Rust's home is in an old low-rise apartment, the exterior of which is mottled by the wind and sun, like a sleepy old man.

Dean enters the door and opens the perspective of God.

There are two bedrooms and one bathroom in the room, a living room and a kitchen, not big, but it is better to be tidy, the furniture and electrical appliances are some years old, and the four walls are pasted with light yellow lattice wallpaper, which has a warm taste.

"The last time I came here was more than half a year ago." Dean sighed inexplicably, it was the second day he crossed over, recognized Rust's friend, and investigated the case of Mona's disappearance together.

"I remember very well that day in the school cafeteria you beat up Bob Lowe and hid in my house for the night," a hint of reminiscing delight appeared on Rust's face, "and that's when your personality suddenly changed... Turned into an omnipotent superman, a Lake Mead hero, and a martial arts master. ”

"It's not as good as you having a good mother, well, I still have a lot of memories of Grace's fried pork chops." Dean was slightly envious,

"You've been inviting you to be a guest, but now you want to eat..."Last's voice stopped, and the smile on his lips disappeared.

"I'll have to wait until she comes back." Dean patted him on the shoulder and walked to the bedroom on the right.

Warm yellow beds, bedside tables, vanity mirrors, and an oversized wardrobe occupy the entire wall inside.

Dean saw the family portrait in the picture frame on the bedside table.

Five or six-year-old Rust is surrounded in the center, one on the left and the other on the right, his tall, sun-looking father, and his young and beautiful mother, with a spring breeze smile on her lips.

The family is happy and happy.

"Isn't my dad handsome?" Rust said proudly

"You can be an actor." Dean complimented that he hadn't seen the photo last time he was a guest.

Rust picked up the picture frame and said regretfully, "It's a pity that he left early, leaving my mother behind and carrying the burden of life alone." ”

"Well, it's remarkable that Grace raised you, a future student of a prestigious university, on her own," Dean reassured in a reassuring tone, pulling out the drawer of the bedside table.

Lotions for skin care, lipsticks... There are countless cosmetics of all kinds, and they all seem to be brand goods, but unfortunately there is no clue he is looking for.

He walked to the closet and opened it, and found a large pile of colorful women's clothes: suits, skirts, shirts, tank tops, sweaters, trench coats, everything... The top is hung full, and the bottom is also stacked, adding up to at least a hundred.

Dee Security opened the drawer in the center of the wardrobe, and there was a pile of beautiful rings, necklaces and other accessories.

"Women have so much cosmetics and jewelry?"

"Grace's environment requires her to look good every day, otherwise it's rude," Rust explains, with a sad look on her face.

"Well, why did a lady as beautiful as her never think about finding you a stepfather after being single for so many years?" Dean asked casually,

"She was worried that her stepfather would treat me badly." Rust's gaze turned to the drawer, and suddenly froze, "Why is there something missing, gold earrings, necklaces, rings?" ”

"Dean, there was a set of gold jewelry in there!"

"Pure gold?"

"Well, my dad gave it to Grace after he got married." Ruster rummaged through the drawers, his brow tightened, "There's also a diamond ring missing." ”

"Grace was brought out yesterday?" Dean asked,

"Unlikely, she had one on her hand." Rust shook his head, "The rest of the rings belonged to my deceased father, and they were in the drawer. ”

"Look for it again."

The two of them searched the entire bedroom, then the hall, the hallway, the kitchen, and Rust's bedroom.

Dean's God's perspective is full of firepower, and even a fly can't hide.

But after tossing for half an hour, he never found the gold jewelry and diamond ring in Rust's mouth, but found a bill in a box under Grace's bed.

At the top is Grace Spencer's home phone number, address.

The following table lists the pawn items: gold rings, necklaces, earrings, and a pair of rings, totaling more than $10,000.

The date is December 10, 1980.

Rust sat back on the couch with a blank gaze in his hand, staring at the air in a daze.

"She actually took the jewelry and sold it." Rust muttered to himself, looking devastated,

"Are you alright, man?"

"No, jewelry is the only keepsake Dad left behind." Rust whispered, "How can you sell it?" ”

"Think about it, has the family been short of money lately?" Dean asked, "Does Grace need to be off the jewelry?" ”

"I don't see it at all," Rust replied in a whisper, "Grace said she would take care of my college tuition and buy me a car when I got my acceptance letter." ”

Then she might be holding on.

Dean looked around and changed his question, "Did you buy this apartment?" ”

Rust was stunned for a moment, a little unable to keep up with his companion's train of thought, and then shook his head,

"We don't have that much money, so we have to rent a house."

"This kind of location close to the center has a rent of at least a few hundred dollars a month, right?"

"Hmm."

"How much does Grace earn a month working in a hotel."

"More than a thousand dollars a month."

Very ordinary income.

Dean calculated that there was not much left of this income after deducting living expenses and rental expenses.

But in his memory, Rust's family lived a very prosperous life, food, clothing, and housing, including the Ford, which was not bad, and Rust also generously helped him pay for the trip to Santa Monica Beach.

No matter how you look at it, it's not the kind of family that lives in poverty.

