Touch the Abyss: My Landlord Can See the Dead

“You’re a detective.” He stood behind the iron gate, wearing a white cardigan sweater, as if he were glowing from within. “You smell like a corpse.” I’d just returned from the scene where three bodies had been discovered. The smell from that place had seeped into my coat. I stood at the door holding an umbrella. After a two-second silence, I said, “I’m here to look at the apartment.” He stepped aside and let me in. As I crossed the threshold, he said from behind me, “Five years, six months, and three days.” That was exactly how long it had been since the three victims died. His name was Jiang Yi. He was my landlord. When I met him, he was only eighteen. When we first met, I never imagined he would become entangled with my years as a detective. Even less did I imagine that he could see the dead.