《Labyrinth of Lost Hours》


 Death penalty review

    On Friday evening, Wade met with the client''s family and returned to the law firm to get the materials that he had asked the intern to sort out in the afternoon. Unexpectedly, he saw Prosecutor Lee as soon as he entered the door.


    Wade was not familiar with Prosecutor Lee. Although he had some achievements in the past two years, as a criminal lawyer, he was still young and did not want to deliberately appear familiar with him. He just said hello and was about to go back to his office.


    Unexpectedly, Prosecutor Lee stood up and called him: "Mr Wade, I''m waiting for you here."


    "Wait for me?" Wade was stunned and opened the door of his office, "Then come in and tell me."


    "I came here to deliver something, and I just wanted to tell you something. I saw that you were not here, and I wanted to leave, but they said you would be back later, so I waited for a while." Prosecutor Lee sat down and said to Wade, "There is a death penalty review case, and the prisoner wants you to represent it."


    "Death penalty review?" Wade was surprised, "I have never done it."


    The so-called death penalty review is the last trial procedure after the second instance has sentenced the death penalty, which is also the prisoner''s last hope. However, the retrial rate of death penalty review is extremely low. Although the lawyer may become famous if successful, it will also cause a lot of controversy.


    "First time is unfamiliar, second time is familiar, and this matter is not complicated." He took out a file from his briefcase and handed it over, "Take a look first. If you really don''t want to take it, it''s okay."


    Wade took the file, but didn''t read it immediately. Instead, he asked, "Why did she find me?"


    "How would I know? We were curious. She didn''t find a lawyer for the second trial. We originally wanted to arrange one for her, but she specifically asked for you, and the name was clearly stated."


    Wade took a general look at the case. Death penalty cases are definitely murder cases, and most of them are more than one. This case is no exception. The prisoner is an elderly woman, but she is suspected of killing two strong men and trying to kill a third person, but failed. Although it sounds a bit far-fetched, the lawyers and prosecutors have seen too many incredible cases, so they don''t think it''s a big deal. Besides, the prisoner pleaded guilty at the beginning. In Wade''s opinion, there is no turning point in this case. The death penalty review is just a process, and it''s meaningless to accept it.


    However, Wade was embarrassed to refuse directly. Besides, he was curious about why the prisoner came to him. Could it be someone he had contacted before, or someone he had contacted before introduced him? He didn''t want to damage his connections.


    "Well, I''ll go meet her first and see what she means." Wade said.


    "Okay, let''s make an appointment later. I''m leaving now."


    After the deal was settled, Prosecutor Lee left in a hurry. Wade stood up to see her off, but before he could take a step, she had already walked away. He sat down slowly, then realized that he hadn''t even poured a glass of water.


    He really wasn''t very good at socializing.


    After returning to his residence in the evening, he quickly had a little dinner, and Wade took out the file and looked at it carefully. If it was strange, there were some strange things, such as the first trial went smoothly and the prisoner pleaded guilty, so no one expected her to appeal. The reason for her appeal was that the people she killed deserved it, and those three people killed her daughter. But she didn''t have any evidence, and her daughter had been dead for more than ten years, and the police clearly determined it to be suicide.


    Suicide... A hidden string in Wade''s heart was plucked, and at this moment, the sound of an electric drill came from downstairs, interrupting his thoughts. Wade immediately went downstairs and knocked on the door. The owner opened the door and saw it was him. He looked helpless. Without waiting for him to remind him of the renovation time, he waved his hands: "I know, I know, it will be finished soon, just one o''clock, and the weekends after tomorrow will definitely not start work." "It''s normal not to start work on weekends, not a condition for overtime at night." Wade looked at the time, 8:50 in the evening, "9 o''clock at the latest, one minute later I will call the police."


    When he turned around, he saw the owner''s mouth moving in his peripheral vision, which must be swearing. He pretended to raise his mobile phone and turned back to take a picture, and the door closed immediately.


