Chapter 14 14

Alice walked slowly across the tiles.What's wrong?she asked. tell me what do you seeLi Qi said. She moved her gaze to the corpse, as if it required a lot of effort. Shot in the head.she says.twice. How far apart are the two bullet holes? About three inches. Besides, what else do you see? Gone.she says. He nodded.standard answer. so? Look carefully, the bullet holes are clean, right? She took a step toward the freezer, bending forward slightly at the waist. It looks very clean.she says. There's a reason for that, he said, because it's not touching the wound.The so-called contact with the wound is to put the muzzle of the gun on the forehead. Do you know what will happen if you shoot like this?

She shook her head and said nothing. The first thing that will come out of the muzzle is an explosion of hot air, and if the muzzle is pressed against the forehead, the hot air will rush to the bottom of the skin, but because the underlying bone is against it, there is no outlet, so the hot air will flow backwards, forming a huge The star-shaped bullet holes look like starfish.Right, doctor? The pathologist nodded.We call it a starburst wound.He said. But that's not the case here, Leech said, so it's not contact shooting.The second thing that will come out of the muzzle is the flame. If the muzzle is very close to the target, say about two or three inches, but there is no contact, then we will see burn marks on the skin, in the shape of a small ring .

burn ring.said the pathologist. There are no such scars.Li Qi said.Next came soot, a soft, dirty black substance.If we had shot it from six to eight inches away, we would have seen the soot sticking to his forehead in an area of ​​maybe a few inches.It doesn't exist here either. so?Alice asked. The next thing is the gunpowder pellets, Leech said, the carbon pellets that don't burn.No gunpowder is perfect, part of it must not burn, it will just come out, and part of it will go under the skin and cause little bits of black stuff that they call tattoos.If the distance of the shot is a foot, or a foot and a half, this kind of mark will appear, have you seen it?

No.Alice said. Yes, the only thing we see are bullet holes and nothing else.There is no evidence that the wound was inflicted at close range.Although the types of cartridges and gunpowder are different, as far as I can see, the shooting distance is about three or four feet, at least the least. Eight feet six inches.said the pathologist.Here is my estimate. Li Qi looked at him.Have you tested gunpowder? The guy shook his head.I rely on crime scene graphics.He was standing by the bed, which was near the window, and there was a two-foot-six-inch walkway on his side.The place of death was next to the bedside table, very close to the head of the bed, with the body leaning against the wall next to the window.We know that the location where she shot was not next to him, otherwise there would be the close-range shooting marks you just mentioned, so the closest she can stand is on the opposite side of the bed, probably at the foot of the bed, across the bed to face Fire with a line, which is the result of ballistic comparison.He's probably trying to get as far back as possible, and the bed is a double, so I think the closest guess is 8 feet 6 inches, including the diagonal distance.

very good.Li Qi said.Are you going to say that on the witness stand? Of course, and this is the theoretical minimum distance, it may be farther. But what's the point?Alice asked. It means that people were not killed by Carmen.Li Qi said. Why? How big is a person's forehead?Five inches wide and two inches high? so? There was no way she could hit such a small target from eight feet away. how do you know? Because I saw her shoot the day before.It was the first time in her life that she pulled the trigger, and to be honest, there was no cure. She couldn't even hit the barn eight feet away.I told her she was going to put the gun in Sloop's stomach and run out of bullets.

You will kill her.Alice said.You should not offer this kind of testimony. She didn't kill, Alice, she couldn't have done it. Maybe she's lucky. Of course, once!But it will never happen twice, twice means that this is the result of aiming, the bullet holes are very close, and the level is the same.After the first shot he was supposed to start falling, in other words, it was firing in quick succession, bang, bang, twice in a row!Without hesitation.This is quite a superb shooting skill. Alice was silent for a moment.It was possible for her to pretend, she said, that at first she needed to learn how to shoot.She hasn't told the truth once about anything else, maybe she's actually a good shooter and pretends she isn't, and then asks you to do it for her for some reason.

