Chapter 19 Chapter Nineteen

Bob Pike looked very ill, and looked a little too nervous.His face was blue and lifeless, his skin was loose, as if he had lost a lot of weight suddenly.Trish couldn't help but wonder if Charlie Diem's ​​defense lawyer was sick. "Thank you for taking the time to see me." She sat down in Parker's office. "It's all right. What can I do for you?" "I am a colleague of Matthew Raynor, who is now representing Abigail Griffin, who was charged in the Oregon Supreme Court with the murder of Judge Griffin." "Yes, I read about it in the papers. Boy, it's dreadful. You know, I just won a case in the Supreme Court a few months ago, and he wrote the verdict."

"That's why I want to see you. Mr. Reynolds wants to lend you a copy of Diem's ​​case." Pike looked disturbed, sitting on pins and needles in his chair. "If you don't mind me asking, why do you want to borrow this copy?" "Because Charlie Deam was a key witness against Abigail Griffin." Pike's jaw dropped, and he stared at Trish dumbfounded, as if he was still waiting for a more shocking sentence to appear.After a moment of silence, Pike came back to his senses and said, "You are joking, aren't you?" "Mr. Deem claims Mrs. Griffin hired him to kill her husband."

Pike thought anxiously that Dim might want to kill Abijill Griffin.Originally thought he would attack her violently, he didn't expect to use murder as a design to frame Griffin.This trick is really too poor and vicious. "The District Attorney bought Dim's account?" Pike still had an incredulous expression on his face. "It seems so." "If it were me, I would definitely keep an eye on Charlie for a while before convicting Abby Griffin." "Have you any reason to doubt Tim?" "Are you kidding me? Blowing up people with dynamite is Dim's usual tactic, and he has enough reasons to frame Griffin. Just because she once put Charlie on death row is enough."

"Mr. Renault thinks so too, so we have to track down all kinds of information about Dim. Maybe we can find something useful from the copy, especially the testimony when he was sentenced to death." "If I were you, I would be very careful when tracking Charlie." "why?" Pike recalled Charlie playing the "price is reasonable" argument on him, and his stomach churned violently again.He's been off cocaine, to be honest, since that visit from Tim.However, at this moment, he hoped that he could still take a few mouthfuls of white powder. Pike was silent for a while.Trish wondered if he had heard her question just now.Finally, he spoke again, "If I tell you a secret, can you swear not to reveal the source?"

"That depends. Our most important thing is to be loyal to the person involved." "That's right. Well, I have to think about myself too. I don't want to mess with Charlie for saying this. I had a hard time getting rid of him." Pike looked a little restless.Trish noticed little sweat bubbles popping up near his upper lip.I really don't understand why he is so nervous. "It's not a big deal anyway," Pike went on. "It's not like a confession or something, just something you should know about Tim. I don't want to see anybody get hurt again."

"Okay! Just say what you want." Tracy found out curiously that Dim must have done something to intimidate Pike to make him look like this. "Charlie Deam's crazy! I mean, he's really crazy. He really thinks he can do all the bad things and get no retribution. And yet, the funnier thing is, he's right. Look at this case I did for him. First he tortured that guy called Huey, then he killed the Harlins and his daughters. A jury sentenced him to death, but he still got away with it." "The vast majority of criminals don't think they're going to be arrested."

"You didn't listen to me alone. Why should I say that?" Tracy waited patiently for Pike to find the right words to explain why Tim was threatening him. "Charlie believed not only that he could break the law with impunity, but that he could do anything outrageous and unscrupulous." "I don't mean just what you mean." "He never felt that he would be executed, because he believed that he had an indestructible body, enough to be immortal." Trish was stunned for a while with her mouth open, and then burst out laughing. "It's not funny at all."

"I'm sorry, but I'm really not sure I'm the only one hearing what you're saying. Do you mean Tim thinks it's no use doing anything I do unless I shoot him dead?" "Yes, that's exactly what I wanted to say." "Oh please!" "When I was working on Charlie's case, I visited him in prison. On a few occasions, when we discussed what to do if we lost the appeal in the Oregon Supreme Court, I found him absent-minded. So I tried to scare him with the death penalty, to get him to focus and talk to me. But Charlie didn't take it seriously; he just smiled and told me that he wasn't afraid of dying at all because he was surrounded by An angel is always watching over him."

