Chapter 2 Chapter two

Lalo had been sitting at the table, gazing into space for over an hour.She had considered calling the victim's parents to tell them how sorry she was.She also wanted to explain to them that she made this sentence because she had no choice.But she felt it was inappropriate to do so. At this time, the intercom phone rang, and it was Philip: "The reporter from the "Daily News" is on the other end of the phone. They want you to say a few words about the Henderson case." Lalo said, "Tell them I'm off work." She understands that this is just a tactic to delay the attack. Tomorrow, she has to pass this level.

Lalo hung her gown on the hanger, picked up her purse, and said good night to Philip.She walks down the back corridor towards Judge Eileen Murdoch's office.Seeing that she was still buried in her work, Lalo stepped into her office and said, "See, you're still busy." "It's you, you scared me." Irene raised her head and put her glasses on the desk full of documents. It was hard to tell Irene's age, she was in her late fifties, tall and slender.Only a few fine lines can be seen around her mouth and forehead. Old Man Time is indeed very generous to her.Her blond hair was slightly curled, making her thin face even more beautiful.She always lines her lips with a lip pencil and puts on a moist coral red lipstick.She has green eyes.She asked Lalo, "How is today?"

Lalo didn't sit down. She leaned against the wall and said, "Didn't you hear? The district attorney dropped the case." Lalo raised her wrist and looked at her watch: it was past five. "Henderson will step out of the prison gate at any moment, like a free bird." Eileen said nothing.They had long expected such an ending.She sat there studying Lalo's face.She had been a judge much longer than Lalo, and she often told Lalo that the function of a judge was to expound the law and make a judgment according to the law.Therefore, when dealing with cases, she always has no emotion.

"This is a tough case, Irene, parents...relatives...I can't imagine what's going on with them now. She's so young. Those nasty policemen..." Erin interrupted her: "Did you hear about Westjoy?" Charlie Westjoy, a city court judge, has a reputation for being passionate and ambitious. "I haven't heard of it, tell me." "Today, he fixed the sheriff. He accused the sheriff of flouting the court order and releasing the prisoner early." "But it was because the prison was overcrowded and the court ordered him to either release or close the prison."

"Maybe it's to get the attention of the press. Who knows? I hear he wants to replace me and plans to get me out next year. He reviews every sentence I make, and once my sentence is overruled If not, he might cheer loudly." Lalo shook her head and sat down. "There's enough trouble around us, why fight each other? Look at the poor sheriff...what a point! Eileen, I swear the whole system seems to be falling apart and we're walking through rubble. Look at the violence, the corruption, the ambiguous laws..." Lalo paused, then continued: "The world is going down, and there's nothing we can do about it. Of course, these cops are too stupid to beat Henderson. But they're walking on a ticking time bomb. They're sick of it all." I mean, are we civilized? I don't think you'd call it civilized either."

Erin looked up over Lalo's head. "Why do you say all these depressing words today?" She smiled and looked down at Lalo again. "It's a terrible situation, but my dear Lalo, even when the end of the world comes, there's always someone to judge." Lalo returned Irene with a forced smile and said, "Yes, but it's better not me." Erin pressed the automatic dial button on the phone and said, "I'll call John. If he's not home, we'll have dinner. Seriously, I'm starving because I didn't have lunch." A few seconds later, Irene's call recording came out of the microphone.She left a message for her husband, a well-known physician, and hung up. "Lalo, John's working hours are so long I don't understand why. He told me last year that he was going to reduce his workload so that his new assistants could do more, but now he seldom works at eight o'clock every night. Home by the clock. He—”

Suddenly, she stopped talking. Erin usually does not discuss her private life with others, even her closest friends. However, this time Irene made an exception.Lalo listened to Irene's words and observed the concern on her face.John Murdoch was in his early sixties, and he was always on Erin's mind.John's family has a long history of cancer. His grandfather, father, and several uncles all died of cancer.Just last year, one of his brothers also fell victim to cancer.Although Eileen is a strong, confident woman, she is also constantly worried that her husband will be next. Many people think that Eileen is bossy and domineering.

