Chapter 41 Grass tea

Phoebe was driving on the muddy and steep mountain road, and she couldn't stop crying.He was going to the top of Friars' Hill.Now, the rain is starting to lighten up, but the sun is still covered by thick clouds.It was not wise, he thought, to go up to the top of a mountain just to visit an old lady in such bad weather.If the river rose a little further, it would be more difficult to cross the old bridge.In that case, he would have to detour several miles.There was a lot of work waiting for him in his lawyer's office, and she could keep him there all afternoon with a lot of nonsense.

Still, he thought the trip was necessary.Even though she had a young man just out of school to help her with legal matters, those jobs would have been too overwhelming for her.He can help her with many things.No, as far as the courts were concerned, he had nothing to worry about, except that the nasty litigation was time consuming and full of trouble.It's best to try to persuade her, or at most give her some more shares. Aisha was Paul's wife, and Paul was dead.This Paul was an amateur inventor, but he liked to call himself "the chemist."He was impoverished for most of his life, and it was not until he invented a drink in his sixties that his life turned around.At first, the drink he invented was sold locally, and then gradually spread and became very popular.For a while, his BJ's company was a source of wealth.He then borrowed money to expand his business.

Later, his business expanded too much, which attracted huge risks. The bank refused to lend him any more money and threatened to foreclose on his mortgage.Other creditors began to come to collect debts, and at the same time, competitors also took the opportunity to catch up.One piece of bad news after another, and in the end, Paul had only one way left to declare bankruptcy. That's when Phoebe gets involved.He figured out Paul's situation and carefully figured out his plan.Before talking to Paul, he found Northeast Beverage Company and asked them to take over BJ's company. He lied to them, saying that he had equity in BJ's company. In fact, he was not a shareholder of BJ's company at all at that time.Then, with a tentative draft in his suitcase, he went to Paul to make terms.

After he had gone through his plan in his head, he told the troubled old Paul, "You have two choices, either you declare bankruptcy, or you have to sell your business." Then he said The outline of his plan: He could pay off the debt on Paul's behalf, and then take control of the stock, while Paul kept a small portion of the shares.As a consolation, he promised to leave the powerless chairmanship to him.He was bent on making it happen.Paul hesitated.Phoebe puts the pressure on right away, suggesting that the creditors are right behind and that unless Paul gives in, they'll be calling the next day.

Phoebe recalled with satisfaction how Paul finally reached for his pen and scribbled his name.At that time, the old man had tears in his eyes, and his fingers tremblingly pushed the tip of the pen, as if it took a lot of effort to sign off the cause that cost his life and hope.The old man's child-like font fulfilled the dream of this evil lawyer for many months. As soon as he had the title of owner of the company, he sold BJ's to Northeast Beverage Company.In addition to repaying the debts paid by the Northeast Beverage Company, he also made a lot of money.If a man understands human nature, he can do anything.Most people are stupid, and if you know how to handle them, you can play them all you want.

Well, he thought, Mrs. Paul was just a small detail in the matter.No doubt she was still in mourning, and she was still mourning the death of her husband.A few days after Phoebe's trick, Paul was found dead in the car with the engine on and the doors tucked to death with cloth strips. The suicide note beside him did not mention Phoebe at all.There are only a few lines in the suicide note, written like a child's handwriting, mentioning his failure, hoping his wife will forgive him for taking his own life. Paul's suicide caused an uproar in the town.But Phoebe felt relieved and saved a lot of trouble.

As he expected, Paul Sr. once again considered his trade. He regrets signing that deal.It would be a great misfortune if he went to court with Phoebe.Phoebe's contract with the Northeast Beverage Company is enough to cause fire and even threaten his legal qualifications.But, Phoebe thought, thank God it was over. Mrs. Paul, ignorant of business matters, might have surmised that her husband had been duped, but there was nothing she could do.She's been talking to the young lawyer named Kex.Phoebe thought that he had to comfort her, maybe he had to give her a little more of the shares of the Northeast Beverage Company he owned. Come.

In the rain, the old two-story Victorian building looked bleak. Phoebe turned up the collar of her raincoat, stepped up the steps, and rang the bell. The white-haired, thin, slightly hunchbacked old lady opened the door. "Mr. Phoebe, it's very kind of you to come in this weather. Come in." He said a few polite words and walked into the living room.A fire was burning in the fireplace in the living room, the door to the dining room was open, and the heavy curtains were drawn down. The owner seemed to dislike sunlight on weekdays. There is a circle of gauze outside the floor lamp, casting circles of yellow light on the once beautiful and luxurious carpet.

