Chapter 9 Chapter nine

At 4:50, Derek walked into Mason's office with news.He said: "After Marley left here, he went straight to the Bakken apartment on Storm Avenue, rang the bell of Heru Tensi, and rang for a long time before giving up. Then he went to the port on Philo Street, and my detective watched him. Is this woman named Tengsi important to you?" "It doesn't matter right now," Mason said. "Go investigate her and see what she is doing, is she a nurse?" "Okay. Here's some other news. The police have found the murder pistol." "Are they sure?"

"Yes, the bullet fits exactly." "Where did they find it?" "It's funny," Derek said. "They found it right where Anders said he dropped the gun." "What's the meaning?" "Remember," Derek said. "That section of the highway is eight to ten feet above the ground on both sides, and there are deep ditches on both sides of the highway." "I know," Mason said. "But how did they find out? Where is the gun located?" "Anders was standing on the side of the road trying to throw it as far away as possible," Derek said. "The gun apparently hit a high-voltage utility pole by the side of the road and fell into a ditch. It started raining soon and there was a lot of water in the ditch. On rainy days, the water can be two or three feet deep. The water receded this afternoon. , a photographer who was there to take pictures of your footprints happened to see the gun in the water.

"It was a .38-caliber Colt automatic. The police fired a shot and compared it with the deadly shot. It was confirmed that both came from the same gun." "How does Anders explain that?" Mason said. "I don't know," Derek said. "It doesn't make much difference what he says, he's in a bad situation anyway." "Got a gun number?" Mason asked. "I guess so. Remember, Paley, here's the latest news, a bulletin from my friend at the newspaper." "I guess they're going to release Phil now, I've applied for habeas corpus," Mason said.

"They're going to take her as a witness," Derek said. Mason said: "They can, but they won't do it because there are pros and cons to each other. Once they point the finger at Anders, Anders has to justify his actions, which means whether to keep Mae or not." , It should be decided by Anders. She is more important to the defendant than to the prosecution. Paul, you have to step up your investigation of that woman in Tengsi, find out as much as possible about her, and continue to follow Marley, and try to Inquire about Avisor's whereabouts. Also, is there any news from Mrs. Wenworth? I think the police have already begun to investigate her."

"I think so. She walked into the prosecutor's office shortly after noon and stayed there for about an hour. Her demeanor was calm, as far as I understand, and she said it was very unfortunate that this happened and she was naturally sorry; And she and Wenworth had long since fallen out, and she no longer pretended that they were still good friends; their differences had run deep over property, and Wenworth's death had shocked her. "My friend at the newspaper showed me a lot of photos, one of which was Janita getting out of the car in front of the courthouse, which was very well taken."

"Why do you choose to shoot when you get off the car?" Mason asked. Derek said: "The newspaper asked reporters to take more pictures of women's thighs, but you can't do that with a widow, it would appear in bad taste, so they took the shot of her getting out of the car." "I see," Mason said.After a while, he added another sentence: "What story did she tell? Did the prosecution interrogate her for details? Or just pick the key points?" "I don't know..." Derek paused, looked up at her when Della slipped in, and quickly finished his sentence. "I don't know what they're talking about."

Della said, "Phil's in the office." Mason turned his head quickly to the exit. "Come on, Paul," he said. "I've got to get some things straight. Anything she tells me is secret, but if a third party hears it, it's not a secret conversation, and it's going to get us in a lot of trouble. Go to work. Digging for information where possible." "I will," Derek said. "You'd better hurry up here too, Paley." "What's the meaning?" "It means she's out now, but I have a feeling she won't be out for long."

"Why? Paul." "It looks like this," Derek said. "I gotta go." "Goodbye," Mason said, nodding to Della. Della goes out and brings Phil in.She walked to Mason's table, head held high, a defiant smile on her lips. "Hi," she said. "Are we going to talk? Or not?" "Why not?" Mason said. "Sit down and have a cigarette." "Shall I stay?" Della asked. Mason shook his head and said, "Be careful not to let other people disturb us." "I'm closing the door," she said, walking lightly through the door to the outer office.