Li Qi shook his head.She's not pretending.He said.I've watched people shoot my whole life, either you can, or you can't, and if you can, you can definitely see it, there's no way to pretend it's not, and there's no way to forget it. Alice said nothing. It wasn't Carmen.Li Qi said.Even I couldn't do it because her gun was so bad it was impossible at this distance.Two quick shots to the head?No matter who did it, he is taller than me. Alice smiled slightly.Very strange? Very strange.he said naturally. But she admitted it, why did she do this? I have no idea.

Ellie wasn't sure she understood when she hid in the stairs above the hall and listened to her grandmother talking to a stranger.She had heard the words new family, she knew what that meant, and she knew she needed a new home.The Guriel family told her that her father was dead and her mother had gone far away and would never return.They also said they didn't want to keep her with them, but she didn't think it was a problem, since she didn't want to live with them anyway.They were mean and sold her pony, as did the others.Early that morning, a big truck came to take the horses away, and she didn't cry, but she knew they were all gone, and she had no father, no mother, no pony.Without the horse, everything changed, so she went with the stranger, because she didn't know what to do either.

The stranger then asked her to speak to her mother on the phone.Mom cried, and finally she said: Get on well with your new family.But in fact, she wasn't sure if these strangers were her new family, or if they were just taking her to the new family.She didn't dare to ask, so she kept quiet.The back of her hand hurts from biting on it. This is muddy water.Walker said.You know what I mean when I say that?Best to leave it alone, things could get out of hand very quickly. They had already returned to Walker's office. The temperature here was 70 degrees higher than that in the morgue, and both of them were sweating profusely.

understand?Walker asked.This makes things more complicated. Do you think so?Alice said. Walker nodded.It would make things murky, even if Li Qi was right, and honestly it was just speculation, because it was just his subjective opinion, basically guesswork.And what is this based on?Only based on the impression she deliberately gave him beforehand, that she would not shoot.And we already know that, from start to finish, every other impression she makes is bullshit.Let’s just say that what Li Qi said is correct, purely for discussion, what does this tell us? What? conspiracy.We knew she was trying to get Richie involved, and now you caught her getting someone else involved.She found other people, called them to the house, made an appointment, and told them where the gun was hidden.The other party showed up on time, found the gun, and killed the man.If this is the case, it is tantamount to instigating others to commit murder and then giving rewards.Hiring a killer is very cold-blooded, if you look in this direction.Then she will fall into the shadow of the death penalty, which will be far worse than shooting herself.Believe me, compared to the two, shooting yourself is simply doing good deeds. It feels like a spur-of-the-moment, you know?If the status quo is maintained, coupled with her confession, I will be more than happy to help her obtain a life sentence.But if we add these conspiracy theories, it becomes very evil, so it is back on the track of death row.

Alice said nothing. So do you understand what I'm saying?Walker said.There is absolutely no benefit in doing so, it is absolutely counterproductive and will only make her condition worse.Besides, she herself has said she did it, and I think it's true.But if not, then her confession was yet another calculated lie designed to cover up a crime.She also knew that plotting to kill would make the crime worse, and we must not sit back and act like it didn't happen, which would make us look like idiots. Alice didn't speak, Li Qi shrugged. So don't touch these things, Walker said, that's my advice.I'd consider it if it would help her, but it doesn't help at all.So for her own good, just leave it like this. Also for your election of judges.Li Qi said. Walker nodded.I also admit this. As a prosecutor, do you think it's better to leave things alone?Alice asked.Someone could get away with it! Walker shook his head.If things are really as Li Qi thought, if, if, if.If it is a very suspicious word, I have to say that I think the probability is very low.Believe me, I'm a