Chapter 10 10

State troopers pressed their microphones, called for backup and an ambulance, and then read an interim report to the dispatcher, which included two gunshot wounds and three murders. Hey!Li Qi called to him.Stop saying it's murder on the radio. Why? Since it was self defense and the hubby was being violent towards her, we had to get this straight from the start. It's not up to me, and neither do you. Li Qi shook his head.Of course what you say counts because what you say now will come in handy in the future, if you give the impression of murder, it will be hard for her, it's better to make it clear to everyone from the beginning that she is defending herself .

I don't have that kind of influence. You have. How do you know what influence I have? Because I was you a long time ago, I used to be a policeman in the army, and I was also responsible for issuing the briefing, and I know how things are handled. The state trooper didn't speak. She also has a child, said Li Qi, you have to remember that.So she needs minimum bail, and she needs it tonight, and you can leverage that. It was she who shot and killed people.state troopers said.She knows the consequences herself. The guy has been beating her up, it's self-defense. The state troopers didn't speak.

Let her breathe a sigh of relief, okay?Don't make her a second victim. She is a victim?It was her husband who was hanging there. You should be sympathetic, you must know how she was treated. Why?What does she have to do with me? Now it was Li Qi who stopped talking. You think I should help her out just because I'm Hispanic? You're not helping her out, Li Qi said, you're just telling the truth, that's all, she needs your help. The policeman hangs up the microphone. You really offended me by saying that.He said. He got out of the car, closed the door, and went back into the house again.Li Qi looked to the right through the car window, his eyes fell on the rocky terrain to the west of the house, and his heart was full of regret.Knowing that things were bound to turn out like this, he thought to himself that he should have told her to leave the gun on the platform, or let him handle it himself.

The state troopers had been in the house, so Reacher couldn't see anything, and backup police arrived an hour later.An identical patrol car, driven by another state trooper, followed by another squad leader.This time the state policeman was white, and the team leader was Hispanic. The two got out of the car and went directly into the house.The heat and silence shrouded again, and there were the howling of animals in the distance, the continued chirping of insects, and the flapping of the wings of unseen bats.Some of the windows in the house shone with light, then closed again.Twenty minutes later, the old sheriff of Echotown left, he emerged from the house and staggered down the porch steps to his car.His face looked tired and devastated, and his shirt was soaked with sweat.His car reversed around two police cars behind him and drove away.

An hour later, an ambulance arrived with its emergency lights flashing.From a distance, Li Qi saw red flashes in the south, and then bright headlights appeared, and a van painted red, gold, and white drove in from the gate, with Presidio Fire Brigade printed on the body.Maybe this was the one Billy called last night.The ambulance made a slow circle around the yard and backed up to the porch steps.Ambulance crews got out of the car slowly in the dark, stretching and yawning, knowing that emergency medical procedures would not be called this time. The rear door opened, and they took out a rolling gurney, and the team leader who came to support walked up to the steps to meet them and led them into the house.Li Qiguan was sweating profusely in the car, the airtight interior of the car was very hot.The image of the medical staff appeared in his mind, walked through the corridors of the house, arrived at the bedroom, and began to process the corpse.They lifted the body onto the gurney, and rolling the gurney out was difficult because of the narrow stairs and corners.

Still, they carried the dead man out and down the porch steps as quickly as they could in reasonable time.Sloop.Guriel is just a huge and heavy shape covered under a white sheet.The paramedics aligned the gurney with the opening of the ambulance and pushed it up, then they turned the wheels under the bed up and slid in, and the door closed. They were standing with the three police officers. The state trooper whom Leech had offended was not here, so he must be guarding Carmen somewhere in the house.The slow, relaxed attitude of the three cops outside looked a little deflated, maybe a little disappointed, because the tense part was over and the job done.This is a common emotion, as if something happened that they should be able to prevent, Li Qi is all too familiar with this feeling.

