Chapter 11 Chapter Eleven

A few miles down a street near Costa Mesa is the office of Dr. Frederick Warner.Lalo drove into the garage of the medical building.The medical building soared into the sky, covered with glowing stained glass windows.She turned to look at Josh, who was silent and huddled in the car.Just now, he rode until after dark, and Lalo was frightened.She told Josh how disappointed she was.But he was furious.In a fit of anger, Lalo snatched his bicycle and locked it in the trunk of the car.Since then, he has not said a word. She turned off the fire and put her hands on her lap. "Josh, here we are."

She really wanted to ask Josh about the T-shirt, but she thought it was inappropriate to ask at this time. "If you don't like this doctor, we'll find another. But give him a chance, shall we?" Dr. Werner's office is on the tenth floor.Judging from the various signs of the building, most of the people working in the building have already left work, so the whole skyscraper is very empty.They are late.Lalo looked at her watch, hoping that Dr. Werner would still be patiently waiting for them.Josh stood at the corner of the elevator as far away from Lalo as possible, staring at the control panel in a daze.If he was only eight or ten years old, she might still have tricks against him.She could spank him and lock him in the house.However, in the face of teenage children, she is really powerless.She could only confiscate his only property - the bicycle.

As the elevator doors opened, Lalo said, "I don't really want to confiscate your bike, you can still ride it. But, you've been out too long, and, now, you need to consult an expert." In addition to Dr. Werner's name, there are six other doctors' names on the office door.Lalo stood by the reception desk and looked around. There was no one around, only a labyrinth of halls and doors.Helpless, she could only yell: "Hello, is there anyone?" Behind Lalo came the screeching sound of chairs scraping against the plastic.She looked back and saw a tall, handsome man in his thirties or early forties came out.He held out his hand to Lalo. "I'm Dr. Warner. You must be Judge Sandstone, and he must be Josh."

He shook hands with Lalo, but Josh didn't look him in the face. "Come with me, we'll talk here." His office is beautifully decorated, a set of light blue leather furniture with a metallic sheen, a glass-topped coffee table in the middle, and artwork signed by the artist himself on the walls.Lalo didn't ask him the price, but judging from the interior furnishings, the price must not be low.She looked around the room, but did not find the table.This must be his conference room.There are several certificates hanging on the wall.Lalo took a closer look at the papers.But Josh was still standing there, unwilling to sit down.

Lalo sat down and brushed a loose lock of hair back from her head.She was eager to find an excuse to slip out, go to the bathroom to put on some lipstick or blush, maybe brush her hair. "Ah, Dr. Werner, thank you for agreeing to see us. As you can see, Josh is not very happy to be here. However, he just experienced a terrible thing." She looked at the psychiatrist pointedly. Werner said slowly, "I understand. Josh, I want to have a private moment with your aunt, okay?" Josh walked out of the room as if relieved, and slammed the door behind him.Under Werner's penetrating eyes, Lalo felt tense, raised her legs, and lowered them.

"I know a little bit. I read the papers, and Judge Murdoch called me this afternoon." Lalo started to talk, she was a little hesitant at first, but soon it got out of hand. She talked to Werner about her relationship with Yuli, Yuli's late-night visit and the night break-in incident.It mainly describes the messy scene in the house.Dr. Warner sat there, listening intently, nodding now and then. Whatever psychiatrists do to get people to talk, it's clear Werner knows it well.Lalo vomited out everything she knew by herself, almost in a monologue.Finally, she stopped talking.

She said embarrassingly: "I'm sorry...it's time for you to talk to Josh now, I'll call him." She stood up and walked towards the door.Suddenly, she stopped.The words stuck in her throat, and she had to confide in him. "Dr. Werner, there's a possibility, a very small possibility, that Josh played some part in what happened to my sister and her brother-in-law. I know it's extremely unpleasant to talk about, but—" "It's nothing, Lalo. Can I call you Lalo?" She nodded.He went on: "As far as I can tell, a number of circumstances arising out of your sister's death have caused you to have psychological conflicts that urgently need to be resolved. You feel too much guilt and, moreover, you may be a bit paranoid."

