Chapter 14 Chapter Thirteen

After dark, Derek and Mason parked a few streets away from Mrs. Elwood's house and walked quietly over. Key in hand, Mason said: "Now we have to keep going absolutely naturally to the front door. Open the door yourself, go straight in, walk through the corridor, turn right up the stairs to the second floor, turn right again...Katherine's room is facing the street That one. Then we might have to wait a long time in there, Derek, be prepared." "Maybe not for long," Derek said. "My guys say Bernice has been to Four Palms Country Club and hastily snatched the set. I bet she'll have the whole bag up and down as soon as she gets home."

"It won't be too long before she decides to take the next step," Mason said. "We can assume she finds a will at her house in Palm Springs that bequeaths all of her property to Sophia. And then she destroys that will." .Now she must think there is another will written by herself, and it's hidden here." "Even if we caught her here searching, what would that prove?" Derek asked. "It doesn't prove anything," Mason said. "But it can provide the direction of the evidence. Paul, don't forget, my mission is not to help Sophia obtain property, but to cleanse Catherine of attempted murder. I just want to prove that someone wants to come here to find something, And in the course of this person's search, a hat box is found full of money, which of course is likely to be stolen."

"That still doesn't prove that Catherine didn't come back and hit her aunt on the head," Derek said. Mason laughed. "When this case comes to court, you'll see what I can prove. Let's go, straight to the front door, absolutely natural." "We're supposed to turn on the lights when we get in," Derek said. "In case anyone sees us going in and the lights aren't on..." "No," Mason interrupted him. "If someone has been paying attention here, it will be bad once we go in." Mason inserted the key, opened the door at once, and said to Derek, "Go in."

Since the house had been cordoned off, there was a musty smell inside that contrasted with the clean air in the street. "Sophia probably doesn't like air conditioning very much," Derek said. Mason said: "Paul, you can talk as much as you can now. When we get to Catherine's room later, we must keep completely silent. No conversation, no lights, no smoking." "My God!" Derek said. "You didn't say that beforehand." "You should expect it yourself," Mason said. "Let a break-in person smell the smell of cigarettes, aren't you trying to scare the snake away?"

"Help!" Derek said bitterly. "Then I'm going to bite my nails? Paley, you don't need me to come with you at all." "Crap, of course you're needed," Mason said. "You can be a witness or my helper. Don't forget that you have a gun license. Do you have a gun?" "Of course I did," Derek said. "Can't I hide in the cupboard and smoke?" "Absolutely not," Mason said. "Maybe we won't have to wait long." Derek said with a bitter face: "Isn't there a nosy neighbor who saw Catherine coming in a taxi before? Maybe this time he will see us going in again and notify the police immediately. This way we don't have to wait at all, we will be there immediately." He was taken to the police station for a record."

"The police won't catch us," Mason said. "We're here to help my client with her luggage. Sophia allowed us in, and my client allowed us to get her luggage." "Take it in the dark?" Derek said. "Didn't you take it in the dark?" Mason said with a smile. "But unless someone comes in, who knows it's pitch black in there? Hey, be careful not to trip." Mason led the way up the stairs, and made a half-turn of the spiral staircase at the top. The stairwells creaked under the weight of Derek and Mason. On the second floor, Mason groped his way to Catherine's room and walked in.

Because of the reflection of street lamps, the furnishings in the room could be seen faintly.Mason lay on his back on the bed, and Derek found an upholstered chair and sat down. "Be careful, both of you will be asleep later," Derek said. "Shh," Mason said. "Why keep it quiet?" Derek said. "The stair treads are so loud that if anyone comes up we'll be the first to hear it." "There must be another staircase in the back," Mason said. "Maybe it won't make a sound, and it might make a sound, but we can't hear it. Stop talking."

"That's the limit of my patience," Derek said. "It would be better if I could fall asleep." "Then you go to sleep," Mason said. "Stop talking." They were silent for a few minutes in the warm room. Mason shifted his position, moved the pillow back, and the springs under the bed creaked slightly. Derek shifted in his chair, barely making a sound. They continue to wait. There was the faint sound of traffic a few streets away.The temperature in the room gradually turned cold, when suddenly there was a slight creaking sound from nowhere. Only Derek's deep breathing was heard.After a few minutes of silence, the breathing became more steady and deeper, and it was obvious that Derek had fallen asleep.

