Chapter 15 Chapter fifteen

Carlo sat in Mason's office and said: "When we left, I heard what Team Leader Trager said to you. How much time do I have now?" "I don't know," Mason said. "It depends on whether your father has been arrested, and it also depends on what he said." She said: "I don't think they can trap my dad, it's just..." "Just what?" Mason found that her voice was getting weaker and almost inaudible, so he asked. "He's somewhere," she said. "Tell me something I don't know. Start talking, try to be honest."

"I can not." "Oh, really!" said Mason. "I am your lawyer, and I will keep everything you say to me confidential." "If I tell you, you will definitely not want to represent us again." "Don't be silly!" Mason said. "I can't let go now. We dragged Della into the water. Now I have to rescue her and get her out of trouble. Please start from the beginning and tell me the whole story." Carlo said, "Mr. Mason, this sounds terrible, please don't judge me until I'm done, will you?" Mason made an impatient gesture.

Carlo said: "It starts with an incident a few years ago that has troubled my father all his life; Delphine Milfie knew about it and used it to force my father to work at Skinner. Hill supports her husband in this project." "Blackmail?" Mason asked. "Not exactly that, but... well, yes, it doesn't matter if you want to say so." "I think so," Mason told her. "I'm afraid that's blackmail." Carlo said: "They planned it out very well. At first, Delphine Milfie called my dad - to catch up and she said of course she would respect his personal secrets and he could absolutely trust her. Fred Milfield came to visit my father a week or two later, and he came with the Skinnerhill deal, saying it was in dire need of money—a deal that was too much for him. It's very important, and Delphine is eager to help him make it through."

"The results of it?" "Well . . . in that kind of business, you don't take the risk of revealing your plans unless everything is in place and under control. Fred Milfield knew exactly what to do. Do, just confer with a man named Van Nuys - I haven't met this man yet. The two of them feign interest in the Karaku sheep, and start a move to buy that land, which is bigger than any It is worth more than people can imagine. My father once aimed at one of the places, pretending to evaluate whether it is feasible to open a deep water well, and prepared to dig it, but before they were all ready to dig it, they actually dug a piece containing Sandy layers of oil."

"Now, Milfy and Van Nuys are rich, right?" "They could have gotten rich in time, but here comes trouble. One thing my father can't stand is cheating on friends; he finds out that Fred Milfield has been taking his money." "How to cheat?" Mason asked. "The idea should have been to have all the necessary paperwork ready for a fair consideration," Carlo explained. "However, if the transaction is difficult to close that way, one of the parties may pay in cash. Fred has been lying about this; he paid a thousand dollars and told my father that he paid five thousand Yuan. Since the payment is in the form of cash and there is no written record, it is impossible to verify whether what he said is true or false.”

"How did your father find out?" "He got suspicious, so he went to see Frank Palermore on Friday afternoon. My dad pretended to be a land speculator, and he picked Palermore because he knew that although Palermore had signed a contract, But it’s definitely not enough.” "What did your dad find?" "He found out that Palermo was only getting a thousand dollars." "How much Milfie claims she paid Palermo?" "Four thousand yuan." "and then?" "My dad was very angry. He tried to get in touch with Milfy and left a message for Milfy to call him at the yacht club. My dad was also very angry about the car accident. Milfy used several Trucks carrying sheep in karaku and those trucks were registered in my dad's name. After the crash, the man in the car took down the truck's license plate number, but Milfie did nothing; my dad instructed his lawyers , no matter how much it costs, settle. He is afraid that some smart lawyer will look into the license plate number-well...just like you did-and find out that there is a deal going on under the hood, Before the transaction of some land was completed, the price suddenly soared."

Mason said, "Come back to Milfy and your father. What happened?" "Later on Friday morning, Milfy called my dad and my dad told him what he had found. You should know that if my dad can prove that Milfy cheated and embezzled the money, he can stop at any time. The benefits he is going to reap. Mi Erfei was very flustered when he heard my father say that." "How did he say?" "He said he was going to take Palermo to the yacht and make him admit that he was lying. But of course it wouldn't fool my father, he knew that Palermo might be bribed to make up a lot of lies."

"Then, did Milfie go to the yacht?" Mason asked. "Yes, but he didn't get there until about evening." "What happened next?" "Milfie threatened, threatened, and even punched my dad, but my dad knocked him down, then climbed up the ladder to the cabin, let go of Milfie's rowboat, got inside, and started The motor at the stern of the boat, to drive the boat to shore, and he intends to call the police and arrest Milfie." "Why didn't you do it later?" "He got in touch with me and I drove to the yacht club. I advised him not to call the police until he found out what was going on with Milfie. I got on board and went to the yacht because the boat was tethered to the shore. .”

"what have you found?" "Milfie lay on the floor--dead! Apparently, when he was knocked down, he hit his head on the threshold of the cabin." "Why didn't you notify the police?" "I can't—because thinking of something my father did before makes me very cautious and dare not act rashly." "What's the matter?" "A few years ago in New Orleans, he got into an argument with a man who, in the tussle and tussle, fell on the firewood and died instantly. No witnesses were there at the time, and my father passed away without incident. Left the scene. However, if the police found his past records now, they would definitely say that both murders were premeditated murders. They would say that after my dad knocked the man unconscious, he deliberately hit his head with a stick If you fight, put him to death to rest, and in this case again."