Lalo's face instantly turned pale.She heard Dr. Werner say again: "It's all normal. When your loved ones are brutally murdered, it's easy to panic and get confused. I want to see not only your nephew again, but you too." .” She said curtly, "Dr. Werner, I'm not a paranoid, so please insinuate whether my nephew might have been involved in this incident. Would you like to help?" He leaned back in his chair and replied very calmly: "No problem. But I still want to talk to you next time." Lalo looked at him and thought: What a typical psychiatrist—only concerned about how to write an expensive bill, not whether her nephew is the murderer.She can't afford $20,000 in counseling fees. "Let's talk again, I'll call Josh."

His ocher-brown eyes were yellowish and piercing.She found him an attractive man, despite what he had said just now that she was being paranoid: his eyes, his brown hair, his full lips with a small mole above them, like a beauty mark.Besides, he might be right.The blood-stained T-shirt might just be a coincidence.Curious to know if he was married, she glanced at his finger—there was no wedding ring on it. Lalo felt her throat dry and swallowed hard.All of a sudden, her affection for this man disappeared without a trace, and she felt completely drained of color from her face.She thought of Cummings' criminal record - a conviction for rape.When she spoke to Rickerson about Cummings this afternoon, she forgot to mention his criminal record.Yuri had been raped, and Cummings had broken into her house at night.He might be the murderer.If this is the case, Josh is excluded.

Werner asked with some concern: "What's the matter with you? Sit down for a while, and I'll get you a glass of boiling water." Lalo continued walking towards the door, "No, I'll call Josh. I'll use your phone." "There's a phone on the receptionist's desk." Once out of Werner's office, Lalo walked slowly down the hall, and she asked Josh to go in and see Werner.Lalo stood behind the receptionist's desk, very nervous and unwilling to sit down.She punched out the number for the San Clemente Police Department. "He's not there? How can I find him? This is Judge Sandstone and I have a very urgent matter to speak to him."