So Erin's words are always decorated with all kinds of endearing words: sweetheart, baby, dear.Lalo knew she had made this a habit on purpose to make her voice sound softer. John was a meek, kind, and refined man.Eileen was taller than he was, more so if she wore high heels.Lalo thought, it must be Irene's blessing to be in such a family. After closing the file, Irene stood up, took the briefcase and leather bag, and turned off the light.Irene's steps were fast and heavy, and Lalo had to trot to keep up with her. Lalo said, "How about we go to 'Bob's Big Boy' for dinner? It's just one block from here, and it's got a lot of character."

"Lalo, dear," Erin grinned and looked at Lalo, "It's unbelievable. No, I don't want to eat there. If you must eat those disgusting corned beef and greasy barbecue, then you are alone Go ahead. I don't see how you can live like this, I don't understand." "Okay, okay, there's a newly opened seafood restaurant on the street, let's eat there!" "That's about the same, I'll go with you." After a while, they each drove out of the underground parking lot and climbed up the ramp. It was late, but Lalo was still wide awake. She had been tossing and turning in bed for hours, unable to sleep.She revisited every detail of the Henderson case over and over again.At first, she heard a neighbor's puppy barking, followed by other dogs on the street.Lalo held her breath and listened quietly.She pulled the sheet up to her chin and stared at the ceiling.In Owen, which is a very quiet residential area, Lalo is a woman who lives alone.She was familiar with the sounds of the night: ambulances, police cars, planes flying overhead.Occasionally, there will be the sound of a late couple pulling the garage door.Dogs don't usually bark at night, but that's a different story if people are wandering around.

At this time, she suddenly heard a light knock on the door. The soft knock on the door suddenly turned into a bang.Lalo looked at the clock: it was past one o'clock in the morning.She reached out, picked up the phone, and wanted to call the police.At this moment, a familiar voice came from outside the bedroom window, calling her name.As it was hot summer, Lalo had the window open. "Lalo, it's me, Yuli. Let me in!" Holding her nightgown, Lalo ran to the door barefoot, and listened carefully again. She was worried that all this was her imagination. "Lalo, open the door. Please open the door! This is Yuli."