"Mrs. Paul, are you all right?" he asked falsely, warming his hands over the fire. "Toefl, toefl. But Paul's death is a very shocking thing." "Well, I can understand. But it seems that you are doing well now." "Also, the way he died," Mrs. Paul went on, "was not like his character. He always thought suicide was cowardly and criminal. I could never bring myself to believe that he would." "Yes, but I'm sorry. Mrs. Paul, he must have been ill for that." She shook her head. "He's heartbroken. Mr. Phoebe, he gave his life to his career, and it's gone so suddenly. He feels cheated, betrayed."

"Business happens a lot," Phoebe said calmly. "Business always goes wrong. It's not your husband's fault. It just happened to him." Mrs. Paul rose from her chair and turned to the fire. "Mr. Phoebe, I know a lot about the business. My husband told me it when he was alive. I know it didn't happen by chance. Yes, there were some problems with the company, but they were forced to do so." She turned overdo it.He saw that her face was flushed, and he couldn't tell whether it was from fire or excitement. "You have to admit that you made a lot of money in this matter."

He smiled slightly. "Business, Mrs. Paul, it's just business, and you have to take it as your own business. After all, you also own the shares of the Northeast Beverage Company, which will bring you income." "Very little. That can't meet my expenses." He wanted to change the subject, "The weather is really bad today, otherwise, I really want to see your garden, I know you have a beautiful garden." "Yes, my garden is beautiful. Someday the weather is fine, I will show you to enjoy it. Unfortunately, there are groundhogs in the garden, which always kill my flowers. The gardener and I want to catch them, but Useless, they are too many." "Groundhog, I know a guy. He buried empty bottles in the garden and left the neck on the ground, and he said the wind made the bottles whine and the groundhog felt the vibrations in the ground and would move away. " "My gardener thinks there's only one way to get rid of them," said Mrs. Paul, "and that's by poison. Sounds scary, doesn't it?I don't like to kill any animals either, but I can't do it otherwise, or my beautiful garden will be ruined, and he was in town on Saturday, and he bought a bottle of arsenic, which is in the storage room. " "real." "The gardener is going to do it as soon as the ground is dry. The bottle is still there, and every time I see it, I get a weird feeling in my heart." She touched her cheek with a wrinkled hand, "My God, I Really, how do you talk about this, how about a cup of tea?" "Great, thank you." "A strawberry tea," she said. "I hope you like it. There's nothing like a strong strawberry tea in this weather, but some people don't like it." "I'm sure it's good." While waiting for her return from the kitchen, Phoebe wondered why she had invited him up to the hills to make a fuss, perhaps because she thought her poverty might arouse his sympathy. The hands of his watch were at three, and he had to find an excuse to leave, but first, he had to throw in some questions about the young lawyer Kex.When Mrs. Paul came back, he was thinking about how to start the conversation.Mrs. Paul was pushing a cart with a large teapot on it, with cups, cakes, and pastries. "Let me help you," he said. "In the good times we had servants to do these things," said Mrs. Paul, when she sat down, "and since the business failed, I had to do it myself. I can't help thinking of the past with Paul and me. How happy it was." Happy life, never expected to be left alone, and life is unpredictable." Phoebe felt a piece of cake stuck in her throat and cleared her throat. "I was thinking, Mrs. Paul, I hope you are satisfied with my agreement with Paul. If you have any problems, I hope I can help you solve them. You don't have to ask others for help. Young lawyers are always inexperienced. " She smiled slightly. "I already have a lawyer. Mr. Kex gave me the help I needed. I think he may have talked to you about some problems." He concealed his unhappiness, "Of course, there is no problem with the arrangement of the company's affairs. I promise, everything is well arranged." "I don't know much about the legal details, Mr. Phoebe. But I think if it can be shown that my husband signed the agreement under duress, the court can invalidate it." "Forced?" Phoebe swallowed with difficulty, "That's not the case. All the terms are placed in front of him, and his decision is of his own will. I'm afraid you've heard other people's rumors, then Such lawsuits are absolutely untenable." She looked gloomy, and said suddenly, "Kiss is a bright young man." "Litigation will only cause discomfort and become people's talk, I believe you will not like it." "Yes," she nodded, "I've always had the feeling that there should be a better way." Phoebe took another sip of her tea.A better