companion ghost

"So we just went home?"

After the trial, Shen Lie drove home, and Ning Yuan sat in the co-pilot with a gloomy expression on his face.

"Otherwise? You always have to give the jury time to think and discuss," Shen Lie looked ahead and held the steering wheel, "And I see this trend, there is not a day when the jury can't discuss and come up with a result."

Seeing that Shen Lie had a bad expression, Ning Yuan didn't speak any more, and sat quietly all the way.

After returning home and opening the door, Shen Lie went to take a shower with his pajamas, Ning Yuan squatted on the sofa, looked at his back, hesitated to speak, and said: "You know it's not your fault."

Shen Lie paused when he opened the bathroom door, but closed the door anyway.

But Ning Yuan heard his low voice clearly before he closed the door. It was very soft, but he heard it.

He said, "Isn't it?"

"Drinking alone?"

At the bar counter with flickering lights, a tall and handsome man with brown hair sat down beside another man with blonde hair and blue eyes.

"I just don't understand, what the hell happened? Overnight?" Casey didn't look at him, but he knew who it was when he heard the low, sexy voice like a cello.

Dino pointed to Casey at the bartender, said something like a drink, and said, "I also thought it was strange, so I asked the patrolman on duty that night."

Casey was taken aback: "Didn't you ask?"

Dino smiled: "I asked carefully this time."

Casey: "...It must not be the kind of question I like."

You don't need to emphasize those two words carefully, and I know it's not a gentle way.

Really.

Dino seemed to understand his slander, shook his head with a smile, and said, "That patrolman bought dinner for him that day, but a nurse from the hospital bought it for him, but his sleep quality was very good that night."

Casey understood Dino's voice-over in just a split second, and couldn't help but gritted his teeth: "Vincent must have said something to Stephen!"

"It's worse." Dino took the drink handed to him by the bartender. "I watched the surveillance video that the hospital pretended to send just now. Vincent actually went to Stephen's ward in person."

"Are you serious?" Casey frowned. "He's got a restraining order."

"Are you serious?" Dino asked back, "You don't understand after all these years? When someone knows it's a restraining order, no one knows it's a piece of paper and a fart."

"Fuck it," Casey drank the wine in the glass, "I understand why the grandchildren in the hospital don't give us surveillance video of this and that."

"However, these are of no use now, and the closing statement has already been made."

"I know, I know, I'm just..." Casey sighed, "Do you think we have a good chance of winning this case?"

Dino didn't answer directly: "Why do you come here to drink?"

Kathy looked down at the empty wine glass and laughed at himself: "I guess that means nothing."

Dino watched his handsome and sunny side face covered with depression by the lights of the bar, couldn't help stretching out his hand to hold Casey's hand: "You know, I trust Shen, I know his ability is How strong, I also know how much he wanted to put a needle in Vincent's arm [Note 2], but now...we really can't do anything except pray. Stephen's sudden defection, Linda's death before the trial, this The case is a mess."

Casey just stared at his empty wine glass, neither avoiding Dino's hand nor holding it back.

After a while, when Dino couldn't help but wanted to talk again, Casey spoke.

He said: "I wanted to introduce Stephen to Carl. I also wanted Carl to give Stephen warmth and sunshine. I really wanted to save him."

Late at night, the moonlight tonight is not very bright, and there are not too many stars, it is sparse, and the curtains are not drawn tightly. At least Ning Yuan can still see a little bit of moonlight.He felt a little uncomfortable, turned around and changed his position, but suddenly heard Shen Lie's voice: "You can't sleep either?"

Ning Yuan hummed softly: "I am now mentally prepared for the jury to acquit Vincent. But you must know that this is really not your fault."

Shen Lie didn't speak, and Ning Yuan didn't force him, but instead continued: "Actually, it's my fault. I didn't expect Vincent's control over Stephen to reach this point...I," he paused , and continued, "Let me meet Stephen half a year earlier, and I will definitely be able to cure him, but now..." He shook his head in the dark, "But I don't understand, we had a good talk the night before, I also encouraged him, and he asked me if I could go and see him... I just don’t get it, it doesn’t make sense at all!”

Shen Lie raised his eyes and stared at the ceiling, and said softly: "This has nothing to do with you, you are not in this judicial system, and you are not a legal psychiatrist. I only gave you less than half a month, and you have already done a good job. Very good."

Listening to Shen Lie's soft and recognizable voice, Ning Yuan made up his mind, wrapped himself in the quilt a little more tightly, moved to Shen Lie's side, and stuck to him tightly: "Then why are you Blame yourself? Just because of that scumbag Vincent?"

Sensing him coming, Shen Lie naturally wrapped his right arm around... the big quilt, and said slowly: "This is a very long story, and it's not very pleasant."

Ning Yuan lay in his (big quilt?) arms without any resistance, and said softly, "I can wait, and I'm willing to listen."

Shen Lie heard Ning Yuan's soft voice, the tone was very gentle, it penetrated into his ears and into his heart.

Ning Yuan heard Shen Lie's sigh in his ear, knew that it would be difficult for him to tell this matter, so he didn't ask any more questions, lifted up slightly from the big quilt, and gave Shen Lie a warm smile by the moonlight, making Shen Lie Even under this kind of light, the little dimples on his cheeks could be clearly seen.

He said: "I will not force you, you can always tell me when you are ready."

homicide office

Gloria saw the yawning Kathy swaying in with half-closed eyes, and couldn't help but ask, "The jury hasn't reached a conclusion in Vincent's case for three days? By the way, what did you do last night?" ?”

Just as Kathy was about to answer, he couldn't help but yawned again: "Karl had a fever last night. I took care of him all night, and I didn't sleep for three hours."