She gave the operator the number on the keypad, then sat down and tapped a pen on the cabinet.They said they would find him.After a while, the phone rang and Lalo picked up the receiver. As soon as she heard Rickson's voice, she said quickly: "Rickson, that guy Cummings has a record of rape and sexual harassment. Yuli was also raped, so... he might be the one... who killed them .We have to find him." Rixon was still very calm, "Don't make a fuss." He knew Cummings' criminal record inside and out. "I have profiled the offender on the radio in this city and across the state. We are in contact with the parole attorney who is sponsoring him and we want to get his nearest address from the agent. The parole attorney is out of town, His papers are already being looked at." The reception desk was very high, blocking Lalo's view. "And what about the boy who threatened me?" "Look, Lalo," His tone was sullen. "I know how you feel, but why do you always want to get involved? We didn't waste time on this matter. We always fight for time in this type of case." .If it weren't for you being a judge, perhaps the inspection report hasn't come out yet. They still have a backlog of pathology reports that were arranged for inspection several months ago." He was right.She was constantly pressuring them and making too many phone calls. "I just thought of his criminal record, and I don't know if you've seen it." "I've seen them all." He answered briefly, then slowed down: "Lalo, don't be too nervous. Go home and relax, take care of your nephew and yourself. Let me handle the case. I'm the police. If there's anything wrong, I'll I'll call you right away, okay?" Lalo replied weakly, "Okay." Rixon hung up the phone. Half an hour later, Josh and Werner came out.Werner put on his coat and walked out the door with them. It seemed that this was his last date of the day.Then he walked with them down the hall again and into the elevator. Josh scowled, however, standing a little closer to Lalo.Obviously, he felt that everyone was closer than Werner. Back in the suite, Josh told Lalo that he hated Dr. Warner and that Warner was a boring guy. "I don't care what you think of him, you have to see him that's all." "You can't order me to do this or that, you're not my mother, my mother is dead. I hate this place and I hate you! I hate that stupid doctor!" Lalo sat down on the sofa suddenly, and she really wanted to call the social service personnel immediately.Josh stood in the middle of the room, looking at her coldly. "Josh, have you fallen off your bike lately?" "No." "Okay. So, do you or your friend do animal cruelty, that is, poke them to death?" She tried her best to suppress her nervousness and keep calm, but it was really too difficult.Her hands trembled: she simply put them under her hips and sat on them. He stared at her like a madman, "You're crazy! I can't believe you're a judge." Lalo persisted, saying, "Josh, you haven't answered my question yet." He snarled, "No, do you think I look like someone who enjoys that diabolical behavior? You want me to join you? That's all you think about, you're a horrible wizard." The situation deteriorated rapidly.Josh's chest heaved and his face was flushed. "Okay, truce, truce." Lalo stood up and continued: "It's very late, we are both tired. Since you call me a wizard, then, tonight, you sleep on the sofa." Lalo turned away, went into the bedroom, and closed the door.Josh was stunned for a while, walked to the door, knocked lightly, and said to Lalo with a gloomy face, "I just want a bed sheet, is that okay?" Laura got up the sheet and threw it at Josh, "Go on!" Suddenly, she remembered Josh's backpack, and she picked it up and stood quietly for a while, at the same time, staring at Josh's face, she asked, "Do you need this?" She couldn’t wait to see Josh’s reaction. He reached out to snatch the backpack from Lalo.Lalo took a step back, Josh sighed helplessly, and lowered his hands. Josh wrapped his body in a sheet, "No, I don't need anything." He took a few steps to the sofa and sat on it suddenly. Before closing the door again, Lalo said good night to him, "Josh, good night." She took out her backpack again and pulled out the blood-stained T-shirt.Now, the only way to find out whose blood is on it is to send it for examination, and that is the only way.She thought she'd have to do it stealthily.But she wasn't sure if it could be done.She put the T-shirt back into her backpack again, thinking: Let’s do it tomorrow, after tonight, I’ll do it tomorrow. The room was pitch black, and Lalo stared at the shadow, seeming to see the blood on the wall of Yuli's bedroom again.She held her breath and listened carefully to Josh outside.Now that he knew that the knapsack was in Lalo's hands, he might have thought she knew the secret to the T-shirt.He might come into the room and smash her head or suffocate her while she was asleep.Suddenly, feeling nauseous, she rushed to the toilet.All she threw up was some soda she drank during the day.Josh could indeed eat; but she couldn't swallow anything, it felt stuck in her throat. Finally she stood up and washed her face.Then, I put my head under the tap to rinse again.Lalo went to the bed and threw the clothes on the floor.Get under the sheets, pull the sheets up to your chin again, and stare at the ceiling.Lalo listened to the movement outside, and to the ticking of the clock beside the bed.In this way, Lalo stretched her body like an ironing board and lay on the bed for at least an hour.At two o'clock, she turned off the light, but still couldn't sleep.She filtered the case carefully again in her mind.Then she started counting again.At four o'clock, she finally couldn't hold it anymore, closed