8 Confronting the Sinner

They stood outside a door that read 'Push to open'.

"Detective..." Zhaohui said hesitantly. "What are we doing outside a bar?"

And it was a bar indeed. Overhead, the large read sign with golden inscriptions read 'Golden Ale House'.

Xiajun did a once-over of the single story bar and scowled. It was in much too good of a condition to be belonging to a penniless criminal on the loose. If Miss Suyin's brother was so in debt...why hadn't he just sold the bar?

With a flick of his wrist, Xiajun pushed open the fogged glass door and stepped in. Zhaohui followed in tow.

"Detective..." Zhaohui muttered quietly upon noticing several eyes on them. The bar was packed and it seemed that not every day did two men in tailored suits made a visit. Xiajun smiled.

"Good day," Xiajun said sweetly to a beautiful woman in a tank top that was seated right by the door. "Can you perhaps guide me to the bar owner?"

The friends of the woman gushed and whispered furtively amongst themselves while the addressed woman stood up in a daze and walked through the large crowd to a room at the very back of the bar. Xiajun and Zhaohui followed her very closely.

"My name is Lin, by the way," she said shyly as she stopped at the door. "Care to join me for a drink after?"

Xiajun smiled, his eyes in upward crescents. "Forgive me, young lady. Another time, perhaps."

With that, the woman remained of no use to Xiajun so he cast her away from his mind and knocked firmly at the door. Though he had considered busting the door down as a criminal did not deserve even an ounce of his respect, he still knocked because he didn't want to cause a scene with so many people around.

After all, a detective was never to bring unnecessary attention to their own self.

Though Xiajun stood with his back to the rest of the room, he knew that every pair of eye was casted on himself. Not a good thing, of course.

Xiajun knocked again, more loudly this time, and he heard a click before the door swung open.

"Whoozit?" muttered a very drunk man. He was tall, though not taller than Xiajun and buff, but not buff enough to beat Xiajun in the ring. Zhaohui stared on warily.

"Hello, sir," Xiajun said politely as he handed the man his card. His fake card. "I am an investor, as they say and I'm very much interested in doing business with you. After all, this is a wonderful bar you have. Could you let me in so we could discuss what I have to offer?"

The drunk man's eyebrows shot up and he looked back into the room and whispered something to someone in there, though it was inaudible to Xiajun because of the loud music. Soon, a couple of girls shuffled out of the bar owner's room dressed in skimpy looking garments and the bar owner made way for his new potential business investors to enter.

"Come in, come in!" he said cheerfully as he threw cushions on a long L-shaped sofa which seemed to be the only furniture in the room aside from the glass=topped table toppling over with liquor bottles. "Take a seat, gentlemen. And who's this with you?"

The man was staring at Zhaohui who stood not far behind Xiajun.

"This is my business partner," Xiajun said through a curve of a mouth. "I'm sure it'd be okay to let him in since he's the one supplying you with all the funds."

The man's eyebrow's shot up further and he made way for Zhaohui to sit as well.

"Yes, do sit down," he said as he sat on one side of the sofa, leaving the other side of the L fr Xiajun and Zhaohui. "Something to drink?"

Xiajun shook his head. "That would be unnecessary, sir."

The man laughed as he picked up an unfinished bottle from the table and chugged it down before wiping his mouth. "Call me Shao. Everybody does. Now let us discuss your offer, shall we?"

The man was clearly drunk even though he pretended to be upright. He bobbed his head to the bass of the music that could still be heard even though the door was shut tight and leaned back against the head rest. Xiajun thought that the man seemed too at ease for a person who had just killed his sister 5 months ago. How horrible.

"Well," Xiajun started as he took a breath, "we would like to invest in your property under one condition."

The man- Shao- narrowed his eyes and he sipped off of another bottle. "And that is?"

Xiajun leaned against the table as he stared straight at Shao, madness dancing behind his eyes. Zhaohui glanced at his partner nervously, not knowing to pull him back or not.

"Tell me," Xiajun said, his voice a whisper. A rather intimidating whisper. "How dare you stab your sister and not own up to it?"

Shao stopped mid-sip and side-eyed him, the flicker of uncertanity that passed his face not going unnoticed by Xiajun.

"How dare I what?" Shao said quietly, appearing quite sober now as he lowered the bottle from his lips.

"You heard me, Zeng Shaolin."

In a split of a second, Zhaohui was at the door, twisting the lock to keep anyone from escaping. Xiajun silently commended him for his fast understanding and action. He turned back to Shao and took off his coat, revealing a black waist-coat and a white shirt, ironed and crisp. The black tie loosened with a pull of a finger. Xiajun leaned back and crossed his leg over the other; it seamed now that he was the one at ease.