"Angel?" Tracy repeated, fearing that she had misheard Pike's words. "That's right, it's an angel. At first I thought he was joking. I also reminded him that all he had done was really an angel in the end. But he was surprisingly calm and told I, his guardian angel, was a dark angel. Then, he told his own story. "Dim used to pick with an old woman when he was young. She was about thirty-five years old. She was Ray Wise's wife. Wise was serving time for murder. When he came home after parole, I heard Said about his wife stealing behind his back, so he beat her up hard and forced her to tell who the man was. She finally had to name Charlie Dim.

"During the years when Wise was in prison, his wife kept his pistol and bullets at home. When Wise heard Charlie's name, he immediately picked up the gun and rushed to arrest him. He found Charlie sitting On the front steps, Wise puts the barrel of a gun on him and curses at him, while Charlie goes out of his way to deny everything, then Wise calls Charlie a liar and shoots him. Charlie told me with certainty that he was really dead because the bullet hit him in the chest, and that's where the odd thing happened, the bullet bounced out of the chest again." "what?"

"The bullet bounced off Charlie's chest, just like in a Superman movie." "But, how is it possible...?" "I consulted a ballistics expert and he said it was possible. The bullet had been chambered for so long, a full decade, that the powder might have been damp and the oil might have seeped in. But anyway, Wise was on the spot He was so frightened that he stood there dumbfounded. So he fired again. The same thing happened again. Charlie said that both of Wise's eyeballs were about to fall out. Then he slammed the gun in his hand at Charlie, turning his head, hurried away. "Well, the weirdest part is yet to come! Charlie told me that when the first bullet hit him, he saw the Dark Angel, who was wearing a black gown, black from top to bottom, with soles of her feet Dragging a pair of sandals. He remembered very clearly that the angel did have a pair of wings, a pair of beautiful wings, just like those of a dove, but big and black. The angel appeared in front of Charlie like a mist, slowly Spread the pair of black wings. When the bullet shot at him, he saw a light emanating from the angel's body, and then heard the angel say to him: "I will protect you, Charlie." "From that point on, Charlie was convinced that he could do whatever he wanted and that he was invulnerable and no one could hurt him. That meant he wouldn't get scared and stop doing evil because he'd eaten the scales Tuo is determined." What a strange thing this is!Trish was so dumbfounded that she couldn't utter a word.For such a guy who thinks he has the indestructible body of a diamond, what should you do with him? "Tell Renault to be careful about anything big or small about Tim." Pike warned her. "I will." "Okay! I'm going to get you those copies now." "thanks." "Don't thank me. I couldn't be more glad to get rid of Charlie, who is the most dangerous thing in my life." Matthew saw a light flashing on his personal phone. All calls in the office had to go through the switchboard before being forwarded, with the exception of this private line.Few people know this phone number.He gave it to Abby, though. Matthew picked up the receiver, hoping it was Abby who was calling.He hasn't seen her for two days, but she hasn't left his mind full of longing for a minute. "Is it Matthew?" "yes." Matthew's heart raced wildly. "I remembered something and wondered if that might help the case." "tell me." "I took a roll of negatives the day I was attacked at the beach. I was so excited that I almost forgot it existed. When Jack drove me back to Portland, he packed my bags , so he must have stuffed the camera in the case, and then your investigator must have brought that suitcase with me when we moved into the rental house in Midbrook the day we moved in, so I just I just found out that this thing is still in the camera. I was thinking that I took several photos in front of and behind the wooden house that day, and I might have photographed the tool room where the explosives were stored." "Barry went to the cabin on Sunday, specifically checked the tool room, but didn't see any explosives. If we had an earlier picture of the tool room..." Matthew thought for a moment, "What type of camera is yours?" "It's Pentax 105-R." "That might be the key. The Pentax camera's date setting would be stamped on the negative, and that would prove the date the photo was taken. If there was anything usable in the photograph, the date was clearly stamped, and Guedes would never be able to deny it. " "What should I do?" "Don't do anything, leave the negatives in the camera. I'll ask Tracy Conwanagh to get them, and bring the camera with me." "Can't you come by yourself?" "Not tonight." "Oh!" Matthew heard her disappointed tone, but there was nothing he could do. "I'm sorry! I'm dealing with an appeal case in Texas, and the man was sentenced to death, and the court will start in two days." "You don't need to explain much, Matthew, I know there are other people whose lives depend on you. It's just..." "Just what?" "Oh! It's just that you cheer me up every time I'm in a bad mood." "Good! That's part of my job, and it's my favorite part." Abby chuckled. "So, can I see you again soon? I'm going crazy." "I