Mason asked Phil, "Why shouldn't we talk?" "I'm afraid I'm putting you in a difficult position." "Nothing, I'm used to the predicament. What did you say to the police?" "Nothing." "What's the meaning?" "It means I didn't say anything." "Did they read Anders' statement to you?" "At first they told me what he said - adding a lot of their own, and then they showed me the signed statement, which was very different from what they told me." "Did you tell them nothing at all?"

"Not a single thing. I said I was a girl working out of town and reputation was a concern and I didn't want to make any claims." "What do they say about that?" "They said, with that attitude, I'd be in more trouble. I said it's okay. They gave me a subpoena to appear before a grand jury. They said, then I have to say it. Is that so? ?” "Maybe so," Mason said. "If you didn't kill him, you'd better speak up." "I didn't kill him." "Did Anders kill him?" "I can't believe he would do something like this, but if he didn't, who would have killed it?"

Mason said, "Let's go back to last night. You came back downtown with us, and you left first, and what did you do after that?" "Go straight back to the city," Phil said. "Going back to your apartment?" "yes." "Then what?" "Then this morning, the homicide detectives woke me up and took me into custody for questioning." Mason said, "You didn't go back to the yacht club after you left us, did you? Did you?" "God, no. Why do you ask?" "I was told you had." "Who?" "A man named Marley. Do you know him?" "Oh, Frank," Phil said contemptuously, and asked after a pause, "What does he know?" "do you know him?" "Yes. What does he know about my going to the yacht club?" "He said you were there. He said you were out on his yacht." "Bullshit," Phil said. "He goes to sea by himself, but he wants to cover it up." "Why do you say he sailed out to sea?" "Because his mind is tortuous, he doesn't do things in a direct way, he always goes around in circles. If you want to know where he is going, you can't look at the direction he is facing now." "I understand." Mason said with a smile. "He's smart," Phil added hastily. "Don't forget this." "Do you know him well?" "yes." "Do you know him well?" "All too well," Phil said. "Don't you like him?" "I loathe him." Mason said, "Let me be straight, Mae, how well do you know Wenworth?" "Too familiar." "Where's his wife?" "I haven't seen her." "Did Marley hang out with Mrs. Wenworth?" "I have no way of knowing," Phil said. "What's your personal opinion on the matter?" "If Janita left the door open, Marley would walk in," Phil said. Mason asked, "Why do you hate him? Did he seduce you?" "Yes—he's not even halfway to first base." "Did you dislike him for that?" "No," Phil said, meeting his gaze. "I might as well tell you frankly that I have nothing against men seducing me, and I like it when it's done in the right way. But I hate it when they make pitiful looks and try to win my sympathy. I don't like Frank because he's dishonest— No, not because of dishonesty. I have nothing against a man taking shortcuts, as long as he is smart. I have known some dishonest men, and some of them have attracted me. I don't like Frank because of his sneaky and secret plots He will approach you kindly and kindly, as if he wants to put a friendly arm around your waist, but in fact he has a knife in his hand, and he can stab it without changing his face. He never raises his voice, never blinks his eyelashes, Don't panic, but he's a dangerous man." Mason said, "Let's talk about you." "What about me?" "A lot of things," Mason said. "For example, what happened on the Panwin." "which aspect?" "Your boyfriend was there when you told me what was going on on the boat," Mason said. "So what?" Phil asked. "Did you delete something because of his presence?" Phil looked straight at him and said, "No, Harlow isn't good enough for me to tell a lie. Listen, Mr. Mason, I'm going to tell you something about me. I'm a self-made man, so I'm going to rule my own. Life. I left North Mesa because I couldn't do what I wanted to do there. I have my own rules, my own beliefs, and my own thoughts. I'm honest with everyone. I hate hypocrisy and I like fairness Games. I want to live my life on my own terms, and I am willing to let other people live their own lives." "Where's Anders?" "Anders wanted me to marry him. I thought about it for a while, agreed, then changed my mind. I hate weak men." "What's wrong with Anders?" "What's so good about him?" Phil said tartly, adding a moment later: "Oh, he's okay, but he needs a lot of support, people pat him on the back, praise him for a job well done, say he's If he is a good young man or something, he can survive. "Look at what he did this time. You told him what to do, and specifically told him to go back to the hotel and wait for your notice. Did he do it? He didn't, and he didn't even go back to the hotel at all. He must Finding someone else to give him advice, that's his problem. He's never been able to stand on his own and face problems on his own." "I'm not sure you're being too harsh with him," Mason said. "Maybe," Phil said. "Have you ever thought that maybe you hate his attempts to persuade you and interfere in your life. In fact, you like him very much, so you try your best to fan the anger against him in your heart, but the fire just doesn't burn?" Phil smiled and said: "You may be right. I have always hated him because he is so nice. Everyone says he is a good young man. He doesn't drink, doesn't smoke, doesn't gamble, works hard, yes The old woman is kind, pays her mortgage on time, cuts her hair and cleans her nails. He reads the best books, listens to the best music, raises the best animals, and gets the best prices. “Everything he does is carefully planned – and it’s always someone else’s idea. The agronomist tells him what to do with the land, the lawyer tells him what to do with the contract, the banker tells him what to do with the finances. Cause of boredom. He was always thoughtful, studious, and right, but he was always right because he followed expert advice. He had good judgment and usually knew which was the best advice, and followed it. " "Don't we all live like that?" Mason asked. "At least, more or less so." "I'm not," Phil said succinctly, before adding an emotional line. "And don't want to live like that." "Do you hate him coming to the city to look for you?" "Yes. It was kind of him to pay the check for me, but I'm capable of living on my own. If I'm in trouble, I'm going to get over it myself, and if I can't, I'll admit it. I don't want Harlow He ran to the city in a hurry, rescued me from the predicament, wiped off the mud on my body, looked down at me with a smile, and said, "Mai Yi, are you willing to go home now, marry me, settle down and live happily?" ?'” "Does he still want you to marry him?" "Of course. Once he's got an idea in his head, it's hard to change it." "You do not want it?" "I don't want to. I guess I'm an ungrateful person. I know I'm in trouble and he's going to help me, give me money and psychological support, and I should be thankful and throw myself into his arms when it's over. All I can tell you, Mr. Mason, is that I wouldn't do that." Mason said, "Okay, let's talk about the yacht." "I already told you." "You said Wenworth was wearing underwear." "He is.", "He was well dressed when the body was found." "I don't know what's going on," Phil said. "He was in his underwear when he was shot, that's all I know." "How did it happen?" "Oh he said he was sailing that night and asked if I would mind if he went and changed into his overalls and he said he was going to check the machinery. When he went to the back cabin to change, the door wasn't closed. I didn't know, I walked back When I got to the control room, I saw him changing clothes. I think this made him feel crazy, and he started to touch me instead of the machine." "How loud are you screaming?" "I didn't know I was called," Phil said. "Harlow said I did and I think he got it wrong. I've been cursing and kicking and biting him. If I had screamed I was yelling at Pan not calling for help. I walked onto the boat myself , and I can walk on my own, I have never been a person who will call for help." "Were you nervous or hysterical?" "Me?" Phil asked in surprise. "yes." "Jesus, no. I was cornered," she said. "I'm getting tired, and I don't know how long I can last. Mr. Mason, I've resisted men before, and maybe I will again in the future." "Are you encouraging men to use violence?" Mason asked. "I don't think so," Phil said. "A lot of men use hominid tricks because there are a lot of women who do it. But I don't. When a man starts to push me, I hit him with anything I can get my hands on. I think I'm in trouble with that. More than most girls because I'm independent by nature and men hate that. A lot of women say no in a way that men like, but I say no and I don't care if a man likes it or not." "When was the last time you saw Marley?" "Sunday a week ago." "Where?" "The place we all sailed out to play." "Was