The Sweetness of the Seventies
Chapter 406 - 377 Police, Lawyer_1

Chapter 406: Chapter 377 Police, Lawyer_1

He Tiantian had rested, and Qi Shuliang and the others, having not slept all night, also went to sleep to regain their strength.

About an hour later, around eleven in the morning, Uncle Sam knocked on Qi Shuliang’s bedroom door.

Qi Shuliang, wearing pajamas, carefully got up, not wanting to wake his exhausted wife.

After exiting, Qi Shuliang closed the door and asked, "Uncle Sam, what’s the matter?"

Uncle Sam stepped aside, making way for him, and said, "Mr. Qi, there are two police officers downstairs who would like to ask the young ladies some questions."

Qi Shuliang frowned and muttered to himself, "Tiantian and Zhengmin have already given their statements this morning, explaining the events clearly. They should be investigating the kidnapper, why are they here questioning us again?"

Uncle Sam didn’t understand Mr. Qi’s Chinese, but seeing him frown, he asked, "Sir, do you need Mr. Smith to come over?"

Mr. Smith was the Qi Family’s personal lawyer, a very good friend of Anna’s father and an experienced attorney as well.

"Yes!" nodded Qi Shuliang, "Please ask Mr. Smith to come over. After all, we are the victims, and since the young ladies are minors, they need a lawyer’s assistance."

"Yes, sir," Uncle Sam nodded, following Qi Shuliang downstairs.

While Qi Shuliang was receiving the police officers, he then called Mr. Smith.

The maids served delicious coffee.

"Officers, may I ask what the matter is?" Qi Shuliang asked very politely.

This was in keeping with his consistent upbringing and demeanor!

"Mr. Qi, hello," said an older police officer, "My name is David William, and I am an officer with the New York City police. Following the clues provided by your daughters earlier, we located the scene and found that all six people inside the villa are dead. We wanted to ask about the situation!"

"Dead?" Qi Shuliang was taken aback and asked, "How did they die? Also, are they really the culprits who kidnapped my daughter and niece?"

"We are still investigating and cannot yet confirm if they were the ones who kidnapped your daughter and niece," Officer William answered, "It’s a serious matter, and there are some details we would like to confirm with a follow-up."

Six people dead constituted a major case.

Even if Tiantian was his daughter, it was her obligation to answer police questions.

Qi Shuliang was well aware of this, so he didn’t show any signs of impatience.

"Cooperating with police work is every citizen’s duty. My daughter is only thirteen this year, and my niece is also quite young. Moreover, they were both traumatized yesterday, they escaped in the middle of the night and were injured, and they’re in a poor state of mind, currently resting. Could you please wait a bit, officers? Once our lawyer arrives, then you can ask the children, is that okay?" Qi Shuliang spoke firmly but calmly, protecting the girls’ rights as victims, not suspects, while acknowledging their physical and mental state.

In the United States, a lawyer can be present during police questioning to ensure their client’s rights are protected.

Moreover, Qi Shuliang was right, as the traumatized minors who had been injured were not required to respond to questioning if their health was compromised.

"That’s fine," Officer William could only agree, waiting for the Qi family’s lawyer.

Qi Shuliang had faith in his daughter and niece, firmly believing they weren’t capable of murder, thus he wasn’t worried at all.

About half an hour later, Mr. Smith arrived, dressed in a sharp black suit and carrying a briefcase.

"Sorry to keep the officers waiting," Mr. Smith said with a friendly smile, a plump elder gentleman.

However, as one of New York’s most famous lawyers, to be deceived by his smile would be a grave mistake.

He was a shrewd old fox!

"Not at all, we haven’t been waiting long," Officer William stood up to shake hands with Mr. Smith, and it was quite obvious they knew each other.

"Now, may we discuss what this is about?" Mr. Smith asked, taking out a notebook and pen to jot down key points.

As a lawyer, besides having a sharp response and rigorous logical skills, one also needs an excellent memory. But, at times when the brain might not be reliable, jotting down notes had become Mr. Smith’s habit.

His notebook contained various simplified characters, their meanings known only to him.

Officer William, fully alert, took out the statement provided by He Tiantian earlier and said, "We would like to ask Miss Janie once again. The deaths of these six people are mysterious, and we hope to understand the situation from the two young ladies."

Mr. Smith looked over the record and asked, "Officers, could you go back first? My clients are very frightened, and being victims, need rest. When they’re feeling a bit better, I’ll accompany my clients to the police station, how about that?"

Officer William anticipated this response, and without a fight, nodded, "That would be fine! I hope Mr. Smith can bring your clients to us soon."

"I will," nodded Mr. Smith, still wearing his amiable smile.

The officers had to leave.

Once outside, one remarked, "Actually, we could demand..."

"We can’t demand, nor is it in our place to demand," whispered Officer William to his colleague, "Remember, the young ladies are not criminals but victims. They can cooperate with us when physically able, but they have the right to refuse if not." He added quietly, "Those six bastards were into drugs, substance abuse, and promiscuity. The coroner has confirmed they died from an overdose of hallucinogens, not from actions taken by the two ladies."

"If that’s the case, then why are we..." the younger officer, puzzled, wondered why they had to make the trip if the coroner made such a determination.

"Ha!" Officer William chuckled, "If you understood that, you’d be sitting in my seat already."

With that, he got in the police car and left.

After pondering for a while, Mr. Smith crossed himself and said, "It’s unfortunate to hear about the ladies’ kidnapping, but thankfully, God watched over them and they returned safely."

"Indeed, God’s blessing," Qi Shuliang replied, "What do you think about this matter?"

Mr. Smith smiled, saying, "Don’t worry, both young ladies are distinguished and innocent victims!"

"Yes, if my niece wasn’t physically strong, they might not have returned safely this time. We searched for them the whole night in the tourist town and found nothing. To our surprise, they had been moved to Kira," lamented Qi Shuliang, mentioning the $20 million which was certainly a significant sum for him and not easy to withdraw on such short notice.