Mason fought against the Sandman while trying to maintain the same position. They deliberately left the door to the walkway wide open so that if someone came with a flashlight, even if the light was dim, they could see it. An hour passed. Derek's breathing deepened, becoming a soft snore. Mason moved gently across the bed and touched Derek's knee. Derek woke up with a start. "Oh?" "Hush!" Mason quickly stopped him. They fell silent again. At this time, from somewhere on the third floor, there was a strange sound, like a series of continuous sounds. Mason stood up silently and pinched Derek's knee.

Derek also pinched Mason's shoulder to show that he was awake and listening. They stood still, listening. Suddenly there was a loud bang—the sound of breaking glass.A man cursed loudly, and at the same time a light shone into the hallway, and there was a heavy sound of footsteps approaching the front door. "Paul, let's go!" Mason said, rushing out of the small hallway connected to the aisle. Mason saw a man with a flashlight in his right hand running towards the front steps. Mason made a football tackle that tripped the man just in time. The person who came was pressed down by Mason, twisting and holding the flashlight in his hand, and was about to hit Mason on the head.

Mason grabbed his wrist and pressed hard to the floor. "Stay still or I'll strangle you. Paul, look where the light switch is." "I'm looking," Derek said. "Get his flashlight," Mason said. "Found it," Derek said, turning on the light. Mason let go of his hand slightly so that he could see who it was. "It's incredible," Mason said. "It turned out to be a good friend of this family, Bai Shili." Bai Shili said resentfully, "You two meddling liars..." Mason put his elbows on his stomach and swallowed all the obscenities that followed. Mason knelt down and searched Bai Shili's whole body, and sure enough, he felt a lump on his buttocks, which turned out to be a pistol.Mason slides the gun across the floor to Derek. "Keep it as a souvenir." "See if there's any more," Derek said. "Sometimes they'll keep a short-barreled pistol in addition..." "No more," Mason said. "Bai Shili, get up." Bai Shili groaned, turned around and got up, and slowly stood up straight, with the expression on his face like a prey caught in a trap. "Don't play tricks," Mason warned him. "No matter where you go, you will be charged with trespassing." "What about you?" Bai Shili said disdainfully. Mason said, "We're here for a legitimate purpose, and we got in with a key, what about you?" "Refused to answer." Bai Shili said. "What did you kick?" Mason asked. "You... oh, there's water here, Derek, go and have a look." Derek opened a door in the hallway and said, "This is probably Sophia's room. There's a soda cooler in there that's been kicked over, and the carafe inside is broken." "We're still notifying the police..." Mason said. "Wait a minute," Bai Shili said. "This matter does not have to labor the police." "why?" "I'm just here to gather evidence." "The evidence that convicts Catherine?" Mason asked. "Probably convict her," Basley said. "But it could also prove her innocence." "How long have you been in?" Mason asked. "Not long." "How did you get in here?" Bai Shili seemed to want to say something, so he paused and said, "Let's talk about it later, do you agree not to call the police?" "Not yet," Mason said. "Go ahead." Bai Shili said: "I won't talk about it. Unless we clearly stipulate the conditions." Mason said to Derek: "Go and find out where the phone is and call the police. Better call the Criminal Unit, they're investigating Catherine's case." Derek walked to the end of the corridor, looked around, then took Basley's flashlight down the creaking stairs and turned on the lights downstairs. Bai Shili seemed to be looking for a way to escape. "Trying to run? No use," Mason said. "I'll tell you, I'm not going to shoot you—not because we have the upper hand, but I'll tell the story when the police come, and they'll be looking for you everywhere. And, in In this state, fleeing means you are guilty, so you can’t run away, you should realize this.” Bai Shili seemed to want to say something, but changed his mind. Derek called the police from below. After Derek hung up the phone, he yelled upstairs, "Should I turn on the balcony light so the police can come in?" "Okay," Mason said. Mason turned to Basley and said, "If you are willing to tell us what you are looking for, maybe we can clear up some misunderstandings, and maybe we can cooperate later." "What are you looking for?" Bai Shili asked. "Looking for you," Mason said. "No," Bai Shili said. "You're dangling around inside without shoes on, after all..." Bai Shili suddenly stopped talking, his eyes narrowed. "Hmph, you didn't move at all! You..." "Say it," Mason urged him. "What are we doing?" "I won't tell." Bai Shili said. After a tense silence, there was a loud knock at the front door, and Derek went to open it, followed by the sound of people talking, and footsteps going up the stairs. Bai Shili said to Mason: "You really called the police? You screwed up." Mason thought quietly, his eyes sharp and focused. The footsteps were getting closer, and Derek walked over with two police officers. "What's going on?" a policeman asked. Mason said, "Break the door." "Is this the Elwood's house?" asked the policeman. "Yes," Mason said. "Sophia