Chapter 4 Chapter Four

There's a telephone in the pharmacy around the corner.Mason tossed a coin and answered his office number.He was using an unregistered private number that connected directly to the phone on his desk. Seconds after the bell rang, Della answered the phone. "Hi," Mason said cheerfully. "Have you had lunch yet?" "Of course not. You told me to wait here." "I've had lunch." "Ah, very good." "We've got another murder." "Another one?" "yes." "Who is the victim?" "Fred Milfield."

"Boss!" she said in surprise. "How did it happen?" "I have no idea." "Who are our customers?" Mason smiled and said, "We don't have any clients yet. Don't be so rigid, Della, can't I take on a murder case without a client?" "No pay." "Indeed." Mason admitted. "I think you must be busy with something. Please tell Paul to take action—contact the staff of the newspaper office to see if you can find any clues about the Murphy's murder." "Boss," she protested. "I've always got to have someone to charge for—as a book-keeping source, and..."

"Okay," Mason said. "The object of charge should be Miss Jin Meng." Della asked, "Which aspect of this murder would you like Derek to investigate?" "Investigate all aspects. Go and eat something, and I'll be right back." Mason hailed a taxi and returned to the office to find Della waiting for him. "Boss," said Mason, a little surprised. "I thought you were out to lunch." "I was just about to go out when I saw a well-dressed young woman in a panic as she kept coming into the office. I sympathized with her and stopped to explain to her that you would only be here on Monday morning. However, she His face was pale, his expression was flustered and urgent, and he said that he must see you."

Mason said impatiently, "Della, I don't have time to see anyone right now; this murder happened suddenly, Milfy was murdered, and his wife..." Della interrupted, "The young woman's name is Carlo Burbank." "I don't care who she is, I... oh wait! Burbank?" Della nodded. "Is this person in any way connected to the 'Burbank' of the Karaku Wool Company?" "I don't know, that's why I wanted her in - I guess she's related." Mason whistled and said, "We're going to talk to Carlo. Doesn't she look excited?"

"Not only was she excited, she was pale and flustered." "Is she out in the office?" Della nodded. Mason said, "Okay, you go to Paul's office and tell him about the Milfie murder, and say the police have been informed about it and he can dig up some details for us. Please put everything else aside for now. Do your best to investigate this case first. You go to contact him, and I want to see if this Carlo Burbank is related to the Burbank we are looking for." Della put a hand on the door and asked, "How's Mrs. Milfield's reaction to this?"

"I heard her yelling, but I don't think that was unexpected because she was crying before I got to her," Mason said. "Is it attractive?" "Charming." "Smart?" "She's cunning--for leaving me among the wolves!" Della's eyebrows went up. "I became a victim of her gaining the trust of Chief Trager." "Why?" Della asked him. Mason said: "Trigger came to visit, and I thought it best not to let him know I was there, because Mrs. Milfield just cried, and Tragg's visit suggested that there had been a murder. So I hid in the pantry. Inside, and yet she told Trager I was there."

"why?" "Obviously, it is to flatter and flatter him." "How old is she?" Della asked. "About thirty." "Sounds like a dangerous person." Della criticized. "I think she is." "Okay, I'll get Paul to look into the Milfy case. Carlo Burbank is waiting in the office outside." Della ran down the narrow hallway, her crisp footsteps echoing in the silence of the commercial building on Saturday afternoon.Mason passed the law library and entered the reception room. Carlo was sitting stiffly, her knees pressed together, her face a pale and rigid mask, under which the bright red lips were incongruous with the pale complexion.

When the door clicked open, she twitched suddenly, showing how nervous she was now.Her wide eyes turned to Mason. There was no panic in those eyes, maybe there was a trace of fear, but they also showed a bit of firm perseverance and determination.The young woman appeared to be struggling to control her emotions and manage to keep her head clear. "Mr. Mason?" "yes." "Are you dealing with a traffic accident case where a man named Pickler collided with a Skinnerhill Karaku truck?" "yes." "My father thought you were deft and skilled."

"Thank you." "He mentioned that if we were in any trouble, it would be best to have your help, to have you on our side and defend us." "Does your father have anything to do with the Karaku Wool Company?" Mason asked. "indirectly." "What's his name?" "Roger Burbank." "I wonder if you are in trouble now?" She said: "One of my father's friends, Mr. Milfield, was murdered - on my father's dinghy." "Indeed. What would you like me to do for you?" "My father is in a strange position - very dangerous, and I hope you can help him."