serious prosecutor, but I'm not going to waste jury time by investigating a case purely because one person thinks another will shoot, especially if that other person is like Carmen A liar.For all we know, she grew up shooting every day, the kind of bratty kid from the Spanish settlement in Los Angeles that a rural Texas jury wouldn't suspect. Li Qi didn't speak, and Alice nodded again. All right!she says.I'm not her lawyer anyway. If you were, what would you do? She shrugged.Probably will not move it!Like you said, reckless and useless plotting didn't help her either. She stood up slowly, as if the heat was making her hard.She patted Li Qi on the shoulder, what else can we do for him?expression, and then walked towards the door.Li Qi stood up and followed behind her.Walker didn't say anything, watched them halfway, then looked down at the old photo of the three big boys leaning on the fender of the van. Together they crossed the road and came to the bus station, a sleepy little station fifty yards from the courthouse and fifty yards from the office.There weren't any buses in there, just an asphalt parking lot smeared with diesel.There are many benches around the side, only small white fiberglass blocks from the afternoon sun.A small ticket booth with a timetable posted on the wall, and an air conditioner on the wall desperately spinning, inside a woman sitting on a high stool reading a magazine. Walker was right, Alice said, he was doing her a favor.The lawsuit is lost. Li Qi didn't speak. where are you going thenshe asked. Take the first bus.He said.I'm used to it. They looked at the timetable together.The next bus goes to Topeka, Kansas, via Oklahoma City.In another half an hour, the car will arrive here from Phoenix, Arizona, slowly circling in a counterclockwise direction. Have you been to Topeka before?Alice asked. I've been to Leavenworth (Note: Leavenworth, where the federal prison is located).He said.not very far. He tapped on the glass, and the woman sold him a one-way ticket.He pocketed the ticket. Good luck, Alice.He said.Four and a half years from now, I'll be looking up your name in the phone book. she smiled.Take care, Leech.she says. She stood still, as if struggling to decide whether to hug him, kiss him on the cheek, or just walk away.Then she smiled again and walked away.Li Qi watched her leave until the figure disappeared, then found the bench with the most shadows, sat down and waited for the bus. Ellie was still not sure.They took her to a nice place, like a house, with a bed and lots of stuff, so maybe this is her new home, but they didn't look like family, they were all busy.She thought they looked a little like doctors.They were nice to her, but busy, busy with things she couldn't understand, like in a doctor's office, maybe they really were doctors.Maybe they knew she was upset and wanted to make her feel better. She thought for a long time, and asked: Are you doctors?she says. no.they answer. Are you my new family? no.they said.You will soon be with your new family. when? Just a few more days, okay?Now you are going to live with us. She thought they all looked busy. The bus pulled into the station almost on time. It was a big Greyhound bus covered in dust, surrounded by diesel fumes, and hot air could still be seen bubbling from the cooling fins of the air conditioner.The car stopped twenty feet in front of him, the driver kept the engine idling, and the vibration was loud. After the door opened, the three got out of the car.Li Qi stood up and walked over to get in the car.He was the only passenger leaving and the driver took his ticket. two minutes, ok?said the guy.I need to use the toilet. Li Qi nodded and said nothing.He walked into the aisle and found a double seat on the left.After the car arrives in Aberlin and turns north, the side will always be facing the setting sun, but the windows have been dyed dark blue, and the air conditioner is very cool, so it should be acceptable.He lay on his side, stretched out, and rested his head on the glass.The eight spent shell casings pressed against his thigh muscles and made him uncomfortable, so he got up and pushed the bullets aside, then took them out and put them in his hands.The shell casing rolled in the hand like a dice, warm and made a dull metallic sound. Aberlin.he thought. The driver got back into the car and stood on the steps looking around like an old railroad man.After reading it, he got into the driver's seat and closed the door. etc.Li Qi called. He stood up and walked down the