Chapter 40 Chapter Twenty-Five

Corhoun doesn't look like he wants to be here. "Thank you for coming," Rebus told him. "I have no other choice." He found a lawyer to sit beside him.It was a middle-aged man, perhaps also from Telford?Rebus didn't care one bit. "You might get used to not having a choice, Dr. Corhoun. Who else is here tonight, you know? Tommy Telford, Brian Summers." "Who?" Rebus shook his head. "Your script is wrong. It doesn't matter that you know them because we talked about them in front of Candice." Corhoun's face flushed. "You remember Candice? Her real name is Karina. Did I tell you before? She had a son, but they took him away. Maybe one day she'll get him back, maybe not .”

"I don't understand what's the-" "Telford and Summers are both going to be in prison for a long time." Rebus sat back. "I have a good chance of keeping you with them, too, if I choose. What do you think?" How about that, Dr. Corhoun? Complicity in forced prostitution, stuff like that." Rebus could feel himself relaxing and getting into work.For Jack. The lawyer was about to say something, but Corhoun got ahead of him: "It was a mistake." "Wrong?" Rebus sneered, "I think it's true to say that." He sat up straight, leaning his elbows on the table, "It's time to explain, Dr. Kerhorn. You know what it means to be frank... ..."

Blythe "Pretty" Summers looks innocent. Sitting next to him was a lawyer—an elderly senior partner with a business-like appearance, who was very displeased with being left waiting for so long.As they sat down at the table in the interrogation room, Hogan was busy putting the tapes into the tape and video recorders.The lawyer began to state the protest he had been preparing in his mind for an hour or two before. "On behalf of my client, Inspector, it is my duty to say that this is the most appalling behavior I have ever witnessed..." "You think you've seen shocking behavior?" Rebus replied. "Come on, you haven't seen anything yet."

"Listen, I know you..." Rebus completely ignored him, took a picture of the folder on the table, and pushed it in front of Pretty Boy: "Look." Pretty boy was wearing a dark gray suit, a purple shirt with the collar unbuttoned, no sunglasses, no car keys.He was brought in by the police directly from his apartment in the new town.One guy who caught him commented: "Biggest stereo I've ever seen in my life. The kid's still awake, listening to a Pesty Cline record." Rebus began whistling: Crazy, which caught Pretty Boy's attention, and he gave a sly smile, but kept his arms folded.

"I don't know what it would be like if I were you," Rebus said. "Okay," Hogan said, meaning both the recording and video recording had started.According to the procedure, they stated the date, time, place and the identity of everyone present.Rebus looked at the lawyer and smiled.He looks pricey.Telford always has the best people, always. "You know that Elton John song, Brian?" Rebus asked. "He sang a song: 'Someone Saved My Life Tonight.' You'll sing it to me after you see that." This song." He tapped the folder on the table, "Come on, you know it makes sense. I'm not playing any tricks, and you don't have to say a word. But you should really help yourself Do me a favor..."

"I have nothing to say." Rebus shrugged, "You just need to open the folder and take a look." Liang Zai looked at the lawyer, and the lawyer seemed not too sure. "Your client won't incriminate themselves," Rebus explained. "If you want to see what's in there first, that's fine. It might not mean much to you, but go ahead." The German teacher opened the folder, and there were twelve sheets of paper in it. "Apologies in advance for any spelling mistakes," Rebus said. "I was in a hurry when I typed the file." Pretty Boy didn't even glance at the papers, he just kept staring at Rebus.His lawyer flipped through the papers.

"The contents here," said the lawyer at last, "you must also realize that they are worthless?" "If that's your opinion, fine. I'm not asking Mr. Summers to admit or deny anything. As I said, he can play deaf and dumb all he wants, I just want him to use his eyes." Pretty Boy smiled proudly, then glanced at the lawyer.The lawyer shrugged and said there was nothing to be afraid of here.Gou Zai glanced at Rebus again, lowered his arm, picked up a page and began to read. "Given we're recording," Rebus said, "let me state that. Mr. Summers is now looking over a draft of a report I prepared earlier today." Rebus paused. "Facts On, it must have been yesterday, Saturday. He was looking at my interpretation of some of the recent events in and around Edinburgh involving his employer, Tommy Telford, a Japanese consortium - fact I personally think it was a front for the Japanese mobsters - and a gentleman from Newcastle named Jank Tarawitz."

