Xing Ze did not express this idea. Just as Ruiben was worried, things in the magical world were no longer controllable by them. What's more, this might also involve dream objects.
He didn't want to involve too many innocent people in this kind of thing. Unlike Burke, he could completely use Muggles as tools.
"Have you asked anyone around here?"
"Some important things have been written down. Wait a minute..." Ruiben took out his notepad from his pocket and started reading it.
After a while, he replied: "We asked the landlord downstairs, the house opposite, and the residents upstairs and downstairs. However, the records are still being compiled and it will take some time. We should be able to do it when we return to the police station
Got it. But I think you want to ask those people yourself."
As he spoke, the superintendent took out a page from his notes and handed it to Xing Ze. He continued: "I compiled a list of the main suspects."
"Thank you." Xing Ze said, "Let's start with the landlord first."
"No, no, the landlord doesn't live here. He handed over the house to the manager. We can go to the apartment manager. She lives in the apartment on the first floor near the door."
Xing Ze looked at the list and nodded.
The manager of the apartment is a woman in her early thirties. Her face revealed through the crack in the door is impatient and suspicious.
"Police." Ruiben showed his ID and motioned to the administrator to open the door.
The door closed again, and then there was a clicking sound of the door bolt turning. With the final snap, the door opened completely.
"I talked to the police yesterday and told them everything I knew." The administrator said unceremoniously.
"In case you remember something again." Xing Ze walked into the room and saw the sculptures in the room at a glance, "Are you an artist?"
"No, I'm just making ends meet." The administrator wiped her face with the back of her hand, and the white plaster left several marks on her cheeks.
Xing Ze looked at the unformed sculpture and asked, "We are just here to confirm what you said yesterday."
"What's the point?"
"Ensure authenticity. Many witnesses will make false claims. A second visit can largely eliminate this problem," the police superintendent explained.
The administrator spread his hands and said: "You can't suspect me of lying just because I am a poor person, right? This is too discriminatory."
"Instead of being sarcastic to us, miss, why not cooperate with me. This way you can go back to create your David faster."
"What do you want to ask? I told you everything I know. Frank, yes, he may be a good detective, but he is definitely not a good tenant."
"Why do you say that?"
"Generally speaking, I don't mind if the tenant brings some people back to the apartment. Although the landlord doesn't want his apartment to look like one of those low-class buildings where people and dogs can come in and out. But whoever has friends doesn't.
"But the detective went too far this time. He brought five people to his apartment and they stayed there. God, if the landlord finds out about this, I'm afraid I will be kicked out.
"I don't have the money to find another apartment like this. As you can see, I am just a poor sculptor. If it weren't for the part-time administrator..."
"So you went upstairs to inquire. The time was July 25th, right?" Ribbon interrupted the administrator's complaint and brought the topic to the formal level.
"That's right. I went up to ask, but they didn't give me a good look at all."
"What did they say?" Xing Ze asked.
"They are all filthy words, asking me to get out of here. There are also some that I don't understand at all. They may be code words or something."
"code word?"
"Yeah, it sounds like it, but I don't know. I thought about telling the landlord about it, but one of them gave me some money and told me to keep quiet. He gave me a lot more, so I just...
…I told the police all this yesterday.”
Xing Ze walked around the living room. The administrator's residence was not big. It was a living room and a dining room. The stove was at the door, and there was a bedroom at the end. It was that simple.
"Do you remember those code words?"
The administrator shook his head and said, "I don't remember much. Why should I remember that?"
Ruiben flipped through his notes and interjected: "The person who gave you the money. You said he wore glasses, had brown hair, and looked like a scholar?"
"Uh-huh." The administrator took out a pack of cigarettes from her pocket. She motioned to Ruiben, but the superintendent pointed to his pocket, indicating that he had cigarettes. Xing Ze waved his hand and refused.
"That's right. He seems to be a typical nerd and formal person. You know what I'm talking about, right? His attitude is the best among the five, so I have a deep influence on him."
Xing Ze strolled to the stove and knocked on the grilled window next to the door. Although it was covered with oil stains, he could barely see outside clearly.
Some apartment landlords will convert the original registration desk into a small apartment for rent, just like this one. Generally speaking, such small apartments will be rented as management residences, and the grille glass next to the door can be used very well.
See what the tenants are doing outside.
"Is there anything else you can remember, ma'am? Any details, think about it again."
"I really can't think of anything."
"Have they not gone out since they moved in on July 25th?"
The administrator still shook his head and said: "I don't know about that. I can't pay attention to the tenants all the time."
Xing Ze took a breath, turned around and said, "You'd better tell the truth, madam. Otherwise, I might tell the landlord the truth. By then, I'm afraid you will have to move out."
"What? What are you talking about?" The administrator's face immediately darkened.
Xing Ze took a few steps back, pointed at his feet and said, "Here, the color of the floor here is obviously different from the surroundings, which means that people often stand here."
The administrator chuckled and said, "So what? I have to cook there."
"If you're cooking." Xing Ze took a few steps forward and walked to the stove. "I think you should stand here instead of standing where you can't even reach the pot."
Before the administrator could speak, Xing Ze continued: "Of course you may say that you are standing here chopping vegetables. But you have to explain why a few pieces of glass are stained with lime."
Xing Ze walked back to the previous place. He leaned close to the glass, and one of his hands was right near the glass that was almost stained with lime.
"This is how you see the tenants outside, isn't it?" He said, "In addition, this location is blocked by a wooden grille, so it is difficult for people outside to notice you."
The administrator's face turned pale, and she took a deep breath of the flue: "I just... I just like to find inspiration there. As for the lime, there is lime everywhere in the room. I... I am a fucking sculptor.