Chapter 83 third party

"Defendant and lawyers plead final. Defendant Warren," shouted the bailiff. "The defendant went up to the front desk and took an oath." "Are you willing to swear solemnly that the testimony you are going to say is all facts, complete facts, and absolutely no falsehood." "Yes." Warren said. "State your name and occupation." "Warren, open an electrical store in town." "You can sit down. How old are you, Warren?" "Forty-six." "Are you married?" "We've been married for more than twenty years."

"Where do you live?" "New Jersey, just on the border." "That's about fifty miles away. Do you drive back and forth every day?" "Yes, including Saturdays. I run back and forth six days a week." "How long have you been running a shop in Wakeham?" "Nearly four years." "How did you come up with the idea of ​​opening a shop in Wickham Town?" "After my father died, I inherited a little money. I always wanted to start my own business, so I chose for a long time, and finally opened a shop in this place. This is the only electrical supplies store in town."

"How's business?" "Not bad, but not as good as I expected. The town can't accept a newcomer, and now this..." "Yes... Well, now, Warren, the prosecutor wants to discuss the question you gave Mary I want to clear things up. I ask you to identify this TV marked 'Evidence No. 16', did you give it to Mary?" "Yes, sir, it is the one I sent you." "What brand is it?" "It's nothing, sir, I assembled it myself." "You assembled it yourself?" "Yeah, I want to try a new circuit... you know, I want to try everything."

"The label says it's Mike's." "I used an old TV case, and since it was the right size, I polished it up and salvaged it." "Approximately how much did it cost you?" "Time is not counted, and various parts cost me two hundred yuan." "So, what you actually gave Mary were only parts worth about two hundred dollars?" "You can say so if you like, sir, but I didn't think of money, and she liked it, so I gave it to her." "Did she see you assemble it?" "Yes, she comes into the store a lot, and when the front store is empty, I go to the back office to assemble this."

"Does she come into your office often?" "Well, I don't know what you often mean by that." "Every day, or twice a week?" "Not every day, maybe every two or three days." "Tell us, if you like, when did you meet Mary?" "Well, sir, it was the year she got out of high school, and she used to come in there and buy some records and stuff, you know, like a kid would drop in on the way from school to buy." "and after?" "I don't know how to explain it, but we chatted and trust developed quickly. She seemed very mature, psychologically much more mature and sensitive than the average child. "

"Is she pretty?" "Yes, very pretty. But she doesn't seem to have a boyfriend at school, she's so lonely. It wasn't long before I found out why, I think I know why she likes to talk to me" "We'd love to know her character, Warren, would you please tell this court why she likes to talk to you?" " "I think in her mind, I'm like a father or an uncle, because she never had one and always wanted one." "What do you mean?" "She never knew who her biological father was. She grew up with her stepfather, who was surly, often drunk, and an old pervert. She had always had bad thoughts about her. She had a lot of children from her ex-wife. He left him. So Mary was always left alone, with menial jobs and love. So as soon as she was able to support herself, she left the family."

"How old was she then?" "Perhaps thirteen or fourteen." "What does she do?" "Lived with a sister for a while, and then lived in different places, mostly at my girlfriend's house, here for a month, then for a few weeks." "Did she tell you that she lived with a man?" "No, she never said that." "Do you have the impression that she is fooling around outside?" "No, not as far as I know, at least not in high school. As I said, she's always been very mature, but also trusting." "She trusts you?"

"Yes, she was very sympathetic, always a little birdie. But, sir, I think she trusted me, and that's why she talked to me often. But at that time, she never mentioned any Boyfriend, just talk about how bad her family is, how bad she is to her, how eager she is to finish her studies, find a job, and be independent. But she has not been able to do so." "Why do you say that?" "Well, first of all, she failed her studies, didn't finish high school, and instead was sent to a relief school on the island with a group of girls, where she learned to type and work as a secretary...a kind of livelihood. However, she often called Me, tell me that place sucks and the girls there are so rough and do drugs and stuff. She only stays there for two months and then leaves and comes back here hoping to get a job here and rent a house, That's where she was killed."

