Chapter 19 Eighth scene

Although unscheduled, Wren's appearance was sensational.For Lane, it was as simple as stepping into a typical Wall Street stock exchange club with a leathery atmosphere, but in fact his presence caused a commotion.When he entered the door, he was first seen by three men in the lounge who were talking enthusiastically about golf. They put aside the Scottish game on the spot and began to whisper.When a black waiter saw Lane's strange shawl, his eyes were as big as copper bells, and another staff member sitting at the desk was so frightened that he dropped his pen.The news immediately spread throughout the club like a whirlwind.

One by one, they walked past Rennes pretending to be nonchalant, just because they were curious about this strange celebrity from ancient centuries. Ren sighed, found a chair in the hall and sat down. A man with white hair rushed forward to meet him. He bowed as deeply as possible within the scope of his duties. "Hello, Mr. Ryan, welcome,"——Rain smiled faintly—"It's a great honor to meet you, I'm the butler here, please ask for anything you need, or, would you like to have a cigar first ?” Ryan reached out his hand to stop him politely: "Oh, no, thank you very much for your trouble, and you know, my throat doesn't allow it," these words seem to be what Ryan said thousands of times, because even though Ryan said Very polite, but proficient and even a little mechanical, "I have an appointment with Mr. DeWitt, is he here?"

"Is that Mr. DeWitt? I don't think he's here yet, Mr. Lane, he probably hasn't come yet," the voice of the butler subtly reveals the sense of responsibility to DeWitt, meaning how can Zhe Celebrities like Mr. Ray Wren were waiting for him, "Sir, during the period when he is not here, please give me your instructions at any time." "Thank you." Ren leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, meaning that it was all right, while the head servant straightened his bowtie proudly and walked back. At this moment, the thin DeWitt walked quickly into the hall.His face was pale, and his expression was quite worried. The old troubles had not gone away, and the new pressure added made him look twice as restless.The butler threw a smiling face, but it didn't change his expression. DeWitt just walked quickly across the lounge and walked towards Rennes, but everyone else in the club looked at him enviously.

The butler said to Ryan: "Sir, Mr. DeWitt is here." Ryan didn't respond, which seemed to make him a little embarrassed. DeWitt asked him to leave, and touched Ryan's stiff shoulder with his hand, so, Ryan opened his eyes. "Oh, DeWitt!" Ryan said happily, standing up. "Sorry, Mr. Wren, to keep you waiting," DeWitt said in an unnatural tone, "I had another appointment—must be rejected first—that's why it was delayed..." "You're welcome." Ryan said, taking off his shawl, a black waiter in uniform stepped up quickly, and took Ryan's shawl, hat and cane neatly, as well as DeWitt's coat and hat , and the butler led the two of them through the lounge to the dining room.In the restaurant, the head waiter with a look of professional burnout immediately smiled when he saw them and came up to guide them. According to DeWitt's request, he took them to a corner seat where people didn't pay attention.

Throughout a simple lunch—DeWitt blandly flipped through slices of meat, Ryan deftly ate a thick slice of roast beef—Rain had no interest in getting to the point, and DeWitt tried a few times, trying to figure it out. Finding out the purpose of Renn's meeting with him, Renn only said lightly, "Dining peacefully will not cause indigestion" and put the topic aside, DeWitt could only smile weakly.Ren continued to eat his food easily and naturally, as if in his heart, there was nothing more important than tasting the English-style roast beef in front of him seriously.Wren ate and narrated some precious memories of his own early stage years. In his narrative sentences, the names of famous stage actors were punctuated in paragraphs—Ottie Skinner, William Faversham, Bruce, Mrs. Fisk, Esther Barrymore, etc., with the relaxed and colorful conversation of the veteran actor Ryan, DeWitt's originally tense emotions relaxed, and he began to feel very nervous. Listening intently with interest, Ryan didn't seem to notice DeWitt's change, and just talked about him.

