Chapter 11 Chapter Eleven

The clouds began to thicken in the morning, and by noon a chilly, muggy rain fell.At one o'clock Derek called in to report that Mrs. Warren had driven out and that his men had been lost. "Is she trying to shake off your personnel?" Mason asked. "I don't think so, Mason. My folks don't think she's aware of being followed. She made a sudden left turn in the right lane, and our guys didn't have time to react, they didn't follow, and they tried to go to the next intersection, But her car was never found again. This kind of thing happens to skilled stalkers occasionally. But when she returns home, my personnel will focus on her again."

"I see," Mason said. "But will she encounter any misfortune during this time?" "Oh, maybe she just went shopping," Derek said. "I hope so," Mason said. "Paul, keep me updated on what's going on." The lawyer hangs up the phone. At two o'clock, Mason's phone rang again. Della answered the phone, frowned, and put her hand on the receiver and said to Mason, "It's Gidon." A smile appeared on Mason's face and said, "The situation is getting more and more complicated. Take the call." Mason picked up the microphone and said, "Giton, what are you doing?"

Gidon's voice was as smooth as the meow of a contented cat. "Mr. Mason," he said. "I didn't intend to bother you again, but there was an accident that left me with no choice." "Go on," Mason said. "I'm very cautious to use the public phone to contact you," Gidon said. "Though I don't think it's really necessary. I'm pretty sure I've got rid of government stalkers, both open and covert, as well as your detective agency." "Go on," Mason said. "What exactly do you want?" "Because I don't want you to track down this phone, so I have to say it straight, I want 10,000 yuan."

"That's what I thought was possible," Mason said. "I'm sorry," Gidon said. "I have the opportunity to leave the country and invest abroad, so I need some working capital. Of course, Mr. Mason, I do not expect you to provide this capital, but I am sure that one of your clients will be happy to see me Get out of America completely." "Okay," Mason said. "Where are you?" "It's not where I am," Gidon said. "It's where I'm going to meet you. What time is your watch?" "Slightly past two," Mason said. "I……"

"Don't mention the word 'slightly later', I want an exact time. What time is your watch?" "Six past two." "Congratulations on your watch, it's only thirty seconds off. You do as I tell you," Gidon said. "You prepare 10,000 yuan in cash, the face value should not exceed 50 yuan, preferably 20 yuan." "You can save yourself the trouble," Mason said. "I don't deal with blackmailers, and I don't intend to go to a bank." Gideon continued with his instructions as if he didn't hear: "Put those cash into a bag, preferably a small bag-just enough to hold it. You'd better take a pencil and write it down now." Address, because I intend to cut our telephone conversation short and will not call you again. There is a vacant store at the corner of Covina Street and Hendersay Street, with a warehouse behind the store. Front of the store There's a sign that says 'For Rent' and the front door is closed. A lane off Hendersay Street leads to the back of the house and the back door is open. The house has been vacant for some time and is littered. The neighborhood has a bad reputation. You might be hesitant to drive into the block, you'd better come armed because you've got a lot of cash and maybe someone from the bank will follow you."

"I'm not planning to go there, and I'm not going with a lot of cash," Mason said. "What if," Gidon interrupted nonchalantly, and went on. "You want to bring a bodyguard here, as long as he stays in the car and doesn't come out. You alone have to enter the back door of the warehouse at exactly 3:20. This will give you Enough time to check the map to find the location and go to the bank to get the cash. Maybe you have to get authorization from the customer to get the cash, but I guess your customer has instructions that allow you to, if necessary, Take the necessary action."

Mason said, "Look, Gidon, I've mentioned to you before that there are three ways to deal with a blackmailer. One, pay money to stop the disaster. Two, report it to the police. Three, make the blackmailer disappear from view. , never appear." "I told you, I won't be entangled again." "That's not what I really mean," Mason said. "I mean what I just said, let the blackmailers never show up." "You want to kill me?" Gidon asked mockingly. "Not bad," Mason said. "What kind of weapon will you use?" "law."