Mason started pacing. Carlo said: "You know what happened next. I went back and told my father that Milfy died. My father regretted that night and felt very sad. So I came up with a plan to arrange for an absentee Prove it to him. I know Resin was at the Surf and Sun motel with a gang, and he called my house late Friday night and Saturday morning, trying to get my dad on the phone. So I asked Jia Sen Belting drove me to the Surf and Sun motel, we wanted to see Ressing before he checked out, but unfortunately he had already left the motel." "Then what do you do next?" "Beltin just paid a day's rent and renewed the room, pretending he was one of Resing's gang."

"Then you hid the key, didn't you?" "yes." "Where was your father?" "He was taking shelter in the restaurant, that's where we found him." "How did the police know he was there?" She said: "We agreed first, and a special time was arranged. Jason Beltin called the police and provided a lead anonymously. I deliberately let the police find my dad there, and then we will go to the police again." Show up in time and have him pull the key out of his pocket—well, you know what that's like." "You almost made the situation confusing," Mason said. "I know." Mason asked, "Did you try to bribe Reising?" "Yes. That's where I was dead wrong. I called Reissing and asked him to do me a favor - by refusing to answer any questions about the people he was with at the time; and then pretending that they were He's a dignitary, and if someone asks my dad if he's been there, he doesn't have to lie about it, just refuse to answer the question, so they might think my dad and some business associates did. And J.C. Lessing himself did not disclose the real situation." Mason said, "Okay, let's go back to what happened on the yacht. How long did it take you to get there after he and Milfy quarreled?" "About an hour. I was at a cocktail party." "Where is your father?" "He's in the office." "What time was it when you arrived at the Yacht Club?" "I don't know, but I remember it was daytime." "You got in the boat, started the motor, and headed for the yacht, didn't you?" Mason asked. "yes." "Then you found Mr. Milfield's body, didn't you?" "yes." "Where is the body lying?" "On the floor. His head was an inch or two against the brass threshold." "When the police found the body, he wasn't lying there." "I know. Because the yacht tilts at low tide and the body rolls to the starboard side of the cabin." "What about the bloody footprints?" "I didn't realize I was stepping on blood until I started climbing the stairs. When my right foot hit the tread, I had a weird feeling - it felt sticky, and I didn't know until I looked down. .” "What action did you take?" "I took off my shoes—both, with my socks still on—and climbed up the stairs to the cabin." "and then?" "After I got into the boat, I washed my shoes. I thought the blood was gone, but I found out that it wasn't cleaned. Some of the blood had dried between the top of the shoe and the sole. I didn't know how to remove it." They, therefore, simply wrapped up the shoes and took them to the package storage at Union Terminal for storage." "When you got on board, the yacht was in a stable state, and Milfie's body hadn't been moved, had it?" "Yes, there lay the body with its head against the threshold." Mason said, "There must be a solution to this mystery, not because of you or your father, but because of Della." Mason continued to pace, and Carlo looked at him silently. Mason turned around suddenly, picked up the phone, and said to Carlo at the same time: "They are not following Della, which means they are following you; they are very aware of your every move, and there must be more than one police detective following the prison. That notice The collar card fell out of your purse, and someone picked it up and handed it to Della, did you see this scene?" "I remember seeing someone bring something to her." "What does he look like?" "About fifty, wearing a gray suit, smiling nicely, and..." "That pleasant smile is the bait. What color are his eyes and hair?" Carlo shook his head in wonder, and then said: "His nose is weird, it seems...it seems very wide." "Have you ever broken your nose?" "Maybe? Yes, it's possible." "How tall are you?" "Medium build." "weight?" "Well...the shoulders are very broad, and it seems to be quite strong." Mason dialed Derek's phone number and said, "Paul, I want you to find out all the police officers related to the murder, especially a man about fifty years old with a broken nose, broad shoulders, medium build, and complexion. The lighter ones, the ones in the gray suits, were probably boxers in their early days. Drop what you're doing and go after this guy with all your might." "What's the importance of this person?" Derek asked. "When Carlo dropped the withdrawal card, this is the man who picked it up and gave it to Della. I have to confirm that he was a police detective and that the police put the withdrawal card into Della's hands on purpose for his A trick of framing. Do you understand?" "I see." Derek said a little puzzled. "However, this is not an easy matter, if you..." At this moment, there was a hasty knock on the door of Mason's office. Mason gently put the microphone back, walked to the door, and opened it. Team leader Trager and two uniformed police officers stood at the door, Trager's smile was calm and confident. "Mason, I told you I'd come back and take her away," he said. "This time, it's no use having a law enforcement officer waiting for you. We're going to file a complaint now." Mason turned to Carlo and said, "Okay, Carlo, that's it." She said to Mason, "Please find my father, and then..." "Stop being silly," Mason said. "Now, Trager is going to sue you because he has..." "Your father has been caught." Trager interrupted, finishing Mason's words. "Not bad," Mason said.