Della Streeter, Perry Mason's confidential secretary, said: "Mr. Horace Warren, an executive-seeming, persistent seeker, was waiting impatiently outside the office to be seen. .” "What does Warren want to discuss?" Mason asked. "That's... quite mysterious," Della said. "How should I say it? What kind of mysterious method?" Mason asked. "All he told me was that he was willing to pay five hundred dollars to invite you to a buffet dinner tonight." "Tell him I'm not a hired entertainer, I have a tight schedule today and I only see clients by appointment."

"I don't think he wants you to be there as a socialite," Della said. "He wants you to bring your own female companion to the banquet, and asks you to pay attention to a certain person and report your impression of this person to him." Mason looked at Della affectionately and asked, "Do you want to attend the dinner?" "Dinner with champagne." Della nodded. Mason smiled and said, "Bring Mr. Warren in, Della." After throwing a pleasant smile at Mason, Della walked out, and soon appeared with a man in his forties or fifties. This man had a pair of firm gray eyes under thick eyebrows.

"Mr. Mason, I'm Horace Warren, and I'm a businessman," said Warren. Mason smiled and said, "People who come from the drama department will definitely think so." "Were you ever a drama student?" "Any court lawyer tends to see himself that way. He has to be that way if he's going to be successful. Take a seat!" Warren sat across the table from Mason. He gazed deeply at Mason and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table.His thick shoulders and neck revealed a warlike atmosphere. "That's one of the reasons I came to you," Warren said.

"What is it?" "You are the judge of various roles on the stage of life, and I want you to make some judgments for me." Mason said: "I think what you want is a little different from usual?" "You have some good detective agencies working for you, don't you?" Warren asked, diverging from the original topic of conversation. "Yes," Mason said. "The Derek Detective Agency, they're on the same floor of the building. Paul Derek has been with me for years. He's brilliant and very business ethic." "Is he good with fingerprints?" Warren asked.

"what do you mean……?" "Can he do fingerprint classification and comparison?" "He has experience in court cases," Mason replied warily. "While he wasn't exactly a fingerprint expert, he was an expert and had connections with other experts of exceptional ability." Warren hesitated for a moment, then reached into his coat pocket and took out a piece of white cardboard.A piece of transparent tape is attached to the cardboard, and there is a black swirl of fingerprints under the tape. "I want you to hire Derek immediately, immediately," Warren said. "The report is due by five o'clock in the afternoon, and I must have it by that time."

"Why don't you come over to Derek's office and talk to him in person?" Mason asked. "Because I don't want Derek to know who your clients are. I want Derek to follow your orders." "Maybe," Mason said. "You'd better tell me more information." "Tonight," Warren said. "My wife and I are going to be throwing a buffet dinner for a small group of close friends. No more than sixteen or eighteen people will attend. I want you to bring your lady companions and make your attendance appear ordinary if you can It would be even better to create an unexpected presence. My corporate manager, Judson Wanney, will be in charge of making your presence seem reasonable. Because Wanney invited your girlfriend, and you're showing up as a escort, because You are her man of choice. I don't want anyone here to question whether your attendance is related to your profession. Get your black tie ready and come to the dinner. Please come to the cocktail reception at seven, dinner will be at eight It will start at 10 o'clock and you can leave at around ten o'clock. It will take three hours in total. I plan to pay you 500 yuan, plus the consultation fee you want to charge today, and of course the fee for hiring a detective agency."

Mason looked thoughtfully at Warren's blurred gray eyes and said, "I don't like to act blindly." "This is not an ordinary case." Warren reassured Mason. "Well," Mason said. "Will you tell me now about the fingerprints and why you need the help of a detective agency?" Tapping his fingertips on the cardboard with the sample fingerprints on it, Warren said, "I want you to find out who the fingerprints are, aka 'who did it.'" Mason shook his head. "What do you mean, impossible?" Warren asked. "What you're asking for won't work," Mason said. "Even though the FBI and police detectives have successfully used a single fingerprint comparison to crack some famous cases or detect wanted criminals, the identification of a single fingerprint is a highly difficult and tedious task, which is far more difficult than that of ordinary detective agencies. The range that can be grasped. Usually what the public does not know is that the complete fingerprint classification work must be sampled through ten fingerprints, and then the fingerprints are converted into codes. Analysts can compare fingerprints only by using a limited number of codes. right."

