Chapter 25 Chapter 25

The phone rang loudly, and it fell on my head like an axe.I picked up the microphone in a daze, and spoke in a sleepy tone. It was Jess's attorney, Queens Joy. "What day is it today?" I was so sleepy. Looking out of the window, gray clouds are wandering in the January sky, and the morning mist is like strands of hair falling into the net of branches. "Monday, Jesmy's bail hearing starts this afternoon." Damn it!I thought that I had been writing the arbitration agreement all week. Write in the impression." "Then make an appointment at Holloway Women's Prison. I want you to be my secretary. Remember to bring your passport to register."

I am now the acting principal, and I made up an exaggerated reason for my absence, and after I was sure I had convinced myself, I hurried to the prison. As Queens strides into the Stalinist prison waiting room (seriously, even Stalin himself would have found the building too eerie), I ask her if Jess's case is positive.I saw her cloudy eyes sinking deeply into the serious face, which became more and more gloomy. "It's not very optimistic. The plaintiff has obtained evidence from Billy Boston that she intends to hire him as a killer to murder Mr. Smoking is prohibited in the prison, and she extinguishes the cigarette butt with the heel of her high-heeled shoes. "He was arrested for fraudulently receiving social welfare benefits. It's very simple to pay bail. It's just an exchange with the police. As long as you tell the police everything about her, you can get a reduced sentence." She said, taking a sip of Starbucks double espresso.

"The police believed him? That Boston guy? First, he's a convicted murderer; second, he's the scriptwriter. The guy who wrote the script can even make up his life!" Queens shrugged, "What would a woman do if someone in her life displeased her? For a middle-class woman, she might choose the wisest path: pay someone to kill him! She stopped, coughing until half of her lungs came out, and she muttered that if she didn't smoke, she would die soon. "The reason why most murderers are caught is because they can just follow the line to find the clues to make a grudge. Therefore, it is much more difficult to solve the case by killing someone the criminal did not know. The love murder sounds reasonable, right? Right? The plaintiff will definitely talk in this direction. And they won't let her post bail, for fear that she will go outside to collude with the confession. Although the chances are a bit slim, if she can post bail, can you get 20,000 pounds? Guaranteed Jie Simei can appear in court for trial."

"Holy shit! No way! I'm a single mom and my ego will protest, and so will my check. But that's okay, I know someone who can…" When we were brought into the visiting room to visit Jess, her voice was full of sadness and powerlessness. "They're going to arrest me, aren't they? I'm done!" It seems that her criminal language is quite smooth.Her eyes were hollow, reminding me of the glass eyeballs of taxidermy I saw at Christie's auctions when I lived with Hannah.Her voice expressed the fear in her heart, and it really didn't match the title of "Merry Widow" given to her by the media!

Now the newspapers are reporting how the wife of the former president of the Royal College of Surgeons and the medical authority of the World Health Organization - David Storland was arrested in London, and suspicions of her husband's murder broke out. "Jesmey, the plaintiff has provided me with further evidence, and the truth is quite unfavorable to you." Queens sat on a chair and analyzed it in detail, "So don't get your hopes up too much." "The truth? What truth? Where did the truth come from?" "Evidence shows that you told your hairdresser that you had a wonderful second half of your life to live—that is, life after your husband died. Also, do you often say that your husband only has two days to bring you happiness? , one day is the day you marry him, and one day is the day you bury him' talking?"

"Yeah! That's right, I also said 'Where there is a will, you will succeed'! Yes, yes, this is called 'wife humor', I always love to joke! Who are the people who framed me ?” "Oh, don't worry, there's other evidence! Evidence that your husband complained to friends that you hit him with a bread knife." "Listen, I'm a chef," Jess replied, "If I really wanted to kill David, I would have given the medicine, and then used food spices, such as curry, to cover the bitterness of the medicine, wouldn't it be enough?" Jess's attorney choked on the words, and the espresso spurted from her nostrils.