After the meal, the two drank coffee, and Ryan declined DeWitt's cigar. At this time, DeWitt's mood had completely calmed down, and Ryan said: "Mr. DeWitt, I found that you are not the kind of congenital melancholy. DeWitt was startled, but only puffed and didn't answer, "judging from your face and the way you've been mourning like a sad story these days, it's not really a great psychopathology I found out—I thought that the mental depression might have been accumulated over a long period of time, which alienated your original personality." "In a sense, I've had a very difficult life," DeWitt murmured.

"So I'm right," Ryan's voice became more convincing. His slender hands were placed on the table without moving. DeWitt's eyes kept looking at these hands, as if they were focused on a certain point. "Mr. DeWitt, I have just spent an hour talking to you with good intentions, and I think I must get to know you better, and I also think, maybe it's a bit arrogant to say that, I Should be able to help you. In fact, I think that your current situation needs some special help." "Thank you so much," DeWitt said in a miserable voice, his lowered eyelids never lifted, "I am very aware that I am in extremely dangerous situation, whether it is Prosecutor Bruno or Inspector Sam, absolutely not Just to intimidate me. I have been watched all day long, and even my letters have been checked. You, Mr. Wren himself, have also asked my servants..."

"Only asked your butler, Mr. DeWitt, solely to help you." "... Inspector Sam said the same thing, so you can see—I know my situation, of course, on the other hand, I feel that you are somewhat different from the police—you More humane, isn't it!" DeWitt shrugged, "You may feel a little surprised, but since Tuesday night, I have been thinking about you, and you broke through my defense several times..." Ren's face became serious: "Now, do you care if I ask you a question or two? My position in investigating the case is different from that of the police. It is purely a personal act, and the only goal I pursue is to find out the truth. I have to know something before I can tell the truth..."

DeWitt looked up suddenly: "Further truth? Mr. Wren, are you saying that you have grasped some truth?" "Yes, Mr. DeWitt, two fundamental facts." Ren stretched out his hand to greet, and a waiter ran up quickly. Ryan ordered another cup of coffee.DeWitt's cigar was extinguished and dangled between his fingers, but DeWitt was too focused on Ryan to notice.Ren chuckled and said again: "I must point out that the remarks of a beautiful woman are inappropriate and wrong. It is an incorrect prophecy. Mr. DeWitt, do you know that Mrs. Yewei Ni once compared Shakespeare to a glass of wine?" Immortal coffee, prophesying that Shakespeare's poems will live and die, and will soon be forgotten by the world." Wren's tone was still the same soft, "I know who killed Lonstra and Wood, if you call it the truth."

DeWitt lost all blood on his face as if he had been slapped by Rennes, and the cigar between his fingers broke in two. Under Rennes' passionate and steady gaze, DeWitt blinked fiercely, trying hard to get rid of this Swallowing the bolt from the blue, he tried to calm down and said: "You know who killed Longstreet and Wood!" Immediately he suppressed his voice, "But, my God, Mr. Wren, you know the murderer, don't take some measures Is there any action?" Ryan said politely: "Mr. DeWitt, I am taking some due actions." DeWitt was as stiff as a clay sculpture, "Unfortunately, what we are facing is legal justice that is only written in black and white. Admitting that the so-called incriminating evidence is concrete and tangible, would you like to help me?"