"If you can get ten fingerprints, can you deduce the suspect?" Warren asked. "Again, there's another factor to consider," says Mason. "If the suspect's fingerprints are on file with the FBI, then we can ask the police officer to check and get a comparison. If the fingerprints are not on the file of the Criminal Bureau, it will be difficult to progress. Because it is used for general identification purposes. National fingerprint files are kept confidential." Warren nodded, his eyes half-opened, as if he was thinking about something unrelated to what Mason said.

Suddenly, he stood up, took the wallet out of his pocket, took out a check and handed it to Mason. "This," Warren said. "It's a check for 1,000 yuan, of which 500 yuan is the reward for going to the banquet today. I have given the address of the banquet to your secretary. The remaining 500 yuan will be used as the hiring fee. Now, under the utmost secrecy, I Further information about your fingerprints will be provided." "It's wise to provide the lawyer with all the facts." Mason said flatly. "The fingerprints could have come from one of my servants, it could have been from one of the guests at dinner tonight, it could even have come from a stranger. Could your man--Mr. Obtain the fingerprints of all the servants without anyone knowing? This is what you call 'latent prints'."

Mason shook his head and said: "This won't work. If you don't let Derek know the real identity of the client, he can't do it. Collecting latent fingerprint samples requires a variety of colors of toner, covering the fingerprints on the rubbing pattern." , and then take a photo of the pattern obtained by extension, just like the fingerprint you hold." "Title?" Warren asked. "How did you get it?" "Sprinkle the toner on the fingerprints first, and then cover the fingerprints with the self-adhesive adhesive tape. Because the surface of the adhesive paper has been specially smoothed, it can fully cover the fingerprints; after tearing off the adhesive tape, put it on the attached The cardboard of the background color can show the fingerprint pattern by comparison. For example, the fingerprint on the cardboard you gave me was rubbed with graphite powder, so after printing, put the adhesive paper on the whiteboard, it can be Show fingerprints. If Derek comes to your house to collect fingerprints, he must rub the surface of various objects and obtain the desired patterns. It is obviously very impossible to complete these evidence collections within the limited time of the banquet."