After the group talked for a few minutes, the ambulance crew got back into the car and drove past the throbbing yard and out towards the gate.The car stopped at the gate for a while, then turned right and left slowly north.The three officers watched the ambulance until it disappeared, then turned their heads and went back into the house together.Five minutes later, they came out again, all four together, and this time they brought Carmen out as well. She was wearing the same jeans and shirt, her hair was wet, and her hands were handcuffed behind her back.She bowed her head, her eyes were out of focus, her face was pale, and she was covered with sweat.The two supporting police officers grabbed her by the elbows respectively, and the four of them escorted her down the stairs slowly. The movements were a bit clumsy, and three of them even slipped on the steps. When they reached the dirt, they all stopped and regrouped. , and take her to another patrol car.The state trooper opened the rear door, the captain put a hand on her head, and let her sit in, and Carmen accepted the mercy without resistance.When she got into the back seat, she moved sideways in an awkward position, and it made her uncomfortable to have her hands cuffed behind her.Then when she put her feet in, she pressed her toes down, making her suddenly look elegant and charming again.The state trooper waited a moment and closed the door, while Rusty and Bobby walked out on the porch to watch her go.

Rusty's hair was a mess, as if she had gone to bed and then woke up again.She was wearing a short-sleeved satin nightgown that glowed in the porch light, and her dress was white, with the bare skin of her feet as pale as the dress.Bobby stood behind her.Wearing jeans and a T-shirt, but no shoes.Both were leaning against the railing, pale and frightened, their eyes wide open but out of focus, staring straight ahead. The support police climbed into their patrol car and started the engine.The first two people sat in front of Li Qi and started the car as well.They let the support car go forward, and then followed it, and drove out the gate.Li Qi turned his head and saw Rusti and Bobby craned their necks to watch them leave. The car stopped in front of the gate, then turned right, and accelerated to leave north.Reacher turned his head the other way, and the last thing he saw was Ellie staggering out onto the porch in bunny pajamas, clutching a bear in her left hand, her right hand over her mouth.

After driving a mile, the interior of the police car cooled down.There is a hole in the iron window in front of Li Qi. If he sits in the middle and lowers his head, he can see the outside through the windshield between the radar and the rearview mirror. It feels a bit like watching a movie.The patrol car ahead swayed from side to side in the headlights, close and distinct, but unreal in the gray darkness.He couldn't see Carmen, maybe she was slumped in a chair, her head hidden behind the warning light on the rear window. Where are they taking her?he cried. The captain moved in his seat, and after a hundred yards he replied: Pecos.He said.county jail.

But this is Echo County.Li Qi said.Not Pecos. Echo County has only one hundred and fifty residents. Do you think they will establish jurisdiction for this alone?Including prison or something?Even the courts? How would that be handled? Pecos will take over, that's the procedure, the small counties around here are under his control, and he does all the administrative work. Li Qi was silent for a while.Well, that's a big problem.He said. Why? Because Heike.Walker was the Pecos prosecutor, and he was Shloep's most loyal brother, so he would be in charge of prosecuting his friend's son.