promise you that I will see you as soon as the matter is over." As soon as he left Pike's place, Tracy staggered back to the office with piles of case copies and Kung Pao Chicken.Dim's case went on for several weeks, so that the copies of the case accumulated to twenty-nine volumes.She buried her head and flipped through the pages.Only after reading the third book, Matthew Raynor's voice appeared in my ears, "I'm so glad you're still here." Tracy raised her head and saw Renault and the clock on the wall.It's eight past fifteen.What exactly is going on?She was sure it was only half past five when she started reading these materials, where did the time go? "Mrs. Griffin called just now. We may be in luck. She took a roll of negatives the day she was attacked at the beach, and she forgot about it. I want you to run and get the camera and the negatives, and then Send the negatives to be processed tomorrow morning. Remember to ask for the receipt, so that you can prove the time. Also, don’t forget to bring the camera with you.” "I'll go right away." Renault turned and prepared to leave. "Mr. Renault." Matthew stopped. "These are transcripts from Tim's last trial." "Oh, very good! I hope you can make a summary of all available materials, and the reference pages should be clearly marked, so that I can quickly look up what is recorded in the copy." "That's what I'm doing now." Tracy said, holding up a yellow file and showing it to Renault, "Oh, yes, Bob Pike wants me to tell you something." Trish told Raynor about Charlie Deam and his Dark Angel.While talking, Trish noticed that various expressions of surprise and doubt appeared on Renault's face, until finally he showed a happy and satisfied smile.She had thought that Renault would ask about Pike or Dim, but after hearing the fairy tale, he only said shallowly: "Very interesting, Trish. Good job!" After speaking, Renault turned around and left.Trish shook her head.She can never figure out what the boss is thinking, and he rarely expresses his thoughts.He always acts like an all-knowing and omnipotent Tathagata, as if nothing superfluous can shake everything he has already planned, unless it is really necessary. When filing an application for a pre-trial ruling in the Levi Stone case in Atlanta, Trish hadn't paid attention to Matthew's strategic orientation during the cross-argument until he suddenly jumped out of the original plan without following the rules. Finally, Tracy suddenly realized.Although she admired Renault's interrogation skills very much, she also felt a little annoyed at the same time, because Renault never informed her of all his strategies in advance, so she often made her feel tired.However, when Trish was working for Judge Shessel, things were completely different.There will be no secrets between them, it feels like she belongs to the team.Renault likes to work alone, so sometimes Trish feels like she's just a vase in his office.That being said, having the opportunity to work with a talent like Matthew was enough to heal her emotional wounds. When Trish was driving on the dark highway to Griffin's residence, she suddenly realized that her perception of Abigail and Rob Griffin had been changed by her conversation with Judge Kayleigh. quite a change.The judge's infidelity to his wife was also unbearable for Trish.She regretted that she had jumped to conclusions, casually calling Abby Jill a liar because of her personal preference for the judge. On the other hand, judging from Tracy's recent contact experience with Mrs. Griffin, she also agrees with Mary Carey. Griffin is indeed a cold, ruthless and calculating woman.It was really easy to force Judge Griffin into the arms of other women.In fact, such infidelity by the judge also gave Abijill Griffin enough motivation to commit the crime of murdering her husband. The Griffin's driveway had been repaved, and the previous crime-scene markers had been removed.However, when Tracy's car approached, through the light beam cast by the headlights, the traces of burning on the ground and the scorched asphalt scars could still be vaguely discerned.As soon as Tracy parked the car, she saw Abigail Griffin waiting for her in the driveway with a smile on her face, but the smile on her face looked forced.Trish couldn't help but suspect that Mrs. Griffin didn't know how long she had been waiting here. "You're Trish, right?" She nodded, "Mr. Reynolds asked me to come get the film and the camera." Trish thought that Abby would have the camera in her hand, but she glanced at it, and there was nothing in Abby's hand, and she did not see the camera Put it on the table in the lobby. "Come in," Abby said. "The camera is upstairs. Would you like to come in first for a cup of coffee?" "No, thanks, it's a little late." The smile on Abby's face faded, "Oh come on! I was just about to make myself a cup of coffee when you drove in!" Tracy was going to refuse again, but Mrs. Griffin sounded a little frustrated. "Ok!" There were two chairs set up at the kitchen table, and Trish knew that Abby had been waiting for her.Trish sat down, feeling uncomfortable.Abbie brought the coffee pot. "Would you like creamer or sugar?" "Pure is fine." Abby filled Tracy's cup with coffee, "How long have you been working for Matthew?" Her expression was tense, like a little girl on a blind date who hesitates to start coping.Trish realizes that gossip doesn't