"Was he in the boat when the murder happened?" "No, that's the trouble. He wants people to think he was in the boat; but in fact he wasn't there at all." "Where is he now?" "I'm not sure." Mason said cautiously: "Miss Burbank, before you say anything, I'd better tell you, I'm afraid I can't accept your father's commission." "Why not?" "I have a relative conflict of interest." "What's the situation?" "Adlai Kimmon is the owner of the eighty acres of land..."

"In fact, Frank Palermore owns that land." Carlo interrupted Mason. "Sorry, I think you made a mistake." "Ownership should be his." "Under the contract of resale..." "But that contract has lapsed and he has owned the land for more than five years." "Is it still the case under that contract?" She hesitated for a moment, then asked, "How much do you want?" "a lot of." "Mr. Mason, since it is a livestock land..." "It's actually worthless," interrupted Mason. "But if it's an oil field, it's worth a fortune." "Who said there was oil there?" "I said." Her eyes rolled, then settled down again. "I'm afraid I don't see any connection yet." Mason said: "In order to make up for the land she lost, Edlai Kimmon wants to get 100,000 yuan in cash." "That's ridiculous, Mr. Mason, and it's outrageous." Mason continued to finish his words: "That's why I said I'm afraid I can't represent your father." She bit her lower lip. "Mr. Mason, the amount you mentioned is so ridiculously high, it's like a lion's mouth." Mason said happily: "I'm sorry, but now you need to hire a lawyer to represent you; and it's Saturday afternoon, I think you may have a hard time finding..." "But we entrust you, Mr. Mason." "But in terms of professional ethics, I still can't accept your commission, because in terms of relative interests..." She followed up and said: "Let's do this! If you are willing to represent my father, you can still continue to deal with Jinmeng's land issue. Moreover, when you meet my father, you can try to negotiate with him as much as possible." "That's going to be a tough deal," Mason warned. "That's what I expected." "Have you the right to speak for your father?" "Yes, I do have the right to act for him in this urgent situation." "I don't want any misunderstandings about that," Mason said. "No, don't worry." "What do you want me to do?" "I want you to come with me to see my father, we must find him first." "What is he doing now?" "He is currently doing a very important thing, and it must be kept absolutely confidential. No one is allowed to know where he is now and what he is doing-don't you know his current situation?" "Is it because of the murder?" "Yes, Fred was killed on his yacht. My father usually took his yacht out every Friday night and moored it at the mouth of the bay, which was a time for him to leave his busy work and get away from the The hustle and bustle, the way to relax. This Friday night, he took the yacht out as usual, and he didn't stay on the boat after the boat was moored. He went to do a very important thing-this... Anyway, he definitely doesn't Wouldn't tell anyone what he was doing." "Do you know where he is?" "Not sure, but I hope I can find him. And we've got to get to him before the police, we've got to be there; Mr. Mason, do you understand?" "why?" "So we can tell him what happened." "The police will tell him." "They'll pre-set the trap for him to make some sort of statement." "Like what?" "Mr. Mason, don't you understand? My father is dealing with a very important business, so when the police start questioning him, he will easily fall into their trap." "You mean: would he swear that someone else was on the yacht when the murder happened?" "yes." "What if we find him first in time?" Mason asked. "We can explain the whole situation to him." "Then what?" "Then he'll have a chance to think about what he's going to say to the police." "Thinking of a good lie?" "Of course not. He will tell them exactly what he knows." "I guess I have to know more. What the hell is he up to now?" "It's about a political event, I think they're looking for some politicians in the oil industry, and my father has done part of the underground work. If all the plans don't go through, let that come to light, It’s tantamount to asking for death.” "I understand." "So we have to find him quickly." Mason tapped his fingers on the table. "You have more things to do than me, what is my legal status now?" "I want to hire you." "do what?" "Protect my father's interests." "Anyone else?" "This—or, so to speak, invites you to act as a family lawyer—to deal with general family matters." "What are we going to do now?" "We're going to a few places." "Where are you going?" "It's very confidential, and I can't tell you just yet. Put on your coats, and we'll leave the office together—now." She looked at her watch again. "When are you coming back?" "Find my father and come back." Mason took her into his office.He opened the door of the hat cupboard, took out his coat and hat, turned to Carlo and said, "Are you ready?" She looked at her watch for the third time, seemed to want to speak, but stopped suddenly, and then replied, "Yes, everything is ready." When passing the door of the Derek Detective Agency, Mason opened the door and called inside: "Della." Della came out of one of the offices inside. Mason closed his left eye and said, "I'm going out now, you go and eat something, you don't have to wait for me." "Boss, when will you be back?" The person who answered the question was Carlo, and she said firmly: "Not sure yet."