Worried about a conflict of interest? Don't you think so? Won't.said the captain.We know Heike, he's not stupid, he knows the defense lawyers will attack him for misidentification, so he's going to leave the case to someone else, that's for sure.What did they say?Self avoidance? Benefit avoidance.Li Qi said. whatever!He'd turn the case over to an assistant anyway, and the two assistant U.S. attorneys in Pecos were women, so the reason for self-defense should be sympathetic. She doesn't need sympathy.Li Qi said.The truth couldn't be more obvious. And Heike will run for judge in November, the team leader said, this is very important.Pecos has a lot of Mexican votes, there's no way he's going to give her lawyers a chance to make bad press for him.So it was really lucky that a Mexican woman shot and killed a white man in Echo County and was put on trial by a female assistant U.S. attorney in Pesco, absolutely nothing better. She is from California.Li Qi said.Not Mexican. But she looks Mexican.said the captain.That's the point for a guy who needs Pecos County votes. The two patrol cars just escorted the two forward, and when they approached the intersection of the school, the gas station and the restaurant, they caught up with the ambulance and passed, leaving the ambulance behind and slowly driving north. The morgue is also in Pecos.said the captain.Probably the oldest institution out there, they've needed this thing since the beginning of time, and Pecos is that kind of place. Li Qi nodded behind him.Carmen told me.He said.The real Big West. Will you stay on? probably!I need to make sure she's okay.She told me there was a museum in town, something to see, someone's grave. Clay.Allison.said the captain.The famous old gunslinger. Never killed anyone who didn't deserve to die. The captain nodded in the mirror.That's sort of her position, right?She could tell it was Clay.Allisonian self-defense. sure.Li Qi said.This is legitimate self-defense, no matter from which point of view it is. The captain didn't respond. At least it can be used as a bail condition.Li Qi said.She also has a child at home who needs to post bail, preferably tomorrow. The captain looked in the rearview mirror again.Tomorrow may be difficult.He said.After all, she is still dead. Who is her lawyer? She doesn't have a lawyer. Have the money to hire? No. That's terrible.said the captain. how?Li Qi asked. How old is the child? six and a half years old. The captain fell silent. What the hell?Li Qi asked again. Without a lawyer the question is going to be tricky, that's all.Only when the child is seven and a half years old can the mother have the opportunity to attend the public security hearing. She'll still have a lawyer, right? Sure, the Constitution says so, but the question is when?This is Texas. You apply for a lawyer and won't someone show up right away? Impossible right away, it will take a long, long time, and no lawyer will appear until the indictment comes down. This is Heike.A strategy that Walker will use.That would avoid the problem of his identity conflict, wouldn't it?He would lock her up and forget about her existence.He'd be a complete fool if he didn't.Who would have known that this woman didn't have a lawyer?She may not be prosecuted until Christmas. By then, Heike will most likely become a judge instead of a prosecutor. He has already gone far away, and there is no conflict of interest at all.Unless he happened to receive this case later, he needed to avoid himself again. Benefit avoidance. whatever!Once you don't have your own lawyer, the situation is completely different. The state trooper in the front passenger seat turned his head and spoke for the first time in an hour: Look.He said.It doesn't really matter what I say on the radio. So don't waste your time in museums.said the captain.If you really want to help her, hurry up and find a lawyer for her, please ask or borrow, or steal one for her. No one spoke afterward on the way to Pecos, and the car went under Interstate Ten, followed by the supporting patrol car through the more desolate darkness, all the way to Interstate Twenty.Sixty hours ago he had forced his way out of Carmen's Cadillac, a hundred miles to the west.The squad leader slowed down the car, and the supporting patrol car moved forward and disappeared into the darkness.About a hundred yards before the interchange he hit the brakes and drove the car onto the shoulder. From here we're going to resume patrolling.He said.It's time to get you out of the car. Can't you drive me to jail? You can't go to jail, you haven't broken the law, and we don't drive taxis. Where is this place? The captain pointed to the front.Downtown Pecos.He said.It's just a few miles ahead. What about prison? The intersection before the railroad tracks, in