He paused."So far, I agree," said the lawyer. Rebus nodded and continued. "My take on these events is this. Jank Taravitz was working with Thomas Telford simply because he wanted something that Telford had. Specifically, a A well-established operating mechanism for transporting from abroad to the UK without arousing suspicion. If not, then after a while, after the relationship between the two parties stabilizes, Tarawitz thinks he can step into Telford's territory. In order to As soon as possible to achieve his purpose, he created a war between Telford and Morrison Gerald Cafferty. This has been done with ease. Telford attacked and occupied Cafferty with great fanfare Taravitz's turf, most likely at the instigation of Tarawitz. Tarawitz just needed to ensure that the incident continued to escalate. To achieve this, he had one of his men attack the outside of a nightclub in Telford. A drug dealer, Telford immediately blamed Cafferty for the incident. He sent several of his men to attack Telford's stronghold in Paisley. At the same time, there were also attacks on Cafferty's territory and The attack of his men, this is Telford's vengeance."

Rebus cleared his throat and took a sip of tea—this was freshly poured, with no sugar added. "Do these things sound familiar, Mr. Summers?" Pretty Boy didn't speak, he was busy looking at the materials. "I guess they weren't prepared to actually involve those Japanese in their organization. In other words, they had no idea what was going on. Telford showed them around, and when they wanted to Clears the way for them when buying a country club. At the same time he also provides their members with a place to rest and entertain, plus a great way to launder money - less likely to arouse suspicion than a business like a casino. Especially There will also be a new electronic device factory to be opened immediately, which will allow people from the violent gang to pretend to be ordinary Japanese businessmen and sneak into the country.

"I'm sure Taravitz got worried when he found out about it. He didn't want to get rid of Tommy Telford and lose it to other competitors. So he decided to take them as well." part of his plan. He sent someone to stalk Matsumoto, murdered him, and cunningly made me the prime suspect. Why? There are two reasons. First, Tommy Telford identified me as Ka Forty's man, so Tarawitz framed me to actually frame Cafferty; second, he wanted to kick me out, because I've been to Newcastle and met one of his men, William 'Crab ’ Colton. I’ve known Crab for years, and Tarawitz just happened to have him on the drug dealer. He didn’t want me to connect the two.”

