Chapter 18 Chapter Seventeen
As Mason and Derek got out of the car, Mason said, "Didn't see the guards."
"That doesn't mean there isn't one," Derek said. "It's just that we can't see it."
Mason said with a smile: "It's called your own fault. You set up a trap to lure the enemy, but you end up falling into the trap yourself."
"I don't think so," Derek said. "It was against police instructions."
"The police can't tell me how to protect my client," Mason said, walking to the front door, unlocking it with a key, and walking in.
"Hey!" Derek said. "Don't you ring the doorbell first? In case someone is inside..."
By this time Mason was already up the stairs.
The cooler was not removed by the police, broken glass and pottery were still scattered all over the place, and the soaked carpet was a silent witness. "Look, Paul," Mason said. "The cold drink machine was moved, but it was not lifted and moved, but half lifted and half dragged, and there were traces of dragging on the carpet. But the person who moved it forgot to put it back, and the cold drink machine was blocked between these two doors. , whoever enters through that door and then exits through this door will definitely be kicked."
"There's nothing here," Derek said. "There's no reason to move the cooler."
At this time, Mason was already kneeling on the ground, carefully inspecting the place where the cooler was originally placed.He took out a small knife from his pocket, cut along the edge of the carpet, and pulled the carpet away with force from the handle of the knife.
"There's a secret door here," Mason said.
Mason inserted the blade into the gap of the door panel, pulled it lightly, and opened the door upwards. Only then did he see that the hinge on the lower edge of the door panel was hidden, which was done very cleverly.
"My God!" Derek exclaimed. "It's full of money."
Mason looked at the cellar under the secret door, and saw bundles of money neatly arranged.
"Scary!" said Derek. "Look! They're all in hundred-dollar bills, I don't know how much there are!"
Mason hurriedly closed the secret door, stood up, and kicked the carpet back to its original shape with his feet.
"All right, Paul," Mason said. "time to go."
"Time to go? What do you mean?"
"It means it's time to go."
"What to do with the money?"
"What do you think we can do?"
"We have to tell the police."
"And then Bernice would come out and say it was her late husband's property, so of course the money goes to her, and you're icing on the cake?" Mason said.
"But you can't leave the money here," Derek said. "What if someone finds or steals it?"
"We didn't put it here in the first place," Mason said. "We can only hope that Sophia regains consciousness so we can have an honest talk with her. Obviously Sophia managed to keep a lot of cash, or she may have sold it all. When Bernice came, put Take everything that can be taken away, but Sophia is not worried at all. Because she has hidden a large sum of money. Of course Sophia did not dare to make Bernice have the slightest suspicion about this, so she pretended to be It looks like you have nothing. Paul, now we are in a dilemma, if Sophia never regains consciousness and dies like this, the trouble will be serious."
"What if she wakes up?" Derek asked.
"If she's sober enough to talk, I'll have a private conversation with her," Mason said with a laugh. "Paul, trouble is inevitable."
"That's the worst part about your case, you're always getting in trouble and dragging me down. What if this gold cave is discovered and robbed... oh my god, you're the one who said you'd want to lure the cypress Nisi took the bait, and now she's really doing a carpet search..."
"Also, don't forget our good friend Basley." Mason said.
"What if they find the money and go away?" Derek said.
"We've got to try and get the police here until things change in Sophia," Mason said.
"What now?" Derek asked.
"Now we've got to get away, and fast," Mason said.
Mason was careful not to step on broken glass and wet carpet.
"Walk carefully, Paul," Mason said. "If the broken glass steps on the carpet, people will know that someone has been there. This season can't show your feet."
Mason stepped over the last piece of glass, walked to the corridor outside the door, and stopped suddenly...