the basement of the courthouse. The team leader opened the car door, stretched after getting out of the car, walked back and made a gesture to open Li Qi's car door.Li Qi stretched out his feet first, then stood up.The temperature was still high outside, the mist obscured the starlight, and the sparse traffic drove over the elevated interstate highway.Because the number is very small, the surroundings will return to absolute tranquility between one car and one car.The road shoulders are sandy, with stunted velvet bean shrubs and wild indigo struggling to survive at the edges.The patrol car's headlights revealed dented beer cans tangled among mesquite branches. Take care.said the captain. He got back into the car and closed the door.The car ran over the gravel, crawled back onto the tarmac, turned right, onto the interchange, and onto the interstate.Reacher stood where he was, watching its taillights disappear into the east, then headed north, under the bridge, and strolled toward the neon sign of Pecos. Li Qi passed group after group of lights. There are motels along the street. The farther away from the interchange, the more beautiful they look and the more expensive they are.There is an equestrian arena on the inner side of the street, and there are posters posted outside, advertising the competition from a month ago.There will be a show in July, Carmen said, but this year's is over.He continued walking on the road because there were many long tables on the sidewalk, like outdoor market vendors.It was all empty now, but he could smell cantaloupe wafting in the hot night air.Sweetest in all of Texas.she said.So for the people here, it is the sweetest in the world.He guessed that an hour before the sun came out, old trucks would come here loaded with ripe fruits from the fields and sprinkle them with irrigation water to make the fruits look juicy, fresh and delicious.The cab of the truck will be full of families, ready to unload and sell all day long, hoping that this winter will be easier, rich and comfortable, without having to tighten their belts.But in fact, he doesn't know anything about farm life, and all his knowledge is learned from watching movies, maybe it's not like that at all.Maybe they have government subsidies, or big companies get involved. Beyond the Melon Market there were two restaurants, a donut shop and a pizza shop, both dark and closed.Sunday, midnight again, and no one for miles around.At the end of the street is a crossroads. A street sign on the side of the road says that if you go straight ahead, you will reach the museum, but on the right hand side before the intersection, the court appears.This building is not bad, but he didn't even look at it, he just walked around from the side to the back, and no prison door would be set on the main road.There is a lighted entrance and exit on the back wall, half a floor below the basement, and there are two stairs leading up to the parking lot.In the corner of the parking lot was a dusty four-wheel drive Chevrolet surrounded by barbed wire and a large warning sign saying it would be towed if it was parked without authorization.There are yellow light bulbs on the fence posts, and countless silent insects gather around the light bulbs.The asphalt under Li Qi's feet was still hot, and there was no cooling breeze from the rear of the building.The iron gate of the prison is scarred, and there is a faded paint on it that says no entry.A small video camera on the door looked down, with a bright red vacuum tube on the lens. Li Qi went down the stairs, knocked hard on the door, and stepped back a step so that the camera could catch him.There was no movement at all for a long time, so he stepped forward and knocked again.There was the sound of a lock being unlocked behind the door, and a woman opened it.She was wearing a bailiff's uniform, and she was white, about fifty, with gray hair dyed light brown.She wore a large belt around her waist from which hung a gun, a baton, and cans of pepper spray.Overweight and slow, but appears to be sober and capable. What's up?she says. You have taken in a man named Carmen.Guriel's people? have. can i see her no. Not even for a minute? no. When can it be? Are you family? friend. Not a lawyer, right? no. That will have to wait until Saturday.the woman said.The meeting time is Saturday, from two to four o'clock. Almost a week later. Can you write it down for me?He said.Like what can I bring to her or something? The bailiff shrugged, turned and walked in.Li Qi followed in and walked into a dry and cool room where the air conditioner was running at full capacity.It was a hall, and the bailiff had a high table, sort of a lectern, that served as a screen.There were large lockers on the wall behind the desk, and Li Qi saw Carmen's lizard