aisle again. I have changed my mind.He said.I want to get off. I have canceled your ticket.said the driver.If you want a refund, then you have to appeal. I do not refund.Li Qi said.Just let me out of the car, okay? The driver looked blank-eyed, but he flipped the switch and the door opened again.Li Qi got out of the car and left, and the bus drove away behind him, turning right.Li Qi turned left, and the noise of the bus slowly disappeared into the distance.He went on to the office, the other workplaces were closed, so again the place was filled with many quiet worried people, some talking to lawyers, some standing in line.Alice was behind her desk in the back of the office, talking to a woman with a baby.She looked up, surprised. Is the bus not coming?she asked. I have to ask you a legal question.He said. soon? He nodded.civil law.If someone discloses a crime to a lawyer, can the police ask the lawyer to speak out? confidential.Alice said.Only the lawyer and the client know that the police have absolutely no power to demand it. Can I borrow your phone? She thought for a moment, confused, then shrugged.certainly.she says.Squeeze in! He took an empty visitor chair and placed it next to her behind the desk. Is there a phone book for Aberlin?he asks. The bottom drawer.she says.It's all Texas phone books. She turned back to the woman with the baby and resumed the conversation in Spanish.Li Qi opened the drawer and found the book he wanted. There was a page of consultation telephone numbers on the front, which listed all emergency telephone services, and it was printed in large print.He called the state troopers, the Arborin office, and a woman answered the phone and asked him what was the matter. I want to report.He said.Someone has committed a crime. The woman asked him to wait, and after about thirty seconds, someone answered the phone in another location, what sounded like the squad office, with other phones ringing in the background, and muffled voices all around. Officer Rodriguez.said a voice. I want to report a crime.Li Qi said again. What's your last name, sir? But wait. A．Arthur.Li Qi said.I'm a Pecos County attorney. Well, Mr. Arthur, please go ahead. You guys found an abandoned car, a Mercedes, on Friday south of Aberlin, belonging to a lawyer named Al.Eugene.He is currently listed as a missing person. Keyboard typing sound. OK, said Rodriguez, so what are you going to say? One of my clients said Eugene was kidnapped and his ticket was torn apart near the scene. sir, your client's name is I can't tell you this, Li Qi said, it's a secret.In fact, I am not sure whether what he said can be believed. I need you to confirm what he said. If what he said is a little credible, maybe I can persuade him to show up. What did he tell you? He said Eugene was stopped, put into another vehicle, and taken to a hideout north, on the left side of the road, where he was shot and his body was hidden. Alice had already terminated the conversation and was watching him from the side. So I want you to search that area.Li Qi said. We've searched. What radius? Just around there. No, my folks say go a mile or two north and you have to pay special attention to under trees, crevices in rocks, pump houses, everything, especially where there might be parking on the side of the road. A mile or two north of where the car was dumped? My guys say more than a mile, but no more than two. on the left? He said so.Li Qi said. Do you have a phone? I will call you back.Li Qi said.After one hour. He hangs up.Alice was still staring at him when the woman with the baby left. what happened?she says. Our focus on Eugene is long overdue. Why? What are the clear facts we have? What? Carmen didn't shoot Sloop, that's all. This is opinion, not fact. No, it's true, Alice.Believe me, I know this kind of thing well. She shrugged.All right!so what? So someone else shot and killed him, and this raises a question, why?We know that Eugene is missing, and we know that Sloop is dead, but the two are connected, it's a lawyer-client relationship.So for the sake of discussion, let's just assume that Eugene is dead, not just missing, and they're trying to figure out a deal to get Sloop out of prison, some kind of big deal.Because it is not easy to achieve such a goal, it is impossible to agree to parole casually, so this transaction must involve heavyweight intelligence, which is extremely valuable, and it will be a big trouble for someone.What if it was the man who got rid of them both in retaliation, or to keep the information