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    The house downstairs has been renovating for half a month. At first, the work started at any time, morning or night. Wade reminded his family of the legal construction time. At first, the owner and the workers were angry and blamed him for being nosy. Later, they knew that he was a lawyer and might really sue them, so they backed off. Wade didn''t want to be serious about this, but he was used to working at night and couldn''t stand the noise.


    He rented this house, the conditions were good, the house was not old, and it was close to the law firm and the court. He was quite satisfied with it. After moving in, he realized a problem, that is, there were many empty rooms and many new people moved in, and there was renovation noise every now and then.


    In the past few years, he had no choice but to take exams, do internships, and change two law firms. He finally got to where he is now. Now that his job is stable and rising, Wade plans to buy a house at the end of the year. Now house prices are rising every day, and it is said that they will rise even more in the future. The sooner you buy, the more secure you will be.


    When Wade thinks about buying a house, he can''t help but think of his father who is alone in his hometown. He picked up the death penalty review materials again, and thought of the "suicide" information point. Suddenly, a trace of annoyance rose in his heart, and he put it down again.


    After nine o''clock, the sound of electric drills and smashing things did stop, and Wade began to do homework on another case at hand.


    A week later, Wade went to the prison to see the prisoner, a woman in her early fifties named Lewis. Wade was sitting on a stool and heard the clanking of restraints approaching. He looked up and Lewis appeared in front of him.


    She was a thin woman who looked older than her actual age, with graying hair that was messy and frizzy. There was a railing between her and Wade. The prison guard fixed her restraints and chair and retreated to a farther position.


    She suddenly smiled at Wade.


    Wade was startled and a little puzzled. This smile was completely for someone familiar.


    But he was sure that he had never seen Lewis.


    Wade had seen serious criminals before. When they were locked up here, there were only two kinds of eyes. One was numbness because the situation was hopeless, and the other was deliberate frivolity. But to be frank, they were all empty, and behind the emptiness there was also fear that they were unwilling to admit. However, Lewis was different. The light radiating from her eyes was powerful, and she still had hope.


    This actually made Wade a little creepy. He felt an unextinguished madness from Lewis, and even when their eyes met, he felt like prey.


    "Long time no see." Lewis smiled and said.


    Wade frowned and said, "Do we know each other?"


    "Not yet. But we will know each other soon."


    At this time, Wade was a little disappointed. After all, it was still this kind of prisoner who loved to be mysterious. He thought that Lewis did this for only one purpose, to change the sentence through mental problems. But it was not so easy. Lewis was mentally evaluated during the first trial, and he was normal at that time.


    "To be honest, it is not easy to change your case to life imprisonment." Wade ignored Lewis''s words and went straight to the point. "The only way now is to let the families of the two victims write a letter of understanding, but I read the previous testimony and it doesn''t seem easy."


    "I don''t need it." Lewis said lightly.


    "What?"


    "I have to die, so don''t bother me." Lewis leaned forward slightly, his eyes shining, "I just want to see you and tell you something."


    Wade touched the back of his neck, as if there was a sign of hair standing up: "What is it?"


    "After I die, go back to my hometown and find a gift shop called ''Chuli'', near No. 2 Middle School. Tell the owner your name and he will give you the things."


    "What£¨things)..." Wade suddenly realized, "How do you know where my hometown is?"


    "I also know a lot about you. Where do you live, where do you go to school. I also know the year your sister died."


    At that moment, Wade''s temples jumped twice and he almost stood up. But the calmness he had practiced for professional ethics suppressed his body, and he just grabbed the edge of the chair.


    His sister committed suicide the year he took the college entrance examination. Not many people know about this. It can be said that he never knew about it after leaving his hometown.


    Now Wade believed that Lewis really knew him, but he really had no impression.


    Could it be that Lewis was related to his sister''s death? This thought rolled through his mind, but it did not stop. In any case, Lewis had been sentenced to death.