Wenworth present?" "yes." "On the Panwin?" "No," Phil said. "On Marley's ship, the Edina. We made a quick trip back and forth to Catalina." "Can you sail that boat?" "Yeah, I drove the boat all the way back. I wish I liked Marley as much as I liked his boat. It's a fine boat." "How is your relationship with Wenworth?" Phil said: "We've known each other for a while and I work for him. I could tell he was interested in me. He invited me on a cruise, you know what that kind of voyage is for. I made my case and he said Okay, just want my company. I'll go. He's going to start a betting business, it's illegal, but he says he's got it all set up. He wants me to be there and watch Marley by the way. Pan Knowing that Frank Marley's work had nothing to do with me, he was a little suspicious of Frank. Frank handled most of the money, so Pam thought it would be better if someone kept an eye on him. "Honestly, I don't think Frank likes the idea. If you keep an eye on Frank's accounts, I think you'll find something. I told Pen about that." "What did Pam say?" Mason asked. "Nothing. He said I was wrong, but I could see he took my word for it." "What about the clothes?" Mason asked. Phil said: "Every time I think about it, it makes me angry. It was a business arrangement from start to finish and Wenworth didn't have to pay for the clothes, unless something happened and I wasn't able to work. It's just paid out of my salary in instalments, which was discussed with the credit manager when the account was opened. It's a business arrangement." "But you didn't pay the bill, did you?" "Of course not, I haven't been to work. The city government's personnel changes have replaced people they are familiar with to other areas. But they didn't give up the plan, they just stood still and tried to establish new relationships. “Our original agreement was that I would have to be out of work until the place opened and I would get a regular salary. I was going to spend a lot of time with him, meeting his friends, getting to know them. Every three weeks Pan would give me A small check for my sister, and my living expenses. I had to have enough clothes to make a good impression. In a way, I was the official hostess of Pam's yacht parties. "I don't need anyone to tell me, I know it doesn't look right. I also know that Pan's idea is that I will become dependent on him, controlled by him, and become his mistress. I don't care what he thinks, I just know What do you think. I’m not pretending, I told him plainly from the beginning. He knows how I feel, but he thinks he can change me. That’s okay, it’s a fair deal and nobody owes anyone.” "But what about your family?" Mason asked. "That's the trouble. I'm out of work, I can't find a decent job, and I think that's a good paycheck. But I also know that the place could be raided, and I might have to go to court. Although I Think I'll be ok but I can't be sure. My mom would be very upset if she knew I did that. I don't want to lie so I don't write. I know Sylvia needs money so ask Pam to send it to Her, until I get my paycheck, when I have money to send her. That's my story." "Nice story, if it's true," Mason said. Her eyes became very dark. "Don't get excited," Mason said. "I mean what happened after you left us. A witness claims to have seen you sailing out in Marley's boat." "me?" "yes." "when?" "After we've been to the yacht club." "I don't." "Witnesses say you have." "Witnesses lie. Why am I going to sail Marley's boat?" Mason said, "If Anders didn't go back to the hotel and went aboard the Panwin and put it out to sea in the direction of the Esenada, then you could take Marley's boat to pick him up, because the Adina's Twice as fast as the Panwin." "This is ridiculous. Harlow went straight back to North Mesa to discuss it with his lawyer." "He's right back to North Mesa," Mason said. "But I'm not sure if it's going straight back." "I'm telling the truth." Mason stood up, reached for his hat, and said, "We're not going to talk about that." "what do you want me to do?" "Go back to your apartment and act like nothing happened," Mason said. "Newspaper reporters will visit you and ask you questions. Photographers want to take pictures, and you let them do it. Remember, they work for a living, and they Sent out to dig news, take pictures, and interview. If there is something, their boss is satisfied. So give them something to take back, let them take you, give them pictures, but tell them you don't want to discuss the case .” "I see," Phil said. "You can tell