from being exposed? Why do you suddenly have this idea? It was actually from Carmen.He said.She suggested that I should do this, and kill Sloop, as if it was a deal-breaker. So Carmen did as she was told. No, Carmen's situation is exactly the same.Li Qi said.She hated Sloop, so she had a motive, she lied a lot, but she didn't kill him, someone else did. That's right, do it for her. wrong.Li Qi said.It didn't happen that way, she just happened to be lucky, it was two parallel events, like Sloop was killed by a truck somewhere, maybe she was very happy with the outcome, but it wasn't her fault. How sure are you? Pretty sure, because anything else would be ridiculous.Come to think of it, Alice, anyone with this kind of shooting ability is a professional grade, and a professional starts planning at least a few days in advance.If she had already hired an expert a few days ago, why would she have to travel all over Texas looking for a hitchhiker like me?And why arrange for Sloop to die in his room?Make yourself prime suspect?Still holding your own gun? So what do you think the truth is? I think some murder squad killed Eugene on Friday and then hid the body to cover their actions until it was over and no one remembered.Then kill Shlope again on Sunday, this time disguised by making it look like Carmen did it, in her room, with her gun. But isn't she with him?Wouldn't she notice?Won't she say it? He paused.Either she was with Ellie and walked back just in time to find it was done, or she was in the shower because her hair was wet when they arrested her. But she would have heard the gunshot. The bathroom shower is so powerful it's like Niagara Falls and the . 2 is quiet. If your hypothesis is correct, how do you know where they'll find Eugene's body? I speculate based on my own practice.They must have their own car, because the neighborhood is a place where birds don't lay eggs, so it was probably a break-down or flat tire that stopped him, forced him into their car, and took him away.But they don't want to leave him in the car for too long. The risk is high, so two or three minutes is the maximum limit. This kind of time starts driving from a standstill, which is about a distance of one or two miles. Why go north?Why is it on the left? I'd drive the long way north first, then turn around and look for the shoulder here.Once I find my preferred dumping spot, set up a stop a few miles back, turn around and come back and arrange it, and wait for him to show up. understandable.she says.But the Sloop part?I don't think so.They ran into the house themselves?Where birds don't lay eggs in Echo County?Hide and then crawl in?She just happened to be taking a shower again? I can do it.He said.And I assumed that they should be as capable as I am, maybe better than me, and they must be better at shooting than me. You are crazy.she says. perhaps.He said. No, it's definitely crazy.she says.Because she has already admitted, if it really has nothing to do with her, why would she do this? We can clarify this later, for now, wait an hour. He left Alice to her own business, and going out into the bright sun, he finally decided to go and see the Wild West Museum.When he got there, the door wasn't open, it was too late, but he saw a walkway leading to an open area in the back.Although the door was locked, it was so low that he could just step through it.There are many replicas of the old times at the back of the building: a small single cell, Roy.Bean (Note: Roy Bean, 1825︱1903, Pesco Magistrate.) Court reproduction, a hanging tree.The order of these three exhibits is just right, arrest, trial, execution, and then Clay.Alison's grave, well maintained with beautiful tombstones.Clay is his middle name and his first name is Rob.Rob.Clay.Allison, born 1840, died 1887.Never killed anyone who didn't deserve to die.Li Qi didn't have a middle name, it was just Jack.Li Qi, plain and simple.Born in 1960, not dead yet.He began to wonder what his tombstone would look like, if there was no tombstone at all, and no one to help him with his funeral. He walked back down the hallway, stepping through the locked door again.Opposite was a low, two-story concrete building with a retail store on the ground floor and offices above.In one of the windows was written Albert. E.Eugene, a practicing attorney, and two other law firms could see the building from the courthouse.Li Qi guessed that these should be cheap lawyers, and the location was different from Alice's row of free lawyers, while the expensive lawyers