her eyes, and her tired body fell into a deep sleep. Hearing the ringing phone, Lalo opened her eyes.She felt stiff and her head was buzzing. She forgot her big brother in the kitchen, so, apparently, it was Josh who answered the phone.At this moment, Josh was only heard yelling in the living room: "Telephone." Then he went to the bedroom door and stood there waiting for Lalo to put on her nightgown and waddle over to get the phone. A woman's voice came from the receiver: "Lalo, this is Irene." "Irene, I took Josh to see Werner, it's okay. But Josh doesn't like him." "Lalo, do you need my help? All the people in the courthouse are asking about this matter, and everyone is very concerned. It is a tragedy, a terrible tragedy." Lalo walked into the bedroom, "No, no one can help. I'm arranging the funeral and I hope you can come, because we have no relatives." Her words were full of self-pity, but she managed to suppress it. Then, out of breath again, she stammered: "Irene, something frightening has been identified. This man—this man," The thought of it was unbearable to her. "Before Yuli and Sam were killed, I handled a parole case. This is the man who was released. He was the one who broke into my house at night. How did I let this son of a bitch out! Besides, he has a rape record. Yuli, may her soul rest in peace, she was raped. Just thinking about it makes me so angry." "Why did you let him go? It's a normal parole case, isn't it?" "No. I'm denying the parole case outright. But Eve Green put pressure on me to grant a parole sentence, saying that this guy was a spy for some police agency . . . it was a drug case or something. .” "Dear Lalo, that sounds very unfortunate. Now, at least knowing who he is, the case is near hope. Lalo, isn't it?" "But I let the beast go. Now it's as if he's standing right in front of me, letting me see his face." "Honey, calm down. You don't know if he really had anything to do with your sister's death. Maybe, he just got out of prison, he's short of money, and he's going to break into every house in Irving at night, and he's really Put it into action. He may have broken into ten homes, and you happened to be one of those ten. You live not far from the prison. As far as I know, there is no clear connection between the two cases." Lo said bluntly, "I don't believe it's a coincidence, Irene." Irene is much older than Lalo. On weekdays, Lalo is always willing to accept some words used by Irene to express intimacy, but these words sound very sour today. "Must be sensible. What motive would this man have? You paroled him, not jailed him." She paused for a while, then continued: "Honey, did you read this morning's paper?" "No, I just woke up. Last night was rough. I don't even know what time it is. What are the reporters talking about again? My big picture or something?" "Lalo, it's much worse than that. I don't want to be a bearer of bad news. You read the paper yourself and then call me, okay? I'm reading the Los Angeles Times. Have you subscribed?" ?” "Yes, I'll call you back right away." She said it was bad news.Now what's the bad news?She walked into the living room and saw Josh lying on the sofa with one leg falling off the sofa.Apparently, he went back to sleep on the couch.She opened the front door and suddenly realized she wasn't at home.She saw the newspapers on the door of the neighbor's house, so she packed them up.The neighbor might have gone to work, and she'd put the paper back where it belonged before they got home. Newspaper in hand, she went back to the bedroom, got a rubber band, tied her hair into a braid, and lay down on the unmade bed.The first edition didn't have much to say about it, maybe Eileen was referring to a case she had been working on that had been overturned on appeal without her knowing about it. That's when she came across this article, posted at the end of the first edition—"Sadistic Murder in Orange County!" She put her hand over her mouth and glanced at the door.Then she ran to the door and closed it, then went back to the bed and put the newspaper on the rug.She crouched on the ground, looking eagerly. "Yesterday the sister and brother-in-law of Judge Lalo Sandstone of the Orange County Superior Court were brutally murdered in an apparent sadistic murder case. Uri Parkin, 36, Stan and her husband, Sam Perkins, 38, were murdered at their St. Clements home by unknown killers and their 14-year-old son found their bodies when they came home from school. Insiders at the San Clemente Police Department reported that there was evidence that the judge's sister was engaged in prostitution, particularly in..." Lalo threw the newspaper on the floor.Rixon was responsible for this, and she wanted him to pay for it.She glanced at the clock, it was nine o'clock.Lalo put on a pair of baggy jeans and an old shirt, left the house, and walked steadily to the car parked in the parking lot.Once in the car, she grabbed the phone and called the San Clemente Police Department. "Is Officer Rixon there?" "Yes, he just came in, and I'll transfer you to him." Lalo hung up the phone.She stomped on the accelerator and pulled into the morning traffic.She kept honking her horn and screaming out the window like a madman if someone pulled up in front of her. She did not restrain her resentment, but instead let it develop and unleash it in great waves on the sea.She knew that when she got to the police station, this wave of resentment would be enough to wash away the police station and half of St. Clement.However, all her resentment was directed at Rixon.He should not have disclosed these obscene contents to the press, and he must bear all the responsibilities.She wished she could wring his head off. She