"Law? Are you kidding me?" "I'm serious," Mason said. "A supermarket was robbed last night. The gatekeeper alerted the robber and was shot. He may not survive. When the robber escaped from the store with a gun, someone happened to witness it. I happened to have a piece of paper by the criminal police painter in my hand. You will be amazed at how much it resembles you. Eyewitnesses will undoubtedly testify against you." "Why...you..." "Once you're arrested for murder," Mason continued. "You'll stand on the witness stand and proclaim your innocence. The D.A. will ask you if you have any previous convictions, and you'll have to give the fact that you've been convicted. The jury will look at you for a long time, and that's the whole thing. That's why."

"Listen here," Gidon said. "You can't do that. I'm going to reveal everything. On the witness stand, I'm going to reveal our phone conversation, and..." "You'll find out how amazing that is," Mason interrupted. "No one will believe you. If you accuse me of trying to frame you with this murder because you blackmailed one of my clients, think about it." "I...you..." "I have an idea," Mason said. "Since you've told me where to meet, I'll be there at three-twenty. I won't bring any money, but I'll take a pistol."

Mason hung up the phone. Della, who had been monitoring the phone, looked at Mason with wide eyes. "Do you want to consider going to the bank to get some money, just in case..." "No thanks," Mason said. "Are you going alone?" she asked anxiously. Mason said: "Blackmailers don't want any witnesses present, and I don't need anyone else to be around when I'm dealing with a blackmailer. I'm good at intimidation. . Where? Just using this trick can scare the blackmailer to his heels, run away at the fastest speed, and never come back!"

Mason pushed back the chair and stood by the table, his fists clenched tightly, pressing down on the notepad on the table, his chin moved forward slightly, revealing firm determination. "Della," he said. "Call Horace Warren's office and tell his secretary that you are a radio reporter who is about to consult Warren on a matter related to the East. Because the editorial staff recommends that you conduct a telephone interview with Warren immediately." Della dialed the phone, answered it for a while, and said, "Thank you." She hung up the phone, turned to Mason and said, "Warren has gone out for an important appointment and won't be back until after four o'clock in the afternoon." Mason said, "Call your friend Judson Wanney now. Tell the person who answers the phone that you are his friend, leave your name, and say Wanney left a message for you to call back." Della called, said again, "Thank you," then turned to Mason and said, "He won't be back until three-thirty. I think his secretary answered the phone, in a sour tone." Mason stood there brooding. "Damn it! Derek's men lost Mrs. Warren," he said earnestly. "But it doesn't make any difference, we know her whereabouts now - but there's no time to stop her." Della said with a discouraged look: "Do you think she's going to Jidon's appointment?" "Where else?" Mason said. "Ghidon has tried to bite me, and sure enough he'll bite Mrs. Warren. He's worked out a schedule of appointments, perhaps putting Mrs. Warren at two-thirty, Warren. It's two forty-five sir, Wannie at three, and I at three-twenty--and the plane leaves at four-thirty. I don't have time to stop him now. The meeting place is in the city the other end of the "Couldn't Paul have sent his men to back up and..." "There's no time," Mason said. "We're dealing with a villain with incredible intelligence, and he's the only one with the full timeline right now." "Don't you think Gidon has been dealt a blow by the arrangements of the murder witnesses?" "Certainly gave him a shocking blow," Mason said. "But judging by his reaction, the results were more limited than I expected. He's going to go all out, he's going to bite everybody, make as much money as he can, and go away." "Can't you stop him?" "I can't help it," Mason said. "Because I don't really want to let him get caught by the police, and he knows it. However, I don't want to sit here and let his blackmail scheme work." "You have to wait until two thirty before..." "No," Mason interrupted. "I'm going to get him. Judging by his tight schedule, he's orchestrated it so that the victims show up one by one, and...Della, call the fire department right away. Tell them There was a fire in the store warehouse on the corner of Covina and Hendersey streets." Della opened her eyes wide and said, "That's against the law, then..." "Of course, that's against the law," Mason said. "Speeding is also against the law, but that's how I'm going to get there. I'm not going to let the blackmailers succeed in their blackmail schemes in the middle of a fire scene. Also, I want Paul to send two people quickly and get to the scene. Covina and Hendersey Streets." "I'm leaving." Mason took his hat and rushed out the door.