"As long as we know what we just said, OK? Next, have you ever told Billy Boston that the best thing about having an ex-convict boyfriend is that he can operate high-level weapons?" Jie Si's face instantly turned pale, "That's right, but..." "Boston claims that you asked him to murder your own husband for the purpose of fraudulently collecting insurance money. Also, your savings will be less and less, partly because you spend on the little boy and spend too much." "No! It's because David mortgaged the house without my knowledge!" "It's for his cause in Africa, Jesmy, and anyway, I don't think there will be many sympathy votes."

"Sympathy? No one will sympathize with me? He did so many cruel things to me, but no one sympathizes with me who desperately tried to save my marriage? God! Do you know how much courage 'that incident' gave me? Just before Christmas, David said he was going to leave behind all his infidelities and betrayals and start over with me. At first I didn’t believe I could escape the cycle of sadness and anger, but I figured it out. David would He must have had his reasons for the affair, right? To put it bluntly, marriage hadn't given him what he really needed. "I've come to understand that couples heal the trauma of infidelity by how much they love each other in the first place and how much they've had in their past lives. David is the only man in my life who has ever loved deeply , he is the father of my only child, oh my god! We still have to help Josh get out of his unrequited relationship..."

She didn't mention Hannah's name, I noticed. "... That's why we planned a family vacation to Australia, and I also found that my emotional focus back to reality, it really didn't help our relationship. David really regrets the past, he I’m under a lot of pressure, and I’m very angry that one of his investment projects in Africa is not right. Oh, and we had a big fight because of it.” She was trembling, “But we put aside our prejudices, those things are over How much we look forward to spending the next thirty years of our lives together. But now, if he is gone..." Her voice was stuck in her throat.

"If David dies, how will I live in the future? However, I must be strong and help Josh through the difficulties. My heart is cold, and the pain will never go away. How can it go away? Only one It intensifies every day, but we still have to live with hope, waiting for the day when David opens the door and walks in. If I keep preparing for the worst, isn't even hope gone? A small corner of my heart really There is still hope, waiting for him to call back one day, and listening to him say: 'Hi, wife, I am in Darfur, Sudan. Say, or..." She buried her face in her hands. Jesmy's attorney put his hand on the client's shoulder and comforted her: "Look, you haven't even been tried yet! We just need to convince the judge that you won't abscond, commit crimes again, or destroy evidence."

