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He Tiantian and Qi Zhengmin rested, while Qi Shuliang and the others, who hadn't slept all night, also went back to sleep to replenish their energy.
About an hour later, at 11 a.m., Uncle Sam knocked on Qi Shuliang's bedroom door.
Qi Shuliang, still in his pajamas, carefully got up, not wanting to wake his tired wife.
Qi Shuliang came out, closed the door, and asked, "Uncle Sam, what's the matter?"
Uncle Sam stepped aside to make way for the gentleman and said, "Sir, two policemen have come downstairs and would like to ask the two ladies some questions."
Qi Shuliang frowned and muttered to himself, "Tian Tian and Zheng Min already gave their statements this morning, explaining what happened. They should be investigating the kidnapper now. Why are they questioning us?"
Uncle Sam couldn't understand the man's Chinese, but seeing him frown, he asked, "Sir, would you like Mr. Smith to come over?"
Mr. Smith is the Qi family's exclusive lawyer, a very good friend of Anna's father, and also an experienced lawyer.
"Yes!" Qi Shuliang nodded. "Please ask Mr. Smith to come over. After all, we are the victims, and the two young ladies are young and need the help of a lawyer."
"Yes, sir." Uncle Sam nodded and followed Qi Shuliang downstairs.
While Qi Shuliang was receiving the police, he then called Mr. Smith.
The maids served delicious coffee.
"Officers, what can I do for you?" Qi Shuliang asked politely.
This is his consistent upbringing and demeanor!
“Hello, Mr. Qi,” an older police officer said. “I am David William, a police officer from New York City. We arrived at the scene based on a tip from your two young ladies and found all six people inside the villa dead. We’ve come to inquire about the situation!”
"Dead?" Qi Shuliang was stunned and asked, "How did they die? By the way, were they really the thugs who kidnapped my daughter and niece?"
“We are investigating and cannot yet confirm that they are the kidnappers of your daughter and niece,” Officer William replied. “This is a serious matter, and there are some things we wanted to confirm again.”
Six people died; that's a major case.
Even though He Tiantian couldn't kill her daughter, she still had an obligation to answer police questions.
Qi Shuliang was well aware of this, so he did not show any impatience.
“Cooperating with the police is every citizen’s duty. However, my daughter is thirteen years old and my niece is seventeen. They are both minors. They were frightened yesterday, ran away in the middle of the night, and were injured. They are also in poor mental condition and are resting. Could you please wait a moment while our lawyer arrives so we can question the two children? Is that alright?” Qi Shuliang said neither humbly nor arrogantly. His daughter and niece were not criminals, but victims. They needed to cooperate with the investigation, but their physical condition also needed to be considered.
In the United States, a lawyer can be present when the police are questioning the client to protect their rights.
At the same time, Qi Shuliang is right. The two victims were minors and suffered physical harm. Even if they were very anxious to investigate the case, they could not order the victims to come out and answer questions.
"Sure," Officer William could only agree, waiting for the Qi family's lawyer.
Qi Shuliang believed that his daughter and niece would not kill anyone, so he was not worried at all.
About half an hour later, Mr. Smith, dressed in a sharp black suit and carrying a briefcase, came in.
"I'm sorry to have kept you officers waiting." Mr. Smith had a kind smile; he was a plump old man.
However, as one of New York's most famous lawyers, it would be a big mistake to be fooled by his smile.
He's a real old fox!
“Fortunately, it didn’t take long.” Officer William stood up and shook hands with Mr. Smith; the two clearly knew each other.
"Alright, can you tell me what happened?" Mr. Smith asked, taking out a notebook and a pen to jot down the key points.
As a lawyer, in addition to having quick reflexes and rigorous logical thinking, one also needs an excellent memory. However, sometimes the brain is a little unreliable, so jotting things down has become Mr. Smith's habit.
The above are various simplified Chinese characters he wrote; only he knows what they mean.
Officer William, on high alert, pulled out He Tiantian's previous statement and asked, "We have something we'd like to ask Miss Jenny again. The deaths of these six people are very suspicious, and we'd like to speak with both of you to understand the situation."
Mr. Smith glanced at the document and asked, "Could you two officers please go back first? My two clients are minors, and they are victims. They are resting now. Once they are feeling better, I will accompany my clients to the police station, is that alright?"
Officer William had anticipated this outcome and, not wanting to argue, nodded and said, "Alright! Hopefully, Mr. Smith can bring your young lady over as soon as possible."
“I will,” Mr. Smith nodded, continuing to smile broadly.
The two officers had to leave.
Once outside, he asked, "Actually, we can ask for..."
“We can’t ask them to, nor is it something we can ask them to. Remember, these two ladies are not criminals, but victims. They can cooperate with our work if their health permits, but they can refuse if their health doesn’t permit.” Officer William whispered to his colleague beside him, “Those six scumbags, drug addicts, promiscuous women, the forensic doctor has already determined that they died from drug overdose, not from those two ladies.”
"If that's the case, then we..." The younger policeman was puzzled. Since the forensic doctor had already conducted the examination, why did his superior still need to make a special trip over there?
"Heh!" Officer William chuckled. "If you understand, you're already sitting in my seat."
After saying that, he got into the police car and left.
Mr. Smith thought for a moment, then made the sign of the cross: "It is my regret to hear that the two ladies were kidnapped. Thank God they returned safely."
“Yes, God bless,” Qi Shuliang said. “What’s your opinion on this matter?”
Mr. Smith smiled and said, "Don't worry, both ladies are noble ladies and innocent victims!"
"Yes, if it weren't for my niece's good health, they wouldn't have been able to return safely this time. We searched all night in the tourist town, but to no avail. We never imagined they had already been moved to Kira," Qi Shuliang said with a sigh. Twenty million US dollars—even if he had that much money, withdrawing cash in a single day was extremely difficult.
(To be continued.)
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