Chapter 8: Entanglement

Jimmy waited a few minutes until the backup officers and an ambulance arrived. After they removed the injured officer, the backup police conducted a brief inquiry with Jimmy and finished quickly. Since he was merely helping a victim and had no involvement in the accident, there was little to investigate.

Jimmy returned to the diner. Everyone was mostly in place, and dinner service was about to begin. The dinner rush was significantly busier than lunch, with all ten tables nearly full. Jimmy joined Karen in serving, and since many of the customers were regulars, Karen knew most of them by name. They greeted the arrival of a young Chinese waiter with friendly smiles, and there were no incidents of racial prejudice.

After several busy hours, the customers had mostly cleared out, and Jimmy helped Karen and Annie clear the tables and tidy up. Suddenly, the sound of many motorcycles roared from outside; they were clearly large-displacement bikes, and the noise was deafening. Jimmy stood at the window and looked out. The riders were split into two distinct groups, apparently in the middle of a dispute. A few people were arguing in the center, but they were too far away, and the window muffled their voices.

After a while, they hopped back on their bikes and rode off. Thankfully, nothing happened. Jimmy felt speechless about the local public safety; those bikers were clearly not to be trifled with, but as long as they didn’t cause trouble in the diner, it was none of his business. At 10:00 PM, Jimmy finished his late dinner, clocked out with the others, and headed out toward his tent.

Walking the streets at night was probably not a good idea. Jimmy constantly felt as though someone might jump out at any moment. He had walked about halfway, trembling with caution, when several gunshots rang out from a nearby residential area.

Jimmy ducked behind a wooden fence along the sidewalk and peered toward the source of the gunfire. Red and blue lights were flashing in a loop—a police cruiser had its lights on but no siren. He had no idea what was happening. Whatever it was, he decided to get out of there. As he stood up to run, he heard shouts from behind: "Don't move!" "Raise your hands!" "Drop your weapon!" Jimmy stopped immediately and raised his hands.

Moving slowly, he turned around to see two officers running toward him from about fifty yards away, their pistols aimed directly at him. Jimmy kept his hands up, afraid to move, and waited where he stood.

"Don't move." One of the officers pulled out handcuffs, forced Jimmy’s hands behind his back, and took his backpack. The other officer holstered his weapon and gave Jimmy a quick pat-down.

Just then, a call came over the radio: "Noah, the suspect is heading toward your position, southeast, in the backyard of the house. Be advised, the suspect is armed with a handgun."

Officer Noah, who was in the middle of the search, immediately drew his sidearm and aimed it toward the backyard, while the other officer pulled Jimmy against the wooden fence.

"Mason, cover me." Noah moved along the wall to search the backyard, while Mason stayed behind the fence, watching Noah’s flank with his gun pointed toward the rear of the house.

More gunshots rang out in the distance. "Stay here, don't move, wait for us to return." Mason took off after Noah. Jimmy was left speechless—he was handcuffed and unguarded; wasn't this his chance to run? But he didn't dare. He didn't want to take any chances, so he sat obediently behind the fence, sighing to himself.

When a man is down on his luck, even drinking water can get stuck in his teeth. Suddenly, he heard running footsteps behind him. Before he could turn around, there was a loud *thud*. The wooden fence was struck from behind and collapsed, pinning Jimmy underneath. Thankfully, he had been mid-turn, so he was pinned on his side; had he been hit directly in the back, he might not have survived.

The fence pressed down on his arms, and with his hands cuffed behind him, the pressure caused him to pass out from the pain. The person who had collided with the fence scrambled up and sprinted across the street. Several pursuing officers chased after the suspect, but in their haste, none of them noticed the person trapped under the debris.

When Jimmy woke up, he found himself in a hospital.

He surveyed his surroundings, confirmed he was in a hospital, and felt safe for the moment. He focused on his own body, gently moving his joints—arms, hands, legs, and feet. Everything seemed fine; there was no intense pain, and he could move, so nothing appeared to be seriously broken. His torso didn't feel injured, either.

It wasn't a surprise that he was cuffed, given his encounter with the police earlier, but why was he on an IV? He hadn't noticed any injuries during his quick check. Confused, Jimmy called out, "Hello? Is anyone there?"

A nurse pulled back the curtain and checked his IV bag. "Wait a moment, I'll go get the doctor."

Shortly after, a doctor walked in. "How are you feeling? Is there any pain?"

"I'm fine, no problems. What happened? Why am I in the hospital?"

"I have already notified the police. They will speak with you in detail tomorrow morning. Just wait here." With that, the doctor left. The nurse returned, removed the IV line, tidied up, and followed suit.

Jimmy was left to wait in silence.

The next day, two officers arrived at the hospital. After a brief chat with the doctor, they took Jimmy and his personal effects back to the station. Jimmy was led into an interrogation room, where the officers removed his handcuffs and gave him a bottle of water.

"Let’s begin. Jimmy Yang, from San Francisco. Where were you and what were you doing between 9:30 PM and 10:30 PM last night?"

The two officers sat across from him. The first officer opened a notebook and began the questioning.

"The Wolf House Diner. I am a waiter there. We closed at 9:00 PM and left the restaurant at 10:00 PM."

"And after you left the restaurant?"

"I was walking home along Fairpark Avenue when I was stopped by you. Later, the two officers went to chase the suspect, and I was knocked unconscious by a collapsing wooden fence on the side of the road. The next thing I knew, I was in the hospital."

"Who can vouch for you?"

"Anyone from the restaurant. We finished dinner and left together. You can contact my boss, Jon Woolf, the owner of the Wolf House."

"Go check that out," the first officer signaled to his partner, who nodded and left to verify the story.

The first officer continued the questioning. "Where do you live?"

"Maryland Street."

"Alright. Wait for my colleague to finish verifying. If everything checks out, you can go."

"Officer, may I ask what happened yesterday?"

"It was a home invasion robbery. I cannot share further information. Just wait here."

The first officer closed his notebook and walked out.