Sergeant Trager opened the secret door and whistled under his breath when he saw the large sum of money. "Put the money on the table and we'll make a list right now," Trager told an officer. "Shouldn't you call for reinforcements first?" the officer said. "Not now," Trager said. "I want you to be a witness to prove my innocence. Similarly, I will also prove your innocence. The first thing we do is to take out the money and count it. In the future, we will swear that the other party has never guarded this place alone. A sum of money takes more than five seconds." Trager brought out the bundles of money, and another officer stacked them on the table in a rectangle. "That's it," Trager said at last. Mason said, "Officer, take a closer look." "Look at what?" "Look in the cellar for envelopes or notes." "Nothing," Trager said. "are you sure?" "What exactly are you looking for?" "The will," Mason said. "It could be just a piece of paper with the content and date written in the deceased's own handwriting. It could also be more formal and sealed in an envelope." "It's bare inside, nothing at all," Trager said. "Now it's time to start counting the money, you stay here and help count." "They're all hundred dollar bills," Mason said. "How many in a bundle?" "Fifty." Trager counted a bundle first. "Of course we can't be sure that each bundle contains exactly fifty sheets. However, it is marked as fifty sheets, which means that a bundle is worth five thousand dollars. Find out how many there are in total." Trager counted it quickly, and finally announced the total with a tone of awe. "Three hundred thousand yuan. Mason, how much do you know?" He turned to Mason suddenly and said, "I bet you know a lot. This is what you and Derek were looking for. So..." Mason said: "Officer, I suggest you, don't let this matter go out. If I were you, I would send someone here to strictly guard and see who is looking for the money." Trager laughed and said: "The horses have been stolen, and you want me to lock them in the stables. I know who is looking for the money, and your client Catherine is one of them. Because she was caught, she had to go away in order to escape. Knocked her aunt out. But she told you all about it, so you and Derek came here a second time to find the money. With that money, your attorney's fees would be pretty big." "Are you accusing me of trying to steal money?" Mason asked. "Steal money?" cried Trager. "Of course not. You found out by accident. And you will use this discovery to draw attention to Basley. Then you hand over the money as Sophia's property. Then you will try to make it Catherine was acquitted and became the sole beneficiary of the money. Catherine's pockets are full, and of course you will get a considerable amount of legal fees." Trager said bitterly. "But I can't prove you are wrong yet, maybe you are going in the right direction, who knows? But I can tell you one thing, you are throwing yourself in the net. Berg will use this discovery as a negative for Catherine. Evidence, he will say that Catherine knew that there was such a sum of money, and tried to get it, which is enough to constitute a criminal motive. And because of the money, the court will also require Catherine to stand trial. Maybe you can help She won the case, I dare not say. But finding out about the money will not do you any favors. You should have told the police everything you knew in the first place." "But I don't really know," Mason said. "I'm just skeptical." "My office is open twenty-four hours," Trager said flatly. "You could have told me anytime, now we have to call the Headquarters for reinforcements." "Are you going to make this public?" "It's impossible to cover up a sum of money that is so large," Traeger said. "Just be honest with the public. Berg will know about it in twenty minutes. Now, two, I have no reason to restrict your movements. Thank you for your scouting work. The District Attorney may today I will find you. Now you are free to leave for the time being, if you don’t leave, I will ask you to leave.” The police sent Derek and Mason to the landing, and the two walked slowly down the stairs.Derek said to Mason: "Okay, you directed it all by yourself, what should we do now?" "I'll tell you when I get out later," Mason said. They got out and walked to the car, and Mason said, "We can file a blank summons for Catherine the defendant, and use it on the blind woman. Paul, that's a smart move. You've got to send someone to guard the Elwood house." The front and back doors, and then send someone to Jigao Company to look at it, and at the same time send the summons to Mrs. Gu Ding." "The manager of the blind woman's apartment?" Derek asked in surprise. "Not bad," Mason said. "Why did you give it to her?" Mason said: "Because we've been scammed. The last time we went to the blind woman, it was Mrs. Gilman's doorbell, and she called Mrs. Gooding and asked her to find out who was looking for her." When Mrs. Gooding saw that we had to go in, she told the blind woman to come down the back stairs and hide at Mrs. Gooding's house, and then let us look for someone on the second and third floors. It's just a cover. The blind woman is actually living with Mrs. Guding. In the end we will surely find out that Mrs. Guding does all the cooking and washing, and the upstairs room