Two In One

As Wang Zi, sitting close to GuiGui on her couch, listened to her story, it was all he could do to keep from laughing.

He wanted to stand on the couch, raise his arms high in the air, and whoop for joy.

The stupid girl had turned the wrong guy over to the FBI. And now here she was, babbling on a mile a minute, telling him how frightened she was, how scary that poor clown had looked coming after her, how glad she was to see Wang Zi.

What a laugh, he thought.

She doesn't know what fear is--- yet.

The house was empty except for them. Her mother was working all night, GuiGui had told him. Her father was still in the hospital.

It was perfect.

He couldn't ask for better, he decided.

It was too bad, really. He had actually liked this one. A little bit.

But there was no point in liking girls.

They only left you sooner or later. Like his mother.

They leave you and forget about you.

But I'll never forget, Wang Zi told himself.

I'll remember and remember and remember--- until I find you, Mom.

And I'll find you. One of these days, I'll find you.

GuiGui was babbling on about her exciting night. She squeezed his hand.

With his free hand he reached into his back pocket. The cord. Yes, it was there.

Ready and waiting.

He had a sudden sobering thought. He narrowed his eyes, thinking hard, trying to shut out her voice so he could think.

The FBI. It wouldn't take them long to figure out that the loser that GuiGui had handed over to them was the wrong guy.

And then they'd be out on the prowl again.

They might even be after him. Following him. Following him no matter where he went.

He had always managed to keep a step ahead of them. This time they were close. So close. One of them had been right in this house.

Here he was wasting time, listening to this chattering girl.

"You look so concerned," GuiGui was saying. She squeezed his hand. "Come on, Wang Zi. Lighten up. I'm okay now, really."

That's another laugh, he thought, staring at her without seeing her. She thinks she's okay now.

Time to get this over with. Then get out of here.

She kissed him on the cheek. "It's so sweet of you to be so worried about me," she said.

"It's just that--- you came so close," he managed to say with a straight face.

Enough fooling around, he told himself. It's time.

He suddenly felt cold all over.

The way he liked to feel.

"I have a confession to make, Wang Zi," she was saying. He realized she was staring at him expectantly, waiting for him to ask what her confession was.

"What?" he asked.

"I know I shouldn't have done this," GuiGui said shyly. "I mean, I know we talked about keeping our first date a secret and everything. But..." she took a deep breath. "I told my friend Hebe all about you."

He forced himself not to react.

He didn't twitch, didn't frown, didn't move a muscle.

He had to think, had to think, had to think.

What now?

His first impulse was to slap her across the face with all his might, to send her teeth flying across the room.

How could she have done this to him?

It was all so perfect. So perfect.

He had been in such a good mood. The FBI had the wrong guy, and he was about to show GuiGui her mistake.

She was staring at him, waiting for him to say something. He didn't move a muscle, held himself tightly in check.

I have to think first, he told himself. I have to decide what to do about this.

Then it came to him in a flash.

It was so simple. So clear.

There was no need to panic.

He'd just kill them both.