Gloria pointed to Dino's temporary office - that office was originally owned by the captain, but the captain went undercover. Dino, as the only one other than the captain who passed the police superintendent's exam, was promoted within 3 minutes Became the vice-captain and settled in the captain's office and waited for him to come back before handing over: "Did you not take advantage of this time to enslave our new vice-captain?"

"Good question." Casey almost threw himself on his seat, "Without Dino, do you think I can still sleep for three hours?"

Gloria: "..."

I really need to open my mouth.

At this time, the landline on Casey's desk rang, and Casey answered the phone with a growl, but his expression became dull after a simple 30 seconds.

Gloria was half-sitting on his desk. Seeing him put down the phone, she rushed to the door of Dino's office and knocked on the door: "Go! The jury is back!"

Dino rushed out like a gust of wind, still holding the car keys, he didn't forget to turn his head and said to Gloria and Jerry, "You two are housekeepers!"

Gloria: "..."

Jerry: "..."

I want to go too!

Dino and Casey arrived at the right time, and sat down in the row behind Shen Lie, both a little nervous.

Judge Parker was still sitting on the bench, first asked the defendant to stand up, and then asked the chief juror in a gentle voice: "For the one count of first-degree homicide against Vincent Osterley, two counts of statutory rape, one count of second-degree rape, Kidnapping, one count of intentional injury, one count of child trafficking, have you reached a unanimous verdict?"

The chief juror was a middle-aged Caucasian man, he said slowly: "Sorry Your Excellency, the jury could not come to a unanimous opinion [Note 3]..."

There was a sudden explosion in the court, Vincent and Klein even hugged, Shen Lie was expressionless, but still couldn't help pinching the bridge of his nose, Ning Yuan had already expected this result, and sighed deeply.Kathy was trembling with anger from behind, Dino patted him on the shoulder, his own brown eyes were full of suppressed anger.

Judge Parker knocked the hammer three times to stabilize the whole scene. He frowned, but quickly let go, and said in a deep voice: "Since the jury cannot reach a unanimous opinion, I announce that the defendant Vincent Oster Li was acquitted and the court was adjourned!"

In the corridor outside the No. [-] interrogation court, Kashidino, Shen Lie, and of course the invisible Ning Yuan were standing together and discussing this matter. At this moment, Vincent, who was dressed in a white expensive suit, came over with Still with that polite and charming smile, he said directly to Casey, "Cathy, I wonder if I have the honor to invite you to dinner?"

Ning Yuan couldn't believe his eyes and ears, this man actually came to flirt with the police officer who arrested him as soon as he got away with it?

Casey's face was sinking like water, and the sun was no longer the usual. He took a step forward and was very close to Vincent, saying every word loudly: "First, call me Officer Barron, I am not your friend; second, you don't It's an honor to invite me to dinner, I never eat with murderers, pedophiles and sadists; third, "his voice is more cold and hard, "you be careful, I will definitely throw you in jail, otherwise this Officer, I don't want to do it anymore!"

Before Vincent could speak, there was a 'bang', followed by screams one after another. Casey felt the blood in front of his eyes, and Vincent fell backwards in front of him. He subconsciously pulled out his back The gun he was wearing was aimed at the murderer who shot Vincent.

—The murderer is holding the gun even now, and his hands are still trembling slightly.

Dino snapped: "Lily! Put the gun down!"

Lily's hands trembled uncontrollably, but she stared fixedly at Vincent, who was lying in a pool of blood, with a look of madness all over her face, screaming loudly: "He killed my son! He tortured my baby! And you He actually let him leave in such a swaggering manner!"

Dino slowed down his voice: "Lily, listen to me first, put down the gun!"

Over there, Lily, Dino, and Casey were in a stalemate, and here Shen Lie noticed that Klein was calling 911 [Note 4], speaking very fast.

Over there, Dino tried to coerce and lure Lily, and finally made Lily drop the gun, and Casey rushed forward and kicked the gun away.

The ambulance came quickly, put Vincent on a stretcher and drove away. Klein walked up to Shen Lie and said in a deep voice, "Let your police officer take this lunatic away, and I will sue her."

Shen Lie smiled but said: "The local prosecutor and the police officer are two systems, and I can't control them. As for the prosecution, you can do whatever you want, and remember to send the indictment to my office, although I'm not sure when I can see it, After all, I have too many paperwork in my office.”

Klein choked and chased the ambulance personnel out.

Over there, Casey and Dino, under pressure from the onlookers, even took out their mobile phones to record, so they had to take out handcuffs and handcuff Lily to the police car.

Ning Yuan watched the whole process with cold eyes. Apart from the shock at the beginning, it has now become cold: "I hope he is dead."

Shen Lie said softly: "If he dies, Lily will be imprisoned for life. If he is not dead, and she finds a good lawyer, she may only be sentenced to ten years."

Ning Yuan stared at him blankly: "...do you always face this kind of dilemma?"

Shen Lie was silent for a while, and then said lightly: "Always."

The author has something to say:

[Note 1] This note is a note of the previous one.I forgot to explain.The reason why Shen Lie's mouth is O-shaped is not because he opened his mouth in surprise, but because the English objection in the court trial is [Objection] When I have time, I will list the professional terms in the legal court trial separately to explain~

【Note 2】One type of lynching in New York is injection lynching.Is there an electric chair I forgot...

【Note 3】In general sense, if the jury agrees to be guilty, then the defendant is guilty; if the unanimous opinion is not guilty, then the defendant is not guilty.Sometimes, however, cases are controversial.If there are many reasonable doubts, the jury will not be able to reach a consensus, and the defendant will be considered acquitted at this time.This point should be different from that in China. I remember that in China, it seems that a few scores can be used to convict.

[Note 4] 911 is the emergency call in the United States, which is equivalent to 110 in China.