When Queens was about to get up, Jess asked her for a cigarette. "The pastor here advised me to be grateful for the things I have experienced in my life." Regardless of the complete ban on smoking here, Jie Si lit a fire and smoked one after another. "But what have I been through? Kathy, going to jail for something I didn't do, getting a load of debt, sharing a cell with a lesbian..." At this time, Queens was sucking the molasses in the candy, making a sucking sound, which caused Jie Si to tremble. "Now people all over the country regard me as a murderer, thinking that I buried my husband, which is really a great achievement! In this way, the chance that he may still be alive, but he just doesn't know where he is is even more slim .Oh yeah! I'm so fucking grateful right now!" That afternoon, before my bail hearing began, I vowed to do my best to help my oldest friend.And right now, I think about the only person I can go to... With anticipation and uneasiness, my heart beats so fast at the thought of seeing his lazy smile again later. We made an appointment to meet at Love Love Bar.Walking out of the subway station, gusts of strong cold wind swept my face back and forth like a probe light, and I asked myself: What is the purpose of my coming here? I explained Jesme's current situation to the big-nosed lover, and he laughed. "Huh, I'll just say it. You want me to come out and prove Billy Boston is a liar? Pulling a brother's legs is a heinous crime in our way, baby. So..." He smiled narrowly, "What do you want me to do?" What?" He unscrewed the cap of the Coke bottle, the muscles of the forearm first tightened and bulged, and then spread to all directions of the skin, which really made people's heart beat wildly. "You don't look like you're serious about talking to me," I grumbled. "There's a bail hearing this afternoon!" "Oh, but I'm serious!" He replied casually, leaning over, arrogantly and self-righteously unbuttoning my jacket.He was brisk and frivolous, he was overdosed on drugs, and he started to behave badly, "Really serious!" "Frankly speaking, I'm not interested in dirty things, and I'm good at grammatical structures. Maybe I can help you correct grammatical mistakes or something?" "Think about it! Baby." He left a foreshadowing, and I got up and left. My mind raced as I strode past St. Paul's Cathedral towards the Central Crown Court in Albury Street. What am I afraid of?I'm a single mom now, and Lovelord is strong enough to audition for Denzel Washington's stand-in.Maybe let him in my bed and I can kick Roy out of my head and enjoy my orgasm? The streets around Fleet Street and St. Paul's Church are full of ugly, mottled and ugly buildings as far as the eye can see.Looking at the Central Criminal Court, it stands out because of its clean, awe-inspiring stelae and rigid fluted columns, which exude an ominous atmosphere. Those Shark Uncrowned Sharks who shake pens, also known as journalists, are surrounding the outside of the court, all of them barking their teeth and claws, rushing forward, and they are really menacing.Lawyers are busy handing out business cards, just like dealing cards with a deck of poker.Then came another big-name criminal with no one in sight, entered the arena under the escort of the police, a group of paparazzi rushed up, and the camera flashes went up and down one after another, flashing non-stop. I sat waiting in the sales department of the courthouse, which was packed like hell, and I was so nervous I wanted to throw up.Watching the Obasans molt off their gorgeous coats, their heads looking like frail hawks, I sipped my hot tea and reapplied my lipstick, imagining them as the heiresses of East London crime families . After a while, the young versions of the obasans came—several blond beauties walking around, their short and thin dresses stuck together by face cream.The cuties were cursing loudly there, complaining about the ban on smoking or something, and their exposed legs were completely unafraid of the cold. Queens patted me on the shoulder, I dragged my feet heavily, my heart almost came to my mouth.Entering the majestic courtroom, with dazzling and luxurious chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, I sat with her team of lawyers, just when it was time to read the content of the lawsuit. "...According to the Injuries to the Person Act promulgated in 1861, the British courts can exercise the power of trial and try it in accordance with the law when a native is involved in the murder of any native abroad. In the report to the court, we have obtained from the Australian police another strong evidence." The widow, the protagonist of the husband-killing case, had honey-smooth hair pulled up into a small bun. Standing in the dock, she looked particularly haggard and panicked.Jess tried her best to maintain her last dignity, but her tense nerves betrayed her pretended firmness, and she licked her lower lip with her tongue like a kitten. The lawyer appointed by Jess has briefed the senior lawyer of the Crown Prosecutor's Office on the case. He tried his best to fight for the chance of bail, saying that the defendant has met the 20,000 pounds bail to be released from prison and can live in a specific residence. But the plaintiff's lawyer at the Royal Court firmly objected, "In the court, this lady is suspected of trying to kill her husband and then profit from it. She will not mourn the death of her husband. The fact is on the contrary. Maybe she intends to Let's celebrate!" The plaintiff's lawyer must have had too much to do, and I figured he must have been cynical because of the pock marks on his face, a face comparable to cottage cheese that's been poked with a fork! "There is definitely a murder case. The whole family's happy vacation is just a cover. In the past few months, Jesmy Justin has been suffering from her husband's malicious