For a long time, DeWitt didn't answer. At this moment, his whole face twisted, his eyes searched for the unusual case-breaker in front of him, as if trying to find out from his expressionless masked face. Find out how much, or more precisely, what, this person really knows.It took him a long time to speak, his voice was still like a tight string: "As long as I can, as long as I can..." "Are you serious, Mr. DeWitt?" The whole situation has developed so far, which is like a warm melodrama, and in a sense, it is also quite cheap.Ren felt inexplicably unhappy, as if a bug was wriggling uneasily in a corner deep in the old actor's body. DeWitt remained silent, still looking seriously into Ryan's eyes, as if the murderer's name was written there. Finally, he struck a match, and moved the fire to the extinguished end of the cigar with trembling fingers: "I can say that I I'll tell you, but, Mr. Wren - how shall I put it? - I seem to have two hands - er, bound... There's one thing you mustn't force me to say - it's about my Tuesday night The identity of the person I have an appointment with." Ren shook his head without displeasure: "You have pushed yourself into a more difficult situation, Mr. DeWitt, if you must remain silent on the most critical part of this murder case, forget it, let's start with this question." Put it aside—" Ryan paused, "As of now, Mr. DeWitt, I already know that you and Longstreet have made a fortune in prospecting in a certain place in South America, and then, you go back The U.S. teamed up to start a securities company that needed a lot of money. I also know that you have dug up big mines in South America, and I believe this all happened before the war, right?" "yes." "Which country in South America is your mine located in?" "Uruguay." "Uruguay, so that's how it is," Ryan half-closed his eyes, "So, Mr. Makunjo is also a Uruguayan?" DeWitt's jaw dropped in response, his eyes full of puzzlement: "How do you know about Ma Kuncho?" He asked, "Jorkens, it must be him, this damned old bastard, I should have told him— —” Wren interjected generously: "Mr. DeWitt, I have to say that your attitude towards this matter is completely wrong. Jorkens is a respectable man and a loyal servant. He is only willing to tell me one person, That's because what I ask is helpful to you, and only in this case is he willing to say it, and I think you should learn from him—unless you doubt my intentions." "No, no, I'm sorry, yes, Macuncho is from Uruguay," DeWitt looked distressed, looking left and right, his eyes frantic again, "but Mr. Lane, please don't force me to talk about Macuncho. " "Mr. DeWitt, I must force you." Ren stared at DeWitt nakedly, "Who is Makunjo? What is his occupation? How do you explain his strange behavior when he lived in your house?" ? You must answer these questions for me." The spoon in DeWitt's hand scratched unconsciously on the tablecloth, and he replied sullenly: "If you have to ask...it's really nothing special, it's just me as a client, Mr. Lane, Ma Kunqiao and him ——he represents a publicly listed company in South America—and wants to entrust our company to operate a sum of money...you know, they are a legitimate company, and I..." "Mr. DeWitt, do you and Lonstra decide to accept the commission?" Ren asked blankly. "Uh—we—we're still thinking about it." DeWitt's spoon swiped repeatedly, faster and faster, and various geometric shapes appeared on the tablecloth, including angles, curves, and rhombuses. "You only promised to think about it," Ryan repeated mockingly, "then why did he stay for so long?" "Uh, of course... I actually don't know too well, maybe he has contacted some other financial institutions or something..." "Can you give me his address?" "This - I don't know his contact information, he runs around and only stays in each place for a while..." Ryan laughed coldly: "Mr. DeWitt, you really can't lie, we know it well, if we continue talking, there will be no results. After your nonsense has confused yourself and me Before we get into more confusion, I think we'll stop here. Farewell, Mr. DeWitt, and I also want to tell you from the bottom of my heart that the judgment and analysis of human nature has always been a talent I am more proud of. However, you Today's attitude is a blow to me." Ryan got up—a waiter rushed to help him pull the chair away like a spring.Ryan smiled at him, looked at DeWitt's lowered head, and said in a very friendly voice: "Anyway, you are welcome to come to Hamlet anytime, on the banks of the Hudson River, where I will live, if Someday you change your mind. Good-bye, Mr. DeWitt." Ren left, leaving DeWitt alone. He sat there in despair as if he had just heard that he had been sentenced to death. The foreman led Ryan through the other tables, but Ryan stopped suddenly, laughed to himself, and strode out of the restaurant. Not far from the dining table where DeWitt was still slumping, a man was eating, with a red face and a strange look. While Lane and DeWitt were talking, he kept leaning over and erecting his ears, waving Ming Ming was eavesdropping. In the lounge, Ren patted the foreman on the shoulder: "That man with a blushing face is sitting not far from our table—is he a member here?" The foreman's face suddenly sank, "Oh, no, sir, he is a criminal policeman, and he showed his ID just now, so he must come over for dinner." Ren laughed again, stuffed a banknote into the hands of the foreman, and walked leisurely to the service desk, and the staff in charge hurried up to greet him. "Please, I would like to meet Dr. Morris of your club and the secretary-general in charge of affairs here," Ren said.