should be on another street.So maybe Eugene had a heavy caseload to be able to drive a Mercedes, or maybe he was just plain vain and wrestling with huge loans. Li Qi paused slightly at the intersection.The sun was about to set, and there were many clouds on the southern horizon.A gust of warm wind hit his face, strong enough to rip his clothes and blow dust from the sidewalk.He stood still, letting the wind flatten the creases in his shirt, flattening it against his stomach.Then the wind died away, and the dull heat came over again, with the clouds still to the south like scattered blotches in the sky. He walked back to Alice's office, and she was still sitting behind her desk, also facing endless problems.In her visitor chair was a middle-aged Mexican couple with patient, trusting expressions on their faces.There were more documents on her desk, and when she saw Li Qi, she pointed to his chair lightly, which was also placed next to her.He squeezed his way in, sat down, picked up the phone, and dialed the number for Aberlin's office from memory.He also reported to Chester.Arthur's name, Sergeant Rodriguez on the phone. He waited a full minute on the phone before Rodriguez picked it up.Li Qi knew right away that they had found Eugene's body, because the guy's voice was full of panic. Mr. Arthur, we need the name of your client.Rodriguez said. What did you find?Li Qi asked. As you said, sir.A mile and a half north, on the left, in a deep limestone crevasse.He was shot through the right eye. Is it .22 caliber? Absolutely not, not from what I've heard.At least nine centimeters, some kind of large gun, and most of his head was blown off. Can you estimate the time of death? It was hard because it was so hot and they said the coyotes bit the carcasses and ate those parts that the pathologists needed.But if someone says it's Friday, we shouldn't have a problem. Li Qi didn't speak. I need the name of the person involved.Rodriguez said. My people are not murderers.Li Qi said.I'll talk to him and maybe he'll call you. Reacher hung up before Rodriguez could protest, and Alice glared at him again, as did her clients, who apparently knew enough English to follow the conversation. Chester.Which President was Arthur?Alice asked. After Garfiel, Gurufo.Before Cliff Blue.Li Qi replied.One of two presidents born in Vermont. Who is the other one? Kevin.Guriji. So they found Eugene?she says. certainly. what about now? Now we're going to warn Heike.walker. warn him? Li Qi nodded.Use your brain, Alice.Perhaps the situation we are facing now is 2/2, but I think the more likely situation is 2/3.They have always been the Three Musketeers, Heike, Al, and Sloop.Carmen said that the three of them participated in this deal, and Heike was responsible for negotiating, so he must know the inside story, so it is possible that he will be next. Alice turned to face her client.Sorry, I have to leave now.She speaks in English. Heike.Walker was packing for get off work, standing up with his suit jacket on and closing his suitcase.It's past six o'clock.The office windows were darkened by twilight.They told him Eugene was dead and watched as the color faded from his face and his skin wrinkled with sweat.He grabbed the table, walked around, sat down in his seat, was speechless for a while, then nodded slowly. I think I already knew that.He said.But I've always had a little hope. He turned to look at the photo. I regret.Li Qi said. Have they found out why?Walker asked.Or who did it? not yet. Walker paused again.Why did they tell you first, but not me? It was Li Qi who figured out where to search.Alice said.He actually told them. Then she directly told him two-thirds of Li Qi's theories, transactions, inside information, and warnings.Walker sat still and listened to her, his face slowly recovered, but he kept silent, thinking hard.Then he shook his head. impossible.He said.Since the deal was nothing, Schlupp threw in the towel, intending to pay the tax along with the fine.That's it, there is no inside story, it's just that he was in a hurry and couldn't bear the pain of the prison.This kind of thing happens very often. Al contacted the Internal Revenue Service and proposed to pay back the tax, but they were not surprised at all, because this is a common thing, so it was handled by the branch office, and the people with lower ranks were still dealt with. That's what routine is all about.The federal prosecutor needs to sign off on it, and that's where I step in, I get things expedited, that's all, get the paperwork