Chapter 7 Chapter VII

Derek was waiting for Mason and Della when they returned from lunch. "Hi, Paley," said the detective. "The only thing I can do is to tell you about this news an hour before it is released. It should appear in the afternoon paper." "Come on," Mason said. "It didn't look too good for Phil or her boyfriend. I don't know what lead the police were following, but they found Phil very quickly. From what I understand, the man who saw her get out of the car has categorically identified her." "Anything else?" Mason asked. "Yes, they have clues about her boyfriend."

"Did they find him?" "I think it took them a little while," Derek said. "They found him somewhere out of town. My word is they found him in North Mesa." "And then?" Mason asked. "As far as I know, the girl is staying where she is now. The telegram from the north is that the prosecutor's representatives flew to San Francisco to meet with the local prosecutors. They have brought Anders to San Francisco. Anders has confessed fully." "Are you confessing?" Mason asked. Derek nodded and said after a while, "You look bad, Paley."

"Is there something wrong with me?" "Your eyes don't look too good. You've been under a lot of stress lately. Why don't you take a vacation?" "Why am I going on vacation?" Mason asked. "I think that's a good idea," Derek said. "If I were you, I would leave immediately." "Did Anders say something?" Mason asked. "I don't know," Derek said. "But I think it must be extraordinary. The press is getting word that a well-known lawyer is going to be implicated." Mason said, "Bullshit, Anders can't hurt anybody."

"It might be better if you disappear for a day or two while I get all the information," Derek said. "Give me forty-eight hours, and I will definitely find out the truth." "Stop the bullshit," Mason said. "Can't you see? The police will be happy if I run away suddenly. They'll make a lot of headlines in the papers that I made a hasty escape after learning of Anders' statement." "Let them talk," Derek said. "How does that affect you?" Mason shrugged and said, "How do I know what they're going to do? How do they get Anders to talk?"

"It's not corny," Derek said. "They told him that Phil had given everything and pleaded guilty, and he acted chivalrously and said it wasn't Phil's fault, and then he told the whole story." Mason said, "This..." The phone rang interrupting him.Della picked up the microphone and said, "Hello." She hesitated for a moment, covered the microphone, looked up at Mason, and said in an expressionless voice, "Inspector Huo Kang of the Homicide Unit, and Deputy Prosecutor Lan Shi The Buddha wants to see you immediately." Derek said, "Oh, these guys are pretty quick."

Mason turned his head sharply to the exit door. "Get out of there, Paul," he said. "Well, Della, go out and bring them in." Derek strode easily across the office and opened the exit door.A man's voice said, "Stop! Stay where you are." Derek stood still. Before Della opened the door to the outer office, Inspector Hawthorne, puffing on a cigar, forced the door in, his hat tilted back and a look of hostility in his eyes. The man in the corridor said, "Here he is, Sergeant." Huo Kang walked to the door, glanced at Derek, and said, "It's just a supporting role, let him go. Come in, Lan Shifu."

He pressed the door, and Lan Shifu walked into the office shyly.Lan Shifu is about thirty to forty years old, with gray eyes, a serious face, and a tall man. "Judging from the descriptions I heard, I thought he was Mason," he said. Mason behind the desk said kindly: "No need to apologize, Lan Shifu. You are one of the deputy prosecutors I haven't met yet, please come in and sit down." Lan Shifu seemed uncomfortable, walked to the client's leather chair and sat down. Mason glanced at Sergeant Hawkham and said, "How are you, Sergeant. I haven't seen you in a while."

Inspector Hawkang did not sit down, but stood with his legs apart, his hands in the side pockets of his coat. "Looks like you took a hard fall, Mason." Mason said to Lan Shifu: "You have not been here for long, have you?" "About three months." Huo Kang took the cigar out of his mouth. "Don't gossip about me, Mason, because it won't work." Mason shot back, "Don't tell me you'd better be careful, Sergeant, because that won't work. If you want to know something, just say so." "Where's the gun?" Hawkham asked.

"What gun?" "The gun that killed Wenworth." Mason shrugged and said, "You can search me." "You're right, I can." Huo Kang said coldly. "Is there a search warrant?" Mason asked. "I don't need a warrant." "That depends on your point of view," Mason remarked. Huo Kang walked over, sat on a corner of the table, and said: "As a lawyer, it is one thing to hide behind professional authority and legally licensed confidential speech; it is another time to take the risk of becoming an accomplice afterwards thing."