is just a cover." "How do you know?" Derek asked. "It didn't feel like anyone lived there," Mason said. "The musty smell is very strong, and there is no one on the third floor. I suspect that the whole building belongs to a blind woman, and Mrs. Gooding is just putting on a facade." "Didn't you talk to her before you sent her to court?" Derek asked. Mason smiled, shook his head and said, "I'm going to expose the whole thing in court, and she will have to swear at that time, and she will know that lying is not good for her. If I unmask her first, then drag her to court , She holds a grudge, so she will go to court every step of the way. On the other hand, if I summon her to testify in court, it will be the first time I meet her face to face in court, and she will have to tell the truth, which will be beneficial." "And now?" Derek asked. "Now," Mason said wearily. "Berger will tell the major newspapers about the discovery of the money. The radio, television, and newspapers will soon make a big splash about the discovery of three 100,000 yuan in cash. Previously, the police had suspected that money was the main cause of the incident, but there was no evidence. Fortunately, under the careful investigation of the criminal police officer Cuiger, the truth finally came to light. , marrying in vain, the situation is very embarrassing." "Are you going to gamble the whole case on the testimony of the blind woman?" "Not bad," Mason said. "Then I have to piece together all the details. For example: Why did Sophia fill the hat box in the cupboard with a hundred dollars? And there is a vault at home full of cash? Why is there a Basley who claims to be a friend of the Elwood family? What role does Elwood's legal widow, Bernice, play? And how does the mysterious blind woman, Mrs. Gilman, have anything to do with the power struggles at Gigo Corporation? After Sophia discovers that Catherine knows that the hatbox is full of money, why should she? I spent a lot of trouble throwing away a hundred yuan to seek help from Bai Shili? Why did Bernice’s son Di Ling come and go in and out of Jigao Company? Why did someone in Jigao Company send a message to the blind woman? And the blind woman did not When she is free, Sophia sells pencils instead of her? All this will come to light.” "Do you think selling pencils is a cover for stealing trade secrets?" Derek asked. Mason nodded. "Why don't people who divulge secrets to blind women just write or call?" "Because he was leaking secrets while also getting instructions," Mason said. "And the blind woman wants to give the instructions herself." "A blind man giving instructions?" Derek asked. "Why not?" Mason said.
Sergeant Trager opened the secret door and whistled under his breath when he saw the large sum of money. "Put the money on the table and we'll make a list right now," Trager told an officer. "Shouldn't you call for reinforcements first?" the officer said. "Not now," Trager said. "I want you to be a witness to prove my innocence. Similarly, I will also prove your innocence. The first thing we do is to take out the money and count it. In the future, we will swear that the other party has never guarded this place alone. A sum of money takes more than five seconds." Trager brought out the bundles of money, and another officer stacked them on the table in a rectangle. "That's it," Trager said at last. Mason said, "Officer, take a closer look." "Look at what?" "Look in the cellar for envelopes or notes." "Nothing," Trager said. "are you sure?" "What exactly are you looking for?" "The will," Mason said. "It could be just a piece of paper with the content and date written in the deceased's own handwriting. It could also be more formal and sealed in an envelope." "It's bare inside, nothing at all," Trager said. "Now it's time to start counting the money, you stay here and help count." "They're all hundred dollar bills," Mason said. "How many in a bundle?" "Fifty." Trager counted a bundle first. "Of course we can't be sure that each bundle contains exactly fifty sheets. However, it is marked as fifty sheets, which means that a bundle is worth five thousand dollars. Find out how many there are in total." Trager counted it quickly, and finally announced the total with a tone of awe. "Three hundred thousand yuan. Mason, how much do you know?" He turned to Mason suddenly and said, "I bet you know a lot. This is what you and Derek were looking for. So..." Mason said: "Officer, I suggest you, don't let this matter go out. If I were you, I would send someone here to strictly guard and see who is looking for the money." Trager laughed and said: "The horses have been stolen, and you want me to lock them in the stables. I know who is looking for the money, and your client Catherine is one of them. Because she was caught, she had to go away in order to escape. Knocked her aunt out. But she told you all about it, so you and Derek came here a second time to find the money. With that money, your attorney's fees would be pretty big." "Are you accusing me of trying to steal money?" Mason asked. "Steal money?" cried Trager. "Of course not. You found out by accident. And you will use this discovery to draw attention to Basley. Then you hand over the money as Sophia's property. Then you will try to make it Catherine was acquitted and became the sole beneficiary