back and forth a little faster than normal, and help out old school friends.It's just routine IRS business, and trust me, no one gets killed for ordinary IRS business. He shook his head again, then suddenly widened his eyes and remained motionless. I want you to leave immediately.He said. Alice nodded.We are very sorry for what happened to you. I know you are good friends. But Walker looked puzzled, as if this wasn't something he was really worried about. how?Li Qi said. We shouldn't go any further, that's all.Walker said. Why? Because we are going in circles, and the final landing point is a place we don't want to see. Yeah? Come to think of it, guys, no one gets killed on ordinary IRS business, or does it really happen?Sloop and Al are trying to find a way to take away the money entrusted to Carmen and pay most of it to the government, but now that Sloop and Al are dead, two makes four, and her motives are getting stronger and stronger. It's clearer, if we go on, I'm going to have to think conspiracy theory.Two people died, not one.I had no choice but to go in this direction, and I didn't want to. No conspiracy theories.Li Qi said.If she hired a killer, why did she want me? Walker shrugged.Mystery?stay out? Is she that smart? I think she has. Then prove it to us, that she did hire a killer. I can't prove it. sure.You have her bank records, let's see the payment records. Payment? Do you think these people will provide free services? Walker grimaced, took the keys out of his pocket, opened a drawer under the desk, and pulled out the stack of account transactions.Guriel Unauthorized Account Trust #1 to #5, Li Qi held his breath, and Walker began to flip through the pages, then he gathered the file, turned it upside down, his face was blank. Alice leaned forward, picked up the file, flipped through the pages, and checked the fourth column from the left, which recorded the expenditure.There are many items in it, but they are all sporadic and small payments, at most only two hundred and ninety-seven yuan, and many of them are less than one hundred yuan. Add up the last month.Li Qi said. Alice looked back. Nine hundred yuan, approx.she says. Li Qi nodded.Even if she really saved all the money, nine hundred yuan probably wouldn't be able to buy a few things, and of course it would be even more impossible to hire such a person. Walker said nothing. We need to go talk to her.Li Qi said. no way.Walker said.She has already set off for prison. She didn't do it.Li Qi said.She did nothing, she is absolutely innocent. Then why did she confess? Li Qi closed his eyes and sat still for a while. She is forced.He said.Someone forced her. who? Li Qi opened his eyes.I don't know who it is, he said, but we can find out.Go to the Marshal's Log downstairs to see who's been looking for her. Walker's face was still dazed and sweaty, but he still picked up the phone, dialed an indoor extension number, and asked the bailiff to send up the visitor log immediately, and the three of them waited silently.Three minutes later they heard heavy footsteps coming from the secretary's room, and the bailiff came in from the office, the guy from the day shift, panting from running up the stairs, with a thick book in his hand. Walker took it, opened it, scanned it quickly, turned it upside down, put it on the table and pointed, Carmen.Gurriel was brought in early Monday morning and left two hours ago to be transferred to the Texas Department of Corrections.Twice during this time she saw a visitor, at nine o'clock on Monday morning, and again at noon on Tuesday, when the same assistant attorney general went down to see her. An initial visit, followed by her confession.Walker said. No other entries and exits were recorded. that's all?Li Qi said. The bailiff nodded.Guaranteed to be correct.He said. Li Qi looked at the log again. The first time the assistant prosecutor visited for two minutes, it was obvious that Carmen didn't say a word.The second lasted twelve minutes, after which she was brought on video. Is there no one else?he asks. There is a phone.said the bailiff. when? Monday all day and Tuesday morning. Who called her? her lawyer. her lawyer?Alice said. The guy nodded.It's very verbose.He said.I also had to take her in and out of the phone all the time. Who is that lawyer?Alice asked. We can't ask, miss.This kind of matter is confidential, and the content of the lawyer's discussion with her cannot be made public. male or female? male. Hispanic? Probably not, it sounds like a normal person, the voice