"Pitter-patter. Pitter-patter."
Raindrops the size of beans fell on the glass window, creating intermittent, crisp sounds. As the rainwater descended from the sky, it washed away the sand and dust that had been lingering over New York for several days. Consequently, if you looked closely as the raindrops hit the window, you could distinctly see the tiny grains of sand embedded in the water droplets.
The clouds in the sky had condensed unusually thick, casting the entire city into dimness.
"Whoosh!"
A glaring white light flashed outside the window, followed closely by a deafening clap of thunder just a breath's span away. This thunderous surprise felt almost alive; after it exploded overhead, it raced swiftly toward the northwest, its booming sound gradually fading as it moved farther away.
Nicole confidently strode to the bedside, picked up a pack of cigarettes from the nightstand, and tossed it onto Tony Monet.
"Boom!"
Another thunderclap rolled in from outside, sudden and without warning. It felt remarkably close, as if it had erupted right on the rooftop.
Nicole jumped in fright, a slightly reddened face filled with alarm. Instinctively, she moved closer to Tony's side.
With a cigarette just placed between his lips, Tony, upon seeing Nicole's startled expression, shook his head, chuckled, and raised his arm to hold her outstretched hand.
"It seems to be a thunderstorm," he patted her hand on the back, soothing her anxiousness. Tony stood up, holding her hand as they walked toward the window.
In truth, any form of climatic disaster carries omens. Taking the rare thunderstorm weather, for instance, New York had already experienced it three times since the beginning of summer; this was the fourth occurrence.
The wind had picked up outside, and it was strong. Even through the window, you could hear the fierce wind's whistling sound.
Through the rain-streaked window glass, when one looked into the distance at the sky, thick dark clouds were swiftly coalescing over the waters of New York Bay. The shape of this congealing mass resembled both a mushroom and a whirlpool. Lightning bolts flashed incessantly within the cloud layers, some slender and short, others thick and long, resembling serpentine tree roots. Illuminated by the lightning, the congealed clouds exhibited a blue-purple hue, a sight that left an unsettling feeling.
Tony Monet, originally assuming that nobody would venture outside in this weather, was taken by surprise when Casey knocked on the door, asking, "Sir, Chief Klein is waiting for you in the reception room!"
"Why did Klein come?" Nicole inquired of Tony.
"How would I know? But the fact that he's coming over in this weather means it's definitely not something trivial!" Tony responded as he began dressing.
As Tony put on his clothes, Nicole assisted him and advised, "If he's asking you to sketch a portrait of the suspect, you'd better not go. It's too dangerous outside in this thunderstorm!"
With a wry smile, Tony replied, "I'd prefer not to go, but you see, the Chief of Police himself has come all the way. After all, we'll be using his facilities quite a bit in the future!"
However, what Tony didn't anticipate was that Chief Klein had not come to ask for a portrait of a suspect this time. Klein began, "Tony, I found that Wendy girl you asked me to look for!"
"Where is she now?" Tony's immediate thought was that Chief Klein's special visit in this weather could indicate Wendy's potential dire situation.
To his surprise, Chief Klein's response carried an odd tone. "She's the owner of Rui Mei Coffee."
Hearing this, Tony was momentarily stunned. Then he recalled something his former landlord, Paul, had mentioned. He turned to Chief Klein and asked, "Rui Mei Coffee? You mean that Rui Mei Coffee, the one planning to open a coffee shop in China?"
Chief Klein nodded affirmatively. "Yes, exactly, Rui Mei Coffee."
"Chief, are you sure you're not mistaken? How could Wendy possibly be the owner of Rui Mei Coffee? She's a young girl, not even twenty, and doesn't have much money. How could she afford to run a large establishment like Rui Mei Coffee and hire so many employees? Are you sure you're not confusing her with someone else? After all, Wendy is quite a common name!" Tony questioned skeptically.
Chief Klein's response was resolute. "It's definitely her. Not only does she look exactly like the portrait you provided, but she became the owner of Rui Mei Coffee shortly after you reported her missing!"
"Oh, so after not finding me, she became the owner of Rui Mei Coffee. But, isn't that too absurd?" Tony couldn't help but exclaim. He even found this situation more absurd than the idea of his own time-travel.
"I also find it absurd, which is why I came to ask you about it. Could it be that she's the illegitimate daughter of the previous owner of Rui Mei Coffee, and she coincidentally met her biological father in New York? And perhaps, to make up for the years he had missed with her, he handed over the ownership of the shop to her." Chief Klein proposed.
Before Chief Klein could finish his explanation, Tony interjected, "Chief, have you been reading too many third-rate novels? How could such a plot happen in real life?"
At this point, another question popped into Tony's mind, and he asked, "By the way, has Wendy been involved in anything else?"
Chief Klein shook his head. "No."
"In that case, why did you specifically come all this way in such weather to tell me this? Couldn't we have discussed it tomorrow?" Tony inquired, puzzled.
Chief Klein casually replied, "Oh, I had other business to attend to, and since I was passing by your place, I thought I'd come in to escape the rain and mention this matter."
Hearing this response, Tony couldn't help but feel speechless. It seemed he had overthought the situation. Nevertheless, he thought it might be a good idea to visit Rui Mei Coffee tomorrow, meet Wendy, and find out what exactly was going on. He also reminded himself to write a letter to Ruth to put her worries at ease, lest she be concerned while he was in Philadelphia.