Elwood was attacked by her niece here, and she's in the hospital, unconscious, isn't she?" the policeman asked. "Probably so," Mason said. "But the person who attacked Sophia was not her niece, but a burglar." Mason deliberately paused, and then said, "Now we have caught a burglar." Bai Shili turned to Mason and said, "Fuck you... how can you blame me!" "What counts on you?" Mason asked. "Sophia got hurt." "I didn't say how you were," Mason said. "I just said that you broke through the empty door." "Aren't you the same?" "Are you going to question him?" Mason asked the policeman. "Or should I ask?" One of the officers smiled and said, "You guys did a good job. Are you that lawyer named Perry Mason?" "Exactly." "Who is he?" the policeman pointed at Derek. Derek had anticipated this question, and had already taken out a wallet from his pocket, and pulled out a business card from it. "He's a private eye," Mason said. "Employed by me." The police turned to Basley. "My name is Basley, and I'm a friend of the Elwood family." "How long have you known the Elwood family?" Mason asked. "none of your business." "What are you doing here?" asked the policeman. "Find evidence." "What evidence?" "Evidence of the burglars." "How did you get in here?" "From the back door. The spring lock of the back door can be opened with a small piece of something. As long as you are skilled enough, you can open it too." "We will open it," the policeman said. "But you don't have the right to open someone's door." "It just so happens that I have the right." The officer asked Mason, "What are you doing here?" "I'm here on behalf of Catherine." "Hasn't she been arrested with attempted murder?" "good." "Okay, let me ask again, what are you doing here?" "I've been in Catherine's room because I know someone's going to break through." "how do you know?" "I think the gangsters had a reason to sneak in." "Like why?" asked the policeman. Mason looked directly at the police and said, "Catherine's case currently only has circumstantial evidence, and the criminal evidence is quite weak. I think someone might want to arrange some evidence." "Like what?" asked the policeman. Mason said: "I don't know. Catherine is accused of stealing one hundred dollars. She countered this Basley defamation, and she has a good chance of winning the case. How do I know if this person will come and put some evidence to frame Catherine." "It's really bloody..." Bai Shili said. Mason interrupted him. "And he's got a pistol on him. Whether he's got a license or not, I don't know." "Where's the gun?" the policeman asked. "At Derek's." "Do you have a license?" the policeman asked Bai Shili. "No. But I didn't take it to a public place, I just took it to my friend's house. Because I want to protect my friend." "Then how did you get here?" "Refused to answer," Basley said. "If you want to prove that I carried a gun privately on the way here, then you have to show the evidence." "You don't want to think about your current situation and still be so stubborn," the policeman said. "What situation?" Bai Shili said. "I think you need to pay attention to your situation. This lawyer is the most tricky. Do you really believe that he has been in Catherine's room? Why is he in her room? How do you know he didn't sneak in and try to arrange Evidence in favor of his client? That's always been his favorite thing to do." The policeman eyed Mason carefully. Mason showed the most cordial smile and said: "Sophia told me that Catherine can come back to pick up the luggage at any time. We just stayed in Catherine's room. It was Catherine who gave us the key so we could come in." "When did she give you the key?" "Before she was arrested." "Let's all go back to the headquarters," said the policeman. "This place needs to be cordoned off. I think Sergeant Trager from the Criminal Division would like to send someone to guard this place. Fred, call the police and report to the police and see if Sergeant Trager can be found. I think he would like to I know the news that Mason is here." Bai Shili smiled triumphantly. Fred was clearly the one with the decision of the two.He hesitated, then said, "You take them down to the car. I'm going to see if anything has been damaged." "Look carefully," Bai Shili said. "You'll find out that this guy is here with ulterior motives. Better look at the locker where the money was stolen last time. Maybe he sneaked a hundred dollars into the back of the locker so he could say, the mouse knocked it over Hat box, a hundred dollars flew out. It was his favorite trick." Mason smiled and said: "Officer, this is three hundred taels of silver. Please search him, maybe he has a hundred yuan on him, and he is going to sneak it into Catherine's room so that he can be planted." Bai Shili hurriedly took a step back and said, "You can't search me, and you don't have a search ticket." "You've got to keep an eye on his hands," Mason said. "On the way to the police station, he might try to throw away the hundred-dollar bill. After arriving at the police station, you only need to record him as trespassing, and you can search him. You can tell me by his expression now. He must have guessed very well, and he must have a hundred-yuan bill with him." "I have one hundred yuan with me, so am I breaking the law?" Bai Shili asked. "That could be evidence of criminal intent," Mason said. "I always carry one hundred