neglect. The two have settled for property and custody of their son. Had an argument." He also accused her of signing a murder contract to get rid of her husband so that she could fraudulently claim up to two million pounds in insurance money. Kill her husband, then throw the body into the sea to wipe out all traces. "Billy Boston won't dump her, she's obviously going to find another way. This clever woman is bent on getting David Stellan killed for two reasons - money and sexual freedom." I dare say that the plaintiff's lawyer is now going to expose the fact that Jie Si cheated on her husband for the past year! "There are also underground lovers. Those men definitely provided her with several routes to escape abroad. While her husband was running for refugees in Africa, she began to flaunt that she would soon be a wealthy widow, and then single-handedly led a series of events. Romance." The incumbent is great!The judge snorted coldly, his angry eyes pierced through the glasses, and cast his eyes on the shameless whore in front of him. I really want to yell out that Jess was almost killed by her crazy marriage life, and her husband is actually using those refugees, but when I think about it, if I hadn't pretended to be Queens' secretary, I wouldn't have the right to sit here Yes, I had to bite my tongue and shut my mouth angrily. "Your court," Jess's lawyer stood up, with a respectful and humble gesture, like a royal servant, "in this case of missing persons, the Australian police have started to find the whereabouts of Dr. David Storland, the criminal killer. The organization has now offered a huge reward. Apart from the confession of the former criminal, there is no specific proof of the crime.” Jess cried, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief. The plaintiff's lawyer reminded the judge sarcastically that there is no one in the world who is more pitiful and mournful than the widow in front of him. "He disappeared for a few hours, and she started asking how to get the two million pounds of life insurance and death benefits. She was really in pain and sad!" "Can I speak, please?" Jess asked, but couldn't wait for the judge to agree. She couldn't help but say, "I have to face the pain of my husband's drowning so that I can help my son through this. Difficulties. Josh still has a long life to go..." "Can you please respect the court procedure and present your defense at an appropriate time?" The judge intentionally stopped her from speaking, his vowel voice was heavy and thick, overwhelming her words, "Also, the defense needs Speak through your defense attorney," the judge reprimanded. But Jess couldn't be bothered to dump him.This woman has the courage to stand up for what she believes in, which means she doesn't want to be charged with anything at all. "Although I have been forced to endure what I don't want to accept-the fact that the other half may have died, I must not let this pain ruin my son's life! If you sentence me to jail, I can't pull me Give me a hand!" "Please be quiet!" The judge made a strange sound like a sea lion giving birth. I'm really starting to worry that Jess will spend the rest of her life counting the return days on her library card in the prison library!She had long expected the judge to be lenient, and there was nothing else she could do. "We must consider the possibility of interfering with witnesses and physical evidence after the defendant is released from prison on bail." The plaintiff's lawyer continued, "We already have evidence that she intended to murder her husband, such as dropping pills to prevent malaria, deliberately letting He was exposed to a high-risk environment of tropical malaria, and he was given a bullet-proof vest of the wrong size... Wait, there are more evidences that can prove the heart of the most poisonous woman!" here we go again!The vigilant radar in my brain was activated again. "Something is wrong!" The mournful sobs made Jie Si uncomfortable, but the only turning point was to see if the judge would show mercy. He looked at Jess coldly, as if she were nothing more than a specimen under a microscope.I was so scared that I shivered all over, and my nails were bitten by me so that I couldn't chew any more, so I had to start chewing down on my elbow. However, just when her future seemed to be in jeopardy, and there was nothing better than walking on the ropes, the bailiff hurriedly handed over a fax to the plaintiff's lawyer, which was still printed on official paper.After reading the content quickly, his face was drawn long in surprise, and his face was frozen like cottage cheese. "In court, the South Australian police just sent a message saying that David Storland's body parts have been found in the belly of a great white shark. The fax pointed out that due to the frequent occurrence of shark attacks on humans in the area, the Fisheries Bureau has sent There have been many great white shark hunts." He read aloud, "This man-eating shark is as wide as an RV and twenty-three feet long. The body parts in its belly have been confirmed to be David. Dr. Stewart. It is difficult to say what caused the attack, because it is not the season for sharks to migrate. The victim dived in the evening, at the most dangerous time, and the sharks could detect even a small amount of blood. In addition , a used tampon was found in the back pocket of the swim trunks the victim was wearing." Suddenly, there was a wail, and I turned to Jess, watching her collapse, nearly passed out. There are many advantages of being a woman. The first advantage is that someone will escort you off the ship when the ship sinks; second, you don’t need to fiddle with and adjust the position of your genitals in public; A woman's disease that is mysterious to men, even just mentioning the word "little tampon" can scare your male supervisor, policeman or old judge into a