"Honestly, Warren, do you think Mary is in love with you?" "I... I... I think so. Maybe a special kind of love, she often told me that all she wanted in her life was someone to love her." "But you never encouraged her?" "Encourage her to love me? No, sir." "why not?" "Why not? I don't know how to answer, maybe because I'm sorry for her, maybe because I'm so old, because I'm married and love my wife. But I don't want to hide it. You, Mr. Bosch, yes, I love Mary, but not in the way people think.It's just that in my heart, a special kind of love may not be like loving a daughter.But it's the same way of protection. Her childhood was already hard enough, and I can't bear her being hurt again. "

"You never told her?" "I didn't have to tell her, she could tell, so when she found out she was pregnant, she told me everything." "She told you that she was having a relationship with another man?" "Tell me right away. When she found out she was pregnant a few weeks later, she was so nervous. I think she was afraid of losing my friendship." "What was your reaction?" A' "How could I react? Ever since she started dating that guy, I knew there was going to be trouble. She met him at a dinner party not too long ago and fell in love right away. I think that was the first time she A real love affair. I didn't like it, but I didn't object, because I couldn't bear to spoil her. She was too happy to care that the man had a family, and she was convinced that he would divorce his wife for her. I thought to myself :"yes?Let's wait and see! ’ But I didn’t say that to her, I just listened to her because she was so happy.Until she found out she was pregnant. "