illegally parked her car in a no-parking zone.She pushed open the door, strode into the police station panting, and climbed six floors in one breath.Without looking at the receptionist, she headed for the back half of the building.She knew the investigation office was there.Rickerson, wearing a shirt, was standing by a filing cabinet, drinking coffee and joking with one of the agents.As soon as he saw her, he walked towards her with great concern. Lalo trembled, throwing her hands back as if she was about to slap him. "How could you do that? Disclose this to the press?" Two other agents were sitting at their desks.At this moment, they stood up, and for a moment no one recognized her.One of them pressed the gun in his hand and quickly approached her.Lalo turned to face him, and her piercing gaze caught him.He also recognized Lalo, and turned back to sit down at the table. "Let's go outside, there's no need to be here yelling and making a fool of yourself," Rickerson said. Lalo's breasts were heaving violently, and her face was flushed.She stared at Rixon. "God, why are you doing this? I thought, I shouldn't have mentioned this to you. Even a fool understands that this should not be revealed to the press." She looked away and thought of Josh—now, he really had to change schools. All his friends would know about it, and the whole world would know what his mother was up to. Rixon gently took one of her hands, trying to lead her out the back door.However, she struggled and stood motionless.He leaned close to her face and whispered, "It's not me. If you'd like to hang out with me, we can talk like two civilized adults, okay?" She reluctantly walked out with him.They came to a small concrete patio with steps leading up to the parking lot.Before she could stand still, Lalo couldn't wait to ask: "Okay, tell me quickly. Who is responsible?" He shook his head and said, "I don't know. Some policeman must have told the press without thinking, or he told the wife, the kids, and they spread the word quickly. Maybe Some clerk here or someone else. But, as others can attest, it was by no means my doing." Lalo stared at him, trying to read in his eyes whether he was lying.Now her breathing is gradually calming down.She ordered: "Call them now and ask them to issue a corrective statement." It was a sunny day, and he had to squint his eyes under the glare of the sun. "Do you really want me to do this? Think about it. It's hard to say that they will actually publish a correction statement. If so, it will only attract more people's attention. Are you really willing to see this result?" She didn't answer, she looked at the parking lot and the rows of police cars.It was a pleasant day, the sun was shining and there was no fog.The air was very clean and fresh, with a slight breeze from the sea.But it seemed to Lalo that she wished there were dark clouds and a downpour of rain. Rixon reached for the cigar and asked, "Mind if I smoke?" Lalo didn't look at him.After a while, she waved away the smoke in front of her eyes.He was right, the damage was done and another correction would only add fuel to the fire.Finally, she replied, "Never mind, maybe you're right." Then, she pointed at him with one finger and said, "Rickson, I want to settle accounts with that person. You find out the person who leaked the news to me, and bring them to me, and I will handle the rest." She turned and grabbed the doorknob, pulling hard.The door didn't budge, and she nearly fell.Rixon walked up behind her and slipped her a key.He said to her, smoking a cigar, "The door locks automatically. Let's go get a cup of coffee somewhere. We'll meet at Denny's Cafe across the street later. After this argument, We better not talk in the office." A few minutes later, they were sitting on the train seat of "Danny's Cafe".Lalo held the glass in both hands, and Rixon put a large folder on the table. "We've checked the phone records. The phone company gave us a copy of the computer output log. I made an extra copy. Maybe you know some of them." He handed it over, and Lalo stared at the report paper, eyes Nothing was seen but a blank sheet of paper. "There are a lot of phone records. I've started investigating some of them. You see, we've tracked down most of the calls, with names and addresses on the side. Maybe we'll get lucky." "I want photocopies of all the documents you have." "no." "you owe me." "I told you I didn't tell the press about the murder." He switched the cigar from one side of his mouth to the other, and now, simply put it in the ashtray. She slapped the tabletop, making the coffee cups and silverware clink. "Give me photocopies of all the documents! I'm no ordinary passer-by, I'm a court official. I need those documents." Rixon's acne-scarred face changed color. He was not one to be dominated. Trying to calm her down, he said softly, "Well, if you are an official of the court, you should understand why I can't give you the evidence of the murder. You might think that some innocent person killed you My sister's murderer, and killed him. In that case, our bureau will be charged." She stood up and said, "I'll go back to the bureau with you, and then I'll wait for you to photocopy these documents in the parking lot." Rixon, still in his seat on the train, watched her thump toward the door.He threw a few banknotes on the table and muttered to himself: "It seems that I am living in a paradise on earth now." When he looked up, he saw her striding towards him.As soon as she got to the table, she stared at him, and suddenly, she reached out and snatched the cigar from his mouth, and threw it on the ground. "Tell you, I hate this stuff." She turned around abruptly and walked out of the coffee shop.