Chapter Two: Bought a Cell Phone

The police did not arrive particularly quickly; in this small town, the police were always slow and inefficient. It was over half an hour before two cars pulled up, and four officers stepped out. The first car produced a tall man with an upturned mustache—a police chief. Behind him was a young policewoman, rather pretty, probably around twenty-three or twenty-four. This was Qiufeng Yu’s first impression; men always took greater interest in women. The other two officers were young men as well—one quite overweight, the other rather thin.

The policewoman also gave Qiufeng Yu a curious glance or two, then joined the police chief to listen as the excited Josh Britt recounted his thrilling ordeal.

Meanwhile, the two male officers found the strong man’s body in the grass. His heart had been pierced by a sharp wooden stake, killing him instantly. The sight made the young officers queasy; the skinny one couldn't help but vomit painfully at the scene.

“Your ID!” The young policewoman, after hearing Josh Britt’s account, walked over to Qiufeng Yu, one hand on her firearm, pointing at him with the other. “I need to see your identification!”

Qiufeng Yu patted himself down and handed over his passport. The policewoman examined it with a hint of confusion. “You’re Ukrainian?”

“Yes, it’s all there in the passport. You can check.” Qiufeng Yu flashed a big white smile at her. “I saved him, but I still don’t know his name. And… what’s your name?” His English was quite good; in fact, his Russian was decent too, and he could even manage a few halting phrases in Arabic with a Syrian accent.

“Alright, you’re Ukrainian.” The policewoman flipped through the passport, found nothing amiss, and handed it back to him. “You’ll have to come with us, too.”

So be it, Qiufeng Yu thought. He was just drifting through this place anyway, with no intention of settling down. By then, the police chief and Josh Britt had finished talking. Since this was a homicide, it was beyond the small town police’s capacity to handle, and an hour later, officers from the city police and the FBI arrived. The police chief, having done his part, merely watched from the sidelines as Qiufeng Yu and Josh Britt became the focus of questioning and investigation.

Fortunately, Qiufeng Yu’s passport was legitimate, and the investigation turned up nothing suspicious, especially with Josh Britt’s testimony. After giving his statement, an FBI agent returned his passport and said, “You may not leave this area for the next month. Remain available for further inquiries and investigation.”

Damn it, I just saved a man’s life, Qiufeng Yu muttered in Chinese. No one understood, so no one responded. When the FBI and city police had taken away the two bodies and the arrested Mexican, only the small town officers, Qiufeng Yu, and Josh Britt were left at the scene.

“Josh, you’ll need to be more careful from now on. Those Mexicans are like groundhogs, you know—they once…”

“Dug a five-kilometer tunnel from the Mexican border all the way into Texas, I know, Brick, I know that story. I’ll be careful.” Josh Britt extended a hand and shook the chief’s. “Thank you.”

“No problem!” The chief shook his hand, then turned to Qiufeng Yu. “Hey, kid, don’t cause trouble on my turf. And don’t try to leave, or you’ll find yourself on a wanted list. That’s a promise.”

“I understand, Chief!” Qiufeng Yu had no intention of causing trouble and nodded obediently. The chief then took the other three officers and left.

“So, what are you planning to do?” Josh Britt asked once the police were gone and the two were alone. “You’ll have to stay here for a month. If you don’t mind, you can stay at my place.” After all, Qiufeng Yu had saved his life; he had to offer something in return.

“Are there any places for rent here? I’d prefer to rent a place for myself for the month. As long as it’s not too expensive, anything will do.” Qiufeng Yu thought it best to have his own place, so he intended to decline Josh Britt’s hospitality.

“There is… actually, yes. I have a small shop along the main road, closed now. It’s two stories; the upper floor can be lived in, and the lower used to be the shop. Of course, it’s not open anymore,” said Josh. “You can stay there for a month, no problem.”

“Great, that would be perfect. How much is the rent?” Qiufeng Yu asked.

“No, no need. My life is worth more than rent!”

The shop was a bit out of the way, practically at the edge of town, which explained why it had gone out of business. Qiufeng Yu wasn’t picky. Everything here was left as it was, and the room was just a simple attic—quite spacious for one person.