    "Your sister did not commit suicide, but was murdered." As if seeing through what Wade was thinking, Lewis sneered, "The murderer is still alive, I must find him."


    "I don''t understand what you are saying."


    "Neither of the two dead people was the murderer, and the one who survived was not. The murderer is still alive. That murderer killed my daughter and your sister."


    This time Wade had to stand up. He clutched his briefcase tightly and said coldly: "It''s meaningless to make these groundless speculations now. I will try to apply for another mental evaluation for you."


    After that, he told the prison guard that the meeting was over and turned to leave. Lewis bent his knees and stood up a little, shouting to him: "Remember what I said. After I die, I will go to get the things I left for you. Then you will understand everything."


    Wade paused for a moment and turned his head. Lewis was dragged back by the prison guard, still shouting at him: "We will know each other soon, and you have to help me when the time comes!"


    Is he really crazy... Wade shook his head, walked out of the prison, and drove back to the law firm.


    It was midsummer, but he felt cold, and it stuck to his skin for a long time. It was like a rain in a parallel universe, which did not fall on him, but threw a layer of cold wind over him.


    But there is no parallel universe, Wade is a pure atheist.

 Chapter 3 Reserved Gift

    The gift shop was small, and the items were crowded and arranged in a disorderly manner. The star stickers and posters that students liked were hung on one wall, and the other side was hung with animations. Many of the ornaments were covered with a layer of dust, and it seemed that they could not be sold at all.


    Why is this store still open? Wade wondered, and found that the older female store owner was staring at him at the counter. Obviously, he didn''t look like someone who would go to such a store, and the store had just opened, and the lights in the room were not even on.


    Wade walked over and wanted to speak, but he was reluctant. He didn''t believe in this kind of thing in his heart, and felt like an idiot.


    "What''s the matter?" the store owner asked him.


    Wade took out a business card from his pocket and handed it over, asking awkwardly: "Have you heard of this name..."


    The shop owner looked at it in confusion, his eyes suddenly brightened, and he stood up quickly, saying "You are finally here", and took something from the shelf and placed it in front of him.


    It was a music box, a very old style. When you open the lid, there will be a little man dancing. It can be used as a dressing box, and there are two small drawers underneath. Wade then noticed that only this music box had a transparent cover on the outside to prevent dust, and the others did not.


    "Is this for me?" Wade was not sure.


    "Lewis left it for you," the shop owner took out a leather-covered notebook from under his counter and placed it next to the music box, "and this."


    Wade was full of doubts. He flipped open the book and glanced at it. It was full of words. He didn''t read it carefully for the time being. He couldn''t help asking: "When did she leave it?"


    "It''s been almost a year. If it weren''t for waiting for you, I would have closed this crappy shop a long time ago."


    That means Lewis had left the things here before he was caught. Did she make up her mind to kill people at that time? But why did she leave something for him? Wade really didn''t remember meeting Lewis.


    How could a person who didn''t know him at all leave something for him in advance and know that he would definitely see him before he died.


    "Did she leave anything else besides these?" Wade asked.


    "She said she would wait for someone with your name to come and then give you the things. As for the rest, you can understand it by looking at what is written in the book."


    "You kept it for her?"


    The shop owner''s face showed "what else?"


    "Do you know that she..." What Wade didn''t say was, do you know that she was helping a criminal, and that this person was already dead.


    "I know, I know..." The shop owner sighed, "This small place has such a person, and it has been spread all over the place."


    That''s what he said, but Wade only saw regret on the face of the shop owner. It was obvious that no matter what the result was, at least the woman in the gift shop didn''t think Lewis was a bad person.


    "I know what you''re thinking," the shop owner lit a cigarette, "I tell you, I''ve been in this place all my life, and I''ve run this shop for 20 years. I''ve seen too many people, and many people''s badness can be seen from childhood. Lewis and her mother and daughter are not bad people. I believe in my own eyes."