Laluo pressed the alarm code and opened the double safety locks, only to see Yuli rushing in. "Dear," Lalo called her sister and hugged her in her arms, "What happened?" She brushed back a lock of curly black hair hanging from Yuri's face to see if there were any bruises. "Sam hit you?" Yuli kept turning her head to look at the street, her chest was heaving up and down, she was out of breath, as if she had just run in a hurry. "No! No... not Sam. I'm being followed, Lalo. Shut the door, hurry up!" Lalo slammed the door, engaged the double safety lock, and quickly reset the alarm.Her heart was pounding violently. "Who's following you? Where's Sam?" Yuli was very restless, and she glanced quickly around the room. "Look, I can't explain. I'm going to call Sam. I'm just going to use your phone." "Wait, okay?" Lalo pulled Yuli and said, "Tell me, what happened. If someone is following you or trying to hurt you, we'd better call the police. Maybe, he's outside, and the police will catch him. What is he driving? Car? Tell me his physical features." Lalo walked to the telephone. "don't want!" Yuli said. "I don't want to call the police on those stupid cops." Yuli suddenly sat on the sofa and snatched the microphone from her sister. Even when frightened, Lalo thought, staring at Yuri, she looked so beautiful. Yuli is a beautiful woman with a dark complexion.Her shoulder-length black hair framed her flawless face.Lalo's eyes were gray and white, and Yuri's were bright blue.But the most beautiful thing about Yuli is her skin, which can hardly pick out any blemishes. Yuli said quickly into the microphone: "Sam, I'm at Lalo's house, please come and pick me up quickly. I'm in trouble and someone is following me." She paused and raised her voice. "As I said, I'm not leaving Lalo's until you come to pick me up. No, I don't want to drive home. I don't care what time it is." After speaking, she put the microphone heavily on the phone.Lalo turned on the light in the living room, then sat down on the couch across from her sister and said firmly, "Okay, now tell me about your trouble, is it about money?" Yuli avoided Lalo's eyes and said, "Sam is coming, and he will be here in twenty minutes." Lalo couldn't bear it anymore. Since she was a child, she had always been Youli's protector, not letting anyone touch her. The two of them were inseparable. Whenever Youli was in trouble, she always asked Lalo for help.However, since Yuli married Sam Perkins, everything has changed. "Youli, you have to tell me what trouble you're in. Don't you know that I care about you very much? You can't knock on my door in the middle of the night, say someone is following you, and then refuse to tell me the truth." Yuli stood up from the sofa and paced back and forth in the room.She said heavily: "No!" Throwing back her black and thick hair casually, she suddenly looked up at Lalo, and said angrily: "Don't worry! I won't bother you again, and I won't call you again. You Just forget about my sister!" Lalo buried her face in her hands and looked at Yuri through her fingers. "I never said don't call me or come to me when you have a problem. Yuri, it's so unfair of you to say that. I love you. It must be Sam, right? It's about Sam." "None of Sam's business! You're always attacking him, calling him an idiot. Lalo, he's my husband!" Suddenly, she flung her arms wildly. "Look at you, look at what life you've been living. Do you want me to be like you, a loner, just living for a job, a career? Sam and I will sort it out, and we'll make it. Later, we'll Move house and start everything from scratch.” Lalo wanted to forget her sister's stinging words as soon as possible. Every time they were together, they always broke up like this. "Youli, how is the child? How is Josh? You can't change his way of life and let him move. He has grown up so much, he can always live in that house, not to mention he has lost his father. The pawn shop Is the business okay? You said that if I loan you and Sam, you can make the pawnshop business flourish. But now not only the business of the pawnshop has not improved, but you have not paid me back. Yuri, you have to understand , for this pawn shop, I also own the property rights." "Josh is okay... not bad. You still care about him? You haven't seen him in years." Today is really a difficult day.Lalo was exhausted and didn't want to be entangled with Yuli who was yelling anymore.However, Josh is a sensitive topic, and when it comes to him, Lalo can't control herself. She retorted: "Youli, why do you think I haven't seen him for so many years?" Lalo leaned back on the sofa suddenly, crossed her hands, and her fingernails dug deeply into her arms. "Because you won't let me see my nephew! You have taught him to be hostile to me for no reason." Lalo took a breath, and she blinked angrily. "I fantasized that I'd lend you money to open a pawn shop and start a new beginning. But so what?" Yuli spat and was still pacing furiously. "You, you tried to take my baby. My damn sister tried to steal my baby. Guess what Sam said? He said, you bribed me with that money to get close to Josh, to take Him, because you have no children." She went to the window, looked out through the shutters, and then went into the middle of the room. Lalo collapsed on the sofa, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get rid of this suspicion. "We've debated this topic countless times. After Charlie died, you drank and took drugs and brought man after man into your home. I never thought about taking Josh, I just cared about him. And, I also care about you." Lalo cared about her nephew very much, so she once threatened Yuli that if Yuli didn't restrain her behavior, she would call the social service organization and ask them to take care of Josh.The reason why she did this was that she hoped to shock Yuli, and also hoped to attract her