Mason said displeasedly: "Please feel free to say anything." Lansford interrupted: "Perhaps I could ask Mr. Mason a few polite questions, Sergeant, before we press serious charges. After all, as you know, Mr. Mason is a lawyer and . . . " "Oh, hell!" Huo Kang said contemptuously.After a while, he said again: "Please go ahead." Then he walked through the office and walked to the window, deliberately turning his back on Lan Shifu and Mason. "I'm sure you know about Pen Wenworth being found dead on board the yacht early this morning?" asked Lansford.

Mason nodded. "He was shot to death. It appears that a girl named May Fell and a man named Harold Anders are suspected. The girl has been identified as having been at the scene of the shooting last night. Anders, who admitted that he was near the yacht when the shooting occurred, may not have been first-degree murder in his circumstances, but it was certainly a homicide that required a jury solution. "According to Anders, after Mei Feier told you everything about the shooting, you asked him to go back to the hotel and wait. After careful consideration, Anders decided to discuss with his lawyer, who The lawyer has a business in the county where Anders lives and is his friend for many years. He chartered a plane at the airport and flew back to Northern California. He told the lawyer all the facts, and the lawyer advised him to contact the police immediately. Say everything. The lawyer seems to be..." "Oh, hell!" Huo Kang interrupted him, turning around to face the room. "Why so veiled? The lawyer said Mason gave Anders the worst advice a lawyer could give." Mason said, "Very well." Hawkham continued: "I have often told you, Mason, that one day you will fall hard, and this time it will come true." Mason said, "Okay, forget about what Anders did, let's get down to business. I know you're a good detective and should be promoted to captain. You've been predicting my failure for a long time. Anders' lawyer says my advice Bad. Never mind, so what? I don't care. Anders followed his advice and got upset. Just because the lawyer's advice is your favorite, you think he's right and I'm wrong. You want what?" Hawkham said, "We want that gun." "What gun?" "The pistol that killed Pen Wenworth." "I don't." "This is what you said." Mason lowered his face, narrowed his eyes slightly, and said coldly and decisively: "That's what I said." "Good," said Sergeant Hawkham. "We wanted to give you a step down, but if we have to go hard, we can do that too." "Go ahead," Mason said. "Come on hard." Hawkham said, "Wait a minute, you're watching him here, Lan Shifu." He crossed the office, yanked open the door leading to the outer office, walked into the reception room, took a small handbag, and walked back . Mason watched him calmly.Hawkham opened the bag, reached in, and paused for a moment, as if for a little drama. "Hurry up," Mason said. "Pull the rabbit out!" Huo Kang took out a pair of shoes. "Look at this," he said. "Tell me if this is yours, and remember that anything you say will be used against you." Mason stared at the pair of muddy shoes, then reached out and took one, looked at it carefully, and asked, "Where did you get these shoes?" Huo Kang said: "Don't think you can use this trick, I searched based on the search form." "Which guy gave you a warrant to search my apartment?" "A judge," Hawkham said. "That's not the answer to my question, Mason. Is this your shoe?" "Of course it's my shoes, you got them from my apartment, didn't you?" "Where were you wearing those shoes last night?" "I do not remember." "Don't remember shit." "You ask questions and I answer them. Never mind what I say, you could be in trouble," Mason said. Hawkham said, "Don't try to frighten me, because that won't work. If I take you back to Headquarters and charge you with after-the-fact accomplices, you'll sing a different tune." "It's not going to be your favorite tune anyway," Mason said. Lan Shifu acted as a peacemaker. "Please don't get angry, Mr. Mason. You must at least admit that the evidence shows that you are involved. You know, if we take action, there will be words against you in the newspapers. We are here to politely Investigate the case." "Then why didn't you go according to plan?" Mason asked. Lan Shifu said to Huo Kang: "I think we will do this. Inspector, with your permission, I will conduct an interrogation." Huo Kang shrugged and turned his head contemptuously. Lansford said: "Mr. Mason, I'll tell you the truth. Anders has already recruited them all. He said that when Mayi Fell boarded the Panwen, he heard her screaming, and there were fights. He rushed to save her. As he ran past the floating dock, he slipped and fell into the water. He judged that the shooting happened when he fell into the water. He insisted that he did not hear the gunshot, although he was very He heard her call for help clearly. After he boarded the boat, he ran to the open sunroof, overlooking the main cabin. Miss Fell was arranging her clothes. It was obvious that she had been very disheveled just now. Miss Fell ran up the deck and saw Anders After getting on the boat, she was very embarrassed. She asked Anders what he was doing here. Anders said that he came because he heard her shouting. Miss