“Persuaded my father to cooperate with the American gangs, my father did not agree;”
“Two months ago, someone set fire to my house, out of the whole family of five people, only I managed to escape ……”
“Since then, the group’s second-in-command has taken over my father’s position,”
“And Grover has become the big man under his hand ……”
Charlie asked her, “Is there evidence that the fire was set by them?”
“No.” Claudia said firmly with red eyes, “Although there is no direct evidence, but it must be them.”
Charlie asked again, “What did the police say?”
Claudia pursed her lips and whispered, “Vancouver police said the fire was due to an accident,”
“Saying that rats chewed through the cables in the basement, causing a short circuit, and the fire ignited flammable items stored in the basement,”
“And the flammable items they said were fifty gallons of gasoline,”
“And our family had never stored gasoline in the basement before ……”
Said here, she choked: “And, Grover came, a week in advance, to my home for dinner,”
“That day he brought two bottles of red wine and gave my brothers drinks,”
“I have not been too fond of him, the evening I did not eat at home, after that meal, that night the fire occurred ……”
Claudia wiped her tears and continued, “When the fire started, the first time I went to my parents’ room, at that time,”
“I found that my parents were not breathing, followed by my two brothers’ room,”
“They were also the same no breathing and heartbeat ……”
Xiaofen listened dumbfounded, said off the cuff: “That …… that so …… your parents and your two brothers,”
“Not died in the fire ah! This is clearly murder, did the police not investigate?”
Claudia shook her head and said, “The police announced the results of death as by accident,”
“I was looking for a place to hide after escaping from the scene of the fire,”
“I hid those days, it was Grover as a family member signed the cremation consent form,”
“Then my parents and two brothers were cremated, the matter is dead with them.”
Xiaofen subconsciously said: “You should go to the police to sue them for murder, tell the police, let the police arrest them all ah!”
Charlie said lightly at this time: “Little Fen, the reason Claudia is still alive is.”
“Because she didn’t tell the police about these circumstances.”
“Yes ……” Claudia nodded gently and whispered, “They thought I escaped from the fire by a fluke,”
“But didn’t know that I had actually found out that my parents and brother were dead when the fire started ……”
“If they knew this, they would not have let me live.”
Xiaofen couldn’t help but ask, “Then why did you come back if you all escaped?”
FAQ Novel
Q: Who is Grover, and what is his true nature as perceived by Xiaofen?
A: Grover is known as Chinatown’s ‘smiling tiger,’ outwardly appearing polite and friendly, but Xiaofen reveals that he is far more sinister beneath the surface, stating that ‘the bones are worse than anyone.’
Q: What tragic event befell Claudia’s family, and what suspicious circumstances surround it?
A: Claudia’s entire family of five perished in a house fire, which she believes was orchestrated by Grover and the group’s second-in-command. Police attributed the fire to an accidental short circuit and stored gasoline, but Claudia asserts her family never stored gasoline and had no direct evidence, despite strong suspicions.
What revelations do you anticipate will surface as Charlie navigates this dangerous landscape?