yuan with me," Bai Shili yelled. "I'm afraid that if I don't have enough money, or I have to go away temporarily." "Okay, let's go," said the policeman. "All go to the headquarters. No one should lose anything on the way." The police put Mason, Derek, and Basley into the back seat of the patrol car. Along the way, Bai Shili tried every means to get the police to let him go, threatening and pleading at the same time, saying that if he went to the headquarters, not only would he be insulted, but his reputation would be completely ruined. The policeman did not say a word, and drove his car steadily and skillfully, ignoring Bai Shili. When we arrived at the headquarters, the police officer on duty listened to the reports of the two police officers. "Who called the police?" the officer asked. "It's me," Derek said. "How did you and Mason get in?" "We have the key, it was given to me by my client, who used to live there," Mason said. "Do you have the key now?" "yes." "Let me see." Mason took it out, the police officer looked at it carefully, knocked on the table, and put it in the drawer. "I'm sorry," Mason said firmly. "You have to give me back the key." "why?" "My client still has something in the house, and she authorized me to get it out." The officer hesitated for a moment, then returned the key to Mason. "How did you get in?" the police officer asked Bai Shili. Bai Shili said: "I have suspected for a long time..." "I asked how you got in there?" the officer interrupted him. "From the back door." "Is the back door unlocked?" "It's not, or I should say, not very securely locked." "Not very secure, what do you mean?" "It's a slanted spring lock, you can push it with an acrylic or plastic sheet, and you can go in." Mason said: "I guess it was Mr. Basley who went in through the back door and found Sophia lying unconscious on the ground." Bai Shili turned to Mason angrily and said, "Stop wading in the muddy water, what does it matter to you?" Mason shrugged. "Is what he said true?" asked the officer. "It's true," Basley said. "Fortunately, I found out, otherwise she would be dead now, and Mr. Mason's client would probably be charged with murder." "The time you found Sophia, how did you get in?" "The back door was ajar that time." "Isn't there a snap lock?" "Yes, but not locked." "Even if it's locked, you can still open it, can't you?" "It should be possible. But I didn't know that at the time. After I checked around and studied the lock carefully, I found that it was easy to open." "How can you use a plastic sheet to open a latch?" "From a detective novel." That's when the door opens and Officer Trager rushes in. "Tut tut," he said. "What is this for? Party meeting?" Mason smiled. The police officer on duty briefly explained the situation. "These three were at Sophia's house. Mason and this detective, Derek, apparently went in first. They had the key to the front door and said they had been staying at Mason's client Catherine's room. They heard the banging, It turned out that the cold drink machine was kicked over, so they found that Bai Shili was also in the house. So they arrested him and called the police." "Which side called the police?" Trager asked. "Mason and Derek." Trager turned to Basley and said, "What are you doing there?" "I have a right to be there. I am Mrs. Elwood's agent." "Do you have proof?" "She said it herself." "Unfortunately, she can't speak now," Trager said. "You must have written proof." "Mason doesn't have written proof either." Bai Shili was not to be outdone. "It's a little bit different with Mason," Trager said. "Your detective friend Jordan said that Mason did have a right to enter the Elwood's house; he said that Mason was there when Mason's secretary, Streeter, was helping Miss Ellis unpack, and that Mrs. Ellis had spoken to Mason. Dun heard Mrs. Elwood say that Catherine can go back to get the rest of the luggage at any time. Of course, Catherine can also get it through an agent. If the agent is a lawyer, of course it will be more logical." Bai Shili seemed to be furious, but he couldn't refute, so he could only stare aside. "What the hell are you doing there?" Trager asked. "What are you looking for?" "Find evidence." "The police have scoured it all." "I'm afraid the police may have missed something." "Maybe he wanted to place some evidence so it looked like the police had missed it," Mason said. Trager frowned at Mason. "You mean, let's say, put a hundred dollars in Catherine's room...?" "Nothing! Nothing!" Bai Shili retorted angrily and impatiently. "You're all the result of the cause." "What's the opposite of the cause?" Trager asked. "I didn't put any evidence at all." Cuiger stared at Bai Shili thoughtfully. "Do you have a hundred-dollar bill with you?" "What's the matter?" "I don't know, I just asked you a question." "That's none of your business," Bai Shili said. "You have no right to search me." "You broke into a private house and you were caught red-handed," Trager said. "As soon as we register on this charge, you'll have to clear your pockets immediately. I'll ask you again, do you have a hundred-dollar bill with you?" "Let's just say it," Bai Shili said. "I have a hundred-dollar bill with me." "Take it out and have a look." Bai Shili took out a business card case from his pocket, and pulled out a brand new hundred-yuan bill. "Where's your other money?" Trager asked. "In the