of the money. Catherine's pockets are full, and of course you will get a considerable amount of legal fees." Trager said bitterly. "But I can't prove you are wrong yet, maybe you are going in the right direction, who knows? But I can tell you one thing, you are throwing yourself in the net. Berg will use this discovery as a negative for Catherine. Evidence, he will say that Catherine knew that there was such a sum of money, and tried to get it, which is enough to constitute a criminal motive. And because of the money, the court will also require Catherine to stand trial. Maybe you can help She won the case, I dare not say. But finding out about the money will not do you any favors. You should have told the police everything you knew in the first place." "But I don't really know," Mason said. "I'm just skeptical." "My office is open twenty-four hours," Trager said flatly. "You could have told me anytime, now we have to call the Headquarters for reinforcements." "Are you going to make this public?" "It's impossible to cover up a sum of money that is so large," Traeger said. "Just be honest with the public. Berg will know about it in twenty minutes. Now, two, I have no reason to restrict your movements. Thank you for your scouting work. The District Attorney may today I will find you. Now you are free to leave for the time being, if you don’t leave, I will ask you to leave.” The police sent Derek and Mason to the landing, and the two walked slowly down the stairs.Derek said to Mason: "Okay, you directed it all by yourself, what should we do now?" "I'll tell you when I get out later," Mason said. They got out and walked to the car, and Mason said, "We can file a blank summons for Catherine the defendant, and use it on the blind woman. Paul, that's a smart move. You've got to send someone to guard the Elwood house." The front and back doors, and then send someone to Jigao Company to look at it, and at the same time send the summons to Mrs. Gu Ding." "The manager of the blind woman's apartment?" Derek asked in surprise. "Not bad," Mason said. "Why did you give it to her?" Mason said: "Because we've been scammed. The last time we went to the blind woman, it was Mrs. Gilman's doorbell, and she called Mrs. Gooding and asked her to find out who was looking for her." When Mrs. Gooding saw that we had to go in, she told the blind woman to come down the back stairs and hide at Mrs. Gooding's house, and then let us look for someone on the second and third floors. It's just a cover. The blind woman is actually living with Mrs. Guding. In the end we will surely find out that Mrs. Guding does all the cooking and washing, and the upstairs room is just a cover." "How do you know?" Derek asked. "It didn't feel like anyone lived there," Mason said. "The musty smell is very strong, and there is no one on the third floor. I suspect that the whole building belongs to a blind woman, and Mrs. Gooding is just putting on a facade." "Didn't you talk to her before you sent her to court?" Derek asked. Mason smiled, shook his head and said, "I'm going to expose the whole thing in court, and she will have to swear at that time, and she will know that lying is not good for her. If I unmask her first, then drag her to court , She holds a grudge, so she will go to court every step of the way. On the other hand, if I summon her to testify in court, it will be the first time I meet her face to face in court, and she will have to tell the truth, which will be beneficial." "And now?" Derek asked. "Now," Mason said wearily. "Berger will tell the major newspapers about the discovery of the money. The radio, television, and newspapers will soon make a big splash about the discovery of three 100,000 yuan in cash. Previously, the police had suspected that money was the main cause of the incident, but there was no evidence. Fortunately, under the careful investigation of the criminal police officer Cuiger, the truth finally came to light. , marrying in vain, the situation is very embarrassing." "Are you going to gamble the whole case on the testimony of the blind woman?" "Not bad," Mason said. "Then I have to piece together all the details. For example: Why did Sophia fill the hat box in the cupboard with a hundred dollars? And there is a vault at home full of cash? Why is there a Basley who claims to be a friend of the Elwood family? What role does Elwood's legal widow, Bernice, play? And how does the mysterious blind woman, Mrs. Gilman, have anything to do with the power struggles at Gigo Corporation? After Sophia discovers that Catherine knows that the hatbox is full of money, why should she? I spent a lot of trouble throwing away a hundred yuan to seek help from Bai Shili? Why did Bernice’s son Di Ling come and go in and out of Jigao Company? Why did someone in Jigao Company send a message to the blind woman? And the blind woman did not When she is free, Sophia sells pencils instead of her? All this will come to light.” "Do you think selling pencils is a cover for stealing trade secrets?" Derek asked. Mason nodded. "Why don't people who divulge secrets to blind women just write or call?" "Because he was leaking secrets while also getting instructions," Mason said. "And the blind woman wants to give the instructions herself." "A blind man giving instructions?" Derek asked. "Why not?" Mason said.