seem to be one of Abby's specialties. "Not long." Tracy replied succinctly.She hoped that until her doubts about Abby were completely resolved, their relationship would best remain on a professional level. "You were not Alice Shessel's secretary before, were you?" "Yes. How do you know?" Abby smiled. "You look familiar. I visit Rob at the courthouse once in a while and he recognizes you. Do you like your job as a clerk?" "Yes. Judge Shessel is quite a remarkable woman." Abby took a sip of her coffee, and Trish took a sip from her cup too.An atmosphere of silence spread between the two.Trish moved her chair. "Are you working on my case with Matthew?" "I'm in charge of reviewing the evidence to see if I can find any favorable clues." "So, any conclusions?" Trish hesitated.She wasn't sure Raynor would ask her to answer that question.However, Abijill Griffin is not an ordinary client, she is also an excellent lawyer.Trish smiled, wanting to blend in the rigidity of the atmosphere. "So far, I don't have any conclusions. However, on a technical level, I don't think we have won the case. Have you thought about making a pre-trial ruling application first?" Abby shook her head. "I've thought about it, I just don't see how that would be useful. Enjoy working with Matthew?" "I like it." Trish was defensive because she really didn't want to talk to Griffin about her boss. "He seems like a weirdo," Abby said.Seeing Tracy didn't respond, she continued to ask: "Is he as enthusiastic about every case he has as he is about mine?" "He does his best to every client." Tracy's tone was very flat and neutral. But Abby's eyes became blurred, which made Tracy feel a little embarrassed and didn't know what to do. "He used to come to my trial a lot, you know?" The conversation between the two not only lost its rhythm, but also became more and more serious.Tracy remembered that she had seen Raynor at Mary Howard's court hearing, but she was not sure what Mrs. Griffin meant by what she said, so she remained silent; while Abby continued to talk, As if she wasn't expecting any response. "Not once did I see him sitting in the back of the courtroom looking at me. He always sat for a while and then left. I don't think he knew I was paying attention to him!" When Abby said this, she kept looking directly at Tracy, and Tracy felt compelled to speak. "What do you think he's doing sitting there?" Abby's wristband held the coffee cup, and she changed the subject without answering Trish's question. "Does Matthew like me?" "What did you say?" This question made Trish very uncomfortable. "Did he say anything...?" She paused, staring straight at Trish, "Do you think he likes me?" For a moment, the Abigail Griffin in front of Tracy seemed to be a vulnerable and broken woman. "I think he trusts you a lot," she said to Abby, adding some warmth at last. "Yes, it's true." Abby seemed to be talking to herself. Trish is surprised to find herself feeling sorry for Abby.For a while now, she's seen Abby as a defendant.However, in an instant, Tracy suddenly felt that she was just an ordinary person, an ordinary woman imprisoned in this luxurious "prison".Mary Kayleigh once described her as a "frosty beauty", but at the moment she doesn't seem as strong as Kayleigh said. Tracy suddenly realized how sad it must have been when Mrs. Griffin was looking forward to her arrival!Moreover, she also felt that before she knew the truth of the matter, she should not have thought that she wanted to use a beauty trick to confuse Renault, so as to cover up her crime.Abby is pretty lonely, and Matthew is just one of her few connections with the outside world. Trish had read about the victims of hostages and kidnappings in the Middle East.Like Patty Hearst, she became quite dependent on those who kidnapped him, and developed a delicate alliance with them.There is even a term for this condition called "Stockholm Syndrome".Forced to isolate, Abby relies heavily on Raynor, which is why she flirts with Raynor so often. "Are you okay on your own?" Trish asked. "It's lonely, and boring as hell! I tried to convince myself that I was taking it as a vacation. But it didn't work. I read a lot, but I can't read all day! I didn't even watch TV during the day I watched all the shows." Abby laughed, "I knew I was completely isolated, so I started watching soap operas." "The court should start soon! Mr. Renault will definitely win, and your life will return to normal." "I hope so too. But I think my life will never go back to normal. Even if Matthew wins the lawsuit for me." Abby stood up, "I'll get you the camera." Trish waits at the entrance when Abby goes upstairs.Abby goes downstairs with the camera and hands it to Trish. "Thank you for the coffee. But I know you didn't really mean to buy me coffee." "No, I..." "It's okay, I was just looking for someone to talk to. Thank you for tolerating my interruption." After the two shook hands, Trish took the camera.As she backed out of the driveway, she glanced back at the house again.Mrs. Griffin was standing at the door watching her go. No. 2313 Literis Street is a bungalow in the form of a brown farmhouse, next to a courtyard with lush greenery and pleasant flowers and trees, and next door to a middle-class house.Parked in the driveway in front of the house are two unassuming cars, a light blue "Chevrolet" and a maroon "Ford."When the police were ordered