    Wade actually sneered at this statement. If everyone relies on their feelings, what is the use of the law.


    "But she has already pleaded guilty."


    "So what, a mother, in order to avenge her daughter, it''s worth it to be shot."


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    It was at this moment that Wade truly realized that it was not Lewis''s excuse, but that she had always believed that her daughter did not commit suicide, and even outsiders knew it.


    But, what was the reason?


    "Didn''t her daughter commit suicide?" After thinking about it, Wade asked.


    "How could a child who was still saving money to buy a birthday present for her mother commit suicide before her mother''s birthday? I can''t figure it out."


    Hearing the store owner say this, Wade''s occupational disease came back, and he couldn''t help but ask what was going on. And he always had to figure out why Lewis left something for him, otherwise he would feel uneasy holding it in his hands.


    "It was 19... 1998 or 1999..." The shop owner took a puff of cigarette and squinted his eyes in the smoke.


    That was before 2000. One day, a middle school girl walked into her shop and walked around for several times. Finally, she stopped in front of this music box and asked her the price. This music box is made of copper, which is considered expensive in this store. Even if the shop owner decided to make less profit, the price quoted was far beyond the girl''s budget.


    In those days, children from ordinary families didn''t have much pocket money. If they brought their meals to school, they would have even less money. The shop owner asked her if she had any New Year''s money. The girl said that there were only her and her mother at home, so how could she have any New Year''s money.


    Even so, the girl still wanted to buy this music box as a birthday gift for her mother. The shop owner saw her sincerity and decided to give it to her at the purchase price. So the girl gave the shop owner a little deposit and left her name, asking the shop owner to give her some time. She would work hard to save money and would definitely come to buy it before her mother''s birthday.


    The girl''s name was Ella, and the shop owner remembered it very clearly.


    Later, the shop owner put the music box away, but Ella never came, and the shop owner gradually forgot about it. Almost a year passed, and the shop owner noticed the music box again when he was counting the goods, and then he remembered it again. She wanted to put it out and continue selling, but she couldn''t help but wonder if Ella didn''t save enough money and was embarrassed to come.


    The shop owner thought it was okay to break the contract, and wanted to return the deposit to Ella. The shop patrons were students from two nearby schools. She deliberately asked students from the same school, but she heard others say that Ella had committed suicide, and it had been a long time.


    At that time, the shop owner thought how could it be possible, Ella was obviously a girl who still had hope for tomorrow.


    The shop owner felt sorry and wished he had given the music box to Ella. She was also a mother, and she couldn''t help thinking about what Ella had said about her mother being the only one at home. How would the single mother who lost her daughter survive? So the shop owner decided to hand the music box to Ella''s mother anyway, at least to let the mother know that her daughter had wanted to buy her a birthday present.


    For this reason, the shop owner went to the school to inquire and got Ella''s landline number. Lewis answered the phone.


    Lewis came to the store, listened to her story, sat there for a while holding the music box, and suddenly started to slap himself. The shop owner tried his best to stop him, and Lewis finally burst into tears.


    Lewis bought the music box that day. Although the store owner kept saying that it was a gift to her, she insisted on putting down the money. Lewis''s back looked lost that day. She was as thin as a piece of paper and her face was pale. The store owner shouted "Think more positively" several times at her back, but Lewis did not turn back.


    At that time, the store owner really felt that Lewis could not live. She was afraid that she had done something bad with good intentions and stimulated Lewis instead.


    Fortunately, after a while, she met Lewis by chance, and she finally let go of her heart. I don''t know what she went through, but Lewis''s condition seemed to be better. Later, Lewis would occasionally go to her store to sit for a while, but he didn''t tell her anything. The only thing she knew was that Lewis firmly believed that his daughter did not commit suicide and was always looking for the truth.