belt rolled up in one of the lockers, and her fake diamond ring in a small zipper bag.On the right is the iron gate, and behind the gate is a tiled walkway. Is she okay?he asks. The bailiff shrugged again.Bad mood. Why? Mainly because of body searches.She screamed all the time, but rules were rules, and then again, what did she think?Is it possible that I like it very much? She took a sheet from a stack of mimeograph paper and spread it on the table. Saturday, two to four.she says.As I said just now, you are not allowed to bring anything that is not written, otherwise you will not be allowed to enter. Where is the prosecutor's office?She points to the ceiling.Second floor, enter from the front. What time does it open? Around half past eight. Can you find a surety around here? She smiled.Have you ever seen a court without a surety?Turn left at the intersection. What about lawyers? cheap or expensive? No money. She laughed again.the same street.she says.It's all there, surety, community attorney. Are you sure I can't look at her? Saturday, let you see enough. not now?Not even for a minute? no. She has a little daughter.Li Qi said.Doesn't seem very relevant though. It's heartbreaking.the woman replied. When will you see her? Every fifteen minutes, whether she likes it or not, to keep her from killing herself.Although I don't think your friend is that type.In fact, it's easy to see, according to my observation, she is the kind of person with a strong personality, but rules are rules, right? Tell her Li Qi is here. ? Li Qi, tell her I'll be around here. The woman nodded, as if she had seen too much, but it might be true. I think she will be very touched.she says. After that, Li Qi went back to the motel area, thinking of the prison work he had done when he was a soldier, he really wished that he could put his hand on his chest and feel his conscience, saying that his previous behavior was much better than that of this woman. Li Qi walked back all the way, until he walked back to the vicinity of the interchange, only to see the hotel whose price had dropped to less than 30 yuan.He picked one, woke the night watchman, and booked a room near the back of the corridor.Very dated, badly faded and dusty, clearly the staff did not strive for perfection.The sheets were baggy, the air smelt of damp, and it was stuffy, as if to save electricity bills, the air-conditioning was turned off when the room was unoccupied, but it was basically usable.One of the advantages of being a soldier is that it can be used almost everywhere, because there are always worse examples to compare. He slept restlessly until seven in the morning, took a lukewarm shower, and walked halfway back to the donut shop for breakfast.The store opened early and advertised outside the door that their donuts were as big as Texas, although they are actually bigger, but also more expensive.He ate two, drank three cups of coffee, and went shopping for clothes.Since he ended his brief relationship with his house, he has returned to the habit of buying cheap things.It's very convenient for him to throw it away after use, and he doesn't even need to wash it. He can never have to worry about these things. He found a discount store that was open for an hour.The store sells everything from cheap toilet paper to work boots and chinos, though the brand tags have been removed.Maybe it's a bad product!Or maybe stolen goods.Li Qi picked out a fit and found a khaki shirt.The shirts were thin, loose cut, sort of like the ones sold in Hawaii, only plain, and cheaper than the Great Texas Donut.He also bought white underwear.This store does not specialize in clothes and does not have a changing room, so Li Qi persuaded the clerk to let him borrow the staff bathroom.He put on the new clothes, took out the things in the old pockets and put them in the new ones.He also carried Carmen's eight cartridge casings, jingling like loose change.He weighed the cartridge case in his hand and put it in the pocket of his new trousers. He picked up the old clothes and stuffed them into the toilet trash can, and paid 30 yuan in cash at the cashier.It may be possible to wear it for three days!Although spending ten dollars a day just for clothes may seem illogical, if you know a few things, spending ten dollars a day on clothes becomes perfectly reasonable.A washing machine costs 400 yuan, a dryer costs 300 yuan, and there is a basement for storage.The existence of a basement means that you have to have a house that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars, and then you have to spend tens of thousands of dollars every year to pay taxes, maintain the house, buy insurance, and a lot of other things. He waited on the sidewalk until eight o'clock, under the awning against the wall against the sun.He