companion ghost

"This is a very long and complicated story," Leon said. "When my client first bought this property, the house itself had a basement, but later, my client found that the basement was extremely dark and damp, and There was a strong rotten smell. It was later discovered that there was a sewer behind the fragile and thin wall in the basement. My client found the developer and tried to negotiate, but the developer didn’t pay any attention to it except that he only gave my client very little financial compensation. , and the smell of the sewer is getting stronger and stronger, my client has no choice but to bulldoze the abandoned basement, at least to keep the ground clean and hygienic."

Shen Lie keenly caught the loophole in Lyon's words: "If the facts are as you said, then this place is no longer the private property of your client, because after you leveled the basement, it will be separated from the public part. The sewers have been integrated into a whole, and they have all become public property."

"We are lawyers, Prosecutor Shen," Leon said with a half-smile, "We need to look at the legal evidence. And in this contract, the entire area of ​​my client's house still includes the area of ​​the real estate and the basement."

Shen Lie couldn't believe it: "You guys didn't even change the contract after you found out the problem?!"

Leon shrugged: "We wanted to change it, but the developer ran away because of bankruptcy. So legally speaking, now my client 'owns' a small section of New York's sewer."

Shen Lie gave up communicating with him, and turned to Judge Donovan and said, "Your Excellency, I have every reason to suspect that this is a means used by the defense to exclude the evidence, because it is too inconceivable from the beginning to the end. How could the so-called developer be so confused? And even college students who have just graduated from work know that they should carefully consider when buying a house. It’s okay to fool ordinary people with this trick, but Vincent Osterley? Forget it, he has Mr. Snooker—” He glanced at Lyon, “the entire legal team, how could it be possible to be fooled by such a low-level mentally handicapped?”

"Your Honor," Lyon also said to Judge Donovan, "in other words, my client is just an innocent victim who was scammed by a wicked developer. Ten thousand dollars—"

"Wait a minute, gentlemen," Judge Donovan said with a headache, "let me clear my mind."

"Good Your Honor," Lyon was interrupted but could only shut up.

Judge Donovan looked at the document in his hand from above his eyes: "That is to say, because the defendant flattened the boundary between the original basement and the sewer, the boundary between the two was blurred, but in legal matters, the defendant still owns the original basement. ,Yeah?"

Leon nodded: "Yes."

Shen Lie reminded Judge Donovan: "But Your Honor, this operation itself is against the law—"

Lyon smiled: "Prosecutor, you removed the gate fence of your garden, and then planted eggplants and potatoes in your garden, which does not mean that your eggplants and potatoes have become eggplants for the entire community." and potatoes."

Shen Lie: "..."

Just as Shen Lie was about to open his mouth to refute, Judge Donovan had already come to a conclusion: "Mr. Prosecutor, I'm sorry, but the defense lawyer is right. The property owned by the defendant Vincent Osterly is protected by law. This also shows that it is illegal for the police officers to step in and search without a search warrant. I regret it," Judge Donovan returned the motion to Shen Lie, "but the motion is allowed , all evidence found during the search of the defendant's property is invalid."

Shen Lie clenched his lips, he already knew what was going to happen next.

Sure enough, Leon immediately said: "Your Excellency, since all the physical evidence filed by the prosecution comes from this invalid search, I apply to dismiss the case."

When Shen Lie stepped into the serious homicide unit, his entire aura was gloomy and his face was livid.

Ning Yuan asked cautiously: "They succeeded? The evidence is invalid?"

"Worse," Shen Lie threw the briefcase onto the chair, "We have no more cases to prosecute, and Vincent Osterley will escape the law again."

Casey swears.

Shen Lie pushed back his forehead hair irritably: "It's not your fault, no one would have thought that Vincent would be so cunning."

Casey was still furious: "How could he turn the sewer into his private property?!"

Shen Lie explained briefly, and then said: "Although I argued hard in Judge Donovan's office, I know he is right. We have lost without a search warrant." He looked at Casey And Dino, "Don't feel guilty, who would have thought of applying for a search warrant to search a section of sewer?"

"I know," Casey shook her head, "but I don't know how to tell Sean's parents, how to tell Stephen."

The crowd was silent.

The atmosphere in the office was once very depressing.

Ning Yuan suddenly groaned, and he said anxiously: "Shen Lie, do you still remember what you told me before, how did you blame that doctor?"

Shen Lie frowned, and the police officers also looked blank.

"Which doctor?"

Ning Yuan was so anxious that he almost rolled his eyes: "It's the one who stole the child!"

Shen Lie suddenly understood what Ning Yuan meant: "You want me to sue Vincent with other charges?"

"Yes!" Ning Yuan said, "As long as he can be punished, no matter what the crime is, as long as justice can be done, it is fine."

Dino was the first to agree: "I think the feasibility is very high. He runs such a large company. If you look in the commercial law, you can definitely find his illegal place."

"That's right," Shen Lie cheered up, "I'll contact the White Collar Crime Section of the FBI [Note] to see if Vincent is on their watch list."

Casey said, "I'll ask my friend from Interpol."

Outside the procuratorate, on the opposite road, there is a cart hut, which sells fast food like sandwiches and burgers. Because it tastes good, it is very popular among prosecutors and judges.

Today's temperature is a bit low, Shen Lie is wearing a black woolen coat and a gray scarf, he still feels a bit cold.He bought two sandwiches, two cups of hot milk, looked around with a paper plate, and walked towards a man sitting on a bench.

"It's so cold," Shen Lie said, and handed the sandwich and hot milk to the man, "Why did you come here in person?"

The man was very ordinary, but his eyes were very sharp. He was not polite, and took the plate: "It's rare for you to find me, so naturally I have to come." He took a sip of hot milk and frowned: "When do you like me?" Drink this? I thought it was an Americano."

Shen Lie glared at him: "Can't you live a healthy life, Lester?"

The man named Lester shrugged: "You take the money, you decide."

"So is this Vincent Osterley on your watch list?"

Lester lowered his voice: "My friend, let me tell you privately that he is not only here, but also at the top of the list."

[Note] FBI: US Federal Bureau of Investigation