Phil asked him if he had any weapons with him. Pull down the cabin. "Later, as they were driving into town, she told Anders that Wenworth had been shot, and that she was afraid that other people in the overnight stay who heard the gunshots would accuse Anders of shooting, so she rushed him to the hospital. Pulled off the boat. Anders was so terrified that this might actually happen that he decided to throw the gun away. He stopped near a hot dog place—he described it very well—and hurled the gun over the side of the road, across the freeway boundary. fence. Then they entered the city. "I couldn't believe what Anders said later. He said..." Horn interjected: "Are you going to tell him everything we know?" "Of course." Lan Shifu said.His tone reflected the stubbornness of a scholar.His knowledge comes from abstract research, and he seems to take an academic view of what's going on around him. "Before he plays, if you show all the trump cards in your hand," Hawkham said. "He will know how to deal with you." "I think that's the only proper course of action, Inspector," said Lansford, grimly and decisively. "Your approach leads to arguments, no information, and I personally don't appreciate it." Huo Kang said: "Crazy." Mason said to Lan Shifu: "Where did you talk?" "Think about it," Lan Shifu said with a frown. "Where the hell did I say that? Oh! About Anders telling me what happened when I got back downtown. He looked in the phone book to see if there was a number for your house. He found two phones in the office, one for the daytime Phone calls, one a night call. He made a night call, which was answered by your secretary, Miss Streeter. Anders tried to tell her what happened on the phone, and she asked them to go to her apartment immediately." Lan Shifu stared at the fingertips that were closed together. It was obvious that he was more concerned about whether his memory had missed important details than Mason's reaction. Inspector Huo Kang stood and stared at Lan Shifu with displeasure. He obviously wanted to take the lead, but he seemed to be hesitant because he had to take orders from the prosecutor in his position. "And then," Lansford continued, his voice calm and academic. "The next part is the hardest for me to believe. I don't understand your conduct in this case, Mr. Mason, but I'll start with what Anders said. He said Miss Streeter called you and you came to her apartment, advised the two of them not to call the police, and you accompanied Miss Phil back to the marina, trying to find a way to keep her from being implicated in the murder. "Anders swears that the Panvin was moored in a floating dock when he left. As you know, the yacht was later spotted sailing off the coast of San Diego, on a course that appeared to be headed for Albany, off the coast of Mexico. Senada Penn Wingworth's body was fully clothed, but Anders said Miss Fell insisted he was only in his underwear during the scuffle with her. "Oh, one more thing. The police will of course want to verify Anders' statement. They went to the place where Anders said the gun was dropped. Anders was also in the car. He pointed out the exact location. Do you remember that there was a Thunderstorm? The police accidentally discovered that someone had searched the area carefully first, and the footprints were very clear on the soft mud. "The police made plaster casts of these footprints, and your shoes fit perfectly. Mr. Mason, therefore the most reasonable conclusion is that you and Miss Fell, or your secretary, Miss Streeter, went to the Yacht Club together." , aboard the Penny. You found that Penn Wenworth was dead. In order not to let Miss Fell's name be involved, and to preserve her reputation in case she was involved, you, for Wenworth Clothed the dead body of the yacht, drove the yacht out of the port, turned on the autopilot, and set the course to Esenada before leaving the yacht." "That's funny," Mason asked. "How do we get out?" "Perhaps there are other boats accompanying them." "And then?" Mason asked. "And then you come back for the gun, find it and take it." "Is all of this extrapolated from Anders' story?" Mason asked. "From his confession." "What confession does he have?" "As he admitted, he came on board armed with the intention of causing trouble." "It's not a crime," Mason said. "What did he do?" "According to him, he did nothing." "All you're accusing me of is that I went to the yacht club with Miss Fell and his speculations about my behaviour, right?" "His guess is reasonable." "I'm sorry, I can't help you," Mason said. "I didn't board the Panwen, I didn't dress the body, I had nothing to do with it, and I don't know who did it." "You know that Pen Wenworth's body is on the yacht, Mr. Mason." "have no idea." "You don't know? Anders insists that Miss Fell told you." "Conversations between the client and me are confidential," Mason said. "I don't have the authority to repeat anything she told me, or any advice I gave her. So, stop here, you can't ask about those conversations here, you can't ask them before a grand jury, and you can't ask them in court. .” "Under certain constraints, that seems to be true," Lanceford admits. "However, there are certain clear exceptions to the law guaranteeing confidential