wallet in the coat pocket." "Take it out and have a look." Bai Shili hesitated for a moment, and took out a wallet from the inner pocket of his coat. Trager counted the money and said: "These bills are forty-seven dollars in total. There should be some change in the other pocket?" Bai Shili reached into his right trouser pocket and took out some small change. "How long have you had the hundred dollars with you?" Trager asked. "I usually bring a hundred-dollar bill in case I lose other money or need a large amount of cash temporarily." "You mean, you keep this hundred-dollar bill with you all the time?" "yes." "Is there a chance to use it?" "Not so far, anyway, just in case you need it." "So, you should have carried this hundred-yuan bill with you for a long time, right?" "yes." "Which bank do you keep your money in?" "The Bank of the Coast." "Okay, assuming what you said is true, then you probably haven't drawn out a hundred yuan recently, but since this bill is so new, I think it hasn't been long since it was drawn out. Maybe we can ask the bank..." "I just got it this morning," Bai Shili said hastily. "That's all you need to know." "Didn't you just say that you have been carrying it for a long time?" "I didn't bring this one before." "Then what about the original one?" "I... took it and exchanged it." "Did you change it at Binhai Bank?" "No, I changed it at another bank. I exchanged it for some 20-yuan bills, and I had a check that I didn't want to deposit, so I took it to Binhai Bank and cashed it into this hundred-yuan bill." "I'd be more convinced if you'd said that from the start," Trager said thoughtfully. Then Trager suddenly turned to Mason and said, "Mason, you must be going to Sophia's house this time. You must have some inspiration. Can you tell me?" Mason said: "Officer, I'm sorry, all I can say is that I do have a sixth sense, and that's why Paul and I went there and waited." "In other words, you'd think someone would want to go into Catherine's room and put a hundred-dollar bill there, right?" Trager said. Derek glanced at Mason quickly, then looked away immediately. Mason said: "Officer, in this case, my situation is a bit special. I can only say that the room where Paul and I stayed was the room of my client, Catherine, and she entrusted me to go in. I can't say clearly What the hell are you waiting for, but you're trained to investigate, you can deduce it for yourself, and I can't stop you." Cui Ge smiled and said: "You really know how to go around in circles and play tricks. However, you made it very clear that how I deduce it is my business, and you can't stop it." Bai Shili said indignantly: "He has said everything. He set the premise for you and pointed out the direction for you. No matter how you infer, the result is not in his favor." Cui Ge stared at Bai Shili and said: "In this case, your position is very unfavorable, but I don't plan to convict you, you go home, but don't go to Sophia's house again, and don't break into the house casually." someone else's house." "I didn't break the door." "That depends on how you define it. Technically speaking, forcibly entering someone's house is called breaking and entering." "Actually, I'm the same as Mason and the others..." "It's not the same," Trager said. "Anyway, you don't go to the Elwood's house again. You heard me! If we catch you around there again, you'll have a hard time going around. And, you know, I'm not helping you. Cover up the charges and let you go back first because you are a businessman and cannot run away. There is no need to lock you here, then I will go to the court tomorrow to deal with matters such as prosecution and bail. So it is better to let you recognise yourself Just go back, it's easier." Trager turned to Mason and said, "By the way, Sophia probably won't die. The hospital had an emergency operation and took out most of the blood clots. However, there were some complications. She is still awake. After waking up There may also be severe degenerative amnesia, and you may not remember anything. These things will be in the newspapers anyway, so it’s okay to tell you. However, this means that Catherine’s case must be sent to the Inquiry Court immediately. At that time, even if Sue Fia's condition has deteriorated, and we can also dismiss the plaintiff's complaint and go directly to the grand jury trial for first-degree murder. Attorney Mason, I hope you can sleep tonight." "Can we go?" Mason asked. "Okay. And I'll tell you, if you're smart, you'd better not sneak up to the Elwood's house. If you want to help your client's luggage, you can go with the police tomorrow during the day. You can drive there with an empty suitcase." , you can drive a van if you like, and then you unpack all your luggage and a policeman will check them in. But before that, don't let me catch you hanging around there. Anyone could plant it Evidence, I don’t need to say, you know that planting evidence is a serious crime. If it happened to you, the situation would be more complicated, and your lawyer qualification might be lost because of it.” "How could I possibly plant evidence?" Mason said. "I don't think you will either," Trager said. "But you might plant something else, like bait." "Joke, what bait am I going to put?" Mason said. "I don't know," Trager said thoughtfully. "But I'm thinking hard. As you said, you can't stop me from inferring anything."