Chapter 94
A Ford Transit was parked in the alley near the plaza.
The two men, the Lieutenant and Maguire Hari, sat facing each other.
“Cluck ……” the car door opened.
Susan got into the car as well and sat across from Maguire Hari.
Maguire Hari spread his hands, “Captain Susan, what do you mean by this?”
“We need to talk.”
“Talk about what?”
“Why are you here? What are you doing here in the plaza?”
“I’ve already talked to the lieutenant.”
“I’m the one asking you now, understand?”
“OK, I’m here on some personal business that has nothing to do with you police.”
Susan pressed, “Since the police are involved, it’s relevant. What kind of personal business?”
Maguire Hari let out a long sigh and said helplessly, “I’ve been blackmailed by someone and am here to pay the ransom.”
“Who is blackmailing you?”
“I don’t know, the other party put a letter on my doorstep asking me to come here to pay the ransom.”
“What did they threaten you with?”
Maguire Hari thought for a moment and shook his head, “Something too private to reveal. Do I need to call a lawyer?”
“No, then I’ll talk about something not private.” Susan’s words changed to a different question, “Do you know Bardman Quarrel?”
“Of course, he’s my sister’s driver.”
“How was your relationship?”
Maguire Hari laughed, “He’s my sister’s chauffeur, not mine. We don’t have any relationship with each other, do we look like people who have something in common to you?”
“You have no private contact?”
“No.”
Susan pulled out a couple of photographs of none other than Maguire Hari in front of his chauffeur, Bardman Pool’s house.
Seeing these photos Maguire Hari’s face was a little hard to see, “Where did you get the photos from?”
Susan asked without answering, “Did you get someone to beat up Badman-Poel?”
Maguire Hari was silent for a few moments, “Yes, we had some minor conflicts, but it’s all in the past. That doesn’t say much, does it?”
“It may have been before, but not anymore, Bardman Pool is dead!”
“Are you serious?”
“I never joke.” Susan’s serious face was easy to believe.
“Even if he’s dead, that doesn’t mean it has anything to do with me.”
“You have motive and a history of hurting him, and there’s no reason why I shouldn’t investigate you.”
“Do I need to call a lawyer?”
“That only proves a sign of weakness, besides, a lawyer can’t solve the case of your sister’s murder.”
“Whew ……” Maguire Hari let out a long sigh, “OK, I really didn’t like that guy, but I didn’t have to kill him either. You guys shouldn’t waste your time on me, I had nothing to do with his death.”
The lieutenant interjected, “You’re suspected of more than just killing Bardman Quarrel.”
Maguire Hari glared at the lieutenant, “What do you mean?”
“You’re the only immediate family member of your sister, you’re the one who would benefit the most if something happened to her, and whether you admit it or not, that’s a motive.”
“Even buy Karma’s …… you guys actually suspect me of killing my own sister. Like I said, she’s my only family, there’s no way I’d kill her.
Besides, your bullshit motive doesn’t hold water at all.
My sister doesn’t have much property in her name, what she really has value in are resources, and her being alive is the best thing for me. She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I owe a good portion of what I’ve accomplished to her.
I’m the one person in the world who wants her alive the most, whether from a kinship or profit standpoint.”
The lieutenant flipped through his notebook and switched to a different question, “When did this group blackmail you?”
“I received the blackmail letter yesterday afternoon.”
“Hadn’t you received any blackmail before?”
“No.”
“Then let me ask you, what did you do with the three hundred thousand dollars you withdrew from your bank account on March 30th?”
Maguire-Harry spread his hands, disgruntled, “You guys are great, focusing your investigative energies on me, no wonder you haven’t been able to solve the case.”
The vice squad retorted, “That’s because you’ve been hiding something and not telling the truth to the police. Like where that money went, for example, if you wouldn’t say anything, the police would have investigated on their own.”
“That money was made to be withdrawn by my sister, and it was to her that I went at noon that day to deliver it.”
“Withdraw the money for what?”
“I asked and she wouldn’t say.”
“The police gave you a statement last time, why didn’t you tell them about such an important clue?”
“My sister instructed me not to tell anyone about this, I just respected her opinion.”
The vice squad couldn’t understand, “Your sister most likely died because of this money, and you actually claimed to help her keep it a secret, are you really an obedient and good brother?”
“My sister is not an ordinary person, and there are some things that cannot be measured by ordinary people’s practices, since she said she wouldn’t let anyone know about it, it proves that the consequences of this matter might be something she and I cannot bear.
She is dead, but I am alive.”
The lieutenant pondered for a moment speculating, “Is that money you gave your sister on March 30th also connected with today’s blackmail?”
“I don’t know.”
The Vice Squad continued to analyze, “Then have you ever thought that your sister might have been similarly blackmailed and that’s why she asked you for money. And the people who blackmailed her are most likely the same group of people today. They might even be the ones who killed your sister!”
Hearing these words, Maguire Hari’s face changed and changed, “Do you have proof?”
“What you’re hiding is most likely the key evidence that the police need. If you continue to conceal it, it will most likely allow your sister’s murderer to escape justice, is that what you wish to see?”
Seeing Maguire Hari’s expression move, the vice squad struck while the iron was hot: “Tell me, why did that group blackmail you?”
Maguire Hari hesitated for a long moment, “The video.”
“What video?”
“The video of my sister and Bardman Pool clapping for love.”
“The two of them ……” The lieutenant hadn’t really thought of that possibility, there was a huge gap between the two men’s identities and a teeny bit of an age difference.
“YEAH, I was surprised when I found out about it too, and strongly opposed to it.” Maguire-Harry held his chin with his hand, “I’m not against my sister falling in love or even getting married.
But …… I can’t accept that guy, he and my sister don’t fit at all, and he’s married with a wife and child.
I got someone to beat him up last time because of that.”
Maguire Hari became angrier and angrier as he spoke, “If it wasn’t for this guy, my sister probably wouldn’t have died and I wouldn’t have been threatened. He deserves to die!”
Learning of the relationship between the two dead men, the lieutenant felt an instant clarity and a lot of doubts were cleared up, and continued, “In early January, your sister’s house was shot at, did you know about that?”
“Yes, the man who attacked my sister’s house was a member of a militia organization who was against the banning of guns, I think his name was Bowen Cano.”
“Did this incident affect your sister in any way?”
“It didn’t affect her much, my sister is a very determined person, the more people threaten, the braver she gets.
Take that shooting incident.
Not only did it not scare my sister, but it made her famous and had more supporters.
A bad thing turned into a good thing instead.”
Susan looked at her notebook for a moment and then said, “We checked your account, on January 2nd, you withdrew three hundred thousand dollars from the bank, what did you do with it?”
Maguire Hari recalled, “Gave it to my sister.”
“What did she do with the money?”
“I didn’t ask.”
“Why, it’s not a small amount?”
“There’s no why, it’s our sibling’s tacit agreement, I trust her and she won’t harm me, that’s enough. Knowing more may not be a good thing.”
After making a statement.
Susan and the vice squad got out of the car and exchanged whispers.
The vice squad raised their chins at the car, “Do you believe him?”
“From the looks of it, he has no reason to lie.”
The vice squad continued, “If what he says is true, then the shooting at Riley Hare’s house in early January was probably directed by Riley Hare herself.
Her brother paid for it and the driver centered the contact with the shooter.
The purpose was to sing a bitter song to gain fame and sympathy, and it worked pretty well from the results.”
Susan thought for a moment, “As I recall, the shooter, Bowen Cano, only received two hundred thousand dollars, while Maguire Hari gave three hundred thousand dollars, where did the other one hundred thousand dollars go?”