“Elizabeth comes by often to clean, so it’s reasonably tidy,” Josh Britt said as they stood in the attic. “If you need anything else, just let me know and I’ll bring it over.”

“No, this is already quite nice,” Qiufeng Yu shook his head, glancing around. “Is there a kitchen? I like cooking for myself, even dinner.”

“Of course, downstairs, behind the shop. We used to cook there, everything’s well-equipped, and there’s probably still some stuff in the fridge. But dinner really should be on me…” Josh said, “Let me show you.”

“I prefer to cook for myself.” Qiufeng Yu smiled and followed Josh Britt to see the kitchen—it was indeed fully equipped.

With a sizzle, Qiufeng Yu plated his steak and ate heartily. After finishing, he washed his dishes and sat in the attic, looking out the window at the street below.

With nothing better to do, he watched as the number of pedestrians dwindled and then went to sleep. He was highly adaptable and didn’t awaken until after eight the next morning, roused by a knock at the door. Opening it, he found Josh Britt, who greeted him. After a brief chat, Qiufeng Yu decided he’d try to apply for a social security number—necessary for life in America—here in Texas. He also wondered if his Ukrainian driver’s license would be valid here.

With nothing to do all morning, he decided to stroll around town. There weren’t many outsiders here; he was the only Chinese man wandering the streets. He went to the grocery store to buy a few things, then to the supermarket for some condiments—though sadly, none were suitable for his Chinese cooking.

On the way back, carrying his bags, he saw a police car parked by the street. The same policewoman from yesterday and a skinny young male officer stepped out.

“Hey, you there, sir!” The policewoman pointed at him.

Qiufeng Yu stopped, holding his paper bags and looking at her with wide, innocent eyes. “Do I need to go to the station? I was just about to go—I’m staying just across the street now, in Mr. Britt’s old shop.”

“No, I just wanted to say hello.” She pulled out a notepad, scribbled a number, and handed it to him. “This is my number. Call me if you need anything. You really should get a cellphone.”

“Oh, I was just thinking about that. I will.” Qiufeng Yu nodded quickly, took the slip of paper, glanced at it, and tucked it into his pocket. “Well… goodbye, I still have to prepare breakfast!”

“Breakfast?” The policewoman was taken aback, checked her watch—it was nearly ten o’clock—and was speechless. She turned to leave.

“Wait, miss, what’s your name?”

“Ariel Coffin. You can call me Officer Coffin.” She walked away without looking back, entering a nearby clock shop with her colleague.

Qiufeng Yu made a mental note of the name and returned to his place. He started to cook breakfast. Without a range hood, the smell of fried steak soon filled the air, though it wasn’t overwhelming. After frying the steak, he made scrambled eggs with tomatoes.

The shop was empty, not even shelves left, so it felt quite spacious. Qiufeng Yu set up a table by the window and enjoyed his meal. Beef and steak were cheap here—this was cattle country, after all. Though with the year’s drought, beef prices had risen a bit.

“A bowl of beef noodles would be nice,” Qiufeng Yu mused after eating, licking his lips. Unfortunately, the condiments were nowhere near sufficient. He’d have to visit a larger city with a Chinese community for proper supplies.

With nothing else to do, he dawdled a while, then went out to buy a cellphone. He wasn’t picky, just wanted something that could make calls. The shops mostly carried Apple and Samsung, with a few Japanese brands. After some deliberation, he bought an iPhone and got a contract SIM card.

Once outside with his new phone, he pulled out the slip of paper and dialed the number. After a few rings, Officer Ariel Coffin’s voice came through.

“Hello, this is Officer Ariel Coffin…”

“It’s me, Qiufeng Yu,” he said quickly. “Um… I bought a phone, this is my number. If you need to contact me, you can reach me here.”

“Understood. Anything else?”

“No, just wanted to let you kno—” The call cut off with a busy tone before he could finish. Qiufeng Yu stared at his phone, a bit stunned. This woman was certainly one of a kind.