attention, so that she could understand what her indulgence would lead to.However, Yuli never forgave her. Suddenly, Lalo noticed Yuli's attire.Which is the most popular style?She dresses like a whore.When Yuli married Sam, Lalo had hoped that she would quit drinking and drugs.When Yuri's ex-husband was alive, she was a contented wife and mother.Lalo understood that grief can destroy a person, a strong person, not to mention Yuli, who is not a strong-willed person herself.However, Yuli fell too fast.It was Lalo's opinion that life had finally caught up with her sister.Then, he passed her lightly.Yuli has the figure of a mature woman, but only a child-like mind.She is the kind of brainless person whose spirit and intelligence are too far away from her biological age.In a tight-knit, protected environment, she can survive; but if she's alone, or under the influence of bad guys like Sam, Yuli's in trouble.If alcohol and drug use are involved at this time, it will only make things worse and bring disaster.At this moment, Lalo noticed Yuri's breasts again, and her eyes widened.Yuli's original lines were very beautiful, much better than Lalo's, but it's not what it looks like now.Now, she's like Dolly Parton.Lalo hadn't seen Yuri for two or three months.Lalo guessed that Yuli must have undergone breast augmentation surgery.This is ridiculous!Sam and Yuli kept calling Lalo for money, claiming they wanted money for mortgages and living.But now, Yuli is showing off her silicone breasts. Lalo narrowed her eyes and said, "If you're not willing to tell the truth, then you should at least explain why you're dressed like this. When did you have breast augmentation surgery?" "Lalo, you're a nuisance! What do you want me to wear? Like you? You don't know a thing about dressing. Look at your hair like that. There's no doubt you can't attract any men. You're jealous, Sarah. That's what Tom said. He said you've been jealous of me." Here, Lalo is really angry.Yuri is very naive and ignorant, but she also goes too far this time. Lalo couldn't take it anymore, she trembled, and shouted: "You took my money and didn't let me see Josh, you, you even spent your money on plastic surgery. What else did you do, only God knows Already!" "Lalo, you're a bitch. You're ruthless now. You're not what you used to be...you have no heart, you're cold-blooded." Yuli approached her sister, her breath full of alcohol and smoke. "I never want to see you again, how do you feel about that? Why don't you wave your staff?" Lalo stood there with her hands down, she was overwhelmed.What happened that day suddenly came to my mind.Today, no matter what she does or wherever she goes, all she encounters is hatred and resentment.But now at her home, facing her own flesh and blood. "Yuli, stop arguing..." A knock on the door interrupted Lalo. Yuli's face lit up, she rushed over, unlocked the door, and asked Lalo to turn off the alarm.As soon as she opened the door, Yuli threw herself into her husband's arms. "Oh, Sam!" Then she took her husband by the hand and led him to the doorstep, talking in a low voice and making gestures. Lalo strained her ears to hear, but their voices were too soft to hear. She walked over and tried to close the door.All she wanted was to go to bed and sleep for a few hours before dawn.Sam Perkins stepped in, and Lalo stepped back. His black hair hung wildly over his collar and forehead, and he had a bushy mustache.Although he was only in his thirties, hard times and years of drinking had left deep lines on his face.He was wearing a crumpled red shirt, faded jeans, and a ring of jingling keys on his belt, which contained perhaps fifteen keys.He could also be very handsome if he dressed himself in a rough, manly attire.One look at Sam and one would conclude that he was the type to sit in a dark bar with five beers in front of him. Lalo thinks Sam is the scum of society.At this moment, even though Lalo was a few steps away from Sam, she could still smell the alcohol coming out of his mouth.He clasped his hands and curled his arms so hard that his biceps protruded and his tattoos peeked out of his shirt sleeves.This man is not easy to deal with. "I won't allow you to bother my wife again!" He gritted his teeth blackened by cigarette smoke, and squeezed out these words. "We don't need you any more. You may be a great judge, but you're worthless to us. Now, here's your money back. Are you satisfied?" As he spoke, he threw a stack of banknotes on the floor. Lalo snapped, "Get out! You'll never want me to pay for you again!" She glanced at the banknotes on the carpet.Most are one dollar bills.He owed more than ten thousand dollars, but he probably only paid back ten dollars—Lalo was counting—no, twelve dollars in total. Yuri had one arm on Sam's shoulders, a pair of silicone breasts that seemed to burst from her chest. She said proudly, "We don't want any more of your filthy money! We're going to have lots of money! Soon, really soon." Tears overflowed Lalo's eyes, she couldn't bear this man hurting her family, her sister. Before her mother died, Lalo promised to take good care of Youli and Josh.But now, she was helpless. She said firmly, "Get out!" Sam said to Yuri, "Come on, baby. Let the old woman sleep. Look at her, she looks like she's going to die if she doesn't sleep." He jerked Yuri's arm and pulled her away. to the door.Yuli turned her head and glanced at Lalo.In an instant, their eyes collided, and there was silence all around.Lalo could see the sadness in her sister's eyes, and she saw Yuli's mouth move, but said nothing.In a daze, Lalo felt that the old days had come back. She and her sister were holding hands on the way home from school.Sam's wild laughter interrupted Lalo's fond memory, and everything remained the same, and the clock was ticking again.There was only a slam of the door, and Sam and Yuri finally left.