Rebus paused again and asked, "How does that sound, Brian?" Pretty Boy has finished reading that document.He folded his arms and looked at Rebus. "We haven't seen any evidence, Inspector," said the lawyer. Rebus shrugged. "I don't need evidence. That's right. I also sent a copy of the document in front of you to Mr. Masaaki Haru who lives in the 'Scotlander' hotel." Rebus watched the pretty boy's eyelids tremble rapidly, "Then Mr. Shoda must have been a little bit angry, I suppose. I mean, he came to Edinburgh because he was angry. He found out what was wrong with Telford, so he wanted to come over and see if he could put things right. ...I don't think the McKinlin robbery will reinvigorate his confidence. But he's also here to find out why one of his men died here and who was responsible. The report tells him that Tara Weitz is behind it, and if he chooses to believe that, he will have his hands on Taravitz. In fact, he checked out of the hotel last night - looks like he's in a hurry. I don't know if he is Not going home via Newcastle, but that's beside the point. What matters is that he'll still be angry because Telford sat by and let this happen. Meanwhile, Janke Tarawitz will be left guessing who brought him Betrayed to Zheng Tian. Violent gangs are not easy to mess with, Brian. Compared with them, you can only be regarded as kindergarten level." Rebus leaned back in his chair. "One last point," he said, "Taravitz's base camp is in Newcastle. I'll bet he has eyeliner in Edinburgh. In fact, I know for certain that he does. I just spoke to Dr. Colehoun. You still Remember him, Brian? You heard about him from Lynz. Then when Tarawitz offered to offer Eastern European girls for prostitution, you thought maybe Tommy needed to learn a few foreign languages. Corhoun In charge of this teaching job. You told him stories about Tarawitz and Bosnian. The good thing is, he was the only one around who knew the foreign language, so when we took Candice back to the police station, we also Called him in as an interpreter. Corhoun quickly figured out what was going on. He wasn't sure he needed to worry, since he hadn't seen her before, and her answers were reassuringly vague— Or he translated it to us on purpose. Either way, he turned to you. Your solution: send Candace to Fife, then capture her, and move Corhoun until the wind dies down .” Rebus smiled. "He told you about Fife, but it was Tarawitz who took Candice. I think Tommy would think it was a bit weird, wouldn't you? So, now We're sitting here. And I can tell you that as soon as you step out of the police station, you're being watched. It could be the gangsters, it could be Cafferty, it could be your own boss, it could be the Tower Ravitz himself. You have no friends at all, and there will never be a place that is safe." Rebus paused, "Unless we help you. I have spoken to Chief Superintendent Watson, and he agreed to give Your witness protection treatment. New identity, take your pick. Maybe serve a short sentence--it's more believable--but you'll get special treatment: single room, no other inmates near you. After that, you can sit back and relax. This is a favorable condition given by us, so we also need your full and thorough cooperation. We need to know everything.” Rebus counted with his fingers, “The details of drug delivery, follow-up Cafferty's war, Newcastle collusion, gangsters, prostitution." He paused again, draining his cup of tea. "It's demanding, I know. Your boss is growing very fast, Brian, And he almost made it. But it's all over. Your best bet now is to open your mouth, or you're going to eat a bullet or a machete..." The lawyer was about to speak in protest when Rebus held up a hand to stop him. "We need to know everything, Brian. Including Linz." "Linz," Pretty Boy said contemptuously, "Linz is nothing." "So what's the point?" There was a mixture of anger, fear and confusion in Pretty Boy's eyes.Rebus stood up. "I'm going to get another drink. What do you guys want?" "Coffee," said the lawyer, "no milk and no sugar." Pretty Boy hesitated, then said, "Give me a can of Coke." At that moment—for the first time in a long time—Rebus knew a deal might be done.He interrupted the interrogation, Hogan turned off both the tape and video recorders, and the two left the interrogation room together.Hogan patted him on the back. Farmer Watson was walking towards them along the corridor.Rebus turned to meet them, leading them away from the door. "I think we have a good chance, sir," said Rebus. "He'll try to change the terms of the deal so he won't tell us all we want to know, but I think it might work." Watson beamed.Rebus leaned against the wall and closed his eyes: "I feel as old as a hundred years old." "Talk from experience," Hogan said. Rebus snorted at him, and the two went to buy drinks together. "Mr. Summers," said the lawyer, taking the glass offered by Rebus, "is willing to tell you about his relationship with Joseph Linz. But first, we need some reassurance." "What about the other things I just mentioned?" "Those are negotiable." Rebus looked at Pretty Boy. "you do not believe me?" Liang Zai picked up the Coke can in front of