"Do you have any suggestions?" Warren asked. "I have a suggestion," Mason said. "Just don't know if it will work or not. First of all, it would have to let Derek know who I am as a client, and it would cost you a lot of money." "Money is not an issue," Warren declared. "I don't want to be taken for a fool to have people charge me more than normal. But I will give anything I want." Mason nodded thoughtfully. "How are you going to proceed?" Mason said: "Hire a catering host for the dinner. On the surface, Derek is the foreman of the catering service. In this way, the catering will handle the tableware, crystal utensils and silverware for the banquet. The catering company's staff will Park the food truck in your driveway. The food truck will serve as the working headquarters for the catering service. All plates, glasses, and silverware will be sent back to the food truck to be washed. In fact, there is no dishwashing equipment on the food truck, only An unlimited supply of silverware, in case the tableware needs to be replaced from time to time. In fact, this dining car is a living fingerprint laboratory. Once the tableware arrives here, Derek's assistant can quickly obtain latent prints from the tableware .” "How much does this type of work cost?" Warren asked. "Very expensive." Mason asked. "How many guests will attend today's dinner?" "Fifteen!" Warren said. "If all attend. Add me and my wife, a total of seventeen people, plus you and your female companion, a total of nineteen people." "What kind of food are you going to serve your guests?" Warren replied: "Champagne, tender meat, appetizers and so on." "It's just the cost of cooking," Mason said. "The cost per person is about 25 to 35 yuan. As for the disguised dining car - which is actually a fingerprint laboratory with many well-trained assistants, it costs about 500 yuan a night." "Can you find such a car?" Warren asked. "Unless other detective agencies have paid attention to using it tonight, there is no problem. Of course, very few people know that there is such a service, and the general public is even less aware of it. This type of car is specially reserved for private detective agencies. In case of encounters similar to mine today It will come in handy when discussing the case with you." "I see." Warren said. "Wait a minute, please," Mason said. Mason nodded to Della, and Della picked up the receiver and dialed Derek. When Derek received the call, Mason said, "Paul, I have a highly confidential fingerprint job to do tonight. The suspect may or may not attend the buffet dinner tonight. Can you arrange a fingerprint van for me?" ?” "I'm not sure," Derek replied. "But I can find out right away." "Find out immediately and call me back," Mason said. "I'll proceed quickly and let you know the outcome," Derek said. "Very well," Mason said emphatically. "Check it out, and let me know as soon as you have any news, Paul." "Got it," Derek said. "I got the point of your retelling. Although I didn't understand it the first time. You want me not to run into your office, but to call you, right?" "Not bad." Mason replied, and put down the phone. Turning to the customer, Mason said, "You will know the result of the arrangement of the fingerprint car in a few minutes." "Let me stress one more thing," Warren said. "Today is a business banquet, and the standard of outside cooking must be high-end. I don't want to see clumsy detectives at the banquet..." "The detective service actually operates completely separately," says Mason. "Outdoor cooking is still done by the catering professionals. Detective work is done at the end of the food truck. Of course, you have to keep the driveway clear so that the food truck can park there. The trained waiters will take care when the food is delivered to the house. Allow people other than guests and servants to touch the tableware. Afterwards, the utensils are sent back to the dining car, pretending to be shipped back for cleaning. At this time, experienced assistants can carefully perform fingerprint checks. Some people may ask about the variety of cooking services , at this time you must answer that it was recommended by a friend, and of course, you must not allow any guests to approach the dining car and look around." Warren nodded. "Now," Mason said. "Is there anything else you want to entrust to me? Assuming we find the suspect, what's next? As long as I tell you who this person is, will you close the case? Or..." "No," Warren said. "I've thought about these things, and you'll have to spend a lot of time fighting alone. For some reason, it's hard for me to communicate with you, Mason." "You can use the phone anytime," Mason said. "Unfortunately, most of the time there was always someone near me," Warren said. "I have a secretary who schedules appointments for me. I also have attentive employees." "Maybe I can call you," Mason said. "You try to make the wording of the conversation sound like a business negotiation. If you talk in this way, I can provide you with information..." "No, no, my call has to go through the switchboard—I won't answer your call, Mason." "So what do you want?" Mason asked. "It's the fingerprint you've got," Warren said. "I want you to find out who the fingerprints are. When you find the suspect, I want you to protect my wife from the suspect. Do you understand, Mason. Whoever this person is, whatever the reasonable cost may be, I will You protected my wife from the suspect." "In other words," Mason said. "You're pretty sure I can track down the suspect tonight. You think he'll be at the dinner." "I think this person will appear at the dinner party." "You want me to keep your wife safe." "yes." "What action should I take?" "Any action necessary." "How much are you willing to pay?" "Any fee within a reasonable range. Any reasonable remuneration, I will pay you without hesitation." "Is there an upper limit?" Mason asked curiously. "There is no upper limit." "What if the cost is as high as several thousand dollars?" "As I said, there is no upper limit to spending." "Do you feel your wife is in danger?" "I think so," Warren said. "My wife has either been blackmailed, or she is gradually falling into the situation of being blackmailed." Mason raised an eyebrow. "A legitimate citizen is seldom subject to blackmail unless the person has a past that makes him vulnerable. I'm guessing your wife's past may be..." "What is it?" Warren asked exasperatedly, and Mason's voice fell silent. "It's impossible for her to have an experience that is not humane?" "Why not?" Warren said impatiently. "Of course," Mason said. "With your socioeconomic status, it's absolutely impossible