    Later, Lewis didn''t come for three or four years. When he appeared again, he took the music box and notebook and said that he wanted to deposit them in her store. Only a lawyer named "Wade" could take them away.


    At that time, Lewis even wrote out the name specifically for fear of making a mistake.


    That was the last time the store owner saw Lewis. After that, he heard that she was arrested and the police seemed to have visited her former residence. Amid the rumors, the store owner still kept the two things and waited for Wade to appear.


    This may be the fate between her and the mother and daughter. Even if the people are gone, she wants to give this fate a good end.


    "Now that the things are in your hands, I feel at ease." The store owner breathed a long sigh of relief, "I can also close the store and retire."


    After leaving the gift shop, it was time for the children to go to school. The narrow streets were crowded with students in school uniforms and parents sending their children. Although there were more cars, the situation was no different from before.


    Wade stood there with two things that seemed to have nothing to do with him. In a trance, he felt that time was going back, back to the years when he and his sister went to school together.


    However, his sister has been gone for more than ten years.


    It was only a little more than a year later than Ella.

 Chapter 4 Time loop

    When he got home, his father hadn''t gotten up yet. Wade went straight back to his room and locked the door.


    The music box and notebook were in front of him, and he didn''t know what to do. When he opened the lid, the music box played a classic waltz. It was a mechanical structure and didn''t need batteries. All the drawers were empty and ordinary.


    The key was that notebook. There must be something recorded in it. Wade guessed whether it was Lewis''s mental journey or a criminal record. So he didn''t want to read it, fearing trouble.


    But if a dead person left something for him, he would feel uncomfortable if he didn''t take a look at it.


    Just take a look. If there is anything related to the case, just hand it in.


    After making up his mind, Wade finally opened the notebook. The first impression was that the writer was not well educated and the handwriting was very distorted, so it looked messy at a glance. If you look closely, there are many typos. Some of them are not written well and are even directly scribbled. It feels like they are just writing for the sake of writing.


    However, when Wade carefully read the content, these are nothing.


    The first page of the notebook with content is the words written to Wade - yes, it is written to him by name.


    "Wade, hello. You have seen this, which means it has started again. I know you don''t understand it now, and I was also shocked at the time. You just need to look back and you will understand.


    I don''t know how many times this has happened to me. Thanks to the last time I thought of writing it down and you reminded me, I wrote it down again. I am not well educated, and I may forget the words when I pick up the pen, so my writing may be messy. But it is always good to write it down, so that you can trust me more.


    This music box was what my daughter wanted to give me back then. When I first found out, I was so desperate that I wanted to die. I really think it was because of me that my daughter committed suicide. I am not a good mother - if she really gave this to me, I would only blame her for spending money recklessly.


    It was your appearance that saved my life. That night I was standing by the river, trying to go in, the music box started playing, and I saw the note you wrote in the box below. It said: Hello, my name is Wade.


    To me, it was like God was helping me, telling me that I couldn''t die yet. You told me that you said I would kill someone in 2015. Later I realized that it wasn''t the first time we met like this. I tried for a long time, but the results were the same, but I didn''t lose heart, because I knew that I was looking for the murderer of my daughter.


    My daughter didn''t commit suicide, nor did your sister, and there were many others who didn''t commit suicide. You have to believe me.


    If I meet you in the end, I will still give you these two things, which means that the real murderer is still alive. Why should he live? I am unwilling to accept it. So I want to start over again, even if I am shot a few more times, as long as I can start over, it doesn¡¯t matter.


    I know you must think I am crazy now, it¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t help me later. You can read the rest slowly, now I only ask you to do one thing, that is, write a note and put it in the grid under the music box. You can write anything, or not write anything, just put it in.


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    You will know that what I said is true. You will save my life more than ten years ago.