to search the house and the police car gradually approached, they heard loud music coming from the house. In the living room of the house, three young women gathered around a low coffee table while working, chatting and chatting with laughter.In the center of the table was a large plate on which a small mountain of cocaine had been piled.One of the women pulled out a small plastic bag from the stack behind the sofa cabinet and filled it with cocaine. The second woman folded the plastic bag and sealed it with a hot rod, and the third woman sealed the bag. Good sachets of cocaine were lined up in a soup pot.There was an air of joy in the little living room, and everyone seemed to be packing their dreams. Two men in sleeveless T-shirts slumped in chairs, smoking and watching MTV. One of the men had an Uzi next to him, while the other had a semi-automatic MAC-10 lying within reach by his chair.In addition, there were two men playing cards in the kitchen, each armed with an automatic rifle, and keeping an eye on the back door. While Bobby Kurtz watched the women work, he was doing his part, which was to guard the shipment for Ula Otilo.From his position, it was clear whether women were sneaking cocaine into the breasts of their blouses or hiding it in the hem of their skirts.In fact, Kurz knew very well in his heart that these women were terrified of him, and no dog would dare to steal this thing.Still, he secretly hoped that something would go wrong with one of them, because Yura had empowered him to punish violators, so that he could make a big splash. "Julio," Kurtz yelled.One of the two men watching the TV turned his head. "I'm going to pee." Without further ado, Julio picked up the MAC-10 rifle, took Kurtz's place, and stood leaning against the wall.Kurtz knew that Julio was a reliable guy who would keep his eyes on what he needed to see and not aim at a woman's breasts or her thighs.Three times, Kuro had forced Julio to assist him in interrogating a Yula suspect that he was a downline of a police informant. From that time on, Julio had no less fear of Kuro than these women. As Kurtz walked across the hall to the bathroom, the front and rear doors of the house were suddenly knocked open. "Police! Don't move!" the voice echoed throughout the room.Kurtz heard the women screaming, one of them hiding behind him as he was about to sneak into the bathroom.There were screams one after another in the living room, and there were even bursts of gunshots in the kitchen.One guy was yelling in Spanish and the other was yelling and wailing in English that he had been shot.As for Kurtz, he continued his absconding action calmly. "Put the gun down," yelled someone in the living room.Kurtz pulled open the closet and hid himself behind a hanger.The closet was full of clothes because the two women who packaged the cocaine lived here.Kurtz curled up in a corner and waited quietly.At worst, someone would search the closet and arrest him.If it was his fate that he couldn't escape this catastrophe, he would obediently let it go and let Yura take care of everything.However, he still intends to gamble with fate.After all, with the current situation, anything could happen. Heavy footsteps stepped into the bathroom, and he heard the voices of two men.The closet door rattled open, and through the gap, Kurtz had a clear glimpse of a man wearing a baseball cap and a blue jacket.He knew the outfits, they were arrest uniforms, with the word "POLITICAL" emblazoned in gold on the back of the jacket. "Sanchez, come here," someone yelled from the lobby, "this bastard says he doesn't have heblaingle's." The man standing in front of the closet turned his head to watch Sanchez leave. When he turned his head again, Kurz had already quietly poked out from behind the curtain and calmly put a knife on the policeman's throat.The policeman's eyes widened in shock, and his hands gradually slid towards his neck.He tried to ask for help, but the blood was already flowing out, and the white foam had already spit out his mouth.Kurz dragged the policeman's body out of the closet and laid it on the floor, still shaking slightly.Kurtz took off his jacket, put on his baseball cap, and slid out of the bathroom and into the living room.The police also died at this time. A policeman brushes past Kurz without recognizing him.Kurz followed the officer into the kitchen and saw two men lying on the floor with their hands cuffed behind their backs, surrounded by a group of officers.A wounded policeman groans as he leans against a sink, surrounded by his colleagues.A medical worker rushed into the kitchen through the back door.Kurtz stepped aside to let him in, then took advantage of the chaos to sneak into the backyard and disappear into the dark night. Crossing the backyard and climbing two houses, Kurtz took off his jacket and baseball cap, and then sprinted to the bar ahead.He knew there was a telephone box there.In the three years since Yula started using this room at 2313 Literis Street as a processing base, there have been no problems. Everyone who works in this room is trustworthy like family; They deserve to be paid.Although they occasionally hid a little cocaine, they didn't have the guts to tip off the police.However, someone must be going to inform, and if that guy can know about Literis Street, then he definitely knows all about the operation methods of Yula's business.