Rust seemed to see the confusion in his eyes,

"I had a pension after my father's death, and Grace relied on this money to take me to Las Vegas, where I spent the first few difficult years, took me to a well-known psychiatrist, spent a lot of money, and finally cured my mental illness."

"We usually spend a lot of money, Grace likes to buy all kinds of expensive cosmetics, jewelry, and the clothes and shoes I bought are not cheap."

Dean bowed his head, Grace worked in a hotel in the strip, and most of the guests she came into contact with were rich people, so it was naturally difficult to save her life.

"Lately," Rust scratched his hair in annoyance, thoughtfully, "since Britney and I went to Tucson, Arizona for college interviews, we've spent a lot of money, fares, and shopping. ”

As he was talking, Rust thought of a series of questions from Dean just now, and suddenly realized,

"I should have thought that after holding on for so many years, the pension should have been spent, and it would not be able to maintain our previous standard of living at all." Rust had a deep regret on his face and clenched his glass, "If I am admitted to the University of Arizona, I will have to prepare a large amount of tuition, and with Grace's character, I will definitely help me raise tuition at any cost!" ”

"She always hoped that I could be admitted to a well-known university, and only for this reason could she bear to sell those precious jewelry..."

Dean sighed with a complicated face.

The tuition fees for several years of college cost tens of thousands of dollars, which was a no-brainer for him.

But for most ordinary families, including Rust, it's a lot of money.

I'm afraid it's not enough to just sell your jewelry.

"But I'm still a big deal, and I don't sympathize with Grace at all!" Rust's voice is getting louder and louder,

"Don't blame yourself, Grace can raise you alone in the metropolis, she must be a strong woman," Dean leaned against the wall under the wall clock, remembering the scene of seeing her outside the Gawain Hotel, where she refused her help, "Even if there is a difficulty, she will not tell you." ”

"Yes. She has a stubborn temper. "Since we moved to Las Vegas, she has been looking for a job, renting an apartment, no matter what the difficulties, she has fought alone, and she has never told her friends or colleagues. I was too young to help, and most of the time I didn't get a little information until she solved the problem. ”

"But now that I'm an adult, I should have gone out to do a job and help her with the burden!"

His voice grew higher and higher, and his eyes were faintly red,

"But I'm still enjoying her dedication and care with peace of mind, I'm a selfish ghost, a waste!"

Bang!

He slammed his fist on the coffee table, which shook violently, and the glass filled with water slid off the edge of the table in an instant.

Dean was short, magically scooped back the cup and handed it over, sat down beside him and put his arms around his shoulders,

"Listen, man! Don't blame yourself and complain like an adolescent girl, it won't help, focus on the immediate situation, our conclusion - Grace sold the gold jewelry and the ring because of the lack of money. ”

Rust took a deep breath and nodded.

…

"I've got an idea, the house is almost over, it's time to go back to the bureau, let's talk as we go." Dean walked towards the door,

Rust wiped the corners of his eyes,

"Wait a minute, I'll leave a letter, in case Grace comes back halfway through, I'll see it."

The two left the door and walked to the elevator, Dean said,

"Last month, I saw a man pestering Grace outside the Gawain Hotel."

Rust's expression was shocked,

"I went to help Grace out of the siege, and when asked why, she only said that the other party was a stalker suitor." Dean opened the door and entered the hallway, "Now it seems that she is making an excuse and does not want to trouble me. ”

"Who's that bastard?"

"You already know."

Rust lost his mind for a moment, and then suddenly,

"Hire those little bastards to beat me up?"

"That's right, it's the scar-faced man. He first pestered your mother outside the hotel, and then hired someone to beat you, can you think of the connection? ”

"He commanded people to beat me up because of Grace? He wants to use me to threaten Grace! Rust was not stupid either, and blurted out instantly, "No wonder Grace was angry and scared when she saw my miserable situation that day, as if she knew who was behind the scenes." ”

"That's right." Dean pressed the operation button outside the elevator,

Rust said fiercely, "But why did Scarface do this?" Because Grace refused to associate with him, she beat me to vent her anger? ”

Dean shook his head and walked into the elevator,

"Thinking about the conclusion just now, your family's financial situation has not been good recently, and Grace even sold the precious jewelry left over from her marriage."

Dean paused, and inferred from this,

"So there is a high probability that there is a money dispute between her and the scarface man, from January to February, Grace obviously resigned, but she went out early and returned late every day, which was related to this man."

"You mean Grace borrowed money from him?" Rust guessed what Dean meant,

"I think so, but I can't say for sure yet. But if you really can't find Grace, look for this scar-faced man first! ”

After speaking, Dean glanced at the system, and after this analysis, the progress increased from 15 percent to 25 percent.

Rust was excited and worried, "I'm very unsure, what if we guess wrong?" ”

"My conclusions are only based on inference and deduction, and it's normal to be wrong." Dean's expression was calm, he was just looking for a possibility, and the change in the progress of the system could remind him how likely it was.

"But we're prepared for both, even if our methods don't work, Carl, Holden, and the LVPD officers are investigating this disappearance by conventional means, and their side of the investigation will be useful."

Rust was relieved and followed Dean out of the apartment building.

The gloomy sky, billowing black clouds, pressed down like an abyss.

(End of chapter)