"and then?" "I knew there was going to be trouble. It was heartbreaking when she told me that the man was not a good thing, that he was a big man, but when he was with her, he was nothing. He always took her away from here Far away, where no one would see them together. When he found out she was pregnant, he was very angry and blamed her for being careless. Said he didn't want to see her again unless she accepted the money he offered to abort the fetus." "He paid her to have an abortion?" "Yes, sir, she said, and he gave five hundred dollars, on the same night and in the same place she told him." "She told you all this?" "Yes, sir, she told me." "and then?" "She didn't know what to do, she wanted to keep her friendship with that guy but at the same time she was sad and angry with him. I suggested that she see a priest, but she was unwilling. She took me as a spiritual counselor and asked me what to do with the fetus in my womb. " "what do you say?" "I told her that if she had an abortion, if she didn't do it well, she might never be able to bear children. At that time, she might be in pain. I also tried to make her understand that if she had a child, then her life It was the first time that she really had someone she could love. I also said that she could also consider giving the child up for adoption as soon as it was born. There are many such institutions. That way, at least she won't have to feel guilty in the future that she has deprived her child of her life.I believe that it is better and safer for her to be adopted by others than to raise her herself, and it may be the best way. " "How did she react to your suggestions?" "I'm sure she was happy when she went." "But, you don't know what kind of decision she made?" "Yes, sir, but I believe her lover will threaten her with an abortion." "You hate him?" "Yes, sir, I think so." "And you never saw him?" "No, never." "She didn't tell you. Who is he? His name?" "No, sir, because she promised him not to tell anyone." "Can you guess who he is? Or is there any clue?" "Your Honor, I protest. The defendant's lawyer should know that witnesses cannot be asked to insinuate others." "Mr. Bosch, you are asking too much," said the judge. "I'm sorry, Your Honor, but I thought the witnesses might have some clues." "Then, let's go back to your question!" "Warren, has Mary hinted who her lover is?" "No." "When did she tell you she was pregnant and got money from her lover?" "One month before she was killed." "Now, Warren, I know you understand that it is important that you tell your Honour as much as you can about the day Mary was killed." "Well, sir, it was five-fifteen that afternoon. She must have been off work when she called me." "She called you?" "Yes, sir. She said she had just turned on the TV and couldn't get the picture up, and asked if I could go and see when the doors were closed. Usually I close at six, so I said, I'll go over and check, and I thought it might just be The problem with the soldering place. I know she loves that TV because it's on as long as she's home, morning till night. You know, she owns nothing and has never had a gift from anyone before. So, At 6:15 I close the shop. Pick up the toolbox, get in the car, and go to her apartment about twenty blocks away." "Have you been there before?" "I've been there a few times, and I dropped by to take her home after closing the door. But I only went in once when I was delivering the TV, and only that time, and that time I only stayed for a few minutes." "When was that?" "one week ago." "That was the only time you entered the apartment?" "Yes, sir. It's not really an apartment. It's just a room in an old building. The room faces the front street and is accessed by a side ladder." "Have you seen her landlady?" "No." "After you closed the door, you drove to her place?" "Yes. At that time, it was already dark outside. When I arrived, I could see her lights on, and I could hear the TV on. I knocked on her door, no one answered, knocked again, still nothing The man answered. I tried the doorknob and the door was open. At first I didn't see her because the sofa blocked me. The first thing I saw was the TV. It sounded like a children's show. I thought it was a cartoon movie, but it didn't Image - nothing on the screen." "and then?" "I called her. I thought she had gone to the landlord's place, or in the bathroom, but there was no answer. When I got to the middle of the house, I found her lying in front of the sofa, her face blackened and motionless. I felt her pulse, found her dead." "How long did it take you to call the police?" "I don't know, maybe ten minutes, maybe fifteen minutes." "They arrested you as a murderer?" "Yes, sir." "I ask you, Warren, did you kill Mary?" "No, sir, I swear I didn't kill her." "Now, Warren, with the consent of your honor, I will hand you over to Mr. Prosecutor for cross-examination. I will ask you some more questions later." "Yes, sir." "Mr. Harker," said the lawyer to the prosecutor, "please ask the witnesses." "Ah, Warren," said the prosecutor, "your lawyer is trying to present you as a generous man, a benevolent man, with fatherly feelings for that poor girl who you say was murdered by an unknown murdered her impregnated lover who paid for her to have an abortion and then beat the girl to death in a rage, if you're telling the truth he didn't just kill the girl he killed her An unborn child, isn't it? That's the bulk of your testimony?" "I protest, Your Honor, I protest the slanderous sarcasm used by the prosecutor." "The protest is invalid, Mr. Harker, you can continue to question." The judge said. "I am sorry if I have offended this learned gentleman lawyer, but I see that his client is a vicious, scheming, cruel murderer who has had an affair with a child half his age. After the relationship, in order to get rid of her own responsibility, she actually made up this ridiculous story, saying that she had another lover, in order to excuse herself, to arouse the sympathy of the jury, and to confuse right and wrong. Well, I don't believe that this statement will make the jury ignore The facts of the crime were presented by all witnesses who swore that there was an unusual relationship between this defendant and the victim." "Did the prosecutor conclude the argument on this point?" "I'm sorry, Your Honor." "Don't make a tirade and be mindful of the scope of the questions you ask the accused." "Mr. Warren, your clerks testified that they often saw Mary come into the store without knocking, and go into your office for hours. Do you deny it? They say , After closing the door several times at night, I saw her leave in the car with you, do you deny it?" "I don't deny it, sir. I don't deny that, but they got it wrong. There is no improper relationship between us." "Really? You mean to say that a mature, handsome, healthy man like yourself would sit still in front of a girl like that? Aren't you flattered? Didn't you respond enthusiastically?" "Yes, I was flattered, but not enthusiastically... not in the way you said." "What did I say? I haven't asked that question yet." "You imply a romance." "You're right, that's my next question. You deny having sex with Mary?" "Yes, I deny, absolutely deny!" "Can you prove that you don't have that kind of relationship with her?" "I protest, Your Honor," said Attorney Bosch. "The protest is valid," the judge said. "You deny the chance of an extramarital affair?" "Your Honor, I protest again." "Protest dismissed, I think it's an appropriate question." "How can I deny a chance? Yes, I've driven her home so many times, I have no way of getting witnesses to prove it, I went straight from the office to her house, or got someone to testify that I was only outside for a while Two minutes, I've never been in her place, or sneaked out on dates, doing shady things, and of course I can't deny the chance." "Thank you, Mr. Warren, and now let's talk about gifts. Are you usually a generous person?" "What do you mean by normal?" "Are you sending something to all your clerks and