Five bottles were still tied beneath the cart.
The sixth loop of rope hung empty.
I stared at the gap for several seconds, waiting for one of the three strangers to explain why a bottle of questionable spring water was wandering around my cul-de-sac without supervision.
Wang Lei looked down at Tang Mei. Liu Fang became deeply interested in the cart wheel, while Tang Mei remained curled beside it with one arm wrapped around her stomach.
That was very reassuring.
Not.
"Where's the sixth bottle?" I asked.
Wang Lei rubbed the back of his neck. "Pei Shuo drank a lot before he died."
"The bottle beside his body wasn't tied to the cart."
Tang Mei lifted her head. Sweat had gathered along her hairline, but confusion briefly pushed through the pain on her face. "How would you know that?"
"Because you left it beside him, and it was crushed in the middle. That rope hasn't been cut or broken." I pointed toward the empty loop. "Someone untied a bottle and took it."
