The next day, Jimmy checked out of his room early and drove towards the address Jerry Mikulek had given him.
The address Jerry Mikulek provided was a lake; Jimmy could only rely on the map to navigate. It wasn't far, and there was a highway nearby. He drove directly to the lakeside, where there was only a cabin and a small boat docked at the shore.
Jimmy got out of the car and looked around; he didn't notice any other people, so he walked up and knocked on the cabin door.
He had already used "Heart Eye" to scope out the structure inside the house and the person within. There was only one person-shaped figure sitting on the couch. After Jimmy knocked, he heard the knocking and rose to answer the door.
Roland opened the door and seemed surprised to see Jimmy, frowning as he asked, "Jimmy? How did you come back?"
Jimmy: "Hey, Roland."
Roland: "You're not Jimmy, who are you?"
Roland immediately pulled out a revolver and aimed it at Jimmy's head.
Jimmy raised his hands to both sides, signaling he posed no threat.
Jimmy: "Ease up, ease up, just calm down, Roland." Jimmy watched Roland, his gun steadfast, unyielding, pointed at Jimmy's head with no intention of relaxing.
Jimmy: "I am Jimmy, just take it easy, Roland, I can explain."
Roland didn't utter a word, just kept his gaze on Jimmy.
Jimmy: "Can we go inside to talk? It's not good by the door like this. If someone sees us, you'll have big trouble. Let's go in and talk it out slowly."
Jimmy: "Look, I'm unarmed, Roland, I just want to have a chat with you." Jimmy's gun was in the car. He had been careless this time, not expecting to have a gun pointed at him upon meeting his former teacher.
Jimmy: "Roland, I really am Jimmy, can we go inside and talk this out slowly? Please."
Roland took a step back, opened the door wider, but kept his revolver trained on Jimmy's head. Jimmy walked slowly through the entrance, towards the sofa, and sat on the single chair beside it, while Roland followed and sat on another sofa behind him.
Roland: "Now you can talk."
Jimmy put his hands down and faced Roland, needing to organize his thoughts. This was beyond what he had anticipated.
Roland was a black man, apparently quite old, around 60, with only a bit of hair that was nearly all white with just some black mixed in; his beard was the same. Perhaps because black individuals often appear younger, the wrinkles on his face and forehead were not very pronounced. But Roland seemed rather lean, and combined with his tall stature, there was a sense of laxness about him, even a hint of sickly frailty.
Jimmy: "Before I explain, Roland, I want to ask you something first, why did you say I'm not Jimmy?"
Roland just looked at Jimmy, his gun-hand resting on his leg, but the barrel still pointed at Jimmy. Seeing Roland disinclined to talk, Jimmy started to explain his own situation.
Jimmy: "About a year ago, I had an accident in Little Rock, Arkansas, and when I woke up, I couldn't remember anything from before. Since then, I've been living in Little Rock. Yesterday, I went to visit Jerry Mikulek, who recognized me and gave me your address, so I came to find you today."
Roland: "Who is Jerry Mikulek?" Roland finally spoke, and Jimmy breathed a sigh of relief. A dialogue meant a temporary reprieve from the crisis; he feared the ruthless types who'd act without a word.
Jimmy: "Jerry Mikulek, he set the world record for speed shooting with a revolver in 1999, firing 12 rounds in 2.99 seconds from 2 cylinders, 1 cylinder plus 2 rounds in 1.06 seconds, and two years ago, he came here to learn from you for about half a month. I was also here at the time."
Roland: "Why did you want to find him?"
Jimmy, "I forgot what happened before, but I found out I have quite a talent for revolvers. After learning about Jerry Miculek, I wanted his guidance, so I went to find him."
Roland, "Tell me about yourself."
Jimmy, "A year ago, I was a homeless man. When I woke up due to a stroke of luck, I joined the Plaskey County police department and now I am an assistant sheriff. You can verify all of this. And it was after becoming a policeman that I discovered my talent with the revolver."
Roland, "What about your bracelet?"
Jimmy, "I came to Texas this time to attend an event at DEA's Dallas branch, so I didn't bring it with me. The bracelet is made of a red string with wooden beads, 12 small ones with one big one in the middle, making a total of 13 beads, and the characters 'liansheng' are carved on them. I really am Jimmy, there's no mistake."
Roland looked at Jimmy, and after a few seconds, he holstered his revolver.
Roland, "That was your father's. It has been on your wrist since he died."
Jimmy, "I want to know about my past, so after Jerry recognized me, I came straight here to find you. That's my purpose. I want to know who I am, everything about my past."
Roland stood up, "Come with me," he beckoned to Jimmy, leading him to an adjacent bedroom. Jimmy had already scanned the log house when he was knocking on the door. There were two bedrooms, a large one and a smaller one, and they were now heading to the smaller secondary bedroom.
Roland opened the door, gesturing for Jimmy to enter.
Jimmy walked into the bedroom which had few belongings. It seemed uninhabited, and although everything was neatly arranged, it was clear nothing had been moved for quite some time.
There was a long desk by the window covered with some objects and a cloth draped over them to keep the dust off. In front of the desk was a chair, and next to it was a bunk bed. The beddings had been removed, leaving the bare boards.
On the shelf above the bed hung several children's gun belts – the waists way too small.
At the foot of the bed stood a wardrobe, its doors closed.
"This was your room. You lived here for 8 years. Before you, it was Jack's room."
Jimmy walked in and opened the wardrobe. The lower section had neatly folded clothes, none hung up, all placed at the bottom, and covered with a cloth.
In the upper section was a gun rack, but it was bare with no guns.
Jimmy, "Where are the guns from the gun rack? I must have had guns before, right?"
Roland, "You took them, 2 years ago."
Jimmy, "Are there any photos of me from before?"
Roland, "No, we never take photos."
Jimmy turned to face Roland, "Tell me about the past. Roland."
"Hmm," Roland turned and went back to the living room, sitting down on the couch, and Jimmy also sat down across from him.
Roland looked at Jimmy, "10 years ago, I was dealing with a rift in California's Death Valley. You and your father were there too. A demon attacked him, and he handed you over to me before he died. I brought you back to Texas.
According to your father, you had no other relatives left, and the only thing he left you was that string of beads."