him, said: "I don't believe it." Then he drank it. "Okay." Rebus walked to the wall. "In that case, you can go." He looked at his watch. "I hope you leave as soon as you finish your drink. The interrogation room is very busy tonight. Police Hogan Governor, would you please label both the tape and the videotape?" Hogan pulled out both the tape and the videotape.Rebus sat next to him, and the two of them talked about work, as if Pretty Boy had been completely forgotten about.Hogan picked up a piece of paper and studied it to see who to question next. Out of the corner of his eye, Rebus saw Prettyboy leaning over the lawyer and whispering something.He turns to them. "Can you guys go out and talk? We need to get this room out." Pretty knew Rebus was bluffing... knew the cops wanted him.But he also realized that Rebus wasn't bluffing when he said he'd given the files to Masada, and that he was smart enough to know when to be afraid.He didn't move, and reached out and grabbed the lawyer's arm so that he, too, would sit there and listen.Finally, the lawyer cleared his throat. "Inspector, Mr. Summers is willing to answer your questions." "All the questions?" The lawyer nodded: "But I must insist on finding out more about the 'deal' you're proposing." Rebus looked at Hogan. "Go get the superintendent." After Hogan left, Rebus walked out of the interrogation room, stood in the corridor, and asked a passing policeman for a cigarette.He had hardly lit his cigarette when Farmer Watson hurried up to him.Hogan followed him, as if tied to Watson by an invisible rope. "No smoking here, John, you know that." "Yes, sir," Rebus said, stubbing out his cigarette. "I'm just holding it for Inspector Hogan." Watson nodded toward the interrogation room. "What do they want?" "We talked about the possibility of immunity. At the very least, he would want a short sentence, in a safe environment, and then a new identity." Watson mused. "The others refused to speak. It doesn't matter much. We caught them at the scene of the crime, and Telford's words were recorded on tape." "Sams was a true insider with a great knowledge of the Telford organization." "Then why is he willing to tell the whole story?" "Because he's scared, and his fear outweighs his loyalty. I'm not saying we'll get all the details from him, but it's likely enough information to prosecute the rest of the gang. Once it's known that someone Come on, they're all going to want a deal." "How about his lawyer?" "Very expensive." "Then there's no time to waste." "That's the most exact expression I've ever heard, sir." The superintendent straightened his shoulders. "Okay, let's make a deal." "When did you first meet Joseph Linz?" Liang Zai's arms were no longer wrapped around his chest.He rested his elbows on the table and rested his head on his hands.His hair fell to his forehead, making him look younger. "It was about six months ago. Before that, we were on the phone." "Is he a client?" "yes." "What exactly do you mean?" Pretty Boy looked at the spinning tape. "You want me to explain this to the entire audience?" "That's right." "Joseph Linz was a client of an escort service I worked for." "Go on, Brian. You're more than just a laborer. You're an operator, aren't you?" "Whatever you say." "If you want to go, Brian..." Liangzi's eyes flashed with anger: "Okay, I run it for my employer." "Mr. Lin Xuan is calling to accompany you?" "He wants us to send a girl to his house." "and then?" "And that's it. He just sat across from her and stared at her for half an hour." "Are both of them well-dressed?" "yes." "Nothing else?" "That's how it started." "Ah." Rebus paused, "You must be very curious." Pretty Boy shrugged. "The forest is big enough for all kinds of birds, isn't it?" "I suppose so. So, how did your business relationship develop?" "Well, in such a situation, there must always be someone by your side." "yourself?" "right." "You have nothing else to do?" Pretty Boy shrugged again. "I'm curious." "What are you curious about?" "The address: Herriot Road." "Mr. Linz... very classy?" "The word class just comes from the inside out. I mean, I've seen enough old guys, corporate owners trying to get a shot at a hotel or something, but Linz is nothing like them." "He just wants to look at the girls." "Yes. And his huge house..." "Did you go in? Didn't you just wait in the car?" "I told him that this is the company's regulation." Liangzai smiled, "Actually, I want to go in and have a look." "Have you talked to him?" "We talked about it later." "You became friends?" "Not quite... maybe. He knows a lot, very knowledgeable." "You speak well of him." Pretty Boy nodded.Yes, Rebus could imagine.Until then, his role model had been Tommy Telford.But Pretty Boy is an ambitious guy, and he wants to be classy; he wants people to buy into his ideas.Rebus knew how tempting it was for Linz to tell stories.What other attractions did Pretty Boy find in him? "What happened next?" Pretty Boy twisted his body: "His taste has changed." "Or is his true taste beginning to emerge?" "I doubted that too." "What does he want?" "He wanted those girls...he had that long rope...he could make a loop." Pretty Boy