figured the bailiffs would turn over at eight o'clock, as they usually did.At 8:5, he saw the fat woman driving the dusty four-cylinder Chevrolet out of the parking lot, turned left, and passed in front of Li Qi.Li Qi crossed the road and walked in from the side of the court again, guessing that if the evening shift was unwilling to accommodate, the day shift might be willing.Usually, those who are on duty at night are more difficult to deal with, because they don't have many opportunities to contact the general public, and they are less likely to receive direct supervision from their superiors, making them think that they are the masters of the world. But the day shift is just as bad, it's a guy, a little younger, a little thinner, otherwise it's exactly the same as the other version from last night, and the dialogue is pretty much the same.can i see herno!When can it be?Saturday.Is she okay?That's about it.It sounded a lot like a hospital spokesperson standing in front of the hospital and giving a speech for an hour, discreetly.This guy confirmed one thing that only lawyers can go in and see people without restriction, so Li Qi climbed the stairs and went outside to find the lawyer. Red House Farm, obviously shocked by what happened last night, is eerily quiet, but the depopulation is more suitable for the killing team.The farm hand is gone, the tall stranger is gone, Carmen.The same is true for Guriel, and so is her husband.In this way, only the old woman, the second son and the granddaughter are left.It's already Monday, but the kids don't go to school.The school bus came and didn't take her, and she just hung around, in and out of the yard, visibly confused and listless.But in fact, all three are the same, so it is easier to monitor them, and the target is clearer. The two men hid behind the rocks opposite the farm gate. The location was secluded. The height rose about twenty feet, and the view was good on the slope.The woman dropped them off three hundred yards north before driving back to Pecos. When do you do it?they asked. Follow my instructions.The woman answered. Leech turned left at the downtown Pecos intersection and walked down the street parallel to the railroad, past the bus stop and a row of storefronts.It might have had a store of any kind in its early days, but now it's all low-rent offices with the services a court needs to run: bond surety, instant legal advice, as the woman on the evening shift said.These law firms set up a whole row of desks facing the door windows, with chairs for customers to sit in front of the desks, and waiting areas.They all looked dirty, undecorated, and disorganized, with folders, notes, and memos taped to the wall next to the desk.At 8:20 in the morning, every store is full of voices, patient crowds are waiting inside, and anxious customers are sitting on the chairs in front of the tables.Some are alone, most are accompanied by family members, and some even bring their children.The clients were all Hispanic, as were some of the lawyers, but overall it looked like a mishmash of men, women, young, old, happy and downcast.The only thing they all have in common is that everyone looks like they're going to explode. He chose the only office with an empty chair, which was about halfway down the street.The empty chair was in the far back, and the attorney was a young white woman, about twenty-five, with thick black hair cut short.She has uniform brown skin and wears only a white sports bra, no shirt, and a leather jacket slung over the back of a chair.The two stacks of folders on the desk almost drowned her when she was talking on the phone and was on the verge of tears. Li Qi walked to her table and waited for her to signal Li Qi to sit down.But there was no movement, so he sat down by himself.She glanced at Li Qi, turned her gaze away, and continued talking on her phone.With black eyes and white teeth, he spoke Spanish slowly with an East Coast accent. Because he spoke hesitatingly, most of Li Qi could understand it.She said: Yes, we won.Then, but he didn't pay, even if he died, he refused to pay.Sometimes she would stop, listen to the person on the other end, and go on repeating what she had said.We won, but he didn't want to pay.Then continue to listen to the other person.So the other party's question must be: So what should we do now?Because she said: go back to court and enforce the sentence.And then obviously the other side asked: How long is this going to take?Because she was silent for a long time, and then said: One year, maybe two years.Li Qi clearly heard that the other party fell silent, so he looked at the woman's face.Her face was very sad, very embarrassed and humiliated, and she fought back tears of frustration.She said Ilamare de Nuevo mastarde and hung up, meaning: I'll call back. She turned her face forward, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath through her nose, inhaling, exhaling, inhaling, exhaling.She put her hands on the table and inhaled and exhaled a few more times.Maybe it's a relaxation technique taught in law school, but apparently it doesn't work very well.She opened her eyes, put a folder into the drawer, then looked through two stacks of archive papers, and focused on Li Qi. Is there a problem?Li Qi asked her. She shrugged and nodded at the same time, with a noncommittal and miserable expression. Winning the lawsuit is only half the battle.she says.Sometimes even far less than half. So what happened? She shook her head.We don't need to talk about that. Someone unwilling to pay?Li Qi said. She shrugged and nodded again.One farmer, she said, drove into my client's truck, injuring my client, his wife, and two young children.Early in the morning, the other party came back from the banquet and drove drunk. My client’s family was going to the market. It happened to be the harvest season. The car accident prevented them from going to the field, so all the crops were destroyed. Roman Melon? Bell peppers, all rotting on the vine.We sued the other party and won the lawsuit. The other party wanted to pay 20,000 yuan in compensation, but that guy refused to pay the money, and refused to pay it if he died. He planned to use delaying tactics to let them go back to Mexico without food.Obviously he's going to make it because if we're ever going to court again it's going to take at least another year, and my client certainly can't drink Mistral all year. Are they uninsured? The insurance premiums are too expensive and these common people are basically scraping by, so all we can do is target that person directly.The case was clear, well prepared, and we won, but the old guy just stood still with a treacherous smile on his face. Bad luck.Li Qi said. It's unbelievable, she said, what you don't hear about what happens to these people.The family I'm talking about right now, the oldest son was shot by a Border Patrol agent. What? She nodded.Twelve years ago, when they were illegal immigrants, they paid a guide with their life savings to bring them here, and the guy left them in the desert.With no food or water, they hid during the day and headed north at night.The patrol pursued them desperately at night and shot and killed their eldest son with a rifle.After they buried him, they went on. Was the murder case dealt with later? How can it be?They are illegal immigrants and completely powerless.It happens all the time, everyone has the same story, only now they've managed to settle down, get amnesty for immigrants, we want them to have faith in justice, and it's happening.I feel like an idiot. It's not your fault. It was my fault, I should have been smarter, and I told them to trust me. She fell silent, and Li Qi watched her try to get back to normal. Anyway, she was talking, and then she couldn't continue.She turned her head away and looked like a very beautiful woman.It was hot, and the skylight over the door had an air conditioner running, big and old, from a long time ago, but still working as hard as it could. Anyway, she said it again, looking at Li Qi, is there anything I can help you with? not me.Li Qi said.It was a woman I knew. She needs a lawyer? She shot her husband to death because he was violent to her. when? Last night, she is now in the prison opposite. Has the husband hung up? Li Qi nodded.Very thorough. Her shoulders slumped, she opened a drawer, took out a stack of yellow note paper and asked: What's your name?she asked. my name? Because you came to me. Li Qi.He said.What's your name? She wrote on the note: Li Qi. Alice.she says.Alice.Amanda.Allen. You should start your own business and you will be on the front page of the phone book for sure. She smiled, but only a little.Someday there will be.she says.Coming here is a five-year agreement I made with my conscience. To pay back the money? For gratitude.she says.For my good fortune, for my chance to go to Harvard Law School, for being born into a wealthy family and not having to worry about life, for living in a Park Avenue apartment and not having to fight through the Texas winter. Good luck, Alice.He said. So tell me about your female friend. She is Mexican, her husband is white, and her name is Carmen.Guriel, her husband's name is Slupp.Gurriel. sailboat? Yes, the pronunciation is the same as sailboat. good.Alice talked and took notes. The domestic violence stopped in the past year and a half because her husband went to jail for tax evasion.He got out of prison yesterday and started beating her again, so she beat him to death. good. Evidence and witnesses should be difficult to find, because domestic violence