for your married spouse to..." "Stop talking!" Warren yelled. "Why not?" "Stop wrapping up your inquiries with compliments, and don't force me to explain anything. I just want to make one statement to you, Mason, and that's the only statement you can make. It's not a bad thing for Lorna to be my wife." thing." "How long have you been married?" Mason asked. "It's been ten years. Although she's ten years my junior, we've had a very happy marriage. When we got married, I was a successful businessman—not rich, but quite accomplished. I never asked her In the past, I only married her because I loved her." "It's also because she loves you, isn't it?" "I don't know," Warren replied. "Men never know this. Sometimes I think she's marrying me because I'm a safe haven. I don't know. I never asked her about her past, and I'm not going to learn from you, you don't have to tell I know all about her past or her mental journey. I hired you for only one purpose. It is to protect my wife from fingerprint suspects. Don't tell me anything you find out, just protect my wife and do your best. Just send me your bills regularly." "This is quite a difficult job." Mason said. "I know you're good at difficult cases, and I've had your eye on you for a long time." The phone rang and Della answered, "Thank you, Paul," and hung up. She winks at Mason and nods. Mason said: "Tonight's dining car has been arranged." "Great!" Warren exclaimed. Mason stared deeply at the man in front of him. "What makes you think your wife is in danger?" Mason asked. "My wife is being blackmailed," Warren said. "How did you know?" "The first clue came from the bank. She has withdrawn money several times in the past 90 days. The withdrawal amount is not only large, but also in cash." "Do you think she's been paying the blackmailers?" "No, I know she hasn't paid." Mason raised an eyebrow. "She's paid out nearly forty-seven thousand dollars so far," Warren said. "Until last night, the 47,000 yuan remained intact and locked in a suitcase in her bedroom." "The whole amount?" Mason asked. "good." "How did you know that?" "I found out on purpose." "Well," Mason said. "There is another possibility, that is..." "I know, I know," Warren put in. "That's when my wife fell in love with someone and was going to elope and leave me. Lorna wouldn't do that. Ten years ago she decided to marry me, and there was something that was bothering her, and I know something about it. She From New York, never talked about her past, never introduced me to any of her pre-marriage friends. Her current friends, apparently, were all her acquaintances after marriage." "In other words, her past is as mysterious as a mystery?" "Her past is over," Warren said. "If I had asked her about her past, she would have talked, but I never did. You said she might be planning to run away from me. But let me tell you plainly, Lorna wouldn't do that. She Once a deal is made, sticks to it and won't change it even in the face of death threats. If something changes between us and makes the marriage miserable, all she'll do is take an overdose of sleeping pills. I don't know. I don't want to see that happen." "If your speculation is close to the truth," Mason said. "Then I'll have to find some reason to get closer to your wife." "You find out why." "So, what you want me to do is..." Warren interrupted: "Protect my wife from being persecuted by suspects." "At any cost?" Mason asked. "At any cost, but I want you to protect my wife from the suspects. I expect your detective agency to produce fine champagne tonight, and I look forward to seeing you present with a worthy lady." Mason looked at Della and said, "I'll have Miss Streeter for company." "Very well," said Warren. "Now, the only person who might suspect that your attendance was official was Judson Wanney. It was because of his invitation that your secretary came to the dinner, and your secretary invited you to accompany him. Because of your popularity, He probably presumes there must be some motive for your presence. Wannie will claim to be an old friend of your secretary, and since he is still single, there will be no suspicion." "I want to emphasize that," Warren said. "He's a good bachelor." "So Wannie knows what he's supposed to do?" "The only thing Wanney knows is that he has to invite your secretary, Miss..." "Della Streeter," Mason said. "Wannie invited Della to attend in the name of an old friend, and introduced you to everyone in this capacity. You showed up purely because you are Della's male companion." "Do you think this will fool everyone?" Mason asked. "I'm not sure it's going to work," Warren replied. "But in the short term, I can't think of any better reason. My usual way of doing things is to plan actions as carefully as time allows, and then stop worrying about what may happen in the future. Once the course of action is decided, I Just go full speed ahead. I never waste time looking back. This is our last chance to see each other before you leave for my house and we have to make sure we don't screw things up. Do you have any questions?" "No more." Mason said. Warren looked at his watch and said, "I'm running out of time. I've got to find an excuse to explain why I missed my appointment." He moved his chair back, got up and walked toward the door, then turned to Mason and said, "Whoever's fingerprints are , you remember to protect the safety of my wife." After the door closed, Della looked at Mason and said, "Very interesting, I like this case." Mason was frowning and studying the fingerprints on the card. "Do you think Derek can match it?" she asked. "If the owner of the fingerprints is here tonight," Mason said thoughtfully. "That Derek can match. Unless the man is suspicious and tries not to leave fingerprints." "Suspicious?" "Because I was there." Mason said. Della said: "Since someone wants to accompany me to the dinner party, and there is still a reward of five hundred yuan, then I should go to the beauty salon at noon." "Use your time calmly," Mason said. "You know, it's part of the job." Della picked up the phone and made an appointment with the beauty salon. "Just a moment, please," she said, turning to Mason again. "They say they're free now." "Go ahead," Mason said. "Put the bill on the cost of this case, you know, this is a formally assigned job." Della held the microphone and said, "Okay, I'll be there right away." After hanging up the phone, Della turned to Mason and said : "I think it's kind of weird—hmm..." Mason smiled and said, "Della, you don't feel uncomfortable working overtime until midnight, or coming to work on weekends. There's nothing strange about this. Go ahead."