the newspaper reporter about your romance with Anders," Mason said. "No romance." "That's what I want you to say, the same as you told me." "Wouldn't it be nice to always ask someone else's opinion about his weakness of character?" "No, not this," Mason interrupted Phil. "On the other hand. Tell them he was a model young man who never made a mistake, and how you got tired of it and wanted to experience life in the city. Tell them too about Wenworth putting you to work for him." But don't mention horse betting. He only said he was going to open an office in the city. He didn't elaborate on the nature of the business, only that he was handling his investments. Don't talk about last night, say you want to, but your lawyer I won't let you talk." "In other words," Phil said. "I'm going to give them something to print, right?" "right." "Okay, I'll do it." "How?" Mason asked. "Are you troubled?" Phil shook his head and said with a smile, "It's all part of the game. Sometimes you're at the top and everything goes well; sometimes you're at the bottom, but don't worry about it." She stretched out her hand suddenly, smiled at Mason and said, "Good night, Mr. Mason." Mason held her hand, looked her in the eyes and asked, "Did they try to intimidate you? Try to make you nervous?" "Do they?" Phil laughed. "All of them yelled at me and questioned me and asked me to act out the shooting. When they couldn't, they accused me of being Pam's mistress but kept it from Anders because I wanted to marry Anders for a lifetime. Good day. I see them as unscrupulous, Mr. Mason." Mason smiled and said, "I think so too. Go back, can you remember everything I told you?" "Of course," Phil said. She smiled at Mason at the door, and Mason heard the sound of her heels on the hallway, heading for the elevator. Mason put on his hat, walked into the big office and said, "Della, I'm going to take a look outside. You go get some dinner and come back and watch the phone." Della grabbed Mason's right hand, stroked it and said, "Will you be careful? Boss." Mason smiled and shook his head at her. Della smiled and said, "I shouldn't waste my words in vain, but you have to be careful, if you need my help, just let me know." "Okay, Della, I want you to stay out of the press for a while. I don't want them to get you involved. They've subpoenaed Phil for the grand jury trial, and they'll probably send me too." "And me?" Della asked. Mason nodded. "What are we going to say?" "We can't perjury, we can't give them the upper hand, we can't go against the best interests of our clients," Mason said. "We're taking the position that the law allows silence about what happened, and the grand jury has no authority to investigate. There are a lot of technical issues involved. , but we'll be all right, Della." "I think you'd like me to say nothing." "Silent as a clam." "At high tide?" "What difference does that make?" "You only find clams at low tide." "Then be a high tide clam," Mason said. Mason had just stepped out the door when the phone rang and Della answered. "Hi, beauty," Derek said. "Let me speak to your boss." "He just went out," Della said. "I think he's off to work." Derek said: "I was waiting for him to call me after Phil left. The prosecution released the case, and the newspaper did not dare to name the name, but the prosecution has named names and said they are going to prove that Paley was killed last night. Go out to find a gun, he will be summoned to appear in the grand jury trial, his whereabouts have been closely monitored, he..." Della said, "Let me try to stop him, Paul." She put down the microphone, rushed out the door, ran to the elevator, and pressed the switch eagerly.An elevator stopped and she said, breathlessly to the attendant, "Sam, would you please take me to the first floor? I have to get there right away." The elevator attendant smiled and nodded, ignoring the surprises of other passengers and the lights on other floors, and directly lowered the elevator to the first floor. Della pushed the crowd away and ran to the door just in time to see Mason get into a taxi, fifty feet away from her.Della called him, but he didn't hear, and the taxi pulled into traffic.Two plainclothes officers in a car parked near a fire hydrant started the car and followed Mason. Della looked around but saw no taxi.The red light ahead blocked the approaching cars, and Mason's taxi had already turned right with the following cars and disappeared into the traffic formation. Della turned and walked slowly back to the office.