way, there is something in the words, what does she mean? "The proceedings are long and tedious," she said, sipping her tea. "Paul always said, if you decide something unpleasant, do it as quickly as possible, which is to cut the mess quickly." She smiled. and said, "I've thought a lot about that, did you like my tea?" "Okay, not bad." He was confused, was she implying something? "Once upon a time," said Mrs. Paul, "we had an old dog who was very sick and obviously hopeless, and Paul liked him, but he didn't hesitate." "What did he do?" "He gave it some poison," said Mrs. Paul, "I think it's arsenic." Phoebe nodded vaguely. "I think I really have to go. The wind is getting stronger." "The wind always destroys my garden," said Mrs. Paul, "blowing off the flowers and scattering the leaves and twigs. And this summer there are woodchucks, and my gardener assures me that the flowers won't suffer much longer. Arsenic Strong medicine, quick response." As soon as the words fell, he heard the ringing of the clock.He then finished his tea. "I'm afraid it prolongs my husband's death," said Mrs. Paul. "I think his death was painless. Poison must be very painful. I think I must depress you when I speak of poison. Right?" She put down her teacup, "Now, I should talk to you about something that only one or two people besides me know. It's a secret that Paul has kept for life..." She looked up, "Mr. Phoebe , what's the matter with you? Not feeling well?" The thing that was wrong was that Phoebe had just had an idea, a terrible idea, and until now his quick mind hadn't been able to connect the two things.This cup of tea with a strange smell, she called arsenic.impossible? Yes, she might, she's been planning. He suddenly grabbed his throat with his hand, stood up from the chair, groaned in horror, and sat back down again.He couldn't make a loud sound, only a vague and painful sound. "You must have cake stuck in your throat," Mrs. Paul said. "Relax and take a deep breath." "Arsenic—arsenic," he wanted to shout, but he could only say in a low voice: "Help me." But it was evident that Mrs. Paul had not heard what he was saying. "As I said just now, Mr. Paul has little education. Both his parents died when he was very young, and he went out into the world by himself when he was very young." Phoebe didn't hear what she said, only felt the burning in his stomach, and the lights seemed to be getting dimmer, and he was terrified. How could she sit there, calm and savoring the pleasure of revenge as if nothing had happened?She must be crazy. He struggled to his feet and said in a guttural voice, "Mrs. Paul, call an ambulance. I have to get to the hospital before it's too late." "In time? Mr. Phoebe," she said with a slight smile on her lips, "poor Paul is lying in the car with the engine running, so that's 'too late'." "It's not my fault he killed himself." "Do you admit that you used him? Are you recruiting now? Are you using him with tricks?" "Okay, yes, if it doesn't work, I——I'll make it up to you, and I'll give you all the stocks of Dongbei Beverage. Please don't waste your time and help me." She stood up slowly, slowly, looking down at him, there was no trace of pity on her pale face.She said: "That suicide note was written by you. You imitated his handwriting from his signature, and then murdered him." "No!" But every minute is precious now, "Yes, I knocked him out with the pincers, I—I had to do that, he suspected me, threatened me. I admit the upper hand, just please help me." She had no one to be a witness, and he would have denied it later—if he hadn't died. "Stand up, Mr. Phoebe, you're a fool. I never put anything in my tea. No one poisoned me." "What?" He struggled to his feet, feeling relieved but angry that he had been teased.He gasped, "You use tricks, and I'll admit nothing... nothing! I'll deny everything, and they'll never believe you, and they can't prove anything." "His signature, Mr. Phoebe. My husband can only write his name. He can't write any other words, let alone read. He hasn't read a book at all." He stared at her: "Impossible, then how can he start a company?" "I helped him. I tried to warn him not to accept your arrangement, but he didn't listen. When the police handed me the suicide note, I knew he was murdered. And his death, only you can benefit .” He was calm again, he took his chances, no one saw him coming here.So he only needed to step forward and strangle her neck. "He's illiterate, I don't care. We're in love, a love you don't understand, because you never love anyone but yourself." Take another step forward, stretch out your hands, and use your strength, everything will be solved. He turned around as the dining room door slid open.Attorney Kex, the sheriff of the police station came to him. For a while, the four of them stood still, only the rain outside the window was rushing down, and the wind was howling... ?