swallowed, and his lawyer had stopped writing and listened intently. "He made the girls put their heads in the noose and lie on the ground and pretend to be dead." "Do you want to wear clothes?" "No." "and then?" "Then...he would sit on a chair and masturbate. Some girls wouldn't cooperate. He asked them to do the whole thing: eyes bulging, tongue sticking out, neck twisted to the side..." Pretty Boy rubbed his hair. "Have you ever talked about these things?" "With him? No, never." "So what are you talking about?" "All sorts of things." Pretty Boy looked up at the ceiling and laughed. "He told me once that he believed in God. But he said the problem was that he wasn't sure if God believed in him. That sounded like Getting smarter...he always had a way of getting me thinking. And this guy, jerking off to corpses with ropes around their necks." "You're giving him so much personal attention," Rebus said, "because you're weighing him up, aren't you?" Liangzai looked at his thigh and nodded. "We're recording, please speak up." "Tommy always wonders if our guests are worth the squeeze." "and after?" Pretty Boy shrugged. "We found out about the Nazis and realized we couldn't do him any more harm than he already did. The whole thing turned into a joke. We also thought about exposing him as a psycho. Threatening him while the papers are saying he's a killer." He laughed again. "So you gave up on the idea?" "yes." "But he still paid five thousand pounds." Rebus induced. Pretty Boy licked his lips. "He tried to hang himself. He told me himself. He hung the rope over the banister and kicked his legs. But it didn't work. The banister broke, and he fell half to death." Reb thought about the broken banister. Rebus remembered that Linz was wearing a scarf around his neck, his voice was hoarse, and he told Rebus that he had a throat infection. "He told you?" "He called into the office and said we had to meet. It was uncharacteristic. He usually called from a pay phone to my cell phone. I used to always think he was a cautious old thing. But this time, he was Called straight from home to the office." "Where did you meet?" "At a restaurant. He bought me lunch." The young woman..." told me he tried to kill himself, but couldn't. He repeated that he proved himself a 'moral coward' and I Don't know what that means." "So what does he want you to do?" Pretty Boy looked directly at Rebus. "He wanted someone to help." "You?" Pretty Boy shrugged. "Is the price right?" "Nothing to bargain with. He wants to do it at Wolliston Cemetery." "Did you ask him why?" "I knew he liked that place. We met at his house very early. I drove him there. He looked the same as usual, but he kept thanking me for my 'determination'. I don't Find out what he means by that. To me, 'determination' is something you get after a sleepless night." Rebus smiled, as if anticipating his reaction. "Go on," he said. "Not much more to say, is there? He put the noose around his neck himself. I tried one last time to talk him out of it, but the old man was determined. It wasn't murder? It was assisted suicide . In many places, it's legal." "How did he get the wound on his head?" "He was heavier than I thought. The first time I pulled him up, the rope snapped and he fell, hitting his face hard on the ground." Bobby Hogan cleared his throat: "Brian, did he say anything... at the last moment?" "You mean the famous last words?" Pretty shook his head. "All he said was 'thank you.' Poor old thing. But for one thing, he wrote it all down." "what?" "About me helping him. Some kind of insurance in case someone links me to him. It says he's paying me to help him." "Where is this letter?" "It's in a safe. I can get it to you." Rebus nodded, stretched his back to relax his body. "Have you ever talked about the town of Franche?" "Talked a little bit, mostly about how the stuff in the papers and on TV harassed him and kept him from finding someone... company." "But nothing about the Holocaust?" Liangzi shook his head: "You know, even if he really talked about it with me, I wouldn't tell you." Rebus tapped his pen on the table.He knew that Linz's affairs were over, and Bobby Hogan knew this very well.They finally knew the secret and how Linz died.They knew he had been assisted by a rat line, but they would never know if he was Joseph Linzturk.The circumstantial evidence is strong, but at the same time, the evidence that Linz was indirectly murdered is equally strong.He only started asking escort girls to wear nooses around their necks after they filed charges against him. Hogan met Rebus' gaze and shrugged, as if to say: What does it matter?Rebus nodded in reply.He wanted to take a break in his heart, but pretty boy had just started talking now, so it was important for him to continue talking. "Thank you for your confession, Mr. Summers. If we remember anything else, we may ask another question about Mr. Linds. But for now, let us now turn to Thomas Telford and Jenke Tarawi Let's talk about the relationship with Ci." Liangzi twisted his body, as if he was looking for a comfortable position. "That's going to take a while," he said. "Take as long as you want," Rebus said.