
Generally speaking, stalking is boring, extremely boring. They need to kill a lot of boring time and cannot leave their position.
So, some people carry novels, some read magazines, and some carry game consoles, which can kill time without attracting attention, but still...
As the saying goes, it is often not the enemy that kills the giant, but boredom.
But tonight.
Kirk didn't feel bored at all. Instead, he found it interesting and more and more interesting.
I didn’t get distracted during the whole process. It was like I was reading a fascinating book. It was also a pleasure to “read” while eating pizza.
In every aspect, Wallace is a good kid, a good role model and a good example.
Of course, he is not perfect, but he always exudes a positive, bright and optimistic attitude, which is very contagious.
In front of me, a young woman wearing a light yoga outfit, who looked like she had just finished exercising, stopped in front of the door of Panda Express.
She seemed to be struggling to think about how many calories a lunch meal has, how to arrange the intake ratio of carbohydrates and fiber nutrition, whether she could relax boldly as she was losing weight, when was her last "cheat day", or should she continue to stick to the fitness diet?
In the creamy yellow light, you can see the hesitation and contradiction on that face.
After years of hesitation, anxiety, struggle and hesitation, the young woman finally pushed the door open and went inside.
The young woman asked many questions, many, many, many questions, and the question-and-answer session alone lasted for more than ten minutes.
Although Kirk didn't count the time accurately, there were definitely more questions than not, and one after another, even Kirk, as a bystander, couldn't help but feel annoyed.
This was just a dinner, not a scientific experiment; Wallace was just an ordinary store clerk, not a nutritionist.
There's no need, really no need.
However, Wallace remained patient throughout the process and answered all the other party's questions to the best of his knowledge; and this was after working a whole day.
Then, the young woman finally began to order.
Wallace remained patient and not only did he not get annoyed, but he also took the initiative to make recommendations and "cleaned" the sauces of some dishes according to the young woman's request. Finally, he selected four dishes and packed them up. Only then did he finally end this round of service and watched the young woman leave with satisfaction.
Careful, patient and focused.
Wallace's performance was impeccable.
If it were Kirk himself, he thought he couldn't do it. After all, the clerk was just an employee and it was up to the customer to buy or not.
But it was precisely this point that made Kirk suspicious——
is it possible?
From a psychological perspective, whether it is criminal psychology or child psychology, Wallace's childhood was full of alcohol, violence, and harm.
There was not only crime, but also abandonment and turmoil. Regardless of whether Wallace's parents were involved in violence, this was clearly not a healthy environment for growth.
Of course, this does not mean that such a growing environment will definitely lead to distortion, darkness, and crime, but it emphasizes the objective existence of psychological trauma.
Perhaps, when Wallace grows up, he will still be positive and optimistic and still look forward to the future; perhaps, Wallace will completely break away from the influence of his family, live out his own life, and actively change his life. All this is possible, without a doubt.
But the point is, those scars and those past events will not disappear, and some clues can definitely be seen in words and actions.
However.
The Wallace in front of him was not like that. He was positive and optimistic, even a little exaggerated, which often meant that this was a cover-up.
Wallace hid all those wounds, darkness, and hideousness, put on a mask, and went from one extreme to another. Under the extremely sunny behavior pattern, there may be an extremely cruel soul hidden.
Just like "The Truman Show", underneath the extremely humorous appearance lies an extremely sad and even desperate core.
However, this is only a possibility and an inference. Criminal psychology can be used as a reference and an index, but it cannot be widely applied to everyone.
Moreover, it cannot be used as evidence.
Each case needs to be treated separately.
That's why Kirk is watching now.
Wallace is off duty.
Kirk did not leave his car, but quietly hid his figure and watched Wallace's footsteps walking towards the subway station.
"goodbye!"
"See you tomorrow!"
Wallace greeted his colleagues skillfully and then walked straight to Kirk's position.
Getting closer.
Closer.
Closer step by step.
The air became slightly tense . Kirk sat quietly in the darkness, motionless, staring through the car window at the slowly approaching figure.
Hold your breath.
Then, Wallace just passed by Kirk's car without any intention of stopping.
After all, this old Ford is so ordinary and common that it would disappear in the blink of an eye if it were thrown into the turbulent traffic in New York.
Kirk looked through the rearview mirror of the passenger seat and could see Wallace's figure gradually moving away in the colorful night.
His heart slowly fell back into his chest as he watched the lights and the night wind outline Wallace's figure, but before he could even breathe, Wallace suddenly stopped.
Plop.
Suddenly, my heart stopped beating, and I could clearly feel the rich night color surging beneath my blood vessels, and the roar continued.
Wallace turned around and even took two steps back.
Could it be——
not at all.
Wallace stopped at the street corner and squatted down, but his vision was blocked and he could not be seen clearly. Only his profile could be vaguely seen.
His face was full of sadness, and when he looked up, you could see a hint of helplessness in his eyes.
Kirk adjusted his sitting position slightly, straightened his back, and looked through the rearview mirror. In the colorful taillights of the car, he saw Wallace's hands were covered in blood.