is carried out secretly. Are there any scars? Very serious, but they all lied about it as an accident because of the horse riding. horse riding? Like falling off a horse, for example. Why? Li Qi shrugged.I don't know either, family factors, oppression, stigma, fear, embarrassment, it's all possible. But isn't the fact of domestic violence obvious? It seems to me so. Alice's pen stopped, looking at the yellow note paper. That will be a little difficult.she says.Texas law isn't too outdated when it comes to marital violence, but I'd love to see clear evidence that the fact that the husband has been in prison would help a bit, because he's not a model citizen, is he?We can use manslaughter as a defense and probably get probation out of jail time.If we work hard enough, we should have a chance. This is justifiable killing, not murder. I think so, but the question is what works and what doesn't. She still needs bail.Li Qi said.I want it today. Alice looked up at him.Post bail?She repeated it as if she had never heard the term before.today?Don't even think about it. She has a small child, a little daughter, six and a half years old. Alice wrote it down.It's no use, she said, everyone has kids. Her fingers traveled up and down the tall filing towers. These people all have children.She said it again.Six and a half years old, one and a half years old, two children, six years old, seven years old, and ten years old. Her name is Ellie.Li Qi said.She needs her mother by her side. Alice writes Ellie on the note, and draws an arrow to Carmen.Gurriel. There are only two ways to get bail in this case.she says.The first would be to bring the trial process almost entirely to the fore at the bail hearing, but we're not going to do that because it's going to be at least a couple of months before I can start working on the case.My calendar is full, and even if I do start, it will take months to prepare, especially in this case. what's the situation? Use her words against dead man's reputation.Since there were no eyewitnesses, we had to go get some medical records, get an expert to confirm that her injuries weren't from a fall from a horse.And she obviously doesn't have the money, otherwise you wouldn't be representing her, so we're going to have to find experts who are willing to help for free, which is possible, but not immediately possible. So what can be done right now? I can go to jail and say: Hey, I'm your lawyer, and I'll see you again in a year.That's about all I can do right now. Li Qi looked at the room, it was overcrowded. No one can be faster than me.Alice said.I'm a newcomer, and the number of cases is relatively small. This seems to be true. There are only two stacks of head-high files on her desk, while everyone else has three, four, or even five stacks. What is the second method? what method? On bail, you just said that there are two ways. She nodded.The second way is we can convince the prosecutor not to object.If we stand up and ask for bail, and he says he has no objection, then there is only a question of whether the judge thinks it is appropriate.The judge will presumably rely on the prosecutor's opinion. Heike.Walker is Sloop's brother. Alice's shoulders relaxed again.Very good, she said, then he will definitely evade the interests, but his staff will come out to fight for him, so don't even think about posting bail, it won't succeed. So do you take this case? Of course I accept it!We're here for cases, and I'll call Heck's office, and I'll go and see Carmen, but that's all I can do now, understand?Apart from these two, as far as the current situation is concerned, there is no difference between whether to accept or not. 李奇坐著不動好一下子，然後搖搖頭。還不夠好，愛麗絲。He said.我要妳現在馬上開始，讓事情立刻就有進展。 no way.she says.得要好幾個月，我跟你說過了。 她又陷入沉默，李奇又多看了她一下。 妳對交易有興趣嗎？he asks. trade? 比方說我幫妳，然後妳幫我。 你能幫我什麼？ 有些事情我可以幫妳搞定。比方說，我可以替妳的鐘形辣椒農夫在今天內把錢收回來，然後妳就可以開始處理卡門．古瑞爾的案子，也是今天。 你是做什麼的？討債公司嗎？ 不，我不過是學習速度很快，再說這些事也不是什麼高深的學問。 我不能讓你這麼做，有可能會違法，除非你登記有案。 想像一下當我走回來時，口袋裡有一張兩萬塊的支票，感覺如何？ 你要用什麼辦法？ He shrugged.我會直接去找那傢伙要。 這樣要得到？ possible.He said. She shook her head.這樣是不道德的。 那有道德的作法是？ 她沒有回答，沉默了很長一段時間。她的眼睛瞪著李奇腦後的空氣，然後李奇看到她的眼神往下飄到電話上，看到她想著要是對方聽到這件好消息會有什麼感覺。 那個農場主人叫什麼名字？he asks. 她看著抽屜，再次搖頭。我不能跟你說。she says.我很擔心道德問題。 是我自願幫忙。He said.妳又沒有要求我這麼做。 她坐著一動不動。 I am voluntary.He said.就像律師助理一樣。 愛麗絲再次直視李奇。我得去上廁所。 她突然站起來，轉身走開。她下半身穿著丹寧短褲，身材比李奇預估得要高。那是很短的短褲，露出很修長的腿，皮膚上的古銅色曬得剛好。她走路的姿勢從背後看起來很漂亮。愛麗絲穿過後面牆上的一道門後，李奇站起來，繞過桌子，把抽屜拉開拿起最上面的檔案，倒過來仔細看。那是一大堆法律文件，他翻了翻，找到一張類似具結書的東西，上面有個名字和地址，整齊地印在被告欄裡。他把這張紙對摺再對摺，放進襯衫口袋，然後把翻開的檔案闔上，放回抽屜裡，關上抽屜坐下。過了一會兒，愛麗絲．雅曼達．艾倫從後門走出來，回到桌子前面。她的正面看起來一樣漂亮。 這裡有地方可以借車嗎？he asked her. 你沒車？ He shook his head. 這樣的話，我想你可以借用我的。she says.在停車場裡，這棟建築後面。 愛麗絲伸手到後面的夾克口袋掏了掏，拿出一串鑰匙。 福斯。she says. 李奇接過鑰匙。 置物箱裡有地圖。she says.你也知道，可能有人對這裡的環境還不太熟。 李奇把椅子往後推。或許我還來得及趕回來找妳。He said. 愛麗絲沒有說話，看著李奇站了起來，穿過安靜的人群，走到戶外的陽光下。