    Thank you. It is you who gave me hope. "


    It is no exaggeration to say that Wade was so surprised that he slammed his face on the notebook. He stood up unconsciously, biting his nails and pacing in circles. This can explain the strange words Lewis said to him during the death penalty review, because Lewis knew that the time and space door between them would only open after the death penalty, which had nothing to do with him before, so he knew nothing. But Wade is a staunch atheist, and his rationality does not allow him to easily believe such things.


    He glanced at the music box from time to time, and felt that there were two of him pulling.


    If - Wade couldn''t help thinking - if this was really not the first time he and Lewis had a cross-time and space connection, then how did he do it before.


    Thinking like this, Wade finally sat back in his chair, tore off a note, thought for a long time before writing "Hello, my name is Wade", folded it into a very small square and put it in the small drawer under the music box.


    It was only after putting it in that Wade suddenly realized that what he wrote was exactly the same as what was recorded in Lewis''s notebook. He didn''t know if he was affected, but he suddenly got goose bumps.


    However, in the next few minutes, Wade kept opening the drawer, and the note was still there, nothing happened. He began to despise himself for believing such nonsense.


    Just then, the sound of his father coughing came from outside the door. It was very long and didn''t stop for a long time. It felt like his lungs were about to cough out. Wade opened the door and saw his father frantically looking for water to drink. He turned his head and saw him, and immediately pretended to be fine.


    "If you feel uncomfortable, go to the hospital." Wade said coldly.


    "Why? It''s not a serious problem. If you go to the hospital, you will be diagnosed with a disease even if you are not sick."


    It was the same argument again, and Wade was too lazy to refute it. He couldn''t help thinking that if his mother had paid more attention and went to the hospital earlier when she gave birth to his sister, maybe his mother would not have died.


    Thinking of this, Wade didn''t want to persuade anymore. He turned back to the house, took out an envelope with a few hundred dollars in it, and put it in front of his father.


    "I''ll be back in the afternoon. This is for you. It''s for your meals. Don''t use it to play cards. I won''t give you any more if you lose it all."


    Dad hurriedly took the money to the inner room and hid it. His voice was full of joy: "Leaving so soon?"


    "I have work to do."


    Anyway, no one really wanted to keep him.


    Wade went back and didn''t care about the music box anymore, but he still put it and the notebook into his bag when he packed his luggage. He seemed to want to forget about it and didn''t want to pay too much attention to it.


    However, Wade still couldn''t fall asleep in the long-distance sleeper in the middle of the night. He turned over and wanted to look at the notebook again. Unexpectedly, the music box suddenly played crisply, which was particularly harsh in the long-distance car at night. Wade was startled and tried to turn it off in a hurry, but the drawer under the music box was thrown open.


    At this moment, the music box stopped by itself, but Wade''s heartbeat did not calm down so quickly. He saw that his note was still in it, and thought that he should have taken it out and ended this farce.


    However, when his nails touched the note, he suddenly straightened his back and hit his head on the roof.


    He had the habit of folding things by himself, and he knew how many folds he had made, but now the note was different from when he put it in.


    Wade opened the notepad in disbelief and found an extra line of words under his words, in the same font as Lewis''s note: "My name is Lewis. Who are you? How did you do it?"


    The bus passed somewhere outside, and suddenly several very bright lights came through the gaps in the curtains, sweeping white cutting lines in the car. Wade held the note in his hand, feeling time passing through his body and pulling him into the time and space tunnel.


    The look and words of Lewis when they last met, the dim light in the gift shop, the words on the notebook... these fragments intertwined and kept flashing in Wade''s mind.


    It''s all true. Even if Wade doesn''t want to believe it, it''s true.


    Lewis is dead, but the Lewis writing on the paper is still alive.


    What year is it on the other side now? Thinking of this, Wade immediately added a sentence below: "It''s 2015 here, what time is it on your side?"


    The moment Wade closed the music box drawer, he actually felt a glimmer of hope in his heart. If Lewis was in the distant past, would he have a chance to save his sister who committed suicide?