is a bit muffled, I think it's caused by a bad phone line. Is it the same person every time? should be. There was silence in the office, and Walker nodded slightly, which the bailiff took as a hint to ask him to leave.He walked out of the secretary's room, and the hall door was closed. She didn't tell us she had a lawyer.Walker said.She told us she didn't want to assign a lawyer. She told me the same thing.Alice said. We must find out who this man is.Li Qi said.Have the phone company trace the call. Walker shook his head.No way, what the lawyer discusses with the client is confidential. Li Qi glared at him.You really think he's a lawyer? isn't it? Of course not, it was the person who threatened her and forced her to lie.Think, Walker, the first time your assistant went to see her, she wouldn't even say a word, but twenty-seven hours later, she confessed, and the only thing that ever happened was that this guy hit a bunch of Telephone. But what kind of threat would make her say those words? The homicide team isn't quite settling into their new roles as babysitters, and each feels the same way, for the same reasons. Taking a child hostage is not their specialty.Not when I went to pick her up, because that was standard operating procedure, old ways, and deceit.The woman goes to the red room with the tall handsome guy, because this should conform to the common people's impression of social workers, a man and a woman act together.They drove a big estate sedan with a cheerful professional attitude mixed with a little philanthropic generosity, as if their primary concern was the child's welfare.The two showed a large stack of forged documents, which looked like a power of attorney for social work issued by a government unit, and a letter of authorization from the relevant unit.But grandma didn't even look at it, and she had no intention of resisting at all, which was beyond their expectations.She handed over the child very simply and seemed very happy. The child didn't resist either. She faced the whole process with a serious, quiet and earnest attitude, as if deliberately trying to show her best side to please these new adults.So they put her in the car and drove her away, there was no crying, no tantrums, and everything went well, very well.Just with Al.Eugene acted the same way. But then they deviated from the usual track, and the magnitude is amazing.The standard procedure should be to drive directly to a previously surveyed location, then pull the trigger, hide the body, pat the ass and leave.But this time the mission was different. They had to hide her and leave her unscathed, at least for a while, maybe many, many days, but they had never done this before.Experts feel uneasy about things they haven't done. It's always been like this. It's in the nature of professionals to feel safe only in the field they are familiar with. Call a social worker.Li Qi said.immediately. Heike.Walker glared at him. It's your question to ask yourself.Li Qi said.What threats could force her to admit something she didn't do?Don't you understand?They must have caught her baby. Walker freezes, stares again, then struggles into motion.He unlocked the other drawer, pulled it open, took out a thick black clip, opened it, thumbed through it, grabbed the phone, and dialed a number.No answer, hang up, dial another nighttime emergency number or something.這通有人接，他問了問題，報上愛莉的全名，瑪麗．Ellen.Gurriel.一陣很長的靜默後，然後有人回答。沃克聽著，沒說半句話，很慢、很小心地掛上電話，好像話筒是玻璃做的一樣。 他們根本沒聽過她的名字。He said. silence.沃克閉上眼，然後再次睜開。 good.He said.能動用的資源真的不多，州警當然可以，還有聯邦調查局，因為這是綁架事件。我們得馬上採取行動，速度絕對是關鍵，綁架案都是如此。他們有可能帶她到任何地方，所以我現在要你們兩個馬上到回聲郡，叫羅斯緹把情況從頭到尾講清楚，所有細節都不能放過。 羅斯緹不願意跟我們講話。Li Qi said.她的敵意太強，叫回聲郡警長去怎麼樣？ 那傢伙是個廢物，現在搞不好正喝得醉醺醺的，你們一定得去。 waste time.Li Qi said. 沃克打開另一個抽屜，從裡面拿出兩個鍍鉻的星星丟到桌上。 舉起你們的右手，他說，跟著我唸。 沃克開始含糊地唸著一段宣誓文字般的東西，李奇跟愛麗絲就聽力所能及的範圍內跟著他唸，沃克點點頭。 現在你們兩個已經是警長代理人了。He said.整個回聲郡都算數，羅斯緹有義務要跟你們說。 Li Qi glared at him. how?Walker said. 你們這裡還可以這樣？指定代理？ 我當然可以。Walker said.就像以前的大西部，現在趕快出發，行嗎？我還有一萬通電話要打。 李奇拿了他的鍍鉻星星站起來，四又四分之一年來，他頭一次再度成為正式執法人員，愛麗絲也站了起來。 辦完後直接回來這裡會合。Walker said.順風。 八分鐘後，他們又坐上了黃色福斯，同一天內第二度往南朝紅屋出發。 女人接起電話。在這之前她讓電話響了四聲，好從包包裡拿出變聲器，打開開關。不過其實不需要，因為完全不用講話。她只負責聽，這通電話是單邊訊息，冗長而複雜，不過基本上簡明扼要，沒有含糊之處。整個訊息重複兩次，播完後她掛斷電話，把電子裝置放回包包裡。 今晚動手。she says. which one?said the tall one. Additional work.she says.佩科斯那件。那裡情況不妙，他們找到尤金的屍體了。 So fast? Oh shit!皮膚黝黑的男人說。 That's right, damn it!the woman said.所以我們要馬上執行追加工作，今晚，在事情惡化之前。 Who is the target?高的那個問。 Jack.李奇，是個流浪者，當過兵。有具體描述，附帶一個女律師，也要一併處理。 跟保姆工作同時進行嗎？ The woman shrugged.就像先前講的一樣，保姆工作要盡可能拖久一點，我們保留必要時終止的權利。 兩個男的互看一眼，愛莉從床上看著他們。