all your customers?" "of course not." "Are you sending gifts to some customers?" "Sometimes." "for example." "I can't think of any particular example. Of course, when I like someone, I give a small gift, like a record or something." "But never a TV set?" "No." "But you gave Mary a color TV. Did you give her anything else?" "Christmas and birthdays only." "Is it just that? You didn't give her any money?" "Money? I think it was given, occasionally." "How much? How about a chance method?" "Ten yuan this time and five yuan that time are just to help her tide over the difficulties when she is struggling." "You want the jury to believe that there's nothing more than pure friendship between you and this girl?" "Yes, purely friendship." "Have you told your wife about Mary?" "Your Honor," said Attorney Bosch. "I protest this kind of question, I don't see how it has anything to do with homicide, where the defendant's wife has testified and the prosecutor is trying to bias the jury." "Your Honor, the knowledgeable defendant's lawyer is wrong. I need to ask this question because I want to show the character of the witness." "The protest is dismissed." "No, I never mentioned it to my wife." "But Mary knows you're married?" "Yes, she does." "And you, a married man, don't understand that it's wrong to have this kind of relationship with a teenage girl? You want people to believe your story, why is there another married man she's only known for four months? Defendant No evidence can be produced to prove the identity of the other person, let alone the existence of that person! Your Honor, I do not think there is a third person at all. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I believe that the defendant fabricated The story was to cover up his own crime, and he was—" "Mr. Harker! How long will it take me to give the gavel before you notice? The jury will draw their own conclusions, not yours." "Yes, Your Honor, I'm sorry. Now, Mr. Warren, if this third person exists, and I emphasize that it is purely hypothetical, why do you think he would have killed Mary? If he valued his reputation as much as you say? " "I think she must have told him she wouldn't have an abortion, so he beat her in a fit of rage and then killed her by mistake." "That's your guess?" "Yes, sir." "Mr. Warren, you admit to having a relationship with this girl, you expect us to believe in your character. You admit to giving her a gift, you expect us to believe that you are only generous and have no other motive. When the police arrived, you were alone, You expect us to believe that you did not run away because it was your duty to stay. You expect us to believe that you have entered her apartment only once before, however, numerous witnesses saw you drive there with her many times; you expect us to believe that there were other A man, and there's really no one and no witnesses to prove it. You want us to believe all of this?" "Yes, because that's the truth." "So, what about the five hundred yuan that the lover gave her? The police didn't find it either; she didn't have a bank account, and she didn't have any physical evidence of purchasing a large item, nothing. Where do you think she got the supposed money from?" gone?" "I don't know, maybe she gave it back to him." "There is no problem, Your Honor." "Attorney Bosch," the judge asked, "do you wish to question another witness?" "Your Honor, I'd rather wait until the day after tomorrow so that I can study this testimony carefully." "Very well, does the prosecutor have any comments?" "No." "Then, there will be another court session at ten o'clock on Thursday morning." "The court now begins, before Judge Jem." "Remind the defendant that your oath is still valid. You may ask questions, Mr. Bosch." "Your Honor, before I start questioning, may I allow my assistant to bring an electric plug and plug it into the TV? That is, Exhibit No. 16?" "Mr. Bosch, what is the purpose?" "The defendant has testified that the TV needs to be repaired and I want to confirm that." "Did the prosecutor have no objections?" "No objection, Your Honor." "Then, let's do it!" "Jack, would you please connect that plug? Thanks, now, Warren, you said Mary called you to fix the TV, but when you arrived, the first thing you noticed, was the sound from the TV. , no image, is there?" "yes." "Now leave the table and turn on the TV!" "Did you turn on the TV?" "Yeah. Okay, right. Is it turned on? Now I can't see anything, just a black screen, no picture at all, no lines at all, it's like turning off the TV. Isn't it, Warren?" " "Yes, sir." "Nevertheless, we heard voices...I think that's Channel Seven, isn't it?" "Yes, it's on Channel Seven." "Your Honor, could this witness be asked to come down for a moment, so that I may call Constable Gower of Wickham Township to testify?" "Very well, Officer Gower to the witness stand," said the judge. "Now, Sergeant, I ask you to recall the scene. When you arrived, was the television on?" "No, sir." "While this TV was in police custody, did you or anyone touch it, or try to fix it?" "No, sir, we didn't touch it, we just sprinkled powder on it and took fingers." "Of course, as you said, only the fingerprints of the defendant and the victim were found on the TV?" "yes." "During this time, this TV has been in your custody?" "Yes, sir." "Thank you, officer. Will the defendant return to the witness stand, please? Warren, I would like to ask a few more questions about this television. You say you assembled it yourself?" "Yes, I assembled it, using my own and purchased parts." "So, you are familiar with this TV?" "Yes, very familiar." "I want you to fix it now, right here." "Your Honor, I protest this performance by the defendant's lawyer." "Lawyer Bosch, what is your purpose?" "Your Honor, the client's guilt or innocence may well depend on this TV. I don't like courts denying him every opportunity." "Very well, let's proceed." "Warren, please take off your tool bag, which is Exhibit 24, and see if you can repair it." "I'm willing to try." "Judge, I beg you to take note of the record. The defendant has now turned the whole TV over, unscrewed some screws, removed the combo plate, and examined the circuitry underneath. Have you found the fault?" "As I thought, it looks like a joint is loose, just a little soldering and that's it... OK, now we have images. Yes, we have." "Your Honor, I'm right, it's Channel 7 with bright colors. Thank you, Warren, you can lose the TV and go back to the witness stand. Now, Warren, where did the casing of that TV come from?" here?" "It was taken from an old Mack TV, and I used the old casing to fit new parts. The casing is light and manageable." "You mean the volume control?" "yes." "Tell me, Warren, is there any indication or marking on this casing or on the controls that this television is black and white or color?" "No, sir, there are no signs." "Tell me, during your testimony, or during my interview, did any of us mention that this TV was in color?" "No, none of us." "And, Warren, why don't you and I mention that this TV is in color?" "Because we know that the only other person who knows it's a color TV is Mary's lover." "Did we know the identity of Mary's lover from the beginning?" "Yes, we knew it, but we couldn't prove it." "How do we know?" "Because Mary told me who his lover was." "So, you lied in your previous testimony?" "Yes, I lied." "Why did you lie? I may add that it was with my consent. Your Honor, we beg your forgiveness. Warren, why did you—or we—should lie?" "Because we know he has power, and we know that there is only one side of the case against him. We want to... …We trust that he will say something, ask something, and extract the truth from those words. " But, Warren, couldn't he guess it was in colour?Most televisions are now in color. " "Yes, but only he will know when he first met Mary, four months ago. I was also careful not to mention that." "No problem," Bosch said. "Mr. Harker, the witness is handed over to you!" However, Huck, a prosecutor, burst into tears in court.