conversations." "I follow the law, you make the exception," Mason said. "I'm telling you, you can't ask the advice I give to clients. Now, let's talk about the rest - Anders says I went to the yacht club and he thinks I Something must have been done." "His reasoning is very reasonable." Lan Shifu insisted. "I'm sorry to disagree," Mason said. "Do you have any explanation?" Lan Shifu asked. "I don't." "Well, let me put it this way, Mr. Mason, do you think there is anything irrational in Anders' account?" "That's what I'm going to say in front of the jury," Mason said. "Listen, Mr. Mason, you were looking around for guns in that spot." "So what?" "You have no right to do that and you should report the crime to the police." "How do I know there's been a crime?" "Because you were told there was a shooting." Mason said, "Let me ask you a question. Why are you looking for a gun?" "We want to verify Anders' account." "In other words, you don't think it's anything suspicious?" "This is unusual and we think he may be hiding something." "What if I said I also thought his story was suspicious and wanted to confirm it?" Mason said. "The gun is proof." "What gun?" "The pistol left there." "Why do you think there's a gun there?" Mason asked. Lan Shifu said impatiently: "Mr. Mason, I didn't come to argue with you. You know very well that the gun is there." "Did you go get a gun this morning?" Mason asked. "yes." "why?" "I'm going to check Anders' story, and I told you." "In other words," Mason said. "You're looking because you're not sure there's a gun there. Well, I have the right to do that, too." "I don't think that's a good answer, Mr. Mason. It's the officer's duty to find the gun and keep it as evidence," Lansford said. Mason said, "You've already said what Anders said, so why don't you tell me what Miss Fell said?" "Unfortunately," Lansford said. "Miss Phil refuses to give any clarification. I think it's against her best interests." "Did you tell her Anders' statement?" "Of course," Lansford said. "us……" "For God's sake!" Huo Kang interrupted him. "We're here to get news, not to give this guy news." Lan Shifu said: "It's almost ready, Inspector." Huo Kang took two strides angrily, and walked towards the back door of the office, as if he was restraining his temper, his face flushed, and he stood with his eyes wide open. Lansford said: "I don't think your attitude shows a willingness to cooperate, Mr. Mason. I am very fair and frank with you, because you are a lawyer, I don't want you to be arrested without giving you an opportunity to explain. " Mason said: "I appreciate your sincerity and your motives, Lansford, however you have nothing to complain about, you are following orders, you have no decision-making power. You came here with instructions, and those instructions were for a purpose. .Your office is not as thoughtful as yours. If they had a reason to arrest me, they would have done so, and they haven't. All Anders knows is that I once advised Miss Phil that we should To the marina. To corroborate her account, I have the right to do so, and you must agree with that. "As for the nonsense about dressing the dead body and sailing out to sea, the prosecution had only one basis, and that was the absurd conjectures of a man who told a bizarre story that he once carried a gun in his pocket to Spying on Wenworth's yacht and watching the woman he loves come aboard, then he hears the sound of a fight and starts running over it, but falls into the water, and just as his ears are in the water, his view is blocked by the water At that time, some helpful person got on the yacht, shot Wenworth, and then disappeared. When he climbed back from the water to the floating dock and ran to Wenworth's yacht, he saw his beloved woman sorting out the mess clothes. "Sir, this story is worse than bad, it sucks. It's crazy if you think any jury will believe it. Because it's so absurd, the prosecution and the police can't rely on me as a Accomplice after the fact, or take drastic measures. But they have enough information to send you and Huo Kang here and ask me to make a statement. Their wishful thinking is that I may not be smart enough to say something that can be used as evidence Things are coming." "We have shoes to prove it," Hokang said. "that's enough." "The best you can say about this shoe is," Mason said. "It can be proved that I have walked on mud." "You found the gun," Lansford said. "And hide it." "Where am I hiding?" "we do not know." "In this case," Mason said. "You'd better collect more evidence before making accusations." Lan Shifu stared at Mason thoughtfully for a few seconds, then at his fingertips, and finally at Huo Kang. "Any questions, Sergeant," he asked. "Question?" Huo Kang said in disgust. "You told him everything, and he didn't say anything about it. Problem? Damn!" Lan Shifu said: "Inspector, I think your attitude is not helpful to us, and it is disobedient." Huo Kang replied vaguely: "Let's go!" Lan Shifu stood up. Huo Kang threw the shoes into the handbag angrily, closed the bag, and strode towards the back door. Lan Shifu followed him, but turned around again at the door, bowed and saluted, and said clearly: "Good afternoon, Mr. Mason." Mason blinked and said, "Goodbye, Lan Shifu."