daze. It seems that your honor's curiosity has surpassed his embarrassment, and he asked Jie Si who was weeping secretly in the dock (the court was adjourned for half an hour just now, so that she could deal with the news of her husband's death) blow), and asked her to explain what that "feminine hygiene product" was all about. "That's the proof! That's the proof! That's the proof of how well my relationship with David is going!" Jess sobbed, "We were playing in the shallows near the rocky shore, and David wanted to have sex, just happened to be My period. And then, uh... I don't want to throw the tampon in the ocean.. I mean, I'm afraid the tampon will be washed up by the waves and it might hit innocent swimmers in the face. So kindly David Volunteering to stuff the tampon in the back pocket of his swim trunks. Court, it's a testament to how close and loving we are. "Afterwards, I felt tired and wanted to swim back. David said he would come to me later for an evening cocktail. I suspect that while I was in the shower, he ran to float on the headland and beyond. Dive. We were warned before that we must not go there, but he is like this - he is not afraid of anything, he is such a hero! And then... you all know what happened next." The whole audience stared at her for a moment.I can't believe that those extreme sports fanatics (you can say that they are "organ donors") don't put a tampon in their swimming trunks and then go swimming in shark-infested waters. Horrible, super-risky things are in sight. "We're British!" Jess cried out suddenly. "We didn't know that sharks came out to feed in the evening! We didn't even know that they could smell a little bit of blood!" She broke down again and couldn't help herself, the tissue paper was taken out, and then a glass of water was brought over. I watched Jess' lawyer anxiously, not sure if this unexpected development would help the case.Thanks to the evidence provided by Billy Boston, Jess was arrested on suspicion of murder not long ago, and now that the body has been found, will this push her one step closer to freedom, or take a step back? There was a commotion behind me as Queens Joy strode in from the courtroom, and I saw her lean into Jess's barrister's ear and speak, and then he rose majestically. "In court, the witness has just contacted Ms. Jia Ting's appointed lawyer, expressing his intention to withdraw his testimony, and has requested the police to report in accordance with relevant procedures. Since the testimony provided by the Royal Court is invalid, his testimony has also been withdrawn, and the rest of the evidence It is only at the stage of rumors and conjectures. Regarding the above, I believe you can ask the plaintiff to give up all the complaints." Jess looked at me, and I looked at her. An hour later, I waited at the door of the cell for the police and prison staff to confirm that Jess had no reason to be detained.She came out after all the procedures for her release from prison were completed. I was curious, how many times did the prison guards force the door open for us two women, back and forth, so that we would fall into each other's arms and cry and laugh?Complicated emotions surged up, and we were all very relieved that the grievance finally came to Xue. "Thank you for helping me pay that bail, Kathy," Jess burst into tears, "You are such a good sister!" "Actually, it's not me. I've always been so bitter...it's Hannah!" Jess stayed there for a while before returning to her usual eloquence. "If I knew I was going to be like this, I'd rather stay in the cell. I mean, look at me, sweetheart, I've lost a lot of weight, I've stopped drinking, and I've given up my books to read. In a low-security prison Squatting inside for a short period of time, and occasionally letting the wind out for a breath, is also considered a different kind of practice." Walking out of Central Criminal Court, we were going to celebrate with a drink or two at the pub on Fleet Street. Queens took my arm and said, "I think you still owe your old friend a favor." "Who are you talking about? Roy?" "Yeah! I accidentally let him know where Billy Boston lives after bail and apparently he 'visited' him a little bit and brought a Rottweiler, a Doberman, and a Great Dane , a jar of poisonous spiders, plus a big bag of pythons and other souvenirs." "Roy really did that?" I'm a bit lost, okay!Maybe some of my preconceived prejudices are wrong. For example, a husband who is cheap and evil and has a third grade will become a prince charming who saves the princess! There's no time to think about those brain teasers right now, though.After a few celebratory glasses of champagne, it was eight o'clock in the evening, and I had to go home so the babysitter could get off work.Back home to clean the kitchen, unfreeze tomorrow's food, do homework, put the kids to bed, pay the bills, do DIY home crafts, and...oh my mom!Also get a plumber. On this freezing January night, getting my orgasm back was a hundred times easier than finding a plumber!The operation program of the central air-conditioning and heating in my home was pre-set by the factory when it left the factory. As a result, the timing and constant temperature functions all failed, and it seemed like winter was in my house. Also, apparently the repairman I had an appointment with couldn't find my address - he must have spent a nanosecond (literally) walking the streets, looking around, but then it wasn't in his car The white pickup truck left my house more urgently than the fire brigade, leaving only a small note saying that he might come again, oh, it said "next January". In the past, Luo Yi was responsible for repairing the water and electricity at home